Ngā Wāhi o te Kura

Overview

Lesson 1 of 12 in Te Kura, Tōku Ao. Students develop listening comprehension by identifying familiar places around school and responding physically and orally to simple questions and statements. The lesson establishes respectful classroom routines and introduces language they will use in later lessons to describe their school environment.

Learning intentions

• WALT listen for and identify vocabulary for places in and around the school.
• WALT understand and use Kei hea …? to ask where something or someone is.
• WALT respond with Kei … to state a location.
• WALT participate in te reo Māori through active listening, speaking and respectful interaction.

Success criteria

• I can recognise and say at least five school-location words.
• I can show understanding of Kei hea …?
• I can answer using Kei … and a place name.
• I can listen respectfully and support my classmates through manaakitanga.

Curriculum links

• Te Reo Māori introduction: learning te reo Māori supports connection with identity and culture and deepens understanding of tikanga mātauranga Māori and the Māori worldview.
• Te Reo Māori introduction: teachers guide students to notice how language and values such as manaakitanga and whanaungatanga shape behaviour and relationships.
• Te Reo Māori introduction: weaving cultural knowledge into everyday learning presents te reo Māori as a living expression of identity, community and connection.
• Learning Languages: students develop the knowledge and practices needed to communicate in another language and access further learning.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Whakatau and hook. Teacher welcomes students in te reo Māori, establishes that mistakes are part of learning, and opens the hook and welcome slides with a striking aerial-style image or illustrated map of a school; students silently identify places they recognise and share one idea with a partner.

2. 5–13 min · Listen and notice. Teacher introduces the five target words with photographs or simple labelled images: te kura (the school), te akomanga (the classroom), te whare pukapuka (the library), te wharekai (the dining hall/canteen), and te papa tākaro (the playground/sports area). Teacher models pronunciation naturally, drawing attention to macrons, and uses the vocabulary slides; students listen, repeat as a whole class, then point to the matching image when they hear each word.

3. 13–21 min · TPR listening game. Teacher places or projects the five location images around the room and gives instructions such as Haere ki te akomanga and Tohua te whare pukapuka. Students move safely to, point to, or gesture towards the correct location, then freeze and repeat the word with a partner. Teacher varies the order and checks that students respond to sound rather than copying others, using the movement-game instructions for visual support.

4. 21–30 min · Question and answer modelling. Teacher introduces the exchange Kei hea te whare pukapuka? — Kei te whare pukapuka. Model with a student, changing the place each time and highlighting that Kei hea …? asks “Where is …?” while Kei … gives the location. Students practise in pairs with the images on the school-location listening and speaking sheet, first reading the model, then asking and answering from picture prompts. Circulate and give brief pronunciation feedback without interrupting fluency.

5. 30–39 min · Partner listening challenge. Teacher explains that Partner A chooses or points to one location image while asking Kei hea …?; Partner B listens and answers Kei …. After three turns, students swap roles and try without looking at the written words. Students complete the matching and listening-record section of the school-location listening and speaking sheet. Challenge confident speakers to add a person or object, for example Kei hea a Hemi? — Kei te papa tākaro.

6. 39–45 min · Kōrero and exit check. Teacher revisits the review and plenary slides and asks the class to chorally respond to three rapid questions, then invites individual volunteers to answer one. Students complete a final worksheet prompt: draw or select one place and write or say Kei …, while the teacher listens to a small sample and records who can identify, ask and answer.

Resources

• the complete introduction, activity and review slide deck
• the school-location listening and speaking sheet
• Five clear photographs or illustrations of school locations
• Whiteboard and markers
• Projector or interactive display
• Optional school map or familiar classroom map
• Teacher pronunciation model and assessment checklist

Assessment

• During the movement game, note whether each student identifies the spoken location without relying on peers.
• During pair practice, listen for accurate use of Kei hea …? and an intelligible response beginning Kei …; provide immediate, encouraging feedback.
• Use the final spoken or written response to identify students ready to work independently and those needing repeated modelling in Lesson 2.

Differentiation

• Provide picture support, a visible sentence frame and a word bank for students who need scaffolding: Kei hea ______? — Kei ______.
• Allow students to point, gesture or rehearse quietly with a partner before speaking to the group; accept developing pronunciation while recasting accurately.
• Pair students thoughtfully, changing roles so both partners listen and speak. Remind students that manaakitanga means encouraging, not correcting harshly.
• Extend confident students by asking them to answer without the word bank, use a person’s name, or give two-location exchanges. Be alert to local iwi or school variations in vocabulary and affirm these where known.