"He reo nō te ngākau, he reo reka ki te taringa."
“A voice from the heart is sweet to the ear.”
Who doesn’t love ice cream? In this playful and engaging unit, ākonga use te reo Māori to explore flavours, colours, preferences, and everyday interactions at an ice cream shop. Students practise polite language while ordering, choosing, and describing their favourite ice cream combinations.
Through role-play, creative tasks, and interactive activities, learners build confidence using descriptive language in authentic situations. This cheerful unit makes learning te reo Māori fun, memorable, and easy to connect with.
Achievement Objectives
Whāinga Paetae
By the end of Levels 1–2, ākonga will be able to communicate confidently in simple te reo Māori contexts related to people, places, and experiences.
They will develop increasing confidence introducing themselves, describing locations, sharing personal information, and interacting respectfully using appropriate cultural conventions.
🌱 LEVEL 1
1.1 greet, farewell, and acknowledge people and respond to greetings and acknowledgments
1.3 communicate about numbers, using days of the week, months and dates
1.5 communicate about location
1.6 understand and use simple polite conventions, for example, ways of acknowledging people, expressing regret and complimenting people
1.7 use and respond to simple classroom language (including asking for the word to express something in te reo Māori).
🌱 LEVEL 2
2.3 communicate about likes and dislikes, giving reasons where appropriate
learning outcomes
Putanga Ako
The learning outcomes describe what ākonga will be able to demonstrate by the end of the unit. They focus on communicative competence, cultural participation, confidence, and relational growth, ensuring learning extends beyond language recall to meaningful application.
By the end of this unit, ākonga will be able to demonstrate the following skills:
By the end of this unit, ākonga will be able to use te reo Māori confidently in fun and authentic everyday situations involving food, preferences, and social interaction.
Learners will strengthen their understanding of how descriptive language, politeness, and conversational tone help communicate ideas and emotions while developing vocabulary related to flavours, colours, textures, numbers, quantities, and preferences.
Through collaborative and sensory-rich learning experiences, ākonga will ask and answer questions, make polite requests, describe objects, and participate in role-play conversations using accurate pronunciation and expressive language.
The unit also supports creativity, oral fluency, confidence, and positive social interaction while encouraging learners to see te reo Māori as a joyful and living language that belongs in everyday life.
aromatawai
Assessments
This unit includes a feature-style recorded presentation assessment designed to be engaging, achievable, and confidence-building. Learning is scaffolded to ensure ākonga absorb language meaningfully before producing it through expressive tasks.
Aligned with NZC Levels 1–2 and the Pou Reo framework — Kia Tika, Kia Rere, Kia Māori, and Kia Ora te Reo — assessment prioritises clarity, fluency, cultural integrity, and learner wellbeing. The focus is on authentic communication rather than technical perfection, encouraging courageous and enthusiastic reo use.
Ākonga will participate in an interactive toa aihikirīmi role-play where they use te reo Māori to order, describe, and serve ice cream confidently and naturally.
Learners will take part in conversations using greetings, polite requests, questions, descriptive language, and conversational phrases while describing flavours, quantities, and preferences using expressive and authentic reo Māori.
They will demonstrate clear pronunciation, natural tone, and confident delivery while engaging in meaningful and enjoyable communication experiences.
The unit culminates in a classroom ice cream shop celebration where learners participate in role-play scenarios, showcase their creations, and experience te reo Māori through fun, food, and social interaction.
what's included
Ngā Hua o Roto
Within this unit you will have everything you need to confidently deliver a high-quality, engaging te reo Māori unit - thoughtfully designed to reduce planning time while strengthening learning outcomes.
Each component is structured, practical, and aligned to curriculum expectations, ensuring clarity for kaiako and meaningful progression for ākonga.
📋 MĀHERE AKO – FULL UNIT PLAN
A complete ready-to-teach unit plan including curriculum links, learning intentions, teaching approaches, and clear progression aligned to NZC Levels 1–2.
📚 LESSON SLIDES AND SEQUENCING
Structured lesson sequencing with ready-to-use teaching slides, facilitation guidance, interactive tasks, and playful learning experiences linked to flavours, ordering, and everyday communication.
🎯 INTEGRATED LANGUAGE MODES
Engaging activities that strengthen speaking, listening, reading, writing, viewing, and presenting through role-play, games, creative design tasks, collaborative kōrero, and sensory language experiences.
🍦 ICE CREAM SHOP ROLE-PLAY & CREATIVE ACTIVITIES
Hands-on learning experiences where ākonga create ice cream menus, design flavour combinations, role-play customer interactions, and participate in colourful and interactive language challenges.
📝 ĀKONGA EVALUATION & FEEDBACK
Formative reflection tools, learner feedback activities, and assessment support materials that track progress, strengthen confidence, and support future learning.
🌿 EVERYDAY REO, POLITENESS & SOCIAL CONNECTIONS
Authentic kaupapa Māori learning experiences that strengthen conversational reo, positive interaction, manners, confidence, and the joy of using te reo Māori in everyday situations.