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He aha tēnei? - What is this?
Achievement objective
2.5 Communicate about physical characteristics.
Learning intentions
Students can:
- match written descriptions with visual images
- identify and record information using pictures to make comparisons (between singular and plural)
- communicate what people/things are doing.
Modes
At the end of this lesson, students can:
Whakarongo – listening: Respond appropriately to simple, familiar instructions and simple questions.
Pānui – reading: Understand short written texts consisting of familiar te reo Māori words, phrases, and sentences.
Tuhituhi – writing: Convey simple te reo Māori messages in written form.
Materials
Resource sheet 2A He aha tēnei (Word, 381 kB)
Lesson sequence
Using the illustrations on Resource sheet 2A: He aha tēnei?, create an A3 or A4 book to read to the students. Place matching individuals and groups on facing pages, writing sentences to describe them (as set out below).
Each pair of illustrations includes a person or thing by themselves and in a group (as the group activity demonstrates the plural ‘ēnei’). Explain this sentence structure to the students, for example:
| He tamaiti tēnei. He tama. | This is a child. (It’s) a boy. |
| He tamariki ēnei. He koa. | These are children. (They are) happy. |
Continue naming the other nouns pictured:
| He wahine tēnei. He ataahua. | This is a woman. (She’s) beautiful. |
| He waka tūroro tēnei. He mā. | This is an ambulance. (It’s) clean. |
| He motupaika tēnei. He pango. | This is a motorbike. (It’s) black. |
Language to use
Nouns
| te tamaiti | the child |
| ngā tamariki | the children |
| te wahine | the woman |
| ngā wāhine | the women |
| te waka tūroro | the ambulance |
| ngā waka tūroro | the ambulances |
| te motupaika | the motorbike |
| ngā motupaika | the motorbike |
Verbs (see ‘Further learning’ below)
| haere | go | hīkoi | walk |
| kai | eat | noho | sit |
| tere | fast | tangi | cry |
| tatari | wait | tū | stand/parked |
Tips
Note that in Māori, plurals are indicated by the definite article ‘the’, that is, ‘te’ (singular), ‘ngā’ (plural).
Note, the plural of wahine is wāhine and the plural of tamaiti is tamariki, but very few Māori words change when made into plurals.
Laminate the pages of Resource Sheet 2A and use the laminated cards to write on so that the sentences can be changed.
Further learning
Using the same display book, make statements about what the people/things are doing, for example:
| Kei te aha te tamaiti? | What is the boy doing? |
| Kei te hīkoi te tamaiti. | The boy is walking. |
| Kei te aha ngā tamariki? | What are the children doing? |
| Kei te kai ngā tamariki. | The children are eating. |
| Kei te aha te wahine? | What is the woman doing? |
| Kei te noho te wahine. | The woman is sitting. |
| Kei te aha ngā wāhine? | What are the women doing? |
| Kei te tatari ngā wāhine. | The women are waiting. |
| Kei te aha ngā motupaika? | What are the motorbikes doing? |
| Kei te haere ngā motupaika. | The motorbikes are going. |