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Te Whānau Vocabulary Worksheet

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Te Whānau Vocabulary Worksheet

Read the vocabulary carefully. Some Māori words describe relationships from the speaker’s point of view, so use the clues in each question. You may write about a fictional whānau if you prefer not to share personal information.

Decode the relationships

Use these clues: matua = parent/father; whaea = mother; tamaiti = child; tipuna = grandparent or ancestor; tuakana = older sibling or cousin; teina = younger sibling or cousin. Tūngāne is a brother (used by a female speaker); tuahine is a sister (used by a male speaker). Whānau can include wider family and important connections.

1.Match each word to its best meaning. Write the matching letter beside each word. 1. whaea 2. tipuna 3. teina 4. tuahine A. younger sibling or cousin B. sister, from a male speaker’s perspective C. mother D. grandparent or ancestor

whaea
tipuna
teina
tuahine

B. sister, from a male speaker’s perspective
A. younger sibling or cousin
C. mother
D. grandparent or ancestor

2.Keira is a girl describing her family. Which word can she use for her brother? Choose one.

tūngāne
tuahine
whaea
tipuna

3.A boy describes his sister. Which relationship word best fits? Choose one.

tuahine
tūngāne
tamaiti
matua

Whānau in context

Read the short profile, then answer the questions. In this fictional whānau, Mere lives with her matua, Hemi, and her whaea, Kiri. Her younger brother is Wiremu, and her older sister is Hana. Their tipuna, Pāpā Rangi, visits on Sundays. The cousins help prepare kai for everyone.

4.From Mere’s point of view, complete the sentence: “Ko Wiremu taku .” (Wiremu is my younger brother.)

5.Write the Māori relationship word from the profile that means “grandparent or ancestor”.

6.Find two words in the profile that identify a parent. Write each word and its English meaning.

7.The cousins help prepare kai. Does whānau have to mean only the people living in one house? Explain using the profile and the vocabulary note.

Use the vocabulary

Build meaning from the words, not just memorised translations.

8.Choose the word that completes the meaning: “A child” is a ______.

tamaiti
tipuna
whaea
tuakana

9.True or false: Tuakana can describe an older sibling or cousin, not only a brother or sister.

TrueFalse

10.Write two short Māori sentences beginning with “Ko …” to introduce two fictional whānau members. Use at least two vocabulary words from this worksheet. Add the English meaning in brackets after each sentence.

11.Whakapapa is genealogy: the links between people, their ancestors, and their descendants. Explain in one or two sentences why whakapapa is connected to whānau. Use the words “connections” or “ancestors” in your explanation.