Tense Marker Detectives

Overview

Students identify and use Māori tense markers to write simple sentences about familiar actions in the past, present and future. The lesson builds on familiar personal pronouns and action verbs through oral rehearsal, movement and supported writing.

Learning intentions

• WALT identify the tense markers I, Kei te and Ka.
• WALT write simple sentences about actions in the past, present and future.
• WALT use familiar pronouns and verbs accurately in a sentence.
• WALT participate in short, meaningful interactions using formulaic language.

Success criteria

• I can identify whether a sentence is past, present or future.
• I can match I, Kei te and Ka with the correct time.
• I can write three sentences about actions at different times.
• I can read my sentences aloud clearly.

Curriculum links

• Te Reo Māori — write information on familiar topics in a range of contexts, including past, present and future.
• Te Reo Māori — communicating about time.
• Te Reo Māori — understanding and using classroom language and formulaic expressions.
• Te Reo Māori — using formulaic language to support meaningful interactions.

Lesson structure (20 minutes)

1. 0–3 min · Hook: Time detectives. Open with the action-picture hook and learning intention and show three simple images of a person walking yesterday, walking now and walking tomorrow. Say each sentence naturally: I hikoi au, Kei te hikoi ahau, Ka hikoi au. Students use three agreed actions—touch shoulder for past, hands moving for present and point forwards for future—to show which time they hear.

2. 3–7 min · Direct teach: Notice the markers. Use the tense-marker teaching slides to display and read the three patterns, briefly explaining that I signals a completed action, Kei te signals an action happening now, and Ka signals a future action or intention. Model:

• I haere au. — I went.
• I waiata ia. — She sang.
• Kei te hikoi ahau. — I am walking.
• Kei te oma koe. — You are running.
• Kei te waiata ia. — She is singing.
• Ka haere au. — I will go.
• Ka waiata ia. — She will sing. Students echo each sentence, then identify the marker and time. Explain that the correct action verb is waiata; use Ka waiata ia, rather than Ka waiara ia, for “She will sing”.

3. 7–11 min · Whole-class movement game. Display the movement-game instructions and sentence prompts. Give pairs a verb and pronoun orally or show a picture, for example oma / koe, hikoi / ahau, waiata / ia. Call “past”, “present” or “future”. Students make the sentence with the matching marker and mime it with a partner. Invite three or four pairs to share; the class signals thumbs up if the tense marker matches the time.

4. 11–16 min · Supported writing. Distribute the three-times sentence-writing worksheet. Students complete three sections—past, present and future—using a word bank of pronouns and familiar verbs. They write one sentence in each section, such as I oma au, Kei te oma ahau, and Ka oma au. Circulate and prompt students to check the first word, pronoun and verb. Pause halfway for students to read one sentence quietly to a partner.

5. 16–18 min · Pair check and correction. Use the pair-check prompts to guide partners: “He aha te wā?” (What time is it?), “Ko tēhea te tohu?” (Which marker is it?), and “Ka tika?” (Is it correct?). Students read two sentences to a partner, name the tense and suggest one kind correction if needed. Partners do not rewrite each other’s work without permission.

6. 18–20 min · Plenary and exit check. Display the final challenge and exit prompt. Say: “Write one sentence about an action you will do tomorrow.” Students independently write one sentence beginning with Ka, then hold up their worksheet for a quick teacher scan or read it to the teacher as they leave. Finish with the class repeating: I — kua pahure; Kei te — ināianei; Ka — ā muri ake.

Resources

• the complete tense-marker teaching deck
• the three-times sentence-writing worksheet
• Board or whiteboard and markers
• Three classroom time symbols or gestures: past, present, future
• Familiar action picture cards or teacher-selected actions
• Pencils and erasers
• Space for students to stand beside desks

Assessment

• Listen during echoing and the movement game for accurate identification and pronunciation of I, Kei te and Ka.
• Check the worksheet for one meaningful sentence in each tense, focusing first on the tense marker and then on pronoun and verb choice.
• Use the final Ka sentence as an exit check. Record students who need further modelling of tense markers or sentence order.

Differentiation

• Support learners with colour coding: I in blue for past, Kei te in green for present and Ka in orange for future. Provide sentence frames: I ___ au, Kei te ___ ahau, Ka ___ au.
• Offer a small word bank with haere, hikoi, oma and waiata, supported by simple pictures. Allow students to rehearse orally with an adult or peer before writing.
• For students needing additional support, accept copied or partially completed sentence frames and assess accurate tense-marker selection separately from spelling.
• Challenge confident writers to change the pronoun and verb in each tense, then read their sentences aloud using clear pronunciation and appropriate rhythm. Use respectful partner feedback and avoid requiring students to perform publicly if this creates anxiety.