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Brainstorm the students’ prior knowledge of tents and camping. Discuss when the students may have been involved in camping, for example, as part of Girl Guides or Boys’ Brigade. Ask the students the following questions:
Introduce the term ‘are pū‘ākapa – a home that is a tent, or a temporary home. Explain that the word “pū‘ākapa” is taken from the Cook Islands Māori bible, which uses this term for the tents that the Israelites used when wandering through the desert. On the Internet, search for images of tents designed to be used in the desert. Ask the students to compare them with tents they would use to go camping in. Record their responses.
Check the words in the glossary (on the inside back cover of the book), which may be new to you. If possible, ask a native speaker of Cook Islands Māori to model the correct pronunciation of any unfamiliar words for you and the students. This person could read the story to you and the class as the first reading, or you could record them reading it and play it to the class.
Show the students the cover of the book and read the title together. Which words can they understand, and which are new? Identify the words ‘are and pū‘ākapa as one they have not learned. Ask the students to combine their prior knowledge with the information in the picture to predict the meaning of the phrase ‘are pū‘ākapa.
Share the learning intentions or co-construct them with your students. Some examples of possible learning intentions for reading this story are given below.
After reading the text, I will be able to:
Talk about how the students will know they have met the learning intention and decide on success criteria together.
Explain that there are a lot of new words in this story, which are translated in the glossary on the inside back cover of the book. Read the story aloud to the students. Stop at the end of every second page to discuss what is happening and to identify any unfamiliar language. For example, you could:
After the first reading, go through the text page by page again, prompting the students to use the illustrations and the words they know to work out what each page means. Write key phrases on the whiteboard.
Ask the students to work in pairs. Each partner chooses a character from the story. Each pair then finds one or two situations where their characters are involved, for example, in setting up the tent (pp. 2–3) or setting up the inside of the tent (pp. 4–5). They act out each situation together, first reading their parts and then memorising them.
Discuss the story with the students, asking whether they enjoyed it, and what they thought of the ending. Discuss Teāriki’s long hair and preview what the students will learn about a haircutting ceremony in Unit 13, lesson C.
Display different images of objects used in the story. Select an image and ask, for example, “Tei ‘ea te ‘āmara?” Students reply, “Tei roto ‘i te pi‘a rengarenga”, as in the story. Ask questions about other objects used in the story, encouraging the students to speak Cook Islands Māori.
Discuss the origins of the word pū‘ākapa. Why was there no word for “tent” in Cook Islands Māori until the Bible was translated into that language. Talk about the environment of the Cook Islands and the kinds of shelters that people have used there, now and in the past.
Groups of four students are each given a set of items (or pictures of items) and a list of those items. They take turns saying to each other “ ‘Ōmai tā tātou [name of item] (Give me our [item]). When the first student asks for an item from the list, the other three try to find the correct picture or item. The student who finds and provides the correct picture or item has the next turn to ask for an item.
Have groups of four students write short plays using some of the new words. Encourage the students to practise their parts until they are confident, and then to present their play.
The students could put up a real tent, or role-play putting up a tent, using Cook Islands Māori to name some of the equipment that was used in the story. They could then choose one of the following writing tasks:
Have the students refer to their learning intentions and reflect individually about (or discuss in pairs) whether they have fulfilled the intentions. Ask the students questions such as:
The students could record this information.