| Knowledge
The facts, concepts, principles, and theories to teach. | Practices
The skills, strategies, and applications to teach. | | Knowledge
The facts, concepts, principles, and theories to teach. | Practices
The skills, strategies, and applications to teach. | |
Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge
| - Gagana Tokelau is spoken widely across Tokelau, as well as in many other parts of the world, including New Zealand, Australia, Samoa, American Samoa, and Hawaii.
- Tokelau is a group of coral atolls located in the Pacific, and due to its remote location, it is only accessible by boat from Samoa.
- People in Tokelau are spread across its three atolls — Atafu, Nukunonu, and Fakaofo.
- Each atoll has different dialects that can influence intonations (e.g. in Ātafu, Ko ai kō tē? has intonation at the end, but in Nukunonu and Fakaofo, there is no intonation).
- Respectful expressions are an important part of Tokelauan culture.
- Fakāloalo is a value that involves showing respect.
| - Using basic greetings and farewells for a range of different contexts
- Communicating ideas about Tokelau
- Identifying vowels and consonants, including pronunciation
| Greetings - Mālō
- Mālō nī
- Mālō lava
- Tālofa
- Tālofa ni
- Tālofa lava
Farewells - Tōfā
- Tōfā nī
- Tōfā koe (to one person)
- Tōfā koulua (to two people)
- Tōfā koutou (to more than two people)
Polite conventions - Fakafetai
- Fakamolemole
- Tulou
Interactions - Eā mai koe?
- Ko ai tō igoa fakamolemole?
- Ko heā tā koe e fai?
- Kua hau koe?
- Fakafetai ko koe kua hau.
- E ā mai te aho?
| - Gagana Tokelau uses a range of respectful terms to greet people in different social contexts.
- Body positioning reinforces respectful language and behaviour in Gagana Tokelau (e.g. saying Tulou and lowering oneself when passing others).
| - Using a range of respectful conventions to greet people appropriately in different social contexts
- Using simple sentence patterns to speak clearly and politely in different situations
| Formal greetings - Mālō nī
- Mālō nī te ola manuia
- Mālō kō lava
- Mālō kō lava te ola manuia
Farewells - Tōfā lā nī
- Tōfā lā koulua nī
- Tōfā lā koutou nī
- Fano lā nī
- Manuia lava te aho/taeao/aoauli/afiafi/pō
Polite conventions - Fakafetai lahi lele
- Fakamolemole lahi lele
- Tulou kō lava
- Tulou mua
Body language and positioning - Saying tulou and lowering one’s body when passing others
- Sitting down when talking to people who are seated
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| - Greetings, introductions, and farewells use consistent, formulaic sentence structures.
- The Gagana Tokelau alphabet (alafapeta) contains 15 letters in order: a, e, i, o, u, f, g, k, l, m, n, p, h, t, v.
- The first five letters in the alafapeta are vowels, and last 10 are consonants.
- Recognising the distinct sounds for vowels and consonants is important for correct pronunciation.
- Each vowel has a short and a long sound, and the long sound is normally indicated by a macron:
- short: a, e, i, o, u
- long: ā, ē, ī, ō, ū.
- Macrons change the pronunciation and meanings of words:
- paku means ‘skin’, but pakū means ‘fall’
- matua means ‘to be a grown up’, but mātua means ‘mother’.
- Macrons are mostly used by non-native speakers and those born outside of Tokelau to aid pronunciation.
- They can use charts to practise pronunciation of words by combining consonants and vowels:
- fa, fe, fi, fo, fu
- ga, ge, gi, go, gu.
- In Gagana Tokelau, the pronunciation of consonants such as f and h reflects unique phonetic characteristics:
- the letter f is pronounced with a soft, breathy sound, often resembling the English wh (e.g. fale (house) is pronounced closer to ‘wha–le’)
- the letter g is pronounced like ng, as in ‘song’ (e.g. tagi is pronounced ‘tah–ng–ee’).
- There is a variation in the spelling of words containing the consonant sound f. In formal contexts, words are spelt with f, but at other times, the spelling wh is used to more closely reflect the phonetic pronunciation.
- Alphabet charts and chants help to increase fluency and improve pronunciation.
| - In Gagana Tokelau, formal greetings like Mālō nī, Mālō kō lava, and Mālō nī te ola manuia use respectful vocabulary and structure to acknowledge others politely.
