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Te Ika a Māui - Māui’s fish
Achievement objective
1.5 Communicate about location.
Learning intention
Students can:
- ask and answer questions about where things are.
Modes
At the end of this lesson, students can:
Whakarongo - Listening: Recognise and understand simple, familiar spoken words, phrases, and sentences.
Kōrero- Speaking: Respond appropriately to simple, familiar instructions and simple questions.
Pānui - Reading: Recognise and understand simple, familiar written words, phrases, and sentences.
Tuhituhi - Writing: Write simple, familiar words, phrases, and sentences using the conventions of written language, such as appropriate spelling and punctuation.
Materials
Resource sheet 1I Te Waka me Te Ika a Māui (Word, 670 kB)
Lesson sequence
Tell the students the story of Māui fishing up Te Ika-a-Māui, the North Island.
Create a class mural of the North and South Islands, drawing them as a fish and a canoe. See Resource sheet 1I: Te Waka me Te Ika-a-Māui for ideas.
Have the students label the parts of the fish.
| te upoko o te ika | the head of the fish |
| te hiku o te ika | the tail of the fish |
| te parirau o te ika | the wing of the fish (x 2) |
| te puku o te ika | the stomach of the fish |
Ask the students questions, and provide answers, relating to locations:
| Kei hea a Taranaki? | Where is Taranaki? |
| Kei te parirau o te ika. | At the wing of the fish. |
| Kei hea a Kaitaia? | Kei te hiku o te ika. |
| Kei hea a Taupō? | Kei te puku o te ika. |
| Kei hea a Te Whanganui-a-Tara? | Kei te upoko o te ika. |
The students should attach labels of the parts of the fish as they answer the questions.
Language to use
| hiku | tail |
| ika | fish |
| Kei (w)hea? | Where is? |
| Māui | Māui |
| moana | ocean |
| parirau | wing |
| puku | stomach |
| roto | inside |
| Taranaki | Taranaki |
| tauihu | bow |
| Taupō | Taupō |
| taurapa | sternpost |
| Te Whanganui-a-Tara | Wellington |
| waho | outside |
| wai | water |
Tips
Some Māori say that the head of the fish is above the tail. This means we travel up to Wellington from Auckland.
Te Upoko-o-te-ika and Te Hiku-o-te-ika are place names for the Wellington and Northland regions.
Variation
Discuss locations in Te Waka-a-Māui, the South Island:
| Kei hea a Waihopai? | Where is Invercargill? |
| Kei te taurapa o te waka. | At the sternpost of the canoe. |
| Kei hea a Whakatū? | Where is Nelson? |
| Kei te tauihu o te waka. | At the bow of the canoe. |
| Kei hea a Waikawa? | Where is Blenheim? |
| Kei te tauihu o te waka. | At the bow of the canoe. |
Further learning
Ask the students where other people are, using the same question:
| Kei hea a Anna? | Where is Anna? |
| Kei waho. | Outside. |
| Kei hea a Mrs Tribblebank? | Where is Mrs Tribblebank? |
| Kei waho. | Outside. |
| Kei hea a Nita? | Where is Nita? |
| Kei roto. | Inside. |
| Kei hea a Tina? | Where is Tina? |
| Kei roto. | Inside. |