Reo Ora—Ko Te Weu (Level 3) is part of a programme designed and curated by Dr Rāpata Wiri, who also runs the Reo Ora online learning portal for Māori language learners. Building on the success of the programme, these books offer a step-by-step learning programme backed by the science of learning.
This ‘intermediate’ level course introduces learners to some of the more complex aspects of language structure. Ko Te Weu (Level 3) is part of a programme designed and curated by Dr Rāpata Wiri, who also runs the Reo Ora online learning portal for Māori language learners.
Building on the success of the programme, these books offer a step-by-step learning programme backed by the science of learning. This ‘intermediate’ level course introduces learners to some of the more complex aspects of language structure, particularly the sentence.
The whole programme is set up to offer learners a five-step process: Show the sentence; Say the sentence properly; Explain the grammar and structure of the sentence; Practise the sentence pattern by repeating it, with different examples, at least three times; and Translate the sentence patterns correctly into te reo Māori. Using this approach, honed over a 30 year career, Dr Wiri presents a rigorous and evidence based approach to learning te reo Māori.
To be clear, this is not a pukapuka (book) for new learners to te Reo, although Dr Wiri has that covered with the ‘beginners’ book one in the series. Rather, book 3 gives the language student a more nuanced and controlling ability to journey towards mastery. And, according to historical evidence, each module (there are two in the book) is likely to take the learner about 100 hours.
Without doubt, it gets into the complex structures of language pretty quickly - having students identify parts of the sentence that are word classes - like ‘which word is the verb’ or, ‘what is the subject’. All of which help to grow the knowledge of the reo. Having said that, it’s presented logically and with clarity, making the whole process less onerous and more like that of a helpful tutor guiding you strategically.
As a learner of the beautiful language, this programme is excellent and relatively straightforward to follow. Like anything else, learners need to pick a style and stick with it. The chopping and changing between learning opportunities ends up being more of a muddle. The strong suggestion would be to take the bull by the horns, start at book 1, and put in the mahi required to get the language right. Using this programme - complete with its online offering - is a wonderful example of doing it properly.
Three years into the learning journey, this book was perfect - pitched at just the right level at the right time to extend the learning process. It’s a trajectory that requires practice and feedback on pronunciation. The more you use it, hear it and speak it, the more you understand it.
If te reo is on your list for improvement in this ever growing world of te ao Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand, then this mahi is for you. The Reo Ora system is effective and beautifully presented. Take your learning to the next level. Be brave, and don’t set yourself up for regret by not taking the opportunity.
Reviewer: Chris Reed
Huia Publishers