Pītakataka
This short poem, which lists a sequence of movements in a gymnastics routine, is based on the haiku form (a traditional Japanese poem).
Ngā hononga ki te marautanga
Te Reo Māori i roto i te Marautanga o Aotearoa (wh. 59, 67, 76, 85, 94, me 102)
| Whenu | Kōeke | Pūkenga | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Whakarongo (Kōrero) | 2 | Ko te tāutu i ngā āhuatanga o te kōrero whakaniko kaupapa. |
| 2. | Kōrero (Whakarongo) | 2 | Ko te whakamahi i ngā kupu me ngā kīanga kua mau i a ia, hei whakaara kaupapa, hei whakawhiti whakaaro. |
| 3. | Pānui (Tuhituhi) | 2 | Ko te rapu mōhio motuhake mai i ngā tuhinga poto. |
| 4. | Tuhituhi (Pānui) | 2 | Ko te tuhi i ngā tuhinga whakaahua poto e pā ana ki ōna wheako whaiaro. |
| 5. | Mātakitaki (Whakaatu) | 2 | Ko te tāutu i ngā mōhiotanga e tika ana kia mau i te ākonga mai i ngā reo ataata e whakaaturia ana ki te taha o te reo ā-waha. |
| 6. | Whakaatu (Mātakitaki) | 2 | Ko te whai wāhi atu ki ngā whakaaturanga. |
Hei mahi
- Give students the title of the poem. The students write down the words of the poem as you read it aloud one line at a time. (You may need to read it through twice.) Ask them what they think the poem is about.
- In a brainstorming session, talk about the effect of having just a list of verbs (kupumahi). Note such things as:
- the way the title becomes an important clue as to the subject of the poem
- the fact that it makes the poem more difficult to understand at first
- the way the focus is entirely on the actions.
- After reading the poem, talk about the fact that it consists entirely of verbs (kupumahi). Then get the students to look at the way they are used in a sequence to describe a gymnastics routine. Name a different gymnastics activity. As a class, or in smaller groups, ask the students to suggest verbs that describe that activity then put them into a sequence.
- Use the poem 'Pītakataka' to give a simple explanation of the haiku form. (Note that in Māori each vowel counts as a syllable and long vowels count as two.) In pairs, or individually, the students write their own haiku about different gymnastics routines.
- The students create waiata ā-ringa, haka, or poi from the haiku they have written and perform them to the class. The rest of the students try to work out what type of gymnastics routine is being portrayed.
- The students illustrate the haiku they wrote about gymnastics, then collate and publish them as a book.
