Rehearsing Respectfully

Overview

In this seventeenth lesson of Language, Identity, Connection, students refine a short language presentation for a real or imagined audience. They rehearse for accuracy, appropriate register, respectful pronunciation and cultural safety, building on earlier work selecting language and preparing presentation content.

Learning intentions

• WALT revise a language presentation for audience, accuracy and cultural safety.
• WALT select language and register that suit different audiences.
• WALT pronounce key words carefully and respectfully.
• WALT give useful, kind feedback using shared criteria.

Success criteria

• I can explain who my audience is and what they need.
• I can choose a suitable register for my audience and context.
• I can pronounce key words respectfully and use approved cultural content appropriately.
• I can give feedback that is clear, connected and respectful.

Curriculum links

• Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge: giving and following instructions respectfully, using polite language, acknowledging relationships and place.
• Giving instructions in te reo Māori requires culturally appropriate language that reflects respect, relationships and collective responsibility.
• The tone, formality and directness of instructions are shaped by context, roles and tikanga Māori.
• Classroom language and authentic language-learning environments: understanding and using basic cultural norms and politeness conventions.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook and purpose. Teacher displays the learning intention and asks, “Would you speak to a close friend, a kaumātua and a large audience in exactly the same way?” using the opening audience-switch question. Students briefly discuss how audience, relationship and place can change voice, words and body language.

2. 5–12 min · Cultural safety and modelling. Teacher reminds students that karakia and karanga are not to be performed, copied or imitated without appropriate cultural direction; only narration or approved material may be used. Teacher models a short presentation introduction twice, showing a respectful and an unsuitable register, then revisits the class criteria: clear, connected, respectful, supported by the cultural safety and modelling slides. Students identify what changed and suggest one respectful improvement. Remind students that local cultural content must be approved by local iwi, whānau or kaiako Māori before sharing.

3. 12–17 min · Personal revision. Teacher distributes the final rehearsal rubric and revision sheet and helps students identify their audience, purpose, key words and register. Students quietly rehearse their opening and revise one section for clarity, pronunciation or cultural safety. They may use vocabulary cards, approved audio or presentation props.

4. 17–32 min · Rotating rehearsal groups. Teacher places students in groups of four or five and explains the rotation on the rehearsal rotation instructions. In each round, one student presents while peers listen for one criterion; students rotate after approximately three minutes. Peers record one specific strength and one kind next step on the rubric, using sentence stems such as “Your message was clear because…” and “To make it more respectful, you could…”. Students rehearse, listen actively and improve between rounds.

5. 32–39 min · Audience switch challenge. Teacher announces audience changes—such as a friend, a younger class, a whānau group or a formal school gathering—and displays the prompts in the audience-switch challenge slides. Students adapt their greeting, volume, vocabulary, body language or level of explanation, without changing the cultural meaning or using restricted material. Partners explain which register choice they noticed and why it fitted the audience.

6. 39–45 min · Conference and exit reflection. Teacher conducts brief individual conferences, listening for pronunciation, register and safe content while students complete the final rubric rating. Students share one improvement and one next step, then complete the learning-intention exit ticket slips by answering: “What did I improve?” and “How did I show respect?”

Resources

• the full rehearsal and audience-switch slide deck
• the final rehearsal rubric and revision sheet
• Vocabulary cards with approved pronunciation support
• Audio recorder or approved recording device
• Presentation props
• Timer
• Quiet rehearsal space or headphones
• Teacher-approved presentation scripts and cultural guidance

Assessment

• During rotating rehearsals, listen for accurate pronunciation, audience awareness, suitable register and culturally safe content. Record brief notes against the three criteria: clear, connected, respectful.
• Use peer comments to check whether students can give specific, kind and useful feedback rather than general praise.
• In the individual conference, ask each student to explain their audience and one register choice. Collect the final rubric and exit ticket to identify students needing support before the final presentation.

Differentiation

• Support students with a visual rubric, colour-coded script, vocabulary cards, teacher-recorded pronunciation and sentence starters. Offer dyslexia-friendly text: clear sans-serif font, generous spacing, short lines, uncluttered pages and the option to listen rather than read.
• Provide private rehearsal with the teacher, a trusted peer mentor, a smaller audience or an audio/video presentation instead of live performance. Students may point to visuals, use cue cards or present with a partner.
• For students developing English or te reo Māori, pre-teach key words with images and gestures, allow additional processing time and accept rehearsed phrases before expecting spontaneous adaptation.
• Extension students coach a peer to justify register choices, compare how a similar audience might be addressed in different Spanish-speaking contexts, and explain why language choices must not be transferred without checking the local context.