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Teretere māpū - teacher support material

by Tuaine Robati

This story supports Unit 18 (Kāka‘u/Clothes).

Schools, ECE centres and education providers can order this storybook from Down the back of the chair. Enter item number MOE33634 into the search box.

Text features

The language features of this story include:

  • terms for times, weeks, days of the week, and months – ora ono, ā tēia ‘epetoma ki mua, ā te Paraparau, o tēia marama
  • terms for acknowledgment and praise – meitaki ma‘ata, kāore atu!, ngākau parau tikāi
  • the use of the biblical passage, “Ko te rā tēia tei ākono‘ia e Iehova. Kia rekareka tātou e kia perepere kāvana.” Biblical language is a part of the Cook Islands Māori written and oral tradition.

The cultural features of this story include:

  • the custom of giving lolly ‘ei (an adaptation of a custom from fa‘asāmoa)
  • the way the youth group memorises verses to recite – such recitations occur not only in church but also on other formal occasions, such as farewells, birthday celebrations, and the launching of canoes
  • the teretere group. Note that tere or teretere can mean simply a social or fund-raising journey to visit a certain group (as in the description of tere parties on page 212 of I-E-KO-KO!) or it can mean an exchange trip, such as a school sporting exchange, where each group visits the other’s place (as in a teretere māpū).

Supports and challenges

Students who have completed Units 6, 7, and 9 of I-E-KO-KO! may find it easy to:

  • identify terms that express times, including hours, days, weeks, and months (learned in Unit 6)
  • identify numbers used in expressing time – rā varu, ora ono, ora iva
  • identify some expressions of praise (learned in Unit 7)
  • use “Ka ‘inangaro au … and ‘E reka ana au … (learned in Unit 9).

These students may find it challenging to:

  • use the glossary to help them make meaning from this text that includes many unfamiliar words and structures
  • understand the place of the tere (journey) in the culture of the Cook Islands
  • memorise and recite verses in Cook Islands Māori.

Planning: Teaching as inquiry

Consider your students’ interests and their ability to read in Cook Islands Māori at this level and choose activities that provide appropriate content and support. Assess and reflect on the effectiveness of your teaching and the students’ learning, then plan next steps.

Curriculum links and links to I-E-KO-KO! An introduction to Cook Islands Māori

The New Zealand Curriculum: Learning languages

  • Students will recognise that the target culture is organised in particular ways. (levels 1 and 2)
  • Students will make connections with known culture(s). (levels 1 and 2)

Cook Islands Māori in the New Zealand Curriculum

Students should be able to:

  • use basic expressions to indicate time and place (level 1)
  • understand and use time expressions, such as day, month, year, and dates. (level 2)

I-E-KO-KO! An introduction to Cook Islands Māori

Unit 6: Students will be able to:

  • ask what day of the week and what month it is
  • tell the time of day.

Unit 9: Students will be able to:

  • say what [things] they like and dislike.

Unit 18: Students will be able to:

  • talk about clothing worn by Cook Islands people on special occasions.

A possible teaching goal

Students will be able to explain in English, using some Cook Islands Māori, what a teretere māpū is and what occurs at this event. Students will also revise the language for dates and times of day and use this language to create a timetable.

Click here to go to Activities.


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