Te Kupu Through Stories

Overview

Lesson 4 of 16 in Empowered English: Tuarere Tahi. Students encounter, hear, discuss and use new vocabulary through a short story set in a Māori cultural context, supported by photographs, illustrations, gestures and repeated oral language. Activities are suitable for Years 0–3, with older students encouraged to explain meanings and use words in sentences.

Learning intentions

• WALT listen carefully to a story and notice interesting words.
• WALT connect new words with pictures, actions and meaning.
• WALT say and use new kupu in meaningful sentences.
• WALT show respect for te reo Māori, people and places.

Success criteria

• I can listen for and repeat new kupu.
• I can match a kupu to a picture, action or idea.
• I can explain or show what a new word means.
• I can use at least one new kupu when speaking, drawing or writing.

Curriculum links

• Oral language: listening, responding, taking turns and building vocabulary.
• Reading: making meaning from a shared text, illustrations and context.
• Writing: recording ideas through drawing, labels, words or simple sentences.
• Te Mātaiaho learning areas: communication, identity and belonging, and engaging respectfully with te reo Māori and local contexts.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 minutes – Welcome and language warm-up

Gather students in a semicircle. Open with the hook image and question and ask: “What can you see? What might be happening?” Accept answers in English and te reo Māori. Explain that kupu means “word” and that today the class will collect useful words from a story.

2. 5–12 minutes – Introduce the story vocabulary

Show the four to six focus words on the vocabulary picture slides. Suggested kupu are whānau (family), whenua (land), awa (river), maunga (mountain), kaitiaki (guardian) and haere (go/travel). Pronounce each word clearly, invite students to repeat it, and pair it with a picture, gesture and simple explanation. Avoid requiring students to memorise translations; focus on meaning in context.

3. 12–25 minutes – Context-rich storytelling

Tell a short story such as: “Ari and her whānau haere to the awa near their maunga. They notice rubbish beside the water. Ari remembers that people can act as kaitiaki of the whenua. Together, the whānau collect the rubbish and care for the awa.” Use the illustrated story sequence as visual support. Pause to ask, “What do you think this word means here?” and “What helped you work that out?” Re-read key sentences with student participation.

4. 25–35 minutes – Act, say and match

In groups of five, students rotate through oral practice. One student chooses a picture from the picture-and-action prompts, acts or points to the meaning, and says the kupu with the group. Younger students may echo the teacher; older students explain the word or use it in a sentence. Remind students to take turns, listen respectfully and pronounce words carefully rather than rushing.

5. 35–48 minutes – Personal vocabulary response

Distribute the Te Kupu picture and sentence sheet. Students choose two or three focus words. Years 0–1 draw, trace or label the words and dictate a sentence to an adult or buddy. Years 2–3 write a simple sentence for each word and add a detail from the story. Encourage students to use the visual clues and classroom word bank rather than copying without understanding. Circulate, prompting: “Show me what that word means” and “Can you use it in a sentence?”

6. 48–55 minutes – Share and build a class word wall

Invite pairs to share one word and response. Add student drawings or examples to a class word wall under the headings “people”, “places” and “actions”. Return to the vocabulary review slide and have the class say each word, perform its gesture and recall its meaning. Celebrate different ways of showing understanding.

7. 55–60 minutes – Oral exit reflection

Students sit with a partner and complete the sentence: “My new kupu is ____. It means ____.” Younger students may point to a picture or demonstrate an action. Select several students to share, then preview the next lesson: using new vocabulary to describe a place, person or action.

Resources

• the story, vocabulary and discussion slide deck
• the Te Kupu picture and sentence sheet
• A short teacher-created story set near an awa, maunga or other familiar local place
• A visible word wall or whiteboard
• Pencils, crayons and colouring materials
• Optional photographs or illustrations of local whenua, awa and whānau
• Seating arranged for a story circle and small-group practice

Assessment

• Listen during repetition, group practice and partner sharing for accurate or developing pronunciation, attention to meaning and respectful turn-taking.
• Check whether students can connect a kupu with a picture, gesture or explanation.
• Review the worksheet for evidence that students can represent meaning through drawing, labels, dictated language or written sentences.
• Note which students need further support with listening, vocabulary recall, oral confidence or sentence construction.

Differentiation

• Support learners with a reduced set of two or three words, repeated modelling, gestures, picture choices and a buddy. Accept pointing, acting, drawing or oral responses as valid evidence.
• Provide sentence frames such as “I can see the ____,” “The ____ is a place,” or “A kaitiaki cares for ____.”
• For EAL learners, use visuals, real objects where possible, home-language connections and frequent partner rehearsal before whole-class sharing.
• Extend Years 2–3 learners by asking them to explain how the story context helped them infer a word, add an adjective, or create a new sentence using two kupu.