Te Ika a Māui – Māui's fish
Te Reo Māori in English-medium schools
Achievement objective
1.5 Communicate about location.
Learning intention
Students can:
- ask and answer questions about where things are.
Modes
At the end of this lesson, students can:
Whakarongo - Listening: Recognise and understand simple, familiar spoken words, phrases, and sentences.
Kōrero - Speaking: Respond appropriately to simple, familiar instructions and simple questions.
Pānui - Reading: Recognise and understand simple, familiar written words, phrases, and sentences.
Tuhituhi - Writing: Write simple, familiar words, phrases, and sentences using the conventions of written language, such as appropriate spelling and punctuation.
Materials
Lesson sequence
Tell the students the story of Māui fishing up Te Ika-a-Māui, the North Island.
Create a class mural of the North and South Islands, drawing them as a fish and a canoe. See Resource sheet 1I: Te Waka me Te Ika-a-Māui for ideas.
Have the students label the parts of the fish.
| te upoko o te ika | the head of the fish |
| te hiku o te ika | the tail of the fish |
| te parirau o te ika | the wing of the fish (x2) |
| te puku o te ika | the stomach of the fish |
Ask the students questions, and provide answers, relating to locations:
| Kei hea a Taranaki? | Where is Taranaki? |
| Kei te parirau o te ika. | At the wing of the fish. |
| Kei hea a Kaitāia? | Kei te hiku o te ika. |
| Kei hea a Taupō? | Kei te puku o te ika. |
| Kei hea a Te Whanganui-a-Tara? | Kei te upoko o te ika. |
The students should attach labels of the parts of the fish as they answer the questions.
Language to use
| hiku | tail |
| ika | fish |
| Kei (w)hea? | Where is? |
| Māui | Māui |
| moana | ocean |
| parirau | wing |
| puku | stomach |
| roto | inside |
| Taranaki | Taranaki |
| tauihu | bow |
| Taupō | Taupō |
| taurapa | sternpost |
| Te Whanganui-a-Tara | Wellington |
| waho | outside |
| wai | water |
Tips
Some Māori say that the head of the fish is above the tail. This means we travel up to Wellington from Auckland.
Te Upoko-o-te-ika and Te Hiku-o-te-ika are place names for the Wellington and Northland regions.
Variation
Discuss locations in Te Waka-a-Māui, the South Island:
| Kei hea a Waihopai? | Where is Invercargill? |
| Kei te taurapa o te waka. | At the sternpost at the canoe. |
| Kei hea a Whakatū? | Where is Nelson? |
| Kei te tauihu o te waka. | At the bow of the canoe. |
| Kei hea a Waikawa? | Where is Blenheim? |
| Kei te tauihu o te waka. | At the bow of the canoe. |
Further learning
Ask the students where other people are, using the same question:
| Kei hea a Anna? | Where is Anna? |
| Kei waho. | Outside. |
| Kei hea a Mrs Tribblebank? | Where is Mrs Tribblebank? |
| Kei waho. | Outside. |
| Kei hea a Nita? | Where is Nita? |
| Kei roto. | Inside. |
| Kei hea a Tina? | Where is Tina? |
| Kei roto. | Inside. |