Embracing Manaakitanga

Context

A 60-minute Year 3 and 4 Humanities lesson for 25 students focusing on understanding the basic idea of manaakitanga, why it is important in Aotearoa New Zealand, and simple ways to show it every day. This will help students feel they belong and respect others and the environment, reflecting the New Zealand Curriculum principles.

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Curriculum Links

• Learning Area: Social Sciences (Understanding people and the relationships between people and environments)
• Level: Years 3 and 4 (Level 1 of the Social Sciences Curriculum)
• Key Competencies:
  • Relating to others: Manaakitanga means caring and being kind to others.
  • Participating and contributing: Students learn how to help and be part of their community.
  • Thinking: Understand simple cultural ideas with kindness and respect.
• Values:
  • Respect (Manaakitanga): Focus on caring for others as an important value.
• Social Sciences Achievement Objectives:
  • Understand how people’s values and traditions affect how they live and care for others (Level 1).
  • Explore how people work together and help each other in their community (Level 1).

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

1. Say what manaakitanga means and why it is special in New Zealand, including Māori ideas.
2. Give simple examples of manaakitanga from their own life or community.
3. Show one or two ways they can practice manaakitanga at school and at home.
4. Respect and understand that different people may show caring and kindness in different ways.

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Lesson Outline (60 minutes)

1. Introduction & Connection (10 minutes)

• Activity:
  • Start with a simple karakia (prayer) to welcome everyone.
  • Watch a short, colourful video or story about manaakitanga showing caring actions like helping a friend or looking after the environment.
  • Ask students: "What do you think manaakitanga means?" (Think-Pair-Share with sentence starters)
• Purpose:
  Help students connect to the idea of manaakitanga in a friendly and respectful way.

2. Exploring Manaakitanga (15 minutes)

• Activity:

  • Teacher explains manaakitanga in simple words: caring for others by being kind, sharing, and respecting people and nature.
  • Show big, bright posters with pictures and key words like “help,” “share,” “respect,” and “kindness.”
  • Read a short, easy Māori story (pūrākau) about manaakitanga or a simple example from a local iwi.
  • Talk about how students can see or do these things at school or home.

• Materials: Large illustrated posters, storybook or printed story, whiteboard or chart paper for drawing ideas.

3. Guided Group Activity: Manaakitanga in Action (20 minutes)

• Activity:

  • Split the class into 5 small groups. Each group gets a simple picture card showing a situation where manaakitanga can be shown (e.g., helping a new friend, sharing snacks, tidying up, being kind when someone is sad).
  • Groups talk about what they would do and then draw a picture or act out a short, easy role-play with teacher support.
  • Groups share their ideas with a partner group for friendly feedback.

• Purpose:
  Help students work together, practise kindness, and understand manaakitanga through fun, hands-on activities.

4. Reflection and Sharing (10 minutes)

• Activity:
  • Groups show their drawings or role-plays to the class.
  • Talk together about how being kind and caring helps everyone feel happy and safe.
  • Each student says or draws one new way they will show manaakitanga this week.

5. Wrap-up & Linking to the Curriculum (5 minutes)

• Summarise the main ideas about manaakitanga and why it is important in New Zealand.
• Remind students how manaakitanga helps us be good friends and community members.
• End with a simple waiata or karakia to close the lesson.

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Assessment Ideas

• Formative:

  • Watch how students join in discussions and role-plays to see if they understand and show respect.
  • Listen to or look at students’ reflections about how they will show manaakitanga.
  • Notice how students give kind feedback to each other during group work.

• Summative:

  • Assess group drawings or role-plays for clear ideas about manaakitanga and respectful behaviour.
  • Create a simple “Manaakitanga Promise” poster together as a class to remind everyone how to care for each other.

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Differentiation and Inclusion

• Use lots of pictures, simple te reo Māori words with clear meanings, and gestures to support understanding.
• Small group work allows friends to help each other and use different ways to share ideas (drawing, acting, talking).
• Provide sentence starters like “Manaakitanga means I can...,” “I can show manaakitanga by...” to help students express their thoughts.
• Offer extra help or simpler tasks for students who need it, and encourage others to explore manaakitanga stories from different iwi if they want.

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Resources Needed

• Short video or story about manaakitanga with clear pictures
• Simple picture cards for group role-play
• Large chart paper, markers, crayons for drawing
• Bright, illustrated posters explaining manaakitanga
• Whiteboard or chart for drawing and writing ideas

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Teacher Notes

• Manaakitanga is a special part of New Zealand’s culture and helps students learn to care for others and the environment.
• This lesson supports the partnership principle of Te Tiriti o Waitangi by including Māori stories and values respectfully.
• It helps develop the Key Competency of Relating to others by encouraging kindness and teamwork.
• Encourage students to think about how manaakitanga connects to caring for their family, friends, and the world around them.

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This lesson plan supports the New Zealand Curriculum Social Sciences Level 1 achievement objectives and Key Competencies by focusing on respect, kindness, cultural understanding, and community participation. It offers a fun, interactive, and age-appropriate learning experience to help young learners in Aotearoa grow as caring and respectful people.