- In Gagana Tokelau polite expressions like Fakafetai lahi lele and Fakamolemole lahi lele use intensifiers (lahi lele) to emphasise gratitude or apology.
- Speaking with polite forms is used for others and everyday forms are used for self to reflect respect and social awareness.
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge
| - In Tokelau and those residing in New Zealand and overseas, family or village connections are often identified through a person’s surname. This helps people in the community recognise relationships and understand someone’s background.
| - Introducing themselves and others and responding to introductions appropriately
- Asking others how they are and responding appropriately when asked
- Communicating about their parents and/or caregivers
| Introductions - Mālo nī. Ko toku igoa ko Lina. Ko ai tō igoa?
- Mālō nī Lina. Ko toku igoa ko Ioane. Ko ai tō tamana?
- Ko toku tamana ko Toma.
- Ko ai to matua?
- Ko toku mātua ko Hiniva.
- Ko ai te igoa o tō uho?
- Ko toku uho ko Pētelo.
- Ko ai te igoa o tō tuafafine?
- Ko toku tuafafine ko Hina.
- Fakafetai nī Ioane. Ko toku tamana ko Maka.
- Ko toku mātua ko Mālia.
- Ko toku uho ko Pēato.
- Ko toku tuafafine ko Lēhina.
- Fakafetai Lina. Ea mai ia Maka to tāmana?
- Ea mai koe ma tō matua?
- Ko au ma toku matua e manuia fakafetai.
- Ea mai tō uho ma tuafafine?
- Ko toku uho ma toku tuafafine e malolohi fakafetai.
| - Respectful terms (e.g. uluhina, which means one of the eldest and most respected males in the village, or tupuna, meaning ancestors) express a level of respect and cultural understanding within relationships.
- In Gagana Tokelau, the term you use when referring to various relatives depends on the gender and age of the person. For example:
- taumatua means eldest in the village
- mātua means any adult female in a family role
- fatupaepae means matriarch and is an honourable title given to a female elder.
| - Communicating about the relationship between people, including grandparents and siblings
| Family introductions - Ko toku tamana ko Pehamino.
- Ko te tamana o toku matua ko Toma.
- Ko oku uho matutua ko Ioane ma Himi.
- Ko toku tuafafine tamaiti ko Hina.
Family vocabulary (singular) - Tama
- Tamana, mātua
- Ataliki, afafine
- Tuagāne, tuafafine, Uho, Ulumatua, kimuli
- Kāheni/fai uho/fai,Tuafafine, Fatupaepae, Toeaina, Tupuna, Uluhina, Taumatua
- Kolomatua
Family vocabulary (plural) - Mātua
- Fānau
- Nā toeaina
- Kolomātutua
Respectful terms - Ko toku tamana ko he uluhina o te nuku.
- Ko oku tupuna ko Mika ma Meli.
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| - Formulaic expressions are commonly used in Gagana Tokelau to support clear and respectful communication, especially in greetings, farewells, and ceremonial contexts.
- Ko toku is a singular first-person possessive pronoun in Gagana Tokelau, used to indicate ownership or relationship to most family members, such as ko toku tinā (my mother) or ko toku tamā (my father).
- Oku is the plural possessive form, used when referring to more than one.
- Ma means ‘and’ and is used to link names or items.
- O shows possession, like saying something belongs to someone.
- In Gagana Tokelau, questions often begin Ko ai (who) or E ā mai (how), which help structure inquiry and promote clarity in communication.
| | - In Gagana Tokelau there is not just one way to introduce someone or to introduce oneself.
- Practising simple sentence patterns enables learners to write, read, and speak about self, family, and everyday life more clearly and fluently.
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge
| | - Communicating about their age and the age of others
- Counting numbers 1–20 and up to 100 in tens
| Ages - Ko toku igoa ko Viliamu. Kua valu oku tauhaga. Kua fia o tauhaga?
- Mālō nī Viliamu. Ko toku igoa ko Hefo. Kua fitu oku tauhaga.
- Fakafetai Hefo. Ko tona igoa ko Paulo. Kua hefulu ona tauhaga.
- Ko Matalena tēia. Kua hefulu lua ona tauhaga.
