Exploring Our Roots

Overview

A 50-minute highly interactive social sciences lesson for Year 8 students in New Zealand exploring Māori creation stories, Māori navigators, and history related to Māngere, Auckland. The lesson will link to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Tainui waka, and changes in land use. Students will engage actively through retrieval practice, hands-on puzzles & worksheets, and presentation, incorporating oral language and cultural narratives aligned with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh.

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Curriculum Links

• Learning Area: Social Sciences (Aotearoa New Zealand Histories)
• Level: Year 8 (approx. Level 4 curriculum expectations)
• Vision & Principles:
  • Treaty of Waitangi — Bicultural foundations, equitable outcomes, te reo Māori and tikanga Māori embedded
  • Cultural diversity — Valuing students’ identity and language
  • High expectations — Success for all learners
• Key Competencies:
  • Participating and contributing (group work, presentations)
  • Thinking (critical and creative inquiries about land use and histories)
  • Using language, symbols, and texts (reading, writing, presenting Māori narratives)
• Learning Objectives:
  • Understand Māori creation narratives and connect with Māori voyaging history (Māori navigators)
  • Identify historical significance of the Māngere area and Tainui migration links
  • Describe the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in relation to land occupation and use
  • Analyse how land use and cultural landscapes have changed over time using oral histories and star navigation stories
  • Demonstrate retrieval fluency and presentation skills

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Learning Intentions

By the end of the lesson, students will:

• Retell the Māori creation story and relate it to Māori navigation and Tainui waka traditions
• Explain key historical events connected to Māngere and the role of Tainui in Auckland history
• Understand the significance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi to land use and stewardship
• Reflect on changes to land use using star navigation as a metaphor for connection to land and sea
• Collaborate in hands-on activities, retrieval practices, and deliver group presentations

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Resources

• Story summary sheets & illustrated worksheets (Māori creation story, Māori navigation, Māngere history)
• Te Tiriti o Waitangi simplified overview handout
• Land use change puzzle sheets (timeline and star navigation symbols)
• Presentation planning worksheets with sentence starters and role prompts
• Whiteboard/chalkboard & project resources
• Audio-visual clip (optional) of Māori star navigation or Tainui waka voyage
• Materials for group puzzle activity (cut-out images, timeline cards)

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Lesson Plan

1. Engage & Activate Prior Knowledge [10 minutes]

• Intro: Brief oral storytelling of the Māori creation story (Papatūānuku and Ranginui). Use expressive voice and gestures to bring the story alive.
• Question & Retrieval Practice: Ask students to recall key parts of the story. Use a simple quiz or “Think-Pair-Share” for retrieval and discussion.
• Link: Explain how Māori navigators used knowledge of the stars, connecting the creation story’s sky and earth elements to voyaging.

2. Explore Māori Navigators & Māngere History [10 minutes]

• Introduce brief information about Māori voyaging including the Tainui waka with focus on the Māngere Auckland connection.
• Students work in groups to complete a worksheet matching key terms and images: Māori navigation symbols, waka, Māngere landmarks.
• Use a hands-on puzzle: groups assemble a timeline of Tainui arrival, Māori settlement, and key events of Māngere.

3. Explain Te Tiriti o Waitangi & Land Use Change [10 minutes]

• Provide a simple overview of Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles relating to land and resource use.
• Show a diagram or worksheet depicting historical vs modern uses of the land around Māngere (rural, urban, native flora/fauna).
• Students discuss in pairs how the land has changed and why the Treaty is important in protecting and sharing resources.

4. Elaborate - Star Navigation & Changes in Land [10 minutes]

• Explain the star-based navigation system used by Māori and how this respected natural cycles and landscapes.
• Students complete a puzzle activity with star charts and matching it to landmarks, reflecting on how observational knowledge links to land stewardship.
• Invite students to brainstorm how land use changes might affect the environment and cultures connected to the stars and histories.

5. Evaluate - Group Presentations [8 minutes]

• Each group prepares and delivers a short presentation (2 minutes max) summarising one aspect: creation story, Māori navigators, Māngere history, or land use changes & Treaty links.
• Use a simple presentation checklist with prompts for introduction, key points, conclusion, and audience awareness.

6. Reflect & Close [2 minutes]

• Whole class reflection: Discuss what new insights they gained about Māori stories and their significance today.
• Prompt: “Why is it important to remember these stories when thinking about how we use our land and waterways?”

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Assessment & Feedback

• Observation of retrieval quiz/Think-Pair-Share responses
• Completed worksheets and puzzle accuracy
• Group presentation effectiveness aligning to audience and clear message principles (refer English outcomes)
• Informal formative feedback during activities

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Differentiation

• Support: Sentence starters and visual prompts for presentations and written work
• Extension: Encourage students to include te reo Māori vocabulary in presentations
• Collaborative grouping to support diverse learner needs and peer scaffolding

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Alignment with New Zealand Curriculum Refresh

• Social Sciences achievement objectives at Level 4: Understand how Māori and other groups have contributed to New Zealand’s society, and the significance of the Treaty of Waitangi
• English curriculum: Presenting to others—planning and adapting content for a specific audience with supporting evidence and clear narrative
• Emphasis on te reo Māori me ōna tikanga and Māori worldviews embedded for cultural identity building
• Use of retrieval practice and interactive hands-on learning to support knowledge building and long-term memory retention

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This lesson plan provides a rich, culturally responsive, and interactive approach to understanding New Zealand history and Māori knowledge while practising key competencies and literacy skills, designed to inspire and engage Year 8 learners and their teachers.