nga korero poto hei momo
“Consistently doing the simplest things makes the biggest difference.”
— Shane Parish
te ao Māori principles
There are key principals that we, as an English Department, consider important as part of a holistic study at school.
- Mana – The prestige and authority of the writer. Writers can build mana through impactful stories that uplift readers.
- Whanaungatanga – The connections and relationships between characters, writers, and readers. Literature brings people together.
- Kaitiakitanga – Guardianship and protection of stories, language, and knowledge. Writers have a duty to share stories responsibly.
- Wairuatanga – The spirituality and deeper meanings conveyed through literature. Stories can be profound and moving.
- Mauri – The essential life force or vitality of the writer coming through in their work. Writing with purpose and energy.
- Aroha – The empathy, compassion, and love writers show through their words. Literature builds understanding between people.
- Tikanga – The customs, protocols and values upheld through storytelling. Writers adhere to cultural principles.
Key Terms
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a style or category of art, music, or literature. |
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a way in which something is usually done. |
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literary work in which the expression of feelings and ideas is given intensity by the use of distinctive style and rhythm; poems collectively or as a genre of literature. |
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a story with a fully developed theme but significantly shorter and less elaborate than a novel. |
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the specific creation of a spoken or written account of connected events; a story. |
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the main events of a play, novel, film, or similar work, devised and presented by the writer as an interrelated sequence. |
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a subordinate plot in a play, novel, or similar work. |
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an idea that recurs in or pervades a work of art or literature. |
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the place or type of surroundings where something is positioned or where an event takes place. |
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choices made relating to the arrangement of and relations between the parts or elements of a complex whole. |
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a dominant or recurring idea in an artistic work. |
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a significant or recurrent theme; a motif. |
Learning Objectives
- To recall elements of short text conventions learned in previous years.
- To interpret new texts using established frameworks
- To identify key moments within short texts.
- To transfer structures such as APRICOT to new text types.
- To summarise texts into their key parts.
Exercises
Spelling
| caught | taught | daughter | slaughter | draught |
| fought | fraught | distraught | haughty | naughty |
| caustic | laudable | laudatory | claustrophobia | gauge |
| draughtsman | haughtiness | slaughterous | fraudulence | daughterly |
Summary Builder
Below is a piece of writing that you should attempt to summarise into around 100 words.
The Psychology of Persuasion
Understanding the science behind persuasion methods reveals how to ethically influence people and make arguments more compelling. Psychological techniques can positively apply to areas like business, advocacy and leadership.
According to the principle of reciprocation, people feel obligated to repay gifts, favors and concessions. Small first offers can prompt larger return actions. Strategic reciprocity builds rapport and makes people more receptive.
Social proof sways us to align with behaviors of those around us. People follow the lead of peers, assuming consensus equals correctness. Testimonials and expert backing leverage this phenomenon.
Authority bias also unconsciously persuades. Statements from those perceived as authorities automatically seem more valid, even if illogical. Displaying credentials boosts powers of persuasion.
The liking principle makes us more open to people we know and like. Finding common ground, listening intently and smiling increase personal appeal and ability to influence.
Scarcity convinces by making opportunities seem rare or urgent. Exclusivity, deadlines and limited quantities can drive action. But scarcity claims must be genuine.
Persuasion works best using multiple techniques in combination. Psychologists continue identifying new ways appealing to human psychology ethically moves people’s minds.
Short Texts as Genre
nga korero poto hei momo
- Rhetoric – The ability to speak in front of others, and construct an argument using classical structures.
- Poetry – Developing words to construct images and beautiful sequences that emotively draw out the best of the poet’s vision.
- Shakespeare – Symbolic of the connections between worlds, the master storyteller, Shakespeare, brings together poetry and prose on stage and introduces the dramatic process and dramaturgy. There is always a little bit of Macbeth in all of us, but none of us are Macbeth.
- Novel – Arguably the most important development in literature. The novel is the long form telling of a narrative that covers everything from setting to conflict, characterisation to motif.
- Non fiction – The biggest genre in regard to sheer volume of words produced. Every day new non fiction text in the form of speeches, letters, emails, articles, and new stories flood our collective consciousness. In regard to literature, non fiction is a wonderful companion that adds to the understanding of texts.
- Film – Representing the new order of technology in literature, film is a significant aspect of every literary discussion.
Bringing it all together
Throughout this unit, you will need to use the skills of analysis and investigation with a range of texts. At the end of the journey you will have produced two pieces of work – a five minute seminar, and a supporting report on the content discussed.
te ao Māori
As part of your analysis, you will need to find threads throughout your choices that are linked by an aspect of te ao Māori.
While the examples at the top of each page are absolutely fine – and you are encouraged to start here – you may also consider other options as well:
- Mana – The prestige and authority of the writer. Writers can build mana through impactful stories that uplift readers.
- Whanaungatanga – The connections and relationships between characters, writers, and readers. Literature brings people together.