Base numbers - tahi, lua, tolu, fā, lima, ono, fitu, valu, iva, hefulu
11–19 - hefulu tahi, hefulu lua, hefulu tolu …
Counting in tens - hefulu, lua hefulu, tolu hefulu …
One hundred Ordinal numbers - muamua (1st), tona lua (2nd), tona tolu (3rd) …
| - There are aho tāua (important dates) to celebrate different occasions.
- Birthdays reflect the importance of family (kāiga) and community in Tokelau culture and are often celebrated with prayers, food, singing, and dances.
| - Communicating about dates and birthdates
| Time-related vocabulary - Aho
- Māhina
- Aho fānau
- Ko toku aho fānau ko te aho 25 o Māti 1991.
Time-related questions and answers - Ko āfea to aho fānau Tina? Ko toku aho fanau ko te aho 2 o Mē 1978.
- Ko anafea na fakamanatu ai tō aho fānau? Ko toku aho fānau na fakamanatu ananafi.
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| - In Gagana Tokelau, both numela and fuainumela mean number or numeral. To say number one, you can use either term: numela tah or fuainumela tah. The plural forms are ko nā numela and ko nā fuainumela.
- Counting from 11 to 19 in Gagana Tokelau involves joining the word for ‘ten’ and a base number to express the value (e.g. 11 is hefulu tahi and 15 is hefulu lima).
- Counting in tens, the base number goes first, followed by hefulu (e.g. 20 is lua hefulu, 40 is fā hefulu, 70 is fitu hefulu).
- 100 does not follow the above pattern (100 is helau).
- The word tona is added to create all ordinal numbers, except 1st (e.g. 2nd is tona lua, 13th is tona hefulu tolu, 100th is tona helau).
- The word tauhaga expresses age when paired with numbers (e.g. Kua valu oku tauhaga).
- Numbers are used in everyday contexts (e.g. tauhaga, taimi, tupe, aho).
| - Gagana Tokelau uses aho (days), māhina (months), numbers, and time-related phrases and vocabulary when talking about dates and birthdates.
- Aho fānau (birthdate) is used in statements and common questions.
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge
| - When meeting someone new, people often begin by tracing family connections and significant places before personal introductions.
- In Tokelauan culture, the concept of kāiga (family) is central to daily life and tradition. The kāiga includes not just immediate relatives but also extended family and close friends. Elders are respected as parental figures, and younger individuals are treated as siblings, reflecting the deep communal bonds within the Tokelau community.
| - Communicating about significant places, such as:
- their hometown or place of family origin
- where they live
- the hometown and/or place of origin of others
| Place of family origin - Ko koe e hau i fea i Tokelau?
- Ko au e hau i Ātafu.
- Ko koe lā e hau i fea?
- Ko au e hau i Nukunonu ma Fakaofo.
Currently live in - Ko koe e nofo nei i fea?
- Ko au e nofo nei i Naenae, i Uēligitone.
| - Tokelauans live in various locations in villages in Tokelau and abroad.
- Communicating about their place of origin includes references to one’s village or atoll, expressing ties to the land (fenua). This use of language reflects cultural values of belonging and identity.
| - Communicating about the village and/or place of origin of multiple family members
| Habitation Locations — family members - Ko Hagato e nofo i Tauranga ka ko ona mātua e nonofo i Tokelau.
- Ko te tuafafine o Hagato e nofo i Aukilani ka ko ona uho e nonofo i Uēligitone.
- Ko Ave nae nonofo ma ona mātua i Ātafu ka ko ona uho kua omamai ki Aukilani i Niu Hila.
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| - Communicating about place of origin or village is an important practice in Gagana Tokelau.
- In Gagana Tokelau, different vocabulary is used to express where they come from and where they are currently living.
- Questions can be rearranged to create statements (e.g. Ko fea te hau ai koe? or Ko fea lā te hau ai koe?).
| - Nuku or fenua (village), pitonuku (city), and atunuku (nation) are key words for describing places people originate or live in Tokelau.
- There are specific ways of describing the villages or places of origin of multiple family members.
- Place names and relational phrases help describe where family members live.
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge
| - The church plays an important role in Tokelau. Sunday is respected as a day of rest.
