Tōku Kāinga

Overview

This 50-minute Te Reo Māori lesson introduces Year 9 students to vocabulary for rooms and objects around the house. Students build short sentences describing where things are, developing foundations for later NCEA spoken and written interaction.

Learning intentions

• WALT name common rooms and objects in a house.
• WALT ask and answer “What is this?” in Te Reo Māori.
• WALT describe where an object is using “Kei roto i te…” and “Kei runga i te…”.
• WALT speak clearly and respectfully with a partner.

Success criteria

• I can correctly name at least eight rooms or objects in a house.
• I can ask and answer “He aha tēnei?” using a complete sentence.
• I can describe the location of at least three objects.
• I can take part in a short conversation about my home.

Curriculum links

• Spoken interaction: initiating, maintaining and responding in a short conversation.
• Communicating information: describing familiar people, places and objects.
• Written language: using familiar vocabulary and sentence patterns accurately.
• Language knowledge: applying pronunciation, sentence structure and location phrases.

Lesson structure (50 minutes)

1. 0–5 minutes – Mihi, pronunciation and hook

Greet students in Te Reo Māori and explain that today they will create a verbal “tour” of a home. Open with the house-image hook and learning intentions and ask: “He aha ngā mea ka kitea i tō kāinga?” Students may answer in English initially; acknowledge ideas and introduce the Māori words.

2. 5–13 minutes – Teach the vocabulary

Use the vocabulary slides to introduce and pronounce the following words: whare, kīhini, rūma noho, rūma moe, wharepaku, tēpu, tūru, moenga, tatau, matapihi, pouaka whakaata and pukapuka.

Say each word clearly, with students repeating as a class, in two halves, then individually when appropriate. Briefly discuss macrons and model accurate vowel sounds. Students record the words on the tōku kāinga vocabulary and sentence worksheet.

3. 13–20 minutes – Question-and-answer modelling

Teach the exchange:

• “He aha tēnei?” – “He tēpu tēnei.”
• “Kei hea te tēpu?” – “Kei roto i te kīhini.”
• “Kei hea te pukapuka?” – “Kei runga i te tēpu.”

Use the sentence-pattern slides to highlight the pattern rather than requiring students to memorise grammatical terminology. Model incorrect and correct pronunciation, then have students repeat the full exchanges with a partner.

4. 20–30 minutes – Pair practice

Distribute the tōku kāinga vocabulary and sentence worksheet. In pairs, students complete the matching and sentence-building tasks, then practise asking and answering the three questions. Partner A points to an object or room; Partner B names it and describes its location. Swap roles after each example.

Circulate and listen for pronunciation of “wh”, long vowels and “kei”. Encourage students to use the Māori sentence before receiving English support.

5. 30–41 minutes – Design and describe a home

In pairs, students draw a simple floor plan with four rooms and add at least six labelled objects. They then write four sentences, for example:

• “He moenga tēnei.”
• “Kei roto i te rūma moe.”
• “He pouaka whakaata tēnei.”
• “Kei roto i te rūma noho.”

Use the floor-plan task and model example to show the expected level of detail. Each pair rehearses a 30-second oral description of their home.

6. 41–47 minutes – Present and respond

Invite several pairs to present their floor plan to the class or to another pair. Listeners must ask one follow-up question: “Kei hea te…?” Presenters answer using a complete sentence. Students who are not presenting complete the final section of the self-check and oral rehearsal worksheet.

7. 47–50 minutes – Plenary and formative check

Display the plenary questions. Ask students to say one new word and one location sentence to a partner. Collect the worksheets or listen to selected responses as students leave, noting who can name vocabulary and who can use a location phrase independently.

Resources

• the Tōku Kāinga teaching deck
• the tōku kāinga vocabulary and sentence worksheet
• Whiteboard and markers
• Student exercise books and pens
• A timer
• Optional classroom objects for pointing and modelling
• Pairing plan for 20 students

Assessment

• Observe pair practice and record evidence of vocabulary recall, pronunciation and use of complete sentences.
• Check the floor-plan sentences for accurate vocabulary and appropriate use of “Kei roto i…” or “Kei runga i…”.
• Use the final oral response to identify students ready to extend and students needing further support.

Differentiation

• Provide a word bank, model sentences and pronunciation rehearsal for students who need support. Allow them to point to a picture or read from the worksheet before speaking independently.
• Pair students strategically and give each partner a clear role: speaker, listener, then swap.
• Support EAL learners and students with additional learning needs through labelled visuals, reduced writing demands and extra processing time.
• Extend confident students by adding “Kei raro i…”, “Kei te taha o…” or “I tōku kāinga, kei…”, and by describing five or more objects without reading.