Whānau and Community

Overview

This 30-minute lesson is the 4th in a 6-lesson unit titled Exploring Te Reo Māori. It focuses on the cultural concept of whānau and community in Māori culture, supporting Year 7 & 8 students to explore their own family structures using Te Reo Māori vocabulary. The lesson promotes oral language, cultural understanding, and identity, aligning with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh and respecting the multicultural, predominantly Māori and Cook Islands Māori composition of the class.

Learning Objectives (WALT)

• WALT explore the concept of whānau (family) in Māori culture.
• WALT recognise and use Te Reo Māori terms for family members.
• WALT create a family tree using correct Te Reo Māori vocabulary.
• WALT engage in respectful, meaningful group discussion about family and community.

Success Criteria

• Students can accurately name at least five family members in Te Reo Māori.
• Students contribute to a group discussion about their own whānau with confidence.
• Students create a simple family tree using Te Reo Māori terms.
• Students demonstrate respect and active listening during group sharing.

Curriculum Alignment

Learning Area: Languages
Level: Year 7 & 8
Curriculum Link:

• Communicating strand: Using language to interact and build cultural knowledge through communication in te reo Māori.
• Understanding Language strand: Understanding place of language in culture; in particular, exploring whānau as a core Māori concept.
• Key Competencies: Relating to others, Thinking, Using language, symbols, and texts.
• Values: Respect, Responsibility, Honesty, Excellence (core to interactions and self-expression).
• Cultural responsiveness embedded by linking to Māori language, tikanga, and whānau values.

Key Vocabulary

• Whānau (family)
• Mātua (parents)
• Tamariki (children)
• Tuākana (older sibling of the same gender)
• Teina (younger sibling of the same gender)
• Matua/tūpuna (grandparents)
• Whaea (mother or female elder)
• Tāne (father or male elder)

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Lesson Outline

Time	Activity	Description	Resources / Supports
0-5 min	Introduction and WALT	Greet whānau style. Introduce the day's learning intention (WALT). Briefly discuss whānau as something important in Māori culture, more than just immediate family.	Visual poster with Whānau diagram, WALT on board
5-10 min	Brainstorm Group Discussion	In small groups, students talk about their own families – who is in their whānau and what role they play. Teacher models using Te Reo family terms. Encourage sharing in Te Reo Māori where able.	Prompt cards with Māori family terms, sentence starters: Ko tēnei taku …
10-20 min	Create Whānau Tree	Each student creates a simple family tree or map using Māori terms for family members. Use templates or blank paper, with pictures or symbols for dyslexic support. Students may work individually or in pairs.	Family tree templates, coloured pencils, word wall with Te Reo terms, dyslexia-friendly font handouts
20-25 min	Share and Describe	Volunteers share their family tree with the class or in small groups, describing their whānau in Te Reo Māori using the vocabulary learnt. Other students listen respectfully and ask questions if appropriate.	Speech prompt cards: Ko taku ... (My … is …), sentence frames
25-30 min	Reflection and Consolidation	Quick verbal reflection: What did you learn about your whānau in te reo? How can you use these words in everyday life? Teacher recaps key vocabulary and praises efforts.	Sticky notes for feedback, Koru-shaped stickers for positive reinforcement

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Differentiation Strategies

• For dyslexic learners:

  • Provide dyslexia-friendly reading materials with clear font and spacing.
  • Use pictorial supports and family tree templates with visual cues.
  • Pair with a buddy for reading and language support during discussions.
  • Allow oral responses or drawing instead of writing where appropriate.

• For advanced learners:

  • Extend family tree to include wider whānau (aunts, uncles, cousins) and use more complex vocabulary.
  • Encourage writing simple phrases or sentences describing family members’ roles or traits in Te Reo Māori.
  • Facilitate peer teaching where advanced learners help others with pronunciation and vocabulary.

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Assessment and Feedback

• Informal formative assessment based on participation in discussion and accuracy of vocabulary use during sharing.
• Check family trees for correct vocabulary application.
• Teacher provides specific positive feedback linked to success criteria.
• Collect student reflections on sticky notes to evaluate understanding and confidence.

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Resources

• Visual vocabulary charts for family terms in Te Reo Māori
• Family tree templates (with spaces for pictures and labels)
• Te Reo Māori sentence prompts / starters
• Dyslexia-friendly printed materials with coloured overlays if needed
• Whiteboard/markers to chart student ideas

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Notes for the Teacher

• Build on the strong cultural identities and values of your mostly Māori and Cook Islands Māori tamariki by affirming their knowledge and experience of whānau in the Pacific context.
• Model respectful listening and turn-taking to reflect your school values of respect and responsibility.
• Use consistent Te Reo Māori pronunciation modelling to support oral language acquisition.
• Incorporate movement into the lesson by letting students physically place family member labels on a large group whānau chart, making learning kinaesthetic and hands-on.

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This lesson plan blends language acquisition with cultural understanding in line with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh's emphasis on languages as part of identity and worldview. It uses meaningful, interactive activities to engage Year 7 & 8 students, supports diverse learning needs including dyslexia, and fosters an inclusive, respectful classroom community focused on the value of whānau .