- Aho Hā Paepae / Aho Hā o Tamaiti (White Sunday) is a celebration in Tokelau where children lead church activities like singing, Bible readings, and acting out stories. Families often perform together, and everyone wears white to show respect for their faith.
| - Communicating about the days of the week, months, and seasons
| Days (Aho) - Aho Gafua, Aho Lua, Aho Lulu, Aho Tofi, Aho Valaile, Aho Tōnai, Aho Hā
Months (Māhina) - Ianuali, Fepuali, Māti, Apelila, Mē, Iuni, Iūlai, Aukuho, Hētema, Oketopa, Nōvema, Tēhema
Days and time - aho, vaiaho, lua vaiaho
- taeao, aoauli, afiafi, pō, tuāpō, vaveao
- mulimuli, pōuli
- taeao, ananafi, aho nei, vaiaho kā hau, vaiaho kua teka
- māhina nei, māhina kā hau, mahina kua teka
- tauhaga nei, tauhaga ka hau, tauhaga kua teka
| | - Communicating about the weather
- Comparing the weather and seasons
| Weather vocabulary - Ua
- Havili
- Mālūlū
- Vevela
- E ā mai te tau i kinā i te aho nei? Ko te tau i kinei e ua ite aho nei.
- Na ā mai te tau i Aukilani ananafi? Ko te tau i Aukilani ananafi nae vevela / Te havili ote tau o Aukilani ananafi.
Desriptions with adjectives - Ua lahi (heavy rain)
- Malohi te havili (very windy)
- Mālūlū lele (very cold)
- Vevela ātili (too hot)
Comparative vocabulary - E hili atu te vevela o Aukilani na i lō i Uēligitone.
- E tutuha lava te tau o Christchurch ma Dunedin.
- E hē lelei te tau o Whangarei ka ko Polilua e laofie.
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| - The names for the months in Gagana Tokelau are borrowed words from the English month names.
- In Gagana Tokelau, days and months are proper nouns so are capitalised.
| - Gagana Tokelau has words such as tau and phrases to talk about the weather.
- Gagana Tokelau uses weather expressions to describe past, present, and future conditions.
- E ā mai te tau? (now) or Na ā mai te tau? (past) are asked when talking about the weather.
- Tutuha, hili atu, and hē lelei can be used to describe similarities and differences in weather.
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge
| | | | - In Gagana Tokelau, traditional ways of telling time were based on natural signs like the sun, moon, and shadows. These methods reflect how language and environment are closely connected. Today, modern tools like clocks and watches have replaced many of these traditional time-telling practices.
| | Time expressions - Kua tā te fia? / Ko he ā te taimi tēnei?
- Kua tā te iva.
- Kua kuata teka te tolu.
- Kua āfa te hefulu tahi.
Time vocabulary - Ananei
- Anapō
- Ananafi
- Ite taeaō
- Ite aoauli
- Ite afiafi
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| | - Several words in Gagana Tokelau can be used to talk about time, such as taimi, tā, teka, kuata, āfa, itūlā, minute, and hekone. Each word may describe a different aspect or unit of time.
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge
| - In Tokelau, locative language like ei, i, luga o, and lalo o reflects strong ties to land, sea, and community, showing how people relate to their environment and each other while expressing cultural values of connection, presence, and shared space.
| - Communicating about where things are located
| Present location - Ko au ei te fale.
- Ko Filipo ei te faletakele.
- Ko te tuhi ei luga o te laulau.
- Ko te kī ei lalo o te puha.
Locative nouns - Ko ia ei te fale.
- Ko te tamaiti e i te aoga.
- Ko te vaka e i te tai.
- Ko te tāvale e i loto o te pā.
Singular demonstratives - Tēnei — this, near the speaker (e.g. Ko te tuhi tēnei.)
- Tēnā — that, near the listener (e.g. Ko te peni tēnā.)
Plural demonstratives - Iēnei — these, near the speaker (e.g. Ko nā tuhi iēnei.)
- Iēnā — those over there, far from both (e.g. Ko nā tino iēnā.)
Prepositions of place - I luga — on (e.g. Ko te puhi ei luga o te lākau.)
- I lalo — under (e.g. Ko te ei lalo o te laulau.)
- I mua — in front of (e.g. Ko te tama ei mua o te fale.)
