Ko te aha tēnei rā? - What day is this?

Achievement objective 

1.3 Communicate about number, using days of the week, months, and dates. 

Modes 

At the end of this lesson, students can: 

• Mātakitaki (view): Interpret meanings that are conveyed in combinations of words and images or symbols. 
• Kōrero (speak): Respond appropriately to simple, familiar instructions and simple questions. 
• Whakaatu (present): Use selected features of visual language to add meaning to simple written or oral text. 

Materials

See Materials that come with this resource to download:

• Ngā rā o te wiki resource sheet 1D (.doc)
• Ngā marama o te tau Māori resource sheet 1E (.doc)
• Kotahi te rākau Resource 1F (.doc)
• Ngā marama resource sheet 1G (.doc)

Lesson sequence 

At the start of each school day, ask the class what day it is. Encourage them to answer using the names on Ngā rā o te wiki Resource Sheet 1D. 

Ko te aha tēnei rā?	What day is this?
Ko te Rāhina tēnei rā.	Today is Monday.
Ko te Rāhina tēnei rā, te 8 o Kohitātea.	It is Monday today, the eighth of January.

Tips 

The forms of the days and months used in this activity are favoured by the Māori Language Commission. 

The Māori New Year (Matariki) is in June (Pipiri), so the Māori calendar attached (as Ngā marama Resource Sheet 1G) begins in the month of Pipiri. 

Further learning 

Allocate students the job of asking the daily question about the date. Each week, a different student takes the role of asking what day it is in the morning. 

Create a ‘day of the week’ corner on the wall. Create large flash cards with the days of the week on each one, laminate them, and place velcro on the backs so that the students can place them in the blank space on the statement ‘Ko te ___________ tēnei rā’. 

This activity could be extended by introducing the names of the months listed on Ngā marama o te tau Māori Resource Sheet 1E. 

Ko te aha tēnei marama?	What month is this?
Ko Haratua tēnei marama.	This month is May/It is May.

Other resources 

• Matariki calendars, such as those produced by Te Papa.