A man from New Zealand named Rawiri Waititi did something special when he joined the government. He did a Maori dance called the haka before he promised to work for the king. Rawiri cares a lot about the Maori people and their rights. He said he would work for his grandkids, all young people, and a very important paper that helped start New Zealand.

The haka dance shows that people are strong and together. It is very important to the Maori people. When Rawiri did the haka, he was showing he will fight for the Maori people. He wants to make sure everyone knows about the Maori and their way of life.

Some people are talking about what Rawiri did. They are thinking about how to include everyone’s culture in the government. Rawiri’s dance tells people that it is important to remember the Maori and their history. New Zealand is trying to make things fair for all people, and the haka dance helps remind them of this.

Original news source: Watch: Maori MP performs haka before swearing oath to King (BBC)

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Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the students into pairs or small groups. Give each group a set of cards with different actions or activities related to the article (e.g. dance, fight, work, remember). One student from each group will act out the action without speaking, while the other students guess what it is. The group that guesses correctly gets a point. Continue playing for a set amount of time or until all the cards have been used.

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, have the students take turns summarizing the article in their own words. Encourage them to include key information such as who, what, when, where, why, and how. After each summary, ask the other students if they have any additional information to add. This activity helps develop reading comprehension and summarizing skills.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the students into pairs or small groups. Give each group a list of questions related to the article, such as “Do you think it is important for government officials to represent different cultures?” or “Should the haka dance be a part of government ceremonies?” Have the students discuss their opinions and write down their answers. Then, have each group share their opinions with the class, fostering a discussion and practicing expressing opinions in English.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board, such as Maori, haka, government, rights, history, etc. Divide the students into pairs or small groups. One student from each group will pick a word and draw it on a piece of paper, while the other students guess what it is. The student who guesses correctly gets a point. This activity helps reinforce vocabulary and encourages creativity.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, have the students discuss and make predictions about what might happen in the future based on the article. Encourage them to think about the impact of including different cultures in the government and the importance of preserving history. Have each group share their predictions with the class and discuss their reasoning. This activity promotes critical thinking and speaking skills.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What did Rawiri Waititi do before he promised to work for the king?
2. Why is the haka dance important to the Maori people?
3. What does Rawiri’s haka dance show?
4. Who does Rawiri want to work for?
5. What is the important paper that helped start New Zealand?
6. What are some people talking about after seeing Rawiri’s dance?
7. Why is the haka dance helpful in making things fair for all people in New Zealand?
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Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A man from New (1)______ named (2)______ Waititi did something special when he joined the government. He did a Maori dance called the haka before he promised to work for the (3)______. Rawiri cares a lot about the Maori people and their rights. He said he would work for his grandkids, all (4)______ (5)______, and a very important paper that helped start New Zealand.

The haka dance shows that people are strong and together. It is very important to the (6)______ people. When Rawiri did the haka, he was showing he will fight for the Maori people. He wants to make (7)______ everyone knows about the Maori and their way of (8)______.

Some people are (9)______ about what Rawiri did. They are thinking about how to include everyone’s (10)______ in the government. Rawiri’s dance (11)______ people that it is important to remember the Maori and their history. New Zealand is trying to make things fair for all people, and the (12)______ dance helps remind them of this.
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Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is the haka dance?
2. How would you feel if you saw someone doing the haka dance?
3. Do you think it’s important to remember and respect different cultures? Why or why not?
4. Have you ever seen a traditional dance from your country? How did it make you feel?
5. What do you think it means to fight for people’s rights?
6. Do you think it’s important for the government to include everyone’s culture? Why or why not?
7. How do you think the haka dance helps remind people about fairness?
8. Do you think it’s important to learn about different cultures? Why or why not?
9. What is something special about your culture that you would like others to know about?
10. How do you think it feels for Rawiri to work for his grandkids and young people?
11. Do you like dancing? Why or why not?
12. How would you feel if you could do a special dance to show what you believe in?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. special
2. government
3. Maori
4. haka
5. rights
6. fight
7. culture
8. history
9. fair
10. remind
11. include
12. promise

Meanings:
(A) To make someone remember something
(B) To say you will do something and then do it
(C) The people who make decisions for a country
(D) The native people of New Zealand
(E) Things that people are allowed to do or have
(F) The story of what happened in the past
(G) To have everyone be a part of something
(H) To stand up for something and not give up
(I) A traditional dance that shows strength and togetherness
(J) The beliefs, customs, and arts of a group of people
(K) Treating everyone the same and giving everyone a chance
(L) Something that is different and important
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Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the man from New Zealand who did the haka dance?
(a) John Smith
(b) Rawiri Waititi
(c) David Johnson
(d) Michael Brown

2. What does the haka dance show?
(a) People are weak and alone
(b) People are sad and angry
(c) People are strong and together
(d) People are happy and excited

3. Why did Rawiri do the haka dance?
(a) To show he will fight for the Maori people
(b) To show he is a good dancer
(c) To show he is the king of New Zealand
(d) To show he doesn’t care about the Maori people

4. What does Rawiri want people to know about the Maori?
(a) Their favorite food
(b) Their way of life
(c) Their favorite color
(d) Their favorite sport

