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Gagana Sāmoa context elaborations

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Gagana Sāmoa L7: Context elaborations

Students are expected to begin to engage in sustained interactions and produce increasingly extended texts, in which they explore the views of others, develop and share personal perspectives, and justify, support, or challenge ideas and opinions in different situations. Students are expected to begin responding critically to more extended and varied text types on familiar matters.

Context elaborations are examples for teacher guidance only. They should not be used as assessment tools.

Example 1: Dance festival concerns

Susuga Faiaoga

Susuga e,

I le ava ma le migao ua ou tusia ai lenei tusi e fa ‘ailoa atu ai lo ‘u loto le fiafia ma lou fa ‘anoanoa tele ona o le fa ‘afitauli o lo ‘o tulai mai pea i tausaga taitasi, a ‘o tapena fa ‘afiafiaga a aoga mo tauvaga. E lagona lo ‘u lē fiafia ona o le tele o le taimi ua fa ‘amaumau a la ‘u tama i aoga siva i aso uma. A taunuu mai i le fale ua lē mafai ona toe fai se feau po ‘o se mea-aoga ona ua lē lavā. O le isi itu, o le tele o tupe e alu ai i le fa ‘atupeina o togiga, aemaise o pasese i nisi o Aso To ‘onai e fai ai aoga siva. Ua leai foi se taimi avanoa o la ‘u tama mo ana ta ‘aloga e masani ona auai iai, fa ‘apea foi ma polokalame a le matou ekalesia i nisi o afiafi. Ae ou te fia fa ‘afesili atu lava i lau Susuga, po ‘o le a ea se tāua o nei fa ‘afiafiaga i le ola aoaoina o fanau i totonu o potu aoga? Fa ‘amata e maua mai ai nisi maka o lau tama mo Tusi-pasi manaomia?

Ou te fia malamalama ma fia maua foi se fa ‘amaninoga mai lau Susuga i le faiaoga i ia tulaga. Afai e leai, ua sili loa ona taofi nei siva ae alo le fanau i le sailiga o le poto.

Fa ‘amalie atu pe afai ua sala ese se gagana i lau faitau atu i lenei tusi. Ae atonu o le a lē afaina tele lea i lou finagalo malamalama.

Manuia tiute ma galuega o lo‘o feagai ma lau susuga.

Soifua

Lēfiafia Lototigā

Context and text type

A parent writes a letter to the teacher of gagana Sāmoa expressing their concern about the amount of time students are spending on preparations for the Dance Festival and about the costs involved.

Text type

Letter, formal. Receptive.

Observations a student might make concerning:

Information, ideas, and opinions communicated in the text

The parent uses a respectful form when addressing the teacher: Susuga. This sets the tone of the communication as respectful.

The parent expresses the view that students are spending too much time practicing:

  • ... tele o le taimi ua fa ‘amaumau a la ‘u tama i aoga siva i aso uma.

They express concern about the expenses involved:

  • tele o tupe e alu ai i le fa ‘atupeina o togiga aemaise o pasese.

They also comment that students cannot help with household chores as they are too tired:

  • … a taunuu mai i le fale ua lē mafai ona toe fai se feau po ‘o se mea-aoga ona ua lē lavā.

The text illustrates the use of compound sentence structures using connectives such as:

  • ma, a ‘o, ona o le, ma le when the writer communicates opinions.

The parent looks to resolve the issues in a way that does not deprive students of the benefits of participation:

  • Ae ou te fia fa ‘afesili atu lava i lau Susuga, po ‘o le a ea se tāua o nei fa’afiafiaga i le ola aoaoina o fanau i totonu o potu aoga? Fa ‘amata e maua mai ai nisi maka o lau tama mo Tusi-pasi manaomia?

The parent makes it clear that the teacher should not take the matters raised personally:

  • Fa ‘amalie atu pe afai ua sala ese se gagana i lau faitau atu i lenei tusi. Ae atonu o le a lē afaina tele lea i lou finagalo malamalama.

How the writer explores the views of others

The writer considers the teacher’s feelings:

  • Ae atonu o le a lē afaina tele lea i lou finagalo malamalama.

The parent questions the usefulness of the event to student learning:

  • … po ‘o le a ea se tāua o nei fa ‘afiafiaga i le ola aoaoina o fanau i totonu o potu aoga? Fa ‘amata e maua mai ai nisi maka o lau tama mo Tusi-pasi manaomia? This questioning will prompt the teacher to explore their own views on the matters raised, to check the school’s policy (if there is one), and to consider other parent perspectives.

