Ngā Tae me ngā Kīanga

Overview

In this 40-minute Te reo Māori lesson, 25 students revise greetings and learn to use a simple request with colour words: “Hōmai te pene whero.” They listen and respond to the waiata Tōku reo tōku ohooho, explore colour vocabulary through a read-aloud, and practise speaking in a supportive game and worksheet activity.

Learning intentions

• WALT use “Tēnā koe” and “Kia ora” as greetings.
• WALT name familiar colours in Te reo Māori.
• WALT use “Hōmai” and “Hoatu” in a simple sentence.
• WALT listen and respond respectfully during spoken language activities.

Success criteria

• I can greet someone using “Tēnā koe” or “Kia ora”.
• I can say at least five colours in Te reo Māori.
• I can ask for a coloured object using “Hōmai te …”.
• I can understand that “Hōmai” means give it to me, while “Hoatu” means give it to someone or somewhere else.

Curriculum links

• Te Mātaiaho Te Reo Māori Novice 2 teaching sequence: greetings using terms of address.
• Te Mātaiaho Te Reo Māori Novice 2 teaching sequence: understanding and using a wider variety of classroom language and formulaic expressions.
• Te Mātaiaho Te Reo Māori Emergent 1 teaching sequence: giving and following instructions with polite language, clarity, purpose, relationships, and place.
• Te Mātaiaho Te Reo Māori Emergent 1 teaching sequence: preparing and writing short texts on familiar topics.

Lesson structure (40 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Welcome and waiata. Teacher welcomes the class with “Tēnā koutou katoa” and plays the NZ football version of Tōku reo tōku ohooho, followed by the Kapakapanui School version using the waiata welcome slides. Students listen, join in with familiar parts, and identify any words or sounds they recognise.

2. 5–10 min · Greetings revision. Teacher models “Tēnā koe” and “Kia ora”, explaining that both can be used to greet someone, then practises with different students using the greetings practice slides. Students greet a partner, changing roles and responding naturally.

3. 10–17 min · Colour language and read-aloud. Teacher asks, “He aha ngā tae e mōhio ana koutou?” and records student suggestions on the board with coloured pens: whero (red), kōwhai (yellow), kākāriki (green), kahurangi (blue), māwhero (pink), pango (black), and mā (white). Teacher reads the colour-themed pēpi book aloud, pausing for students to point to or name colours using the colour vocabulary slides. Students repeat the words, notice the macrons, and connect each word with a colour.

4. 17–24 min · Teach the sentence pattern. Teacher models and gestures the structure: “Tēnā koe/Kia ora. Hōmai te pene whero.” Explain that “Hōmai” is used when asking someone to give an object to the speaker, while “Hoatu” is used when telling someone to give it to another person or place. Teacher models “Hoatu te pene kākāriki ki a Hana,” using the board and the sentence structure and gesture slides. Students echo the sentences, then practise replacing the colour word.

5. 24–33 min · Kemu: pass the pen. Teacher places students in a full circle or groups of five and gives each group several different-coloured pens. Using the speaking game instruction slide, the teacher or a nominated student requests a colour: “Tēnā koe. Hōmai te pene whero.” The holder passes the correct pen and replies “Kia ora” or “Tēnā koe”; students then take turns requesting another colour. In groups, students use “Hoatu” when passing a pen to a named classmate, for example, “Hoatu te pene kōwhai ki a Wiremu.”

6. 33–40 min · Apply and review. Teacher distributes the colours and sentence practice worksheet and supports students to match familiar objects with colours, then complete or copy simple request sentences. Students complete the worksheet independently or with a partner and finish by saying one greeting, one colour, and one “Hōmai” sentence to the teacher or a partner.

Resources

• the complete waiata, greetings, colour, sentence, game, and review slide deck
• the colours and sentence practice worksheet
• Two versions of Tōku reo tōku ohooho: NZ football version and Kapakapanui School version
• Colour-themed pēpi book for read-aloud
• Different coloured pens, including red, yellow, green, blue, pink, black, and white
• Whiteboard and coloured whiteboard pens
• Audio player and speakers
• Optional picture prompts of familiar coloured objects

Assessment

• During greetings and choral repetition, listen for accurate pronunciation of “Tēnā koe”, “Kia ora”, and colour words, particularly macrons in “kōwhai”, “kākāriki”, and “māwhero”.
• During the pen game, check whether students select the requested colour and use “Hōmai” appropriately; prompt with the sentence frame rather than correcting publicly.
• Review the worksheet and hear a final oral sentence from each student where possible. Note who can independently use a greeting, colour, and request structure.

Differentiation

• Support learners with a visible colour-word bank, picture cues, gestures, repeated modelling, and the sentence frame “Tēnā koe. Hōmai te pene ____.” Allow students to point first, then speak.
• Pair developing speakers with patient, confident language partners and allow rehearsal before speaking to the group. Accept approximate pronunciation while recasting the correct form naturally.
• For learners needing additional support, reduce the choice to three colours and provide pre-written words to trace or copy on the worksheet.
• Extend confident speakers by asking them to use “Hoatu” with a person’s name, or to request two different coloured objects in a short exchange.
• Reinforce tikanga by ensuring requests are polite, objects are passed safely, and students acknowledge the person who responds.