Identifying reliable information and improving communication in te reo Māori#

Mokopuna are learning to tell the difference between true and false information and to spot bias in speaking, reading, and online sources. They are discovering that language has rules.

Mokopuna are also learning to take turns in conversations and know that everyone should join in. They’re learning that adding more details makes stories more interesting.

Kia tika#

Mokopuna are learning that language has rules and conventions.

Ideas for whānau activities#

He tika, he hapa rānei?

Write out a simple te reo Māori sentence on paper strips, cut the strips into words and mix them up. Ask mokopuna to rearrange the words into the correct order. Read it together and check if it makes sense.

Language patterns

Choose a short karakia or waiata and listen to or read it together. Then:

• discuss why certain words or phrases are used repeatedly
• identify sentence patterns
• talk about how language follows conventions in formal settings.

Language rules

Choose a section or paragraph from a book, poem, or song in either te reo Māori or English. Read it together and look for specific language rules such as:

• capital letters
• punctuation
• correct word order
• verb tenses.

Ask mokopuna to spot any errors or parts where the rules are followed.

Kia mārama#

Mokopuna are learning that some information is reliable and other information is inaccurate. They need a lot of opportunities to differentiate between credible and unreliable information sources, and to identify bias in oral, digital, and written language.

Ideas for whānau activities#

He pono, he teka rānei?

Find some reo Māori short news articles, stories, or facts of which some are real, and some are made up. They can be from social media, television news, the local newspaper or pamphlets. Watch or read them together and ask mokopuna to decide if they think each one is pono or teka.

Discuss why they think it’s pono or teka and check sources to confirm.

Perspectives

Find 2 articles or videos on the same topic but with different viewpoints. Read or watch them together and talk about what words or images are used to influence the audience. Discuss why different people might have different perspectives.

Reliable sources

Choose a question mokopuna is curious about. For example:

• "Can Māui shapeshift?" "E taea rānei e Māui te panoni tōna āhua?"
• "Who was the first Māori navigator?" "Ko wai te kaiwhakatere Māori tuatahi?".

Together, find 3 different sources such as e a book, a website or a YouTube video. Discuss which source seems the most reliable. Why? What makes a source trustworthy?

Kia arero taiaha#

Mokopuna are developing a better understanding of turn-taking and that a discussion or conversation requires everyone to contribute.

Ideas for whānau activities#

He mana tō te kōrero

Find or make a taonga. It could be a tī rākau, a small taonga, or even a soft toy. During a whānau discussion, only the person holding the taonga can speak. Others must listen carefully until it is their turn to hold the taonga and contribute.

Noho ā-whānau and start with 1 person asking a question. For example, "What is something that made you laugh today?" "He aha koe e kata ai i te rā nei?"

The next person answers and then asks another person a related question. For example, "Who was there with you when you were laughing?" "Ko wai i tō taha i a koe e kata ana?”

The game continues until everyone has had a turn.

Whakataukī | Māori proverb

Choose a whakataukī as a family. For example, "Nā tō rourou, nā taku rourou, ka ora ai te iwi". "With your food basket and my food basket, the people will thrive."

Take turns sharing what you think the whakataukī means and how it applies to your life.

Kia auaha#

Mokopuna are learning that providing more detail makes stories more interesting and engaging.

Ideas for whānau activities#

He pūkōrero

Find an interesting photo. For example, whānau photos on a holiday, with extended whānau.

Ask mokopuna to tell a story based on the picture, encouraging them to describe, in detail:

• the location
• event
• people.

Ask guiding questions such as:

• "What’s happening?" "E aha ana?"
• "Who is in the photo?" "Ko wai kei roto i te whakaahua"
• "What happened just before this moment?" “I aha i mua tata i tēnei wā?".

Share memories

Each person shares a short memory. For example, "I remember my birthday party or holiday or kura trip last year". "E maumahara ana ahau ki taku pāti ā whānau, ki te haerenga ā-kura i tērā tau rānei".

Other whānau members ask questions to help add details. For example:

• "What kind of cake did you have?" "He aha te momo keke i a koe?"
• "Who was there?" "Ko wai mā i reira?"
• "What was your favourite moment?" "He aha te wā hirahira rawa ki a koe?"

Encourage mokopuna to retell the memory with added details.

Share stories

Start with a very simple and plain sentence or short story. For example, "I te whakarongo te tamaiti ki ngā waiata..."

Challenge mokopuna to turn it into a more interesting and engaging version by adding details about:

• who – ko wai
• what – he aha
• when – ināhea
• where – i hea
• why – he aha i… ai
• how – he pēhea...

For example, "Nō te ata o te Mane i te noho tētahi tama ki te hōpa e whakarongo ana ki ngā waiata nā tōana hoa i tuari ki a ia”. "On a Monday morning a boy was sitting on the couch listening to music that his friend shared to him."

Compare the 'before' and 'after' versions and talk about how details make a story more exciting.