Identifying reliable information and improving communication in Te Reo Māori#

Mokopuna are learning to tell the different 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.

Mokopuna are learning Te Reo Rangatira in 4 different learning strands called ‘whenu’.

Find out more about whenu.

Te Reo Rangatira whenu

Whenu: Kia Mārama#

Kia Mataara#

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 1 to 2 short news articles, stories, or facts of which some are real, some made up. They can be from Facebook, TV News, TikTok, local paper or pamphlets. Read them together and ask your 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 your mokopuna is curious about. For example: 

• "Can Māui shapeshift?
• "Who was the first Māori navigator?"

Together, find 3 different sources (for example a book, a website or a YouTube video). Discuss which source seems the most reliable. Why? What makes a source trustworthy?

Whenu: Kia Tika#

Kia Mataara#

Mokopuna are learning that language has rules and conventions.

Ideas for whānau activities#

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

Whenu: Kia Arero Taiaha #

Kia Mataara#

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 one person asking a question. For example, "what is something that made you laugh today?"

The next person answers and then asks another person a related question. For example, "who was there with you when you were laughing?"

The game continues until everyone has had a turn.

Whakataukī | Māori proverb

Choose a whakataukī | Māori proverb 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.

Whenu: Kia Auaha #

Kia Mataara#

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

• the location
• event
• people.

Ask guiding questions: 

• "What’s happening?"
• "Who is in the photo?"
• "What happened just before this moment?"

Share memories

Each person shares a short memory. For example, "I remember my birthday party or holiday or kura trip last year".

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

• "what kind of cake did you have?"
• "Who was there?"
• "What was your favorite moment?"

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

• who
• what
• when
• where
• why
• how. 

For example, "Nō te ata o te Mane i te noho tētahi tama ki te hōpa e whakarongo ana ki ngā waiata nā tōna 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.