Whānau Descriptions

Overview

In this Week 3 lesson, students explore the inclusive meaning of whānau and write respectful sentences about people who support them. They build on previous learning about Matariki, belonging and personal writing by choosing caring vocabulary, using names or roles appropriately, and rereading to check that their sentences make sense.

Learning intentions

• WALT write respectful sentences that describe the people who support us.
• WALT choose words that show care and respect.
• WALT use names or roles appropriately in personal texts.
• WALT reread our writing and make corrections when something does not make sense.

Success criteria

• I can describe whānau in my own way.
• I can choose words that show care and respect.
• I can write or dictate two sentences about people who support me.
• I can use a person’s name or role appropriately and check my sentences.

Curriculum links

• English — Reading: following the subject across consecutive sentences when a pronoun, synonym or noun phrase is used.
• English — Writing: developing sentence structures, grammar and punctuation.
• English — Writing: rereading each sentence and correcting writing that does not make sense or is ungrammatical.
• Te Mātaiaho supports belonging, identity and relationships through personal texts and the key competencies relating to others and using language, symbols and texts.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–10 min · Welcome and inclusive discussion. Open with the opening whānau image and question and ask, “Who are the people who help, love and care for you?” Explain that whānau can include parents, grandparents, siblings, wider relatives, friends, caregivers and other important people; each person’s whānau may be different. Students think, pair-share, and contribute ideas without needing to name anyone or share private information. Affirm that whānau can be defined in each student’s own way.

2. 10–20 min · Examine model sentences. Display the model sentence slides and read the examples aloud: “My auntie supports me. She listens to my stories.” “Wiremu’s koro helps him. He makes time for him.” “My caregiver is kind and patient.” Briefly identify the person or role, the respectful describing words, capital letters, full stops and pronouns such as she and he. Model how the second sentence still refers to the same person. Students help match each pronoun to the person it describes and orally rehearse one sentence with a partner.

3. 20–27 min · Plan ideas. Distribute the Whānau Descriptions planning and writing page and invite students to draw or write about one or two people who support them. They may choose a name, a role such as mum, koro or teacher, or a general phrase such as “Someone in my whānau”. Students select caring words from the illustrated word bank and orally rehearse two sentences with the teacher, a partner or a small group.

4. 27–45 min · Write or dictate. Refer back to the writing task and sentence-frame slides. Students draw and write two sentences, or dictate their ideas to an adult or approved recording tool. Offer frames such as “My ___ supports me.” and “They are ___ because ___.” Encourage students to use a name or role respectfully, add a capital letter and full stop, and leave spaces between words. Confer with individuals, prompting rather than correcting: “Who is your sentence about?”, “What caring word could you use?” and “Read that part again—does it make sense?”

5. 45–55 min · Partner read and respond. Show the partner-reading routine and model listening respectfully: one partner reads or shares their writing while the other says one positive response, such as “I noticed your caring word” or “I understand who supports you.” Students take turns reading, rereading or sharing their dictated sentences. Partners help locate the person or role and the describing word, while respecting that classmates may choose not to discuss family details.

6. 55–60 min · Edit and share the learning. Return to the reread-and-check section. Students reread each sentence, checking meaning, capitals, spaces, full stops and respectful word choices. They make one correction or add one detail, then share a sentence with the teacher or place their work in their writing folder. Finish by revisiting the WALT and asking students to show thumbs up, sideways or down for how confidently they can write two respectful sentences.

Resources

• the Whānau Descriptions teaching deck
• the Whānau Descriptions planning and writing page
• Whiteboard and markers
• Pencils, crayons and drawing materials
• Optional headphones or approved oral-recording tool
• Teacher writing conference checklist
• Illustrated respectful word cards: kind, caring, helpful, patient, brave, listens

Assessment

• During discussion and oral rehearsal, listen for inclusive understandings of whānau, respectful vocabulary and appropriate use of names or roles.
• During writing conferences, use a checklist to record whether each student communicates two sentences, identifies a supporter, chooses caring language, uses a name or role appropriately, and rereads for meaning and basic punctuation.
• Review the completed writing page and note whether students independently make a sensible correction after rereading.

Differentiation

• Invite students to define whānau in their own way. Never require students to identify a particular family member or disclose personal information; allow “someone who supports me” as a valid choice.
• Support emerging writers with oral rehearsal, picture-supported word cards, sentence frames, shared writing, a scribe, tracing key words or an oral recording. Accept drawing plus dictated sentences as meaningful composition.
• Support EAL learners by allowing home-language planning or drafting, bilingual discussion with a trusted peer or adult, gestures, pictures and explicit modelling of names, roles and pronouns.
• Provide sensory or attention breaks, a quiet writing space, enlarged print and pencil grips where needed. Reduce the task to one carefully constructed sentence before adding a second.

Extension

• Invite confident writers to combine ideas using and or because, such as “My sister helps me and she listens to me.”
• Challenge students to write a third sentence using a pronoun or noun phrase while making it clear who the sentence is about.
• Ask students to add a specific example of support and reread all sentences to check that the meaning remains clear.