Students studying the text can formulate their own ideas and opinions in relation to the parent’s concerns. For example, when they read:

  •  … a taunuu mai i le fale ua lē mafai ona toe fai se feau po ‘o se mea-aoga ona ua lē lava, they can reflect on their own family’s expectations re assistance with household chores.

How the writer develops and shares personal perspectives

The parent is willing to explain further:

  • Afai e leai ua sili loa ona taofi nei siva ae alo le fanau i le sailiga o le poto.

They take care to express their views in formal, respectful language:

  • Ou te fia malamalama ma fia maua foi se fa’amaninoga mai lau Susuga i le faiaoga; Fa’amalie atu pe afai ua sala ese se gagana i lau faitau atu i lenei tusi; Ae atonu o le a lē afaina tele lea i lou finagalo malamalama.

They offer the view that if the concerns raised cannot be satisfactorily addressed, then the practices must be stopped so that students can focus squarely on their studies:

  • Afai e leai ua sili loa ona taofi nei siva ae alo le fanau i le sailiga o le poto.

How the writer justifies their own ideas and opinions

The writer offers reasons for the concerns. By asking whether students will gain a qualification from their participation, the parent implies that an affirmative answer will be a reason for the students to continue to be involved:

  • Fa ‘amata e maua mai ai nisi maka o lau tama mo Tusi-pasi manaomia?

The parent justifies their concerns about cost by citing particular expenses. For example:

  • O le isi itu, o le tele o tupe e alu ai i le fa ‘atupeina o togiga, aemaise o pasese i nisi o Aso To ‘onai …

How the writer supports or challenges the ideas and opinions of others

The parent challenges the teacher, and therefore the school, to think about the time students spend preparing for the event, the costs involved, and the benefits they derive from participation.

They challenge the educational value of the event:

  • Ae ou te fia fa ‘afesili atu lava i lau Susuga, po ‘o le a ea se tāua o nei fa ‘afiafiaga i le ola aoaoina o fanau i totonu o potu aoga? Fa ‘amata e maua mai ai nisi maka o lau tama mo Tusi-pasi manaomia?

The parent proposes that the event be cancelled if the cost–benefit analysis does not stack up:

  • Afai e leai ua sili loa ona taofi nei siva ae alo le fanau i le sailiga o le poto.

The arguments the parent puts forward (for example, the inability of students to help with household chores:

  • A taunuu mai i le fale ua lē mafai ona toe fai se feau poꞌo se mea-aoga ona ua lē lava)

will either reinforce or challenge readers’ own perspectives, assumptions, and expectations.

How the language in the text is organised for the writer’s purpose

Writing to the teacher to question practice and/or policy is a serious matter, so the parent observes formal letter writing conventions throughout. This is seen, for example, in the respectful form of language used to address the teacher:

  • Susuga e …

The text illustrates the use of gagana fa ‘aaloalo, respectful terms that recognise people’s status. The parent addresses the teacher by profession, not by name:

  • Susuga Faiaoga.

The text illustrates the use of conventional respectful forms of language at the start and at the end of letter:

  • I le ava ma le migao…, Soifua.

Because this is a formal written text, the 't' style is used:

  • Ae ou te fia fa ‘afesili atu lava i lau Susuga, po ‘o le a ea se tāua o nei fa ‘afiafiaga i le ola aoaoina o fanau i totonu o potu aoga?

While this letter is effectively a complaint, the parent finishes with an appropriate blessing:

  • Manuia tiute ma galuega o lo ‘o feagai ma lau susuga.

The parent ends the letter in an apologetic tone, as is typical in such a context. This ensures that the focus is on the issue, not the personalities:

  • Fa ‘amalie atu pe afai ua sala ese se gagana i lau faitau atu i lenei tusi. Ae atonu o le a lē afaina tele lea i lou finagalo malamalama.

Opportunities for developing intercultural communicative competence

Students could investigate other formal written texts in gagana Sāmoa and discuss the language, style and cultural features. They could then use what they have learned as they create a response (individual or collective) to the concerned parent. In this response, they should demonstrate 'fa ‘aaloalo' and express their perspective on participation in cultural events, the time and cost involved, and the benefits to learning – justifying their ideas and opinions with evidence.

Students could prepare a class discussion or debate in gagana Sāmoa on the advantages and disadvantages of participating in major cultural events. This will give them the opportunity to use both visual and verbal language to argue for and justify possible courses of action.

Last updated March 27, 2013



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