Language Changes With People

Overview

In lesson 8 of 18 in Language, Identity, Connection, students explore how people adjust communication according to relationship, age, place and context. They compare familiar English choices with Spanish tú/usted and te reo Māori greetings, recognising that appropriate usage depends on the people involved, the setting and guidance from the relevant community.

Learning intentions

• WALT explain how communication changes with relationship, age, place and context.
• WALT notice that languages have different ways of showing respect and formality.
• WALT choose language that is appropriate for a range of audiences.
• WALT explain one reason for a language choice.

Success criteria

• I can sort language choices for a new person, a friend, an elder and a formal audience.
• I can use a respectful greeting or interaction in a short role-play.
• I can explain how the relationship, age, place or setting affected my choice.
• I can recognise that I should follow community guidance rather than assume one form is always correct.

Curriculum links

• Communicating in a classroom environment using an extended repertoire of instructions and short interactions.
• Classroom language: Whakaroopuhia kia tokotoru/whā/rima.
• The tone, formality and directness of instructions are shaped by context, roles and tikanga Māori.
• Giving instructions in te reo Māori requires culturally appropriate language reflecting respect, relationships and collective responsibility.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook and connect. Open with the opening question and image and ask, “Would you speak to your best friend, a new student and the principal in exactly the same way?” Students silently choose a response, then share one difference with a partner. Reinforce that changing language is about showing care and communicating clearly, not about one person being more important.

2. 5–13 min · Explicit teaching. Use the language comparison slides to model a brief greeting to a friend, a new person, an elder and a formal audience. Introduce Spanish tú and usted as an example of variation, explaining that speakers may use different forms depending on relationship and context. Model tēnā koe to one person and tēnā koutou to a group, and explain that respectful forms in te reo Māori should be used according to tikanga and community guidance. Students echo the greetings and identify the audience for each.

3. 13–20 min · Age, place and setting. Play the short example audio from the audio listening prompt twice: once for a peer conversation and once for a formal school interaction. Students listen for differences in greeting, word choice, volume and directness, then discuss what changed. Explain that teenagers may use slang or shortened words with peers, but students do not need to imitate it; appropriate language depends on the situation and the people involved. Introduce the class continuum: more casual → respectful and formal.

4. 20–28 min · Four-corner scenario movement. Display the four audience labels using the four-corner instructions: new person, friend, elder, formal audience. Read or show one scenario at a time, such as meeting a visitor, greeting a friend at break, welcoming an older relative, or speaking at a school assembly. Students move to the corner they think fits, practise a suitable greeting or instruction with a partner, and give one reason beginning, “I chose this because …”. Invite groups to explain their thinking; accept more than one answer when the explanation is sensible and respectful.

5. 28–36 min · Register sorting. In groups of four or five, students sort teacher-prepared language cards along a casual-to-formal continuum. Include greetings, requests and short classroom instructions, including tēnā koe, tēnā koutou, a direct request, and a more respectful request. Groups use the register sorting and explanation sheet to record the audience, preferred choice and one reason. Circulate and ask, “Who are you speaking to?”, “Where are you?”, and “What relationship do you have?” Use the group role cards if needed to support turn-taking.

6. 36–42 min · Short role-plays. Give pairs a situation from the Conversation Role-play Cards or a teacher-prepared scenario. Partners perform a 20–30 second interaction, changing their language for the assigned relationship or setting. Observers listen for an appropriate greeting, request or instruction and explain which clue helped them decide. Students may perform in English, with the target greetings included where appropriate.

7. 42–45 min · Plenary and exit check. Return to the reflection and exit prompt. Students complete the final box on the personal explanation prompt: “One language choice I would make for ___ is ___ because ___.” Invite two or three responses and restate that language choices vary across languages and communities.

Resources

• the complete lesson slide deck
• the register sorting and explanation sheet
• the Conversation Role-play Cards
• Teacher-prepared scenario cards and four corner labels
• Short, age-appropriate audio examples
• Casual-to-formal register continuum displayed on the board
• Whiteboard and markers
• Optional role cards for group responsibilities

Assessment

• Listen during four-corner explanations and sorting; question students about relationship, age, place and setting rather than accepting an unexplained answer.
• Note whether students select or suggest an appropriate greeting, request or instruction and can give one reason.
• Collect the worksheet prompt as an exit check, looking for a language choice linked to a clear audience or context.

Differentiation

• Provide scenario icons, colour-coded audience labels, gesture cues and pre-taught scripts such as “Tēnā ___”, “I would say ___ because ___”, and “Please ___”.
• Offer dyslexia-friendly materials: clear sans-serif font, large print, strong contrast, uncluttered cards, minimal copying and the option to hear instructions or respond orally.
• Allow students to rehearse with a supportive partner, point to a choice, take the observer role, or use the same sentence frame several times.
• Extend confident learners by asking them to identify the power relationship, relationship, setting and purpose, then explain why two different choices could both be appropriate.