24 May 2019
Rāmere, te 24 o Haratua
Tēnā koutou kaiako mā
With Matariki coming at us with pace, we have jam packed this issue of our update with practical ideas for the classroom so we can all celebrate the Māori new year with our akonga/ students. What a great opportunity to expose all of our tamariki to Māori experiences in an authentic context. It shows our community that Māori cultural practices, events and knowledge matter and builds the mana of our Māori students.
Across the Kāhui Ako, we all doing great things over Matariki and our in-school leaders are working to ensure we share ideas with each other. If you have ideas that you think are amazing, please share so we can pass them on and make this Matariki one to remember.
| The Māori New Year has always been celebrated with the rise of the star cluster Matariki. It marks the beginning of the Aotearoa/ Pacific New Year according to the lunar calendar. In 2019, the stars set on 27 Haratua / May, and rise 25-28 Pipiri / June 2019. |
Rōpū Te Reo Me Tikanga Māori
Matariki is one of the important dates on the Māori calendar so why not consider inviting whānau and our wider community to participate in activities such as kite building, waiata or shared kai?
Waiata/ songs:
Matariki Macarena: This is sung to the tune of the “Macarena” and is one of my favourite waiata of all time. The kids love it no matter what age! This is a great way to learn the names of the stars/ sisters too. The actions are the same as the macarena for the girls which makes it easier. The tama/ boys actions are more of a haka. This video runs through the whole thing for you and you can do it without a guitar. I start slow and speed up as we go.
Mahi toi/ Art:
A folder full of Art/Mahi Toi resources
Credit to Suzy Carnachan for compiling this
MANU TUKUTUKU – KITE MAKING – Kite making is a great way to talk about tikanga Māori in relation to harvesting harakeke/ flax. These activities are a great opportunity to invite whānau in to participate. The more hands on board the merrier.
Links:
The tikanga of harakeke – Dowse Art Museum
Christchurch Library – Loads of resources
Extra taonga/treasures:
We will go over nga kupu at our next hui.
Credit to Caroline Dunn for finding this
Rōpū Taunaki Ako/ Learning Support Group
Rōpū Tuhituhi / Writing Group
Matariki 2018 teaching resource – English and mātauranga Māori
Te Papa have developed two comprehensive teaching resources, one in English and one in mātauranga Māori with reo translation, to support your students’ learning about Matariki in school. These resources use our rich online collections so students can explore taonga and their stories, and explore themes of renewal and innovation within Matariki.
Matariki storytelling – Kōrero pūrakāu o Matariki This resource provides educators with ideas and activities for early childhood and primary classrooms. Storytelling in the whare tapere (Māori house of entertainment) is the focus of Part 1. Part 2 explores storytelling through dance, and Part 3 gives tools for storytelling through visual arts.
Twinkl resources for primary students – have a look at these resources to support your programmes. A few are free, most you need a subscription.
NZ History site offers some ideas for older students to write literary responses to Matariki prompts as part of the Social Sciences curriculum.
Experiencing Poetry through Matariki A comprehensive resource for Levels 2 -6 of the curriculum, focusing mainly on English but does cross over into other curriculum areas. 
Matariki plan New Entrants – Level 1. A comprehensive Social Sciences / English plan.
Focus questions: Why is Matariki important to New Zealanders? How do people celebrate Matariki?
MATARIKI AND JUNE DAILY WRITING PROMPTS
This resource includes 38 Matariki and June daily writing prompts in three formats: PowerPoints, Journals, and Worksheets. You can choose the ones that suit your class best! Cost NZ $4 Seven kites of Matariki – Scholastic plan
Rōpū Pāngarau/ Maths Focus Group
Looking for a maths based Matariki activity? Look no further:
Take the constellation of Matariki and see how many different patterns or shapes you can draw by connecting the lines. Link it to star signs too. This is open ended and there is no right answer. The only rule is, lines must be ruled straight from one star to another.
NZ Maths also has an activity that looks at polygons that can be formed in the constellation. You can then extend this activity by talking about the debate around there being 9 stars in the cluster. Then look at patterns that occur in the number of polygons everytime you add one star.
Pānui ngaio/ Professional Reading
There are some great articles, video clips and resources available on TKI promoting and supporting the teaching of Māori History. It’s well worth taking the time to explore these and develop their use in our kura/ schools and akomanga/ classrooms. One such resource is Te Takanga o te Wā – Māori History Guidelines For Years 1-8
To keep up to date, follow us on our Kāhui Ako website: https://orewakahuiako.com/
UPCOMING:
Kāhui Ako ki Orewa 
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