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Activities

Learning activities

You do not have to use all the activities suggested below. Choose from and adapt them to suit your students’ needs.

Introducing the text

Display the cover of the book. Tell the students to work in pairs and discuss (in Niue as much as possible) what and who they can see in the illustrations. Confirm that in English the title means “The Beach at Avatele”.

You could have the students work in pairs to research Avatele and share what they have learned (in English). During this discussion, highlight or introduce key Niue vocabulary for reading the story.

Reading the text

Give students copies of the book and read and discuss page 2 together. Create a table like the one below to help students identify the main ideas and the language. Together, fill in the table for page 2, using Niue as much as possible but allowing English when necessary. Encourage the students to contribute what they can infer from the text and illustrations as well as what they read and see.

Lau/page

Ko hai? / Who?

Fe fē ha lautolu a tau logonaaga? / How are they feeling?

Ko e hā? / Why?

Tau matakavi / places

Fe fē e tau matakavi ia? / What are the places like?

For pages 3–8, have students work in pairs to read each page and fill in the table. After the pairs have worked through two or three pages (depending on the needs of your students), discuss their ideas as a group, write up the relevant language and cultural aspects, and fill in a shared version of the table. As you work though the text, support the students to:

  • check the glossary and the previous units in Haia! An Introduction to Vagahau Niue for words and expressions that they don’t know or can’t remember
  • describe what the illustrations show
  • make connections between the illustrations and the written text
  • summarise the main ideas on each page, in particular, places and activities, as well as who is mentioned and what they do, say, and feel
  • identify the language and cultural practices, for example, formulaic expressions, clothing, activities, and the associated values.

As a class, identify key unfamiliar words or expressions (in the text or the discussion). Record the words and expressions on the board.

Support students to notice patterns of language, for example, Kua mainiini a Loi mo Iakopo ke ō ke koukou tahi/Loi and Iakopo are excited about going swimming; Vela hā ia. Omai la kekoukou/It’s so hot. Let’s swim. After reading, you can show students how they can use these patterns in other contexts. Provide opportunities for them to practise and then use the language to communicate.

After reading

Reading aloud

Have the students take turns in groups to read the story aloud. One person can act as the narrator to read all the parts that are not dialogue. Ask group members to give one another feedback as they practise, congratulating each other by saying mitaki or suggesting they try again to get the pronunciation right. You may wish to get fluent vagahau Niue readers to help others with their pronunciation.

Plays

Have the students work in groups to prepare short plays summarising the main events of the story. Each member of their group will take the part of one of the characters or the narrator.

You could record these plays on video. You can then play the video so that students can review their performances and receive and give feedback on them. This feedback may include:

  • how well they can be heard
  • how well they can be understood
  • whether the story makes sense (in terms of both plot and use of vagahau Niue)
  • how well the play is presented (for example, fluency, lack of hesitation, not looking at notes).

Posters

Have students prepare posters advertising the kaloama season in Niue and the attractions of the beach at Avatele. The posters should contain written text in vagahau Niue and visual material. Display the posters.

Presentations in English

Discuss aspects of aga fakamotu in the story and the Niue values the story expresses. Assign research tasks to pairs or individual students to find out more information about life in Niue, aga fakamotu, and Niue values.

Some possible topics for presentations are:

  • seasonal food gathering in Niue and in your own country and culture
  • popular places to go to in Niue
  • how the language and illustrations in the book reveal cultural practices and values in aga fakamotu.

Reflecting on learning

Help the students to review their goals for working with this text, individually and as a class. You can help them reflect not only on their learning but also on how they learn. Students could share these reflections with another student, with a small group of students, or with the whole class. As a prompt, ask the students questions such as:

  • What strategies helped you to understand the story?
  • What will help you to remember the new language?
  • How can you use the new language in other contexts?
  • Can you identify significant aspects of new learning about aga fakamotu?

For example, a student might say: “I can now describe some places in vagahau Niue.”

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