Te wā whānau

Nā Peti Nohotima rāua ko Frances Goulton

He whakarāpopoto

As part of a tradition passed down, this whānau comes together to share, celebrate, and re-ignite whānau connections during the winter months each year. Whānau gatherings are very important in the story, as kui, koro, pakeke, and mokopuna all have reasons for being together at this time every year.

Ngā āhuatanga i roto i te tuhinga

He whatu tūkanga

• This text honours the tradition of being and living together as a whānau.
• It develops in the written form a sense of whanaungatanga.
• It acknowledges the passing on of traditions, rituals, and stories from generation to generation as important.
• It proposes that whānau is a source of inspiration, energy, and belonging.
• It suggests the order of hierarchy found within many whānau.
• It identifies winter as a significant time of the year.

He whatu tamariki

• The story begins as a recount told in the voice of a child: "Ko Kui rāua ko Koro ..."
• The whānau is portrayed as having lots of laughter and fun.
• The ideas are kept brief.
• The story may reflect the real-life experiences of many students.

He whatu pānui

Hei tautoko i te kaipānui

• The paragraphs each contain only one main idea.
• There is frequent use of repetition of parts of words for added emphasis, which is generally known as 'kupu tāruarua'. (See 'Hei wananga i te reo' for these words.)
• Short sentences aid the understanding of complex ideas.
• The story has a circular storyline (where the ending echoes the beginning) – the child narrator becomes a kuia.
• Illustrations support the text.

Kia mataara!

• The text is reasonably lengthy for reluctant or struggling readers, but the illustrations may help. You could have the students do a sequence activity after the guided reading lesson as follows.
• Photocopy the story and cut it into paragraphs. Ask the students to look at one paragraph at a time. They read and summarise the paragraphs and arrange them in sequence. This activity helps them with comprehension. Check that the text is in the correct sequence.
• Some students may not be familiar with the way in which this whānau operates or with some of the concepts described in the story. Look for ways you can help them relate to the text.

He kete reo

This story is based on personal experiences and has features of recount writing. Discuss how some of the words and phrases listed below can help us write about such experiences.

Te reo whakahokinga whakaaro

• Ka hoki ...
• E ai ...
• Koinei te wā ...
• Tuatahi, tuarua, tuatoru, tuawhā ...
• Koinei hoki ...
• Koirā ...
• Kātahi nei ...
• Kua mau i ahau ...

Ngā ariā tohu i te wā

• Ia tau ...
• I te wā o ...
• Ko ngā pō ...
• I nāianei ...

Te reo whānau

• ... tō mātou ...
• ... ko mātou ...
• ... tōku koroua ...
• ... tōku kuia ...
• ... whanaunga ...
• ... ā mātou ...

Te reo whakaihiihi

• rere te whakaaro ...
• ora te hinengaro ...
• tau te wairua ...
• piki ake te mōhio ...
• ngā kōrero katakata ...
• kapekape; tohutohu; akoako.

He kete kupu

Ensure that your students are familiar with the words in the 'He kete kupu' and are able to use them confidently.

Hei wānanga i te reo

• Have the students select all the kupu tāruarua (katakata; kapekape; tohutohu; akoako; whakahoahoa; mihimihi; whakaharahara) and use each of them in a sentence.
• Get them to practise using the ideas in the above 'He kete reo' in their own writing.

Hei whakaihiihi

• Relate the story to the students' personal experiences using questions such as 'What happens when your whānau comes together?' 'What do you like doing when you all come together?' 'Who usually leads your whānau get-togethers?'
• Draw the students' attention to page 10 and ask them to discuss what the terms "...he piringa reo, he piringa tinana, he piringa wairua" might mean in relation to the title of the story.
• Set a purpose for the reading. Ask the students to read the text and list some of the things that this whānau do when they get together.

Hei whakatā

• Read with the students up to "He rerekē te hiahia a ia whakatipuranga". Ask them how the interests of children differ from the interests of adults.
• Suggest that the students finish reading the story and think about the importance of whānau and/or whānau whānui coming together regularly and what the main purpose of such gatherings might be.

Hei wānanga

• Ask the students to explain what the term 'He taonga tuku iho' means in the text.
• Discuss the ways in which the children in the story benefit from 'Te wā whānau'.
• Discuss what the kuia meant when she said "ahakoa te aha me whai wā ki te whakatau i tō whānau, kia kore ai tō whānau e tipu noa. Kia riro mā te hā o te whānau koe e kawe."

He whakapuaki māramatanga

• Nā wai te mahi nui ki te whakakotahi mai i te whānau?
• E hia nei ngā wā huihui ai tēnei whānau?
• He aha ētahi o ngā mahi pai a tēnei whānau?
• He aha ngā akoranga a Kui rāua ko Koro ki ngā mokopuna?
• He aha ngā take e whakakotahitia ai tētahi whānau?

Hei mahi

Ki runga ^