- Kaitiakitanga – Guardianship and protection of stories, language, and knowledge. Writers have a duty to share stories responsibly.
- Wairuatanga – The spirituality and deeper meanings conveyed through literature. Stories can be profound and moving.
- Mauri – The essential life force or vitality of the writer coming through in their work. Writing with purpose and energy.
- Aroha – The empathy, compassion, and love writers show through their words. Literature builds understanding between people.
- Tikanga – The customs, protocols and values upheld through storytelling. Writers adhere to cultural principles.
APRICOT
Bringing in the concept of APRICOT will help you here. For memory jogging, APRICOT stands for
- Audience
- Purpose
- Register
- Imagery + Representation
- Content + Context
- Organisation
- Tone
And in the way that the seminar should be shaped, this is where the structure of APRICOT becomes vital.
How does the author connect with the audience, what is the purpose?
Who is this written for? How do you know?
How formal do they make the language, why?
Is there a logical structure that is developed, chronologically based or non linear? What is the effect?
And so on…
GST (Genre Specific Technique)
Throughout your years of studying there have been specific techniques that you have learned for each of the genre covered – including a whole lot this year through the non fiction and film unit.
Now you need to use these techniques to demonstrate how one text may connect with another.
Here is a recap of some significant elements to consider with each of the genre
Rhetoric
- Story Telling
- Framing
- Argument
- Persuasion
- Aristotle
- Ethos
- Logos
- Pathos
- Subject
- Audience
- Conflict
- Explicit
- Implicit
- Rationale
- Imperatives
- Repetition
- Syntax
- Figurative Language
- Fact
- Opinion
- Bias
- Accuracy
Poetry
- Rhyme
- Meter
- Rhythm
- Imagery
- Structure
- Form
- Figurative Language
- Soundscape
- Symbolism
- Tone
And within these are a whole load of specific techniques
Shakespeare
- Drama
- Acting
- Characterisation
- Narrative Arc
- Conflict
- Protagonist
- Antagonist
- Plot
- Subplot
- Setting
- Props
- Costumes
- Social hierarchy
Novel
- Sequencing
- Chronological
- Structural decisions
- Characterisation
- Conflict
- Reasoning
- Setting
- Thematic development
Non Fiction
- Background
- Bias
- Opinion
- Fact
- Sub genre
- Conventions
- Perspective
- Positioning
Film
- Cinematography
- Camera shots
- Camera angles
- Sound
- Lighting
- Editing
- Music
- Dialogue
- Framing
- Mise en scene
And on and on they go.
Where to begin
Ultimately there is a lot of pre work to do here. You need to first think about the te ao Māori thread that you would like to be seeking. This will create a metaphoric ‘anchor’ for you. It will make the proceeding actions easier to follow.
This PressBook will guide you through the best ways to approach this process, but you are welcome to be more creative in your own style.
You are encouraged NOT to begin with the text, you are encouraged to find the thread first and then work out from that backbone. Think of it a little like a fish bone.
Here, the ‘back bone’ is the thread that is the te ao Māori principle.
The ‘head’ is the introduction, the centralising moment where you explore why the principle is the thread chosen – the rationale or justification.
The various colours are the texts that you choose to develop in accordance with the principle.
Exercises
Why look at this as a unit?
A big part of the English programme is to recognise and extract the links that exist in literature. Some of them are quite major – like a sub genre of gothic literature – and some of them are subtle – like the use of water as a cleansing agent.
Literature never exists in isolation, and so it is about learning and growing as a student of English and the recognition of the patterns and trends that occur.
What do we produce?
There are two components to this task. Seminar, and Report
The first is a 5-minute seminar that will be a verbal presentation complete with slides. For this section you will need to
- Decide on an element of te ao Māori that you wish to research.
- Begin looking into the options available for text selection. This time will need some attention as you must ensure you are demonstrating a range of knowledge.
- Use your annotation skills to breakdown a scene or sequence within the text which you believe either supports or goes against the principle you have chosen.
- Ensure any and all texts are appropriate for the classroom – meaning no drug use, sexual content, or violence.
- Demonstrate your literary knowledge by explaining how the writer / director has used techniques to achieve that connection. This may be the camera angles, or the use of a pattern of adjectives to show description or tone.
- Create a visually appealing, and school-appropriate presentation via PowerPoint, Slides, or similar.
The Report is a document that you are likely to build first as demonstration of your work. This should be a professionally put together process of how the te ao Māori principle is shown through a range of texts and genre.
Plagiarism includes anything produced by anyone other than yourself. This includes (but is not limited to:
– your family
– your extended network of people you know (i.e. other students, your neighbour, a friend from another school or country)
– your tutor or any other teacher
– anything produced online including study guides and anything AI-generated
Basically, if you are planning to use it – plan to get zero and a principal’s detention.
Ko te reo te tuakiri | Language is my identity.
Ko te reo tōku ahurei | Language is my uniqueness.
Ko te reo te ora. | Language is life.