Karakia As Practice

Overview

In this twelfth lesson of Language, Identity, Connection, students explore karakia as culturally situated practices connected to people, place, purpose and relationships. They listen to a locally approved explanation or recording, consider why permission and context matter, and respond through quiet gratitude rather than performing or imitating karakia.

Learning intentions

• WALT understand that karakia are connected to particular contexts, relationships and tikanga.
• WALT explain why permission and context matter when learning about or participating in a karakia.
• WALT identify respectful ways to learn about a karakia.
• WALT express gratitude or wellbeing without copying a karakia.

Success criteria

• I can explain why a karakia is not a generic classroom script.
• I can describe the difference between learning about a karakia and performing it.
• I can identify a respectful choice, including asking appropriate people for guidance.
• I can create a quiet gratitude artwork or wellbeing gesture without imitating karakia.

Curriculum links

• Linguistic knowledge: selecting karakia that are appropriate to the context when leading.
• Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge: using respectful, clear and purposeful language while acknowledging relationships and place.
• Giving instructions in te reo Māori requires language that reflects respect, relationships and collective responsibility.
• The tone, formality and directness of instructions are shaped by context, roles and tikanga Māori.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Safe opening and hook. Teacher displays the opening question in the hook and learning intention slides: “Should every karakia be used in every classroom?” and reminds students that today they will learn about karakia, not perform or imitate one. Students think quietly, then share one idea with a partner; they may pass if they do not wish to speak.

2. 5–12 min · Establish respectful boundaries. Teacher explains that karakia can be connected to particular people, places, purposes, knowledge holders and tikanga; clarify that permission and local guidance are needed before learning or using a specific karakia. Students help identify respectful behaviours, such as listening carefully, asking before joining in, not recording or sharing without permission, and accepting an invitation or a choice not to participate.

3. 12–20 min · Listen and notice. Teacher plays the locally approved audio or presents the approved explanation using the approved-resource listening slide. Do not ask students to repeat, translate for entertainment, or pronounce words; invite them to notice the context, purpose, relationships and guidance provided. Students listen silently and record or draw one important idea on the listening and respectful-choices sheet.

4. 20–30 min · Sort decisions. Teacher models one example, then gives pairs or groups of three the cut-apart decision cards in the decision-card sorting activity. Students sort choices under “Learn about respectfully”, “Perform only with appropriate invitation and guidance”, and “Not respectful”, discussing the reason for each choice. Teacher circulates, checking that students understand that participation is optional and that a local expert or knowledge holder guides culturally appropriate practice.

5. 30–38 min · Contextual comparison and quiet response. Teacher briefly shares a teacher-approved example of blessing or gratitude from a Spanish-speaking tradition, explaining that it is a contextual example and not an equivalent to karakia; display the comparison prompt in the comparison and creative-response slides. Students create a silent gratitude artwork or choose a simple wellbeing gesture, such as placing a hand on their heart, breathing slowly, or drawing people and places they are thankful for. No karakia words, melody, gesture or pronunciation are copied.

6. 38–45 min · Reflect and exit. Teacher invites volunteers to share what made their response respectful, then displays the exit prompt in the plenary and exit-ticket slide. Students complete: “One respectful choice is…” and, if able, add “It matters because…”. Collect responses without requiring students to disclose personal beliefs or experiences.

Resources

• Locally approved audio recording or explanation, used only according to consultation guidance
• the complete Karakia As Practice slide deck
• the listening, decision-card and reflection worksheet
• Device and speakers
• Art paper and pencils, crayons or felt pens
• Local consultation guidance for the teacher
• Quiet, private space or headphones where available

Assessment

• Listen during paired sorting for whether students distinguish learning about a karakia from performing it and can explain why context matters.
• Check listening notes and artwork discussions for respectful references to permission, relationships, place and purpose; do not assess pronunciation or personal beliefs.
• Use the exit response “One respectful choice is…” to identify students needing further clarification or a supported follow-up conversation.

Differentiation

• Provide the approved explanation in audio and visual form, pause between ideas, and use simple icons for permission, place, people, purpose and listening.
• Offer sentence starters: “Permission matters because…”, “A respectful learner would…”, and “I can choose not to participate when…”.
• Allow private reflection, drawing instead of writing, non-verbal participation, headphones and a quiet workspace. Use a dyslexia-friendly worksheet with a clear sans-serif font, generous spacing, short lines of text and no requirement to read aloud.
• Pair students thoughtfully and pre-teach the sorting categories. Extension learners can formulate two respectful consultation questions, such as “Who should guide us?” and “When is this appropriate?”, without attempting to answer on behalf of local knowledge holders.

Extension

• Students draft respectful questions they could ask a local expert or knowledge holder before learning about a karakia.
• Students design a class reminder showing how to listen, seek guidance and make participation choices respectfully.