He Aha Tenei Pukapuka

LI: To expand our Maori vocabulary.

Our Te Reo challenge was to create a game on Google Slideshow that allows others to expand their knowledge of Maori vocabulary.

We thought of a theme to give to our slideshow story and drew objects, items and things that fit that theme. For example, if the theme was a picnic then an item that could be used is a sandwhich or picnic basket. We needed to include atleast 10 items/objects in our slideshow. 

We needed to be asking the question 'He aha tenei?' so that the person interacting with the slideshow had the opportunity to learn from it by answering the question in Maori.

I enjoyed this activity because I was able to expand my Maori knowledge because I was able to learn more about the Maori language as well as make an interactive slide.

Matariki Brochures

LI: To strengthen our connections to Matariki.

This week was Matariki for our school, and to celebrate this event, we created informative brochures on Matariki. These brochures included information regarding the seperate stars, how to find Matariki and how it is and was celebrated.

First, we began by assigning roles for each person in our group. We were given a list of information that was crucial to include in our brochures, so we expanded our knowledge on Matariki by researching and finding out about the stars.

We created an inside and outside informative brochure for those interesting in Matariki. I enjoyed this task and found it interesting because I learnt many new things about this holiday.

Mapping Challenges

LI: To focus on translating Maori place names and mapping out those places.

For todays session with Whaea Odie, we were focusing on Maori place name revision and translating the different Aotearoa towns.

We were given a list of New Zealand towns in Maori and we had the task of translating and finding the english definition of them.

Once we found those definitions, we researched the places and then determined whether they were in ika (the north island) or waka (the south island). We created a map on google draws to show where those places are.

I enjoyed this task because I was able to revise my knowledge on the Maori language and expand my understanding of the New Zealand towns.

Te Reo Maori

LI: To practice our revision on the Maori language.

For this Maori task, we were focusing on revising the language. We began by completing the Maori morning routine which asked us the weather and where certain people were at the current time.

Then, we answered questions that were represented by images. Some of the questions were 'He aha tena?' and we observed the image and answered the question by using the Maori language. As an exemplar: 'He aha tena?', 'He ngeru'.

I found this task very easy and quick to finish because I am familiar with revising the Maori language and summoning my prior knowledge.

Maori Vocabulary

LI: To expand our knowledge on Maori vocabulary.

For Maori this week, we were focusing on translating Maori names into english using our knowledge of the Maori language and vocabulary.

We started our lesson by completing the Maori routine and answering the basic questions at the beginning of our session. Then, Whaea Odie wrote the Maori vocbualary on the board which explained which letters from the English vocabulary change when talking in Maori.

For the task, we were given a list of Maori names and English names. We had to apply our understanding of the Maori vocabulary and characters to connect the correct names to eachother.

I enjoyed this task and found it easy and quick to do because I am very familiar with the Maori vocabulary and translating names.

Maori - Translation

LI: To translate phrases and words from English to Maori.

For Maori, we started off my completing the routine which was giving answers to 'What was the weather?' and 'How are you?'.

The first part of our official task was to find an image of a pen and pencil on a table (separately) and provide the picture under the assigned text.

Next we were given a list of 10 kitchen objects: fridge, oven, microwave, sink, plate, knife, fork, spoon, pot and pan. We provided the Maori term for them and a picture of what they are.

The focus for this Maori task was to understand how to translate words from English to Maori as well as comprehend Maori phrases (which were, for example: "Kei hea te pene?").

I really enjoyed this Maori lesson because I was able to expand my knowledge of the Maori language and my comprehension of translation.

Te Reo Challenges - Maori Dictionary

LI: To create a Maori dictionary of things we use daily.

For this Te Reo Maori challenge created by Miss Pryde, our objective was to create a DLO giving the English and Maori term for five to ten things or items we use daily as well as give sentence examples using the Maori name.

The ten objects that I chose were a toothbrush, pencil, whiteboard, eraser, cereal, a computer, scissors, a ruler, a chair and earphones. I gave two sentence examples for each object talking about how they help me daily and what they are useful for.