- I tua — behind (e.g. Ko te puha ei tua o te TV.)
- I loto — inside (e.g. Ko te pepa e i loto ote tuhi.)
- I fafo — outside (e.g. Ko te maile ei fafo o te fale.)
| | - Communicating about ownership
| Singular possesive pronouns - Ko toku fale
- Ko taku tuhi
- Ko toku kāiga
- Ko taku tāvale
- Ko toku kofu
- Ko taku ato aoga
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| - In Gagana Tokelau, particles and suffixes are added to other words to show location.
- The particle ko + [subject] + i + [location] are used to talk about where things are.
- Particle ko introduces the subject, e or ei help mark location, i is a preposition meaning ‘at’ or ‘in’ depending on the context, and the location comes at the end of the sentence.
- Locative expressions often combine locative particles (e.g. i with place nouns).
| - Communicating about ownership involves using appropriate language to show ownership over an object or thing.
- Adjectives and possessive pronouns describe physical traits and ownership.
- Expressions of ownership correctly distinguish between a and o nouns (e.g. taku tuhi, toku kāiga).
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge
| | | | - In Tokelau, expressing likes and dislikes helps learners connect with others and take part in meaningful conversations.
- Sports and games like kilikiti reflect Tokelau’s inclusive culture. These events bring people together and often include shared food, and end with hiva fātele (songs and dances).
- Kilikiti is the national sport of Tokelau, and everyone is encouraged to play, thereby strengthening community bonds and holistic wellbeing.
| - Communicating about the things they like and dislike
- Justifying likes and dislikes where appropriate
| Interaction - Ko he ā te mea e fiafia koe ki ei?
- Ko au e fiafia kilikiti.
- Ko au e fiafia fāgota. E maua ai haku mea ke kai.
- Ko he ā he mea e hē fiafia koe ki ei?
- Ko au e hē fiafia fano ki uta, auā e lahi na namuta i uta.
- Ko au e hē fiafia uhu pehe, auā e hē mālie toku leo.
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| | - In Gagana Tokelau, the use of appropriate vocabulary and sentence structures helps to clearly state opinions in both informal and formal contexts.
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge
| | - Understanding and using a range of simple classroom language
| Classroom phrases and commands - Mālo te vahega.
- Mālō ni te faiāoga Mr Havelio.
- Kikila mai.
- Fakalogo fakalelei mai.
- Tapuni nā api.
- Hōia te piha!
- Hiki tō lima ki luga.
- E mafai ke fano au kite vāvā fakamolemole?
- E i ei hau peni?
Classroom and school vocabulary - tehi, laulau, nofoa, tuhi faitau, api aoga, peni, penitala, titina, hioka, vahe, heleulu, mea fakapipiki
Roles in the school community - puleākoga
- faiākoga
- tamaiti ākoga
- vahega
| - In Gagana Tokelau, language is used to show respect by acknowledging a person’s role or status. Formal greetings and respectful speech are important, especially when addressing teachers, principals, or elders. Physical gestures, such as lowering oneself when speaking to someone of higher status, also reflect humility and cultural values embedded in Tokelauan communication.
| - Understanding and using a range of polite instructional language
| Classroom phrases and commands - Mālō nī te vahega.
- Mālō nī tō mamalu te faiāoga Mr Havelio.
- Kikila mai fakamolemole.
- Tapuni nā api fakamolemole.
- Hōia te piha fakamolemole nī.
- Hiki ko lā tō lima ki luga fakamolemole.
- E mafai nei au ke fano kite vāvā fakamolemole?
- E iei lā hau peni fakamolemole?
- E mafai nei e au ke fakaaogā tau peni fakamolemole?
Polite body language - Students do not stand in front of teachers or other students, especially when those others are seated.
- Nofo ki lalo fakamolemole.
- Fano kehe i oku mua fakamolemole.
- Students look at the teacher when being spoken to.
- Kima, kikila mai o mata fakamolemole.
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| - Learning simple classroom language helps them to understand and use Gagana Tokelau in everyday routines, building confidence and familiarity through regular use.
- They can use simple command sentences and polite conventions in the classroom (e.g. fakamolemole, fakafetai, tulou).
| - Repetition is a key strategy for language learning.
- Respectful language is often used in classroom instructions or when communicating with others.
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