5. What are some people talking about?
(a) How to include everyone’s culture in the government
(b) How to exclude everyone’s culture from the government
(c) How to forget about the Maori people
(d) How to make things unfair for all people

6. What does the haka dance help remind people of?
(a) To make things unfair for all people
(b) To forget about the Maori people
(c) To make things fair for all people
(d) To remember the Maori and their history

7. What is New Zealand trying to do?
(a) Make things unfair for all people
(b) Forget about the Maori people
(c) Exclude everyone’s culture from the government
(d) Make things fair for all people

8. What did Rawiri promise to work for?
(a) His friends, all old people, and a funny joke that helped start New Zealand
(b) His pets, all animals, and a big tree that helped start New Zealand
(c) His neighbors, all plants, and a small river that helped start New Zealand
(d) His grandkids, all young people, and an important paper that helped start New Zealand

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. People are discussing how to include everyone’s culture in the government.
2. Rawiri did the haka to show that he will fight for the Maori people.
3. The haka dance is very important to the Maori people and shows strength and unity.
4. New Zealand is not working towards fairness for all people, and the haka dance helps with that.
5. Rawiri wants to make sure everyone does not know about the Maori and their way of life.
6. Rawiri does not care a lot about the Maori people and their rights.
7. Rawiri’s dance does not remind people of the importance of remembering the Maori and their history.
8. A man from New Zealand named Rawiri Waititi did a special dance called the haka before he promised to work for the king.
Go to answers ⇩

Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What did Rawiri Waititi do before he promised to work for the king?
2. Why does Rawiri care a lot about the Maori people and their rights?
3. What does the haka dance show about the Maori people?
4. Why is it important for everyone to know about the Maori and their way of life?
5. What are some people talking about in relation to Rawiri’s dance?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did Rawiri Waititi do before he promised to work for the king?
Rawiri Waititi did a Maori dance called the haka before he promised to work for the king.

2. Why is the haka dance important to the Maori people?
The haka dance is important to the Maori people because it shows that they are strong and together as a group.

3. What does Rawiri’s haka dance show?
Rawiri’s haka dance shows that he will fight for the Maori people and make sure everyone knows about their way of life.

4. Who does Rawiri want to work for?
Rawiri wants to work for his grandkids, all young people, and an important paper that helped start New Zealand.

5. What is the important paper that helped start New Zealand?
The important paper that helped start New Zealand is not mentioned in the article.

6. What are some people talking about after seeing Rawiri’s dance?
Some people are talking about how to include everyone’s culture in the government after seeing Rawiri’s dance.

7. Why is the haka dance helpful in making things fair for all people in New Zealand?
The haka dance is helpful in making things fair for all people in New Zealand because it reminds them of the Maori people and their history, and New Zealand wants to be fair to all people.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Zealand
(2) Rawiri
(3) king
(4) young
(5) people
(6) Maori
(7) sure
(8) life
(9) talking
(10) culture
(11) tells
(12) haka
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. special
Answer: (L) Something that is different and important

2. government
Answer: (C) The people who make decisions for a country

3. Maori
Answer: (D) The native people of New Zealand

4. haka
Answer: (I) A traditional dance that shows strength and togetherness

5. rights
Answer: (E) Things that people are allowed to do or have

6. fight
Answer: (H) To stand up for something and not give up

7. culture
Answer: (J) The beliefs, customs, and arts of a group of people

8. history
Answer: (F) The story of what happened in the past

9. fair
Answer: (K) Treating everyone the same and giving everyone a chance

10. remind
Answer: (A) To make someone remember something

11. include
Answer: (G) To have everyone be a part of something

12. promise
Answer: (B) To say you will do something and then do it
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the man from New Zealand who did the haka dance?
Answer: (b) Rawiri Waititi

2. What does the haka dance show?
Answer: (c) People are strong and together

3. Why did Rawiri do the haka dance?
Answer: (a) To show he will fight for the Maori people

4. What does Rawiri want people to know about the Maori?
Answer: (b) Their way of life

5. What are some people talking about?
Answer: (a) How to include everyone’s culture in the government

6. What does the haka dance help remind people of?
Answer: (c) To make things fair for all people

7. What is New Zealand trying to do?
Answer: (d) Make things fair for all people

8. What did Rawiri promise to work for?
Answer: (d) His grandkids, all young people, and an important paper that helped start New Zealand
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. People are discussing how to include everyone’s culture in the government. (Answer: True)
2. Rawiri did the haka to show that he will fight for the Maori people. (Answer: True)
3. The haka dance is very important to the Maori people and shows strength and unity. (Answer: True)
4. New Zealand is not working towards fairness for all people, and the haka dance helps with that. (Answer: False)
5. Rawiri wants to make sure everyone does not know about the Maori and their way of life. (Answer: False)
6. Rawiri does not care a lot about the Maori people and their rights. (Answer: False)
7. Rawiri’s dance does not remind people of the importance of remembering the Maori and their history. (Answer: False)
8. A man from New Zealand named Rawiri Waititi did a special dance called the haka before he promised to work for the king. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