I enjoyed this Te Reo challenge because I was able to expand my understanding of Maori words that I use daily and create a Maori dictionary.

Maori - Identifying States

 

Te Reo Maori

LI: To use our knowledge of Maori language and letters to match place names/countries. 

For this Maori lesson, we talked about what letters in the english language are exchanged with other letters in the Maori language. We used this knowledge to match the english and Maori country/place names in a list.

First, we followed the Maori routine and answered the following questions: He aha te huarere?, Kei te pehea koe?, Ko wai to papa?, Ko wai te mama?, Ko wai to hoa? and Ko wai o hoa?

We were given a list on a google doc with 17 place names in Maori in one column, and empty column in the middle and a list of the place names in english. We had to match the Maori and english names together using our understanding of the Maori language.

I really enjoyed this Maori lesson because I was able to practice using my knowledge of the Maori language to match place names and test my ability of understanding.

Kahoot Challenge

LI: To create a kahoot using Maori understanding.

Today we created a kahoot quiz based off one of three categories: numbers from 10 and upwards, classroom objects and feelings/emotions. We created a 15 question kahoot quiz for others to answer using our Maori knowledge and understanding.

The purpose of this activity is to practice answering questons with parts of Maori language and to challenge our understanding of Maori so we can understand where we are at.

I found this activity fun because I enjoy making kahoots and challenging my comprehension skills of different languages.

Maori Place Names

LI: To experiment with the google my maps function and use it to locate different Maori place names for a Te Reo challenge.

Today, I completed the #14 Te Reo Maori challenge which was to locate nine different Maori place names and translate the Maori term to the English name.

I started this challenge by looking at the PBS Te Reo Maori challenge blog page and found a list of nine different Maori place names in New Zealand. I then used Google My Maps to locate these nine places and find out what their name is in English.

Tūranga-nui-a-kiwa means Gisborne, Te Whanganui-a-Tara means Wellington, Waihopai means Invercargill, Kirikiriroa means Hamilton, Tāmaki-makau-rau is Auckland, Ōtepoti is Dunedin, Ōtautahi is Christchurch, Ngāmotu is New Plymouth and Motupōhue is The Bluff.

Once we added the places to our map, we linked images of the places to the area it matches to. We included the Maori and English name in the layer title.

I really enjoyed this activity because I was able to practice using the Google My Maps and finding out a new way to translate Maori place names into English.

Summer Learning Journey | Week 2 | Day 8 | Activity 2: Tama-nui-te-rā

For this activity (the second activity of day 8), I created a word art using keywords (as well as words that were most important to me) of a Maori proverb.

Proverbs are short and well known phrases that have meaningful messages. For example: Ka tō he rā, ka rere he rā means: The day ends and begins again, and people say that this happens when something goes wrong. Life continues as well as other things.

I started off this activity by choosing a Maori proverb and learning about it by reading a text explanation and researching more about it to get a better understanding of the phrase.

Once I decided on a Maori saying, I thought about multiple keywords relating to the proverb I chose. I also worked out the keywords that were most important to me, and eliminated the ones that didn't relate to me or anything important to me.

Eventually, I created my word art using the keywords that I chose from the Maori proverb. I chose to shape my word art as Earth because the well-knowing saying that I chose applies to everybody in the world.

The proverb that I chose was Tērā te rā e whiti ana kei tua atu Tāwauwau, meaning 'The sun shines beyond the Tāwauwau'. This phrase means that despite the hardships and effort that people put into working, there will always be better days ahead.

I chose this Maori proverb because I can somewhat relate to the saying and I understand the meaning of it very well. It also applies to the rest of my whanau because they work hard to maintain a suitable and healthy environment.

The keywords that I used in my word art were: sun, shining, beyond, Tāwauwau, effort, people, hardships, work, better, days, ahead and forward.

This was a fun activity because I had the opportunity to practice using Maori vocabulary and expanding my knowledge and understanding of proverb meanings. I was also able to practice my writing abilities and making art as well.

