Exploring Maia Roles

Overview

Lesson 9 of 10 focuses on relationships and roles in the Maia story, specifically Uenuku and Hinehakitai. Students analyse how key figures show cultural values and strengthen connections within whānau and community narratives.

Learning intentions

• WALT identify the roles of Uenuku and Hinehakitai in the Maia story.
• WALT explain how roles connect to relationships within the narrative.
• WALT discuss why cultural narratives matter for identity and family ties.
• WALT use historical inquiry skills to make meaning from the story by comparing evidence from the text.

Success criteria

• I can describe who Uenuku and Hinehakitai are and what each does in the story.
• I can explain how their relationship shows values such as mana, care, and connection.
• I can use story details as evidence for my ideas (for example, a character action or event).
• I can share a respectful discussion about why these narratives are important.

Curriculum links

• History (New Zealand History): students learn about people, events, and cultural narratives, using evidence to explain ideas about the past.
• Inquiry skills: asking questions, identifying relevant information, and using sources (including stories and oral traditions presented in class).
• Communication: expressing understanding clearly through discussion and written/visual responses.
• Key competencies: thinking (making sense of relationships), relating to others (respectful dialogue), participating and contributing (group work), and communicating (sharing ideas).

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Welcome and purpose. Teacher recaps the unit question and introduces today’s focus: “How do roles in the Maia story connect to relationships and family ties?” Students share one prior idea about the story in quick turn-and-talk.

2. 5–12 min · Story re-read: key moments. Teacher provides a short, teacher-led re-read of selected moments featuring Uenuku and Hinehakitai (from the class text/teacher notes), pausing to underline key actions and relationships. Students listen for “role clues” and record two quick notes: “What does this person do?” and “Who are they connected to?”

3. 12–25 min · Relationship mapping. Teacher models how to create a simple relationship map with two character circles connected by an arrow describing the relationship. Students in pairs complete a “Role + Relationship” map for Uenuku and Hinehakitai, including:

• a role statement for each character
• one piece of evidence from the story for each role
• one link between them (for example, how their actions affect each other or show family/whānau connection)

4. 25–35 min · Guided discussion: importance of roles. Teacher facilitates a structured discussion using prompts:

• “What values do these roles show?”
• “Why might the story be told within families or communities?”
• “How do relationships in the story teach belonging or responsibility?” Students use sentence starters on a scaffold card (for example, “I think the role of __ is important because __ happened, which shows __.”).

5. 35–50 min · Evidence-based explanation (choose one). Teacher sets a clear task and success criteria check. Students choose one option:

• Option A (paragraph): Explain the roles of Uenuku and Hinehakitai and how their relationship strengthens cultural narrative and family ties. Include two evidence details.
• Option B (diagram + labels): Create a “Roles and Reasons” diagram with labels for each character’s role and a short explanation box for why the role matters. Teacher circulates, checking evidence use and respectful language.

6. 50–57 min · Share-out: gallery walk. Teacher arranges student work at tables/walls and provides a “glow and grow” feedback routine (one positive comment and one question). Students walk and leave feedback using question stems (for example, “Can you point to the story detail where you see that?”).

7. 57–60 min · Exit ticket. Teacher collects a quick exit ticket with two prompts:

• “One role I learned today is…”
• “One story detail that supports this is…”

Resources

• Class story text/teacher notes containing Maia story excerpts for Uenuku and Hinehakitai
• Relationship map template (two character circles, arrow space, evidence lines)
• Role + Relationship sentence starters (differentiation support)
• “Roles and Reasons” diagram template (optional choice)
• Student notebooks or loose paper
• Gallery walk feedback slips or sticky notes
• Exit ticket slips or Google Form equivalent (no hyperlinks required)

Assessment

• Formative: teacher observes pair work for accurate role statements and evidence use.
• Formative: guided discussion checks understanding through student responses and respectful listening.
• Summative within lesson: exit ticket evaluates whether students can connect a role to a story detail and explain importance.

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence starters, a word bank (role, connected to, evidence, value, important), and partially completed relationship maps for students needing structure.
• Support: allow Option B (diagram + labels) for learners who need reduced writing; offer oral conferencing before written responses.
• Extension: ask students to include an additional relationship link (for example, how one character’s role affects whānau/community actions) and to compare roles (similarities/differences) using evidence.
• EAL/SEN: pre-teach key terms and use visuals (character action icons) so students can match ideas to evidence; accept responses in simplified language where meaning is clear.

Extension (optional)

• Skip (not requested).