He pā harakeke, he whakakīkīnga whāruarua

Nā Tamahou Temara

He whakarāpopoto

This piece of writing briefly describes the flax bush. The structure and growth of the flax is likened to that of a family. The centre stem of the flax is nurtured and supported by the outer leaves much like a child is nurtured by its siblings, parents, and grandparents.

He whatu pānui

Hei tautoko i te kaipānui

• The writing provides an opportunity to make comparisons to a familiar topic.
• Paragraphs are short and focus on a single idea.

Kia mataara!

• Some students may find certain words, concepts, or phrases challenging. (See 'He kete kupu' for more information.)
• Cultural practices that are significant about the gathering of flax may need to be discussed before the reading of the story.

He kete kupu

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

Hei wānanga i te reo

Spend some time discussing the following phrases and how they function in the text. Ask your students to practise using these phrases in their own writing.

For example:

• ... tōpito o ngā tahataha e rua ...
  ... far ends of the two sides ...
• ... hinga atu he tētē kura, ara mai anō he tētē kura ...
  ... when the root of a tree dies another root springs forth ...

Hei whakaihiihi

• Before showing the students the story, write three key words on a large sheet of paper. Ask the students to think about the three words and what they think the story is about.
• Discuss with the students what they know about harakeke. Write the students responses down on a large sheet of paper.
• Show examples of flax using photographs or pictures, or by visiting an area where flax grows in abundance. Discuss with the students the different parts of the flax bush, talk about how it could be likened to the family.

Hei whakatā

• Encourage the students to read and identify words or phrases that they are not familiar with during the reading.
• Discuss the words like 'pekepoho'. Ask the students for similar words that mean the same thing or have a similar meaning.
• Encourage each student to ask a question about the story, paragraph, or phrase before, during, and after reading the story.

Hei wānanga

• Discuss the importance of returning back to the land, Papatūānuku.
• Work together with students introducing the 'Hei mahi' as a follow up activity.

Hei mahi kē atu

• Teacher selects five sentences from the text. Each sentence has a number in front of it. The teacher says a number and the whole class reads the sentence aloud together. The teacher then allocates a number to each student. The teacher says a number and the child who has been allocated that number reads the sentence.
• Find images of families paste these on to a large sheet of paper. Ask the students to describe each family, list five similarities that each family has. It is suggested that students work in pairs and that a maximum of three pictures be used.
• Students could look at examples showing the different uses of flax. Organise a class visit to a gallery or ask a parent to come in and show the students some flax work.
• Make a list of materials that can be used to weave. Practise using paper, wool or other natural fibres like flax. Ask the students to write two to three statements that best describe the ease of using the materials selected.

He whakapuaki māramatanga

1. Kei waenganui i te harakeke he rito. Āe, kāo rānei?
2. He ōrite te hanga o te harakeke ki te whare miere. Āe, kāo rānei?
3. He aha tētahi tikanga mō te tiki harakeke?
4. Ki ōu whakaaro he aha te whakamārama o te whakataukī, "Hinga atu he tētē kura, ara mai he tētē kura"?
5. He aha ētahi atu kupu pērā i te kupu 'pekepoho'?
6. Ina ka maroke ngā rau o te harakeke, ka hoki anō ki te whenua. E pēnei ana te nuinga o te iwi Māori ina ka mate. He aha ai?
7. He aha te tino mahi o ngā rau ki te taha o te 'rito'?
8. Ka matomato ana te tipu o te harakeke. Ki ōu whakaaro he aha ngā mea e tiaki pai ana te tipuranga o te harakeke?

Hei mahi

Matching sentences

In this activity students work in pairs, to find the sentences that match. Each student is given a list of five sentences. The first student reads the first sentence on their list out aloud. The other student is to read their list of sentences to find out which one has the same or a similar meaning. The students write down on the sheet the corresponding letter or number. It is important that neither student looks at the other students' list of sentences.

Ākonga A

1. Tērā tētahi kōrero mō te harakeke ...
2. E rua ōna mātua, kotahi te rito i waenganui i a rāua ...
3. E kī ana tētahi whakataukī ...
4. Ka kite koe i te tipu o te whānau harakeke he pēnei te hanga o te whānau ...
5. He rite anō ēnei kōrero ki te matenga atu o te tangata ...

Ākonga E

1. He kōrero tēnei e whakaputaina i runga i te marae i ngā tangihanga.
2. He āhua rite te harakeke ki te hanga o te whānau.
3. Ko te harakeke te kaupapa o tēnei tuhinga.
4. Ko Māmā rāua ko Pāpā e noho ana ki te taha o te rito.
5. I waihotia e ngā tūpuna ēnei kōrero tawhito.

Ki runga ^