Kupu and Feather Designs

Overview

Lesson 4 of 5 in Māui and the Birds. Students consolidate kupu from the pūrākau, use oral language to create vivid images, and prepare an individual feather design for a respectful collaborative class artwork inspired by the story.

Learning intentions

• WALT consolidate and use relevant kupu accurately.
• WALT use sensory and vivid language to describe a scene, character or feeling.
• WALT plan a feather design that connects meaningfully to the pūrākau.
• WALT cooperate and contribute responsibly in a design team.

Success criteria

• I can use relevant kupu accurately in speaking and explaining.
• I can describe a scene, character or feeling with vivid language.
• I can sketch and label a clear feather design and explain its connection to the story.
• I can listen, share ideas and cooperate in my design team.

Curriculum links

• Listening, speaking, viewing and presenting: contribute ideas, listen actively and respond appropriately.
• Reading and responding to texts: identify key ideas, characters, relationships, settings and events in a pūrākau.
• Writing and creating texts: select precise language and organise ideas for a clear purpose.
• Developing and presenting visual language: use colour, line, pattern and symbolism to communicate meaning.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–8 minutes – Welcome and retrieval game

Open with the retrieval and learning-intention slides. Display the lesson intentions and remind students that this is the fourth lesson in the sequence. In teams, students take turns selecting a vocabulary card, matching it to an image or action, and explaining what it means or how it connects to Māui and the Birds. Encourage accurate pronunciation and respectful listening.

2. 8–16 minutes – Sort and discuss kupu

Give each group a mixed set of word and image cards. Students sort kupu into characters and relationships, whenua and setting, actions and feelings, and art materials. Groups justify one or two choices, including words that could belong in more than one group. Record useful kupu on the board and clarify meanings in context.

3. 16–27 minutes – Create vivid oral images

Model turning a simple statement such as “The manu flies” into a vivid description using sensory language, strong verbs and precise adjectives. Use the sentence opener prompt cards for support. In pairs, students take turns completing one of these frames: “I imagine the ngahere as…”, “The manu moves…”, or “The huruhuru shows…”. The listener identifies a kupu or image they heard and gives one positive response.

4. 27–35 minutes – Connect story, symbol and cultural care

Revisit the story map and ask: What key ideas, values, feelings or events should our artwork help viewers remember? Model how a feather might symbolise a character, setting, value, feeling or event. Explicitly explain that the final kākahu will be a collaborative class artwork inspired by the pūrākau, not a copy of a taonga, customary garment or iwi design. Use “inspired by” language and explain that local cultural guidance should inform imagery and materials. Avoid copying identifiable tukutuku, whakairo or customary patterns.

5. 35–47 minutes – Model and sketch designs

Demonstrate the paper feather template on the feather design demonstration slides. Show safe scissor use, layering, repeated pattern, line, colour and how to label symbolic choices. Distribute the feather design planning sheet. Each student sketches two possible feathers, chooses one, labels colours and patterns, and writes or rehearses a short explanation using at least two kupu. Confer briefly with students: “What does your feather represent?” and “Which story detail supports that choice?”

6. 47–56 minutes – Design-team planning

Form five groups of five and give each group a large backing-paper planning space. Use the group role cards to support roles such as facilitator, resource manager, recorder, designer and reporter. Students discuss how their 25 feathers might be arranged to suggest a kākahu shape. Emphasise that the group plans the arrangement together; no single student is responsible for the whole design. Groups make a quick labelled plan rather than attaching finished feathers.

7. 56–60 minutes – Share and reflect

Invite two or three students to share a feather explanation and one group to describe its proposed arrangement. Revisit the success criteria on the reflection and plenary slides. Students briefly say one kupu they used and one respectful design choice they made. Collect planning sheets for the next lesson.

Resources

• the complete lesson slide deck
• the feather design planning sheet
• the sentence opener prompt cards
• the group role cards
• Vocabulary cards, images and action prompts
• Story map and teacher-created exemplars
• Feather templates and recycled card or paper
• Pencils, crayons or paint pens, scissors and glue
• Large backing paper for group planning
• Board or chart paper for recording kupu

Assessment

• Observe the retrieval game and vocabulary sort for accurate understanding and appropriate grouping of kupu.
• Use an oral-description checklist: accurate kupu, sensory or vivid language, attentive listening and response.
• Conduct a design conference and check that each plan has a clear story connection, at least two kupu, labelled colour or pattern choices, and respectful “inspired by” framing.

Differentiation

• Provide pre-drawn feather templates, a visual word bank, picture cues, tactile materials and shared scribing.
• Accept oral explanations, partner rehearsal or recorded responses before students write.
• Pair students strategically and model one sentence at a time for learners developing English or requiring additional language support.
• Extend students to use metaphor, repeated pattern, contrast or colour symbolism to communicate mood; invite them to explain how their choices guide a viewer’s interpretation.
• Allocate clear group roles, provide extra cutting support and offer a quiet planning space for students needing SEN adjustments.