This bilingual resource is designed for the teaching of poetry to most students in all schools within Aotearoa New Zealand, regardless of their respective skill levels and ages. It mainly comprises poems written in English (combined with a translation into te reo Māori, the Māori language) – with the discussion including some Māori language.

Moreover, some poems first composed in te reo are also included (combined with a translation into English). Throughout there is a particular focus on poems by and about Māori. A key aim has been to introduce and/or reinforce knowledge of ngā kupu Māori (Māori vocabulary), as well as stressing ngā toikupu Māori (Māori poetry.) ‘Māori poetry’ does not just mean poems written by Māori – as most of these poems are – but also poems containing Māori themes, Māori traditions, and some Māori techniques as regards how song-poems are constructed. Accordingly, there is also an emphasis on the emphatic reading of the poems out loud. An integrated approach to the teaching of poetry has been used, with the language of poems (vocabulary, grammar, and usage) being examined before exercises to determine meaning, followed by a range of creative activities. A typical lesson sequence involves:

• Warm up
• Pre-teaching of vocabulary
• First reading of the poem
• Formal aspects of the poem
• Tasks and discussions leading to an appreciation of the poem’s meaning and an evaluation of the poem
• Follow-up activities

He pukapuka whaipainga tēnei mō te whakaako toikupu. Ka tuhia ia whiti i te reo Ingarihi me te reo Māori. Ka aro nui ki ngā toikupu i tuhia na te Māori, me ki te ao o te Māori.

E tika ana mō te nuinga o ngā akomanga o ngā kura katoa o Aotearoa. Me ngā huinga kupu, te reo toikupu, te māramatanga, me ngā mahinga auaha puta noa.

He ngahau te toikupu!