What I found challenging was understanding the activity explanation because it was in Maori and I am not a fluent speaker, so completing this activity took longer than expected. However, I enjoyed this activity alot.

LI: to use our Maori vocabulary and writing abilities to create art.

Summer Learning Journey | Day 6 | Activity 2: Te Huarere

The second activity for day six of the Summer Learning Journey programme is a Maori activity relating to weather and revision.

The focus of this activity is to apply our knowledge of the Maori language to expand our understanding of Maori vocabulary usage.

The first thing I did was read a list of weather types in English and Maori. The list included fine/sunny, hot, cloudy and rainy.

Fine/sunny in Maori is paki. Hot (weather) in Maori is pūāhuru. Cloudy in Maori is kāpuapua, and rainy in Maori is hāuaua.

I gave three different answers for the question "He aha te tohu huarere?" meaning "What is the weather forecast?" The answers I gave were "He rangi paki", "He rangi hāuaua" and "He rangi kāpuapua" I included images to give a visual reference of the sentences and weather.

What I most enjoyed about this activity was giving different answers to the question "He aha te tohu huarere?", because I learnt more about the Maori language and when to use it.

I could improve my ability to use Maori more often so that my knowledge of the Maori vocabulary doesn't go to waste.

This was a great opportunity to use my understanding of the Maori language and apply my knowledge of different languages.

LI: to apply our knowledge of Maori vocabulary.

Summer Learning Journey | Day 6 | Activity 1: Maui me te Ra

The first activity for day six of the Summer Learning Journey summer programme is a Maori based activity where we have to learn about how Maui slowed down the sun and write a poem, haka or song about it.

The purpose of this activity is to expand our Maori vocabulary and learn more about the Maori myths and legends. It is also to apply our writing skills to share our understanding.

The first thing I did for this activity was watch a video that told the story of Maui and his brothers slowing down the sun.

At first, the sun moved quickly, therefore the days were very short and there was not much time to get things done. So Maui came up with a plan to force the sun to slow down. He gathered his brothers and they created magic ropes, strong enough to hold the sun. 

Maui and his brothers travelled by night to a great hole in the earth which was where the sun would rise. They built a stone wall near the hole and readied themselves. When the sun rose, Maui's brothers tied their ropes to the sun's ends. Maui took his grandfather's jawbone and attacked the sun with it, making the sun weak. 

Maui's brothers bound the sun to earth using the magical ropes. The sun was too weak to move quickly across the sky, so instead the sun moved slow and the days grew longer.

I wrote a ballad poem telling the main points of the story. A ballad poem is a rhyming poem that is often used to tell a story. 

I included the main points of the story to shorten my poem and so the audience could get a clear idea of the major events.

What I found fun about this activity was researching different words to use for my poem and expanding my Maori vocabulary.

What I struggled with most about this activity was completing the last verse of my poem, mainly because I had to maintain rhyming and keep the syllable count even so that it would go well with the rhythm of the poem.

I could improve my vocabulary use and use more Maori words. I could challenge myself by creating a different poem and using more complex and advanced wording.

LI: to learn more about Maori history and apply our knowledge of Maori myths to make a poem/haka/song.

Summer Learning Journey | Day 3 | Activity 2 | Tānerore

For the day 3 activity 2 Summer Learning Journey Activity, I created a Maori kowhaiwhai pattern using the koru shape.

The first thing that we did was watch a video about Tānerore. Tānerore is the son of Tama-nui te-ra. He performs the haka for his mother, Hine-raumati. A Maori myth states that when the weather is hot and sunny, you can see Tānerore performing the haka in the sun.

The koru in the kowhaiwhai pattern that I made represents the ocean's waves in summer. Because the weather is so hot, people visit beaches to cool down. The colors I used for my kowhaiwhai pattern are blue (representing the water) and yellow (representing the sand and the sun).

The koru on the blue side of the draw represents the waves that are far out in the ocean. The koru on the yellow side of the draw represents the small waves that drift across the sand.

