Nau Mai, Belonging

Overview

This is lesson 1 of 8 in Ko Wai Au? We Belong Together, introducing greetings, names and belonging. Through pūrākau-style puppet play, paired speaking, waiata, movement and drawing, 25 Year 1–2 learners explore how respectful greetings help people feel welcome without needing to share private information.

Learning intentions

WALT:

• use a simple greeting and introduce ourselves in te reo Māori
• listen and respond respectfully to another person
• identify a safe group or support network we belong to
• show manaakitanga and whanaungatanga through participation and care

Success criteria

• I can say “Kia ora” or “Nau mai”.
• I can say my name and listen when someone else speaks.
• I can respond to a greeting.
• I can name or draw one safe group, place or person that helps me belong.

Curriculum links

• Learning Languages: recognise and use familiar greetings and language for introducing oneself, while developing cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge.
• Social Sciences: understand that people belong to groups and communities, and that relationships, participation and care help communities work well.
• Health and Physical Education, Phase 1: explore feelings, relationships, wellbeing and respectful ways of connecting with others.
• English and The Arts: develop oral language, listening, visual representation, music, rhythm and movement through shared communication.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–6 min · Hook and welcome. Teacher welcomes learners at the mat, introduces a puppet who says, “I am new here—how will I know I belong?” and opens the hook and learning intention slides. Students notice the puppet’s feelings, share a safe idea about how someone could be welcomed, and listen to the learning intention: “We are learning how greetings and names help people feel welcome.”

2. 6–14 min · Echo greetings. Teacher models slowly and warmly: “Kia ora” (hello), “Nau mai” (welcome), “Ko wai au?” (who am I?), “Ko [name] ahau” (I am [name]), “Kei te pēhea koe?” (how are you?) and “Kei te pai ahau” (I am well). Use the greeting and pronunciation slides with simple pictures and visual sentence frames; explain that Māori greetings are used in different contexts and that pronunciation may vary between dialects. Students echo each phrase, practise the vowel sounds, and use gestures to show meaning.

3. 14–24 min · Greeting partners. Teacher demonstrates with a confident volunteer, then pairs learners carefully. Year 1 learners practise: “Kia ora, ko ___ ahau.” Their partner replies, “Kia ora, ko ___ ahau.” Year 2 learners add “Nō ___ ahau” (I am from ___) or a chosen group such as “Nō tōku akomanga ahau” (I belong to my class). Students may use their chosen name and may choose not to mention family or home. Teacher circulates with a checklist, supporting pronunciation, eye contact if comfortable, listening and respectful turn-taking. Revisit the paired-practice instructions as needed.

4. 24–31 min · Belonging movement and waiata. Teacher teaches or revisits “Tēnā Koutou” or a familiar local mihi waiata, using simple actions and a steady beat. Explain that moving safely, joining in and encouraging others are ways to show manaakitanga. Students sing and move, then change to a new partner on the beat. Each new pair repeats a greeting and name exchange; learners may participate through actions, humming, pointing to a sentence frame or watching first.

5. 31–40 min · Belonging badge. Teacher models a badge showing a safe group, place, activity or support person, such as the class, kapa haka, a sports team, the library or a trusted adult. Distribute the belonging-badge template and display the badge examples and drawing prompt. Students draw and, where appropriate, label one group or support network they belong to. They may choose an imaginary group or a school-based example and do not need to share personal or family information. Invite quiet partner sharing using: “Ko ___ ahau. Nō ___ ahau,” or “Ko ___ taku rōpū” (___ is my group).

6. 40–45 min · Share and close. Teacher invites a few volunteers to demonstrate a greeting or show a badge, while making clear that public performance is optional. Ask: “He aha te mea ka rongo te tangata kua nau mai ia?” (What helps someone feel welcome?) Students offer one idea, show a thumbs-up or hand-on-heart response, and join in a final “Kia ora” to the group. Collect badges for a class belonging display or allow learners to keep them.

Resources

• Puppet
• Nau Mai, Belonging visual teaching deck
• belonging-badge template
• Name cards
• Visual sentence frames
• Crayons or coloured pencils
• Speaker and audio for a familiar mihi waiata
• Teacher checklist and pencils

Assessment

• During echo practice and paired greetings, use a quick checklist for greeting use, name introduction, response, listening and respectful turn-taking.
• Observe whether learners can identify a safe group, place or support network without prompting them to disclose private information.
• Use responses in the closing discussion to check whether learners connect welcoming behaviour with manaakitanga and belonging.

Differentiation

• Provide picture-supported sentence frames, repeated modelling, gestures, partner rehearsal and additional wait time. Accept pointing, signing, humming or joining through movement as valid participation.
• Pair learners thoughtfully and allow a trusted adult or supportive peer to model first. Avoid requiring eye contact, physical contact or public speaking.
• For Year 1, keep the exchange to “Kia ora, ko ___ ahau.” For Year 2, offer “Nō ___ ahau” or a chosen class, team or community group.
• Use consistent pronunciation modelling: a as in “father”, e as in “bed”, i as in “see”, o as in “awe” and u as in “oo”. Model wh approximately like /f/ in many dialects while acknowledging variation. Invite whānau to share a greeting, word or song only if they choose; a school-based example is always suitable.