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Activities
Before reading
Prior knowledge
Review classroom language, for example, meitaki ma‘ata! (see page 15 of I-E-KO-KO!), counting to ten and beyond (Unit 3 of I-E-KO-KO!), days of the week and times of day (Unit 6 of I-E-KO-KO!), and saying what one likes or wants (Unit 9 of I-E-KO-KO!).
Pronunciation of new language
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.
Introducing the text – using our memories
Have the students play the following game of cards. Spread out cards face down, and players then take turns to turn two cards over. When a player turns over a card that matches one they have seen, the player tries to remember where the first card was so that they can make a pair. If they choose the correct card, that player has a pair and a point. If not, they turn both cards back over, and the next player follows the same steps. The one with the most pairs at the end of the game wins.
Ask the students what sort of skills they needed to play the game (using their memories). Then ask what other activities they use their memories for. Write their ideas on the board and explain that the story includes a performance that requires the performers to use their memory.
Hold up the book and discuss the cover picture, using prompts like:
- Tell me about what you can see in the picture on the front cover.
- Do you think it shows a special occasion? Why or why not?
- Where do you think the story is set?
- What do you think the story is going to be about?
Encourage students to respond in Cook Islands Māori. Record their predictions, adding to them as the story progresses.
Learning intentions
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:
- identify and use expressions of acknowledgment and praise in the story
- explain what a teretere māpū is and what it involves
- write a timetable saying on what day and at what time practices and the final event will be held
- memorise a verse or proverb in Cook Islands Māori.
Talk about how the students will know they have met the learning intention, and decide on success criteria together.
Reading the text
Read the story aloud, and encourage the students to follow the story in their books. Their listening task could be to:
- work out what the group are doing or preparing and review their predictions
- decide what they think the title – teretere māpū – might mean
- record words relating to time or days of the week when they hear them in the story
- identify expressions of praise or appreciation in the story.
After the whole-class reading, go through the text page by page as a class. Encourage the students to use the illustrations and the words they know to work out what they think each page means. If there is a clock showing the time, ask the question “ ‘Ea‘a te ora?” Refer to the glossary at the back of the book, and write key phrases on the whiteboard. Discuss any language difficulties and, as a class, plan ways to address them.
Invite students to prepare to read the story aloud in co-operative reading groups, with one taking the narrator’s part and the others taking the parts of different people. In preparation, each reader focuses on understanding their own part so that they can explain it to the others if necessary. During the reading, students can express praise or appreciation of others’ reading, using Cook Islands Māori.
After reading
Ask the students to explain what the story was about. Were their original predictions correct? If not, when did they change them and why?
Have the students think, pair, and share their feelings about reciting in front of a group of people. Why did Teāriki want to join in? Would they have wanted to? Why, or why not?
As a class, develop a mind map on the board to record the features of the teretere māpū – for example, reciting Bible verses, visiting another church, wearing white clothes, and getting lolly ‘ei. Talk about the purpose of a teretere māpū, drawing out in particular the way in which it binds the various local church communities together. Why would this be important in an island nation? In groups, students can prepare a description of a teretere māpū for someone who knows nothing about them, using English and Cook Islands Māori.
Working in pairs, have the students plan, write (in Cook Islands Māori), and illustrate colourful and engaging poster timetables for a teretere māpū or similar performance event that requires a series of practices and then a final performance. Display their timetables in the classroom. They could include a series of times for the practices (‘āpi‘ipi‘i) and a final statement of the date and time of the actual event.
Memorising verses or proverbs
Have each student choose a Cook Islands verse or proverb to memorise and recite. It could be a verse from the Bible, like Ko te rā tēia tei ākono‘ia e Iehova. Kia rekareka tātou e kia perepere kāvana. (This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it). It could also be a proverb, like Mou te kō mou te ‘ere, kia pūkuru o vaevae e kia mokorā ō kakī. (Hold the stick firmly, tie firmly to it, so your feet can be firmly planted on the ground and you can stretch your neck [tall] like a duck.) This proverb is used often, in many settings. It is about holding on to the strong foundation of your language and culture so you can stand tall with pride.
Cook Islands Māori in the New Zealand Curriculum includes a range of proverbs, for example, at the bottom of pages 5, 7, 8, 12, and 14. Students could engage in research to find out their meanings.
The students could bring items for a morning tea, or small gifts to present to each other after reciting their verses. Ask the students to write about their experience of learning, memorising, and reciting their verse and being given a treat after the recitation.
Reflecting on the learning
Have the students refer to their learning intentions and decide whether they have fulfilled the intentions, giving evidence. They could ask a peer to critique their timetable or their description of a teretere māpū, saying whether these documents are clear and consistent, and fulfill their purpose.