I really enjoyed taking the opportunity to create my own kowhaiwhai pattern. I liked listening to the story of Tānerore because I can expand my understanding of Maori history and culture.

LI: to investigate Maori history and create a kowhaiwhai patterns.

Summer Learning Journey | Day 3 | Activity 1 | What are you doing today? | Kick Start

The Summer Learning Journey crew came up with an activity that helps the participants expand their Maori vocabulary.

I completed this activity by listening to different audio recordings. Then, based on what I heard from the audio recordings, I then arranged different Maori words to fit into the sentences properly. I answered the question 'What are you doing today?' by saying 'I am going to ___' I filled in the blanks with Maori words.

I learnt how to say 'What are you doing today?' in Maori. To say 'What are you doing today?', it would be easier to start by slowly building an understanding of the words and then working on the pronounciation. 'What are you doing today?' in Maori is 'Kei te aha koe i tenei ra?'.

I found answering the question 'What are you doing today?' fun because I was able to expand my Maori vocabulary. I alse found listening to the audio and rearranging the words fun because I was able to build an understanding of where different Maori words go and why.

 Something I found hard was listening to the audio because it wasn't very clear or loud. I was still able to complete this activity and I had a lot of fun with it.

LI: to expand our Maori vocabulary.

Maori | Nga Taone o Te Ika a Maui

The Maori task that Whaea Odie set for us was to expand our Maori vocabulary by using our prior knowledge of Maori language to translate more meanings Maori place names into english.

First, we completed the Maori routine and answered the questions 'He aha te apopo?' (What is the date tomorrow?), 'He aha te huarere?' (What is the weather?) and 'Koe wai o hoa?' (Who are your friends?).

We did the same task that we did last week (which was translating Maori place names). We searched up the meaning of the Maori place names and used our prior knowledge to select the best answer from the list of english place names.

One thing I enjoyed doing was trying to translate the Maori place names into english using only my prior knowledge (without google search or Maori dictionary). I think I could improve on my Maori pronounciations.

LI: to expand our Maori vocabulary and knowledge.

Maori | Maori Place Names

Our session's focus with Whaea Odie was looking for words inside phrases to translate them into english properly. Another focus was to expand our Maori vocabulary.

First we revised our daily Maori routine and answered the questions: He aha te ra inanah? He aha te huarere inanahi? and kei te pehea koe?

The second part of our task was to look at the list of  Maori place names and observe the words/phrases to see if there were other words in them. The place names were not in the right place, so the Maori names and the english names were incorrect. We applied our knowledge of Maori vocabulary to translate the place names correctly without using the Maori Dictionary. 

I really enjoyed translating the Maori place names into english. I enjoyed this experience and worked hard to expand my Maori vocabulary. One thing I think I could work on is my Maori pronunciation.

LI: to understand the Maori letters and phonics to translate everday phrases and names.

Kapa Haka Performance

My class blogpost for the kapa haka performance can be found here:

Maori | Conversations & Names

Our session's focus with Whaea Odie was understanding what letters and phonics are changed, and what they are changed to in order to write names in Maori properly. Another focus was to translate everyday conversations into english.

The first part of our task was to look at the list of names in Maori and the english translations of those names. The english names were not in the right place, so the Maori names and the english names were incorrect. We applied our knowledge of Maori letters and phonics to translate the names correctly without using the Maori Dictionary. 

Some of the letters that are changed when writing in Maori are J (which is changed to an H), D (which is changed to an a T), D and L (which is changed to an R) and V (Which is changed to a W). To translate a name like June in Maori, we looked at the letters and changed the J to an H. Therefore, June in Maori is Hune.

The second part of our task was to translate everday phrases into english. There were phrases such as 'Tena kotou katoa' and 'Kia ora e hoa'. We used the Maori dictionary to translate these phrases.

I really enjoyed learning about the what letters and phonics are changed to in order to write in Maori. I enjoyed this experience and worked hard to expand my Maori vocabulary. One thing I think I could work on is my Maori pronunciation.

LI: to understand the Maori letters and phonics to translate everday phrases and names.