Land, Culture and Identity

Overview

• Focus: Cultural identity, land, belonging and connection.
• Learning context: Students connect prior learning about:
  • Migration
  • Interaction
  • Globalisation
• Students will:
  • Examine Māori and Western perspectives on land and culture.
  • Practise identifying main ideas.
  • Use the concept of tūrangawaewae to explain how people develop belonging and identity.

Learning intentions

By the end of the lesson, students can:

• Explain how culture influences people’s connection to land and identity.
• Define:
  • Interaction
  • Culture
  • Identity
  • Tūrangawaewae
• Summarise key ideas from Māori and Western perspectives on land and culture.
• Use an example to connect interaction, land and cultural identity.

Success criteria

• I can define the four key terms in my own words.
• I can identify and summarise at least two key ideas from each perspective.
• I can explain one way land, culture or interaction contributes to identity or belonging.
• I can use evidence from the lesson or video in my explanation.

Curriculum links

• History:
  • Explain ANZAC memory, commemoration and its role in shaping national identity.
• Geography:
  • Interpret qualitative data, including testimonies, cultural artefacts and photographs, to understand lived experiences of migration.
  • Evaluate the impacts of migration on people and places using evidence.
• Social Sciences capabilities:
  • Participating and contributing
  • Thinking critically about perspectives
  • Communicating ideas clearly

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–7 min · Welcome and connection

   • Open the hook and introduction slides.
   • Play “Two Truths and a Lie” about the teacher.
   • Students:
     • Listen and vote on the lie.
     • Write one respectful question they could ask the teacher.
   • Explain that identity is shaped by experiences, relationships, places and culture.

2. 7–14 min · Do now and recap

   • Display the identity prompt from the identity and recap slides.
   • Distribute the identity and perspectives worksheet.
   • Students privately list five things that make up their identity, using prompts such as:
     • Language
     • Whānau
     • Values
     • Traditions
     • Interests
     • Places
     • Experiences
   • Invite students to share only what they are comfortable sharing.
   • Briefly recap prior learning:
     • Reasons people move
     • Migration patterns
     • Globalisation
     • Immigration to Aotearoa New Zealand
     • Migrant experiences
   • Introduce the weekly question: “How does moving between cultures affect who we become?”

3. 14–24 min · Key vocabulary match

   • Show the vocabulary activity in the vocabulary activity slides.
   • In groups of three, students match these terms to definitions on their worksheet:
     • Interaction
     • Culture
     • Identity
     • Tūrangawaewae
   • Groups hold up or nominate an answer.
   • One representative records the agreed match on the board.
   • Clarify that tūrangawaewae means a place to stand: a place where someone feels connected, grounded and that they belong.
   • Students correct and write the definitions in their books.

4. 24–42 min · Compare perspectives and take notes

   • Display the Māori perspective in the guided note-taking slides.
   • Read each idea aloud and model how to summarise rather than copy:
     • Whakapapa: Land is connected to ancestors and identity.
     • Hauora: The wellbeing of people and land is connected.
     • Kaitiakitanga: People have responsibilities to protect and care for the environment.
     • Tikanga: Customs and traditions are linked to land.
   • After each point:
     • Ask students for the main idea.
     • Model concise notes on the board.
   • Students complete the Māori column on their worksheet.
   • In pairs, students read the Western perspective and summarise each idea in the second column:
     • Land connects people to cultural heritage and history.
     • Land has economic value through farming, tourism and recreation.
     • Land creates connection, belonging and identity.
     • Land influences art, stories, traditions and community life.
   • Circulate, question groups and check that students are recording main ideas rather than copying whole paragraphs.
   • Emphasise that perspectives may overlap, but they can value land in different ways.

5. 42–52 min · Video and discussion

   • Play the two-minute tūrangawaewae video using the video and discussion slide.
   • Before viewing, ask students to listen for how land or place connects to identity.
   • Students record one new or interesting idea on their worksheet.
   • Discuss:
     • “What might make a place feel like a tūrangawaewae?”
     • “How might moving to a new country change someone’s sense of belonging?”
   • Students may refer to the experiences of migrants, whānau or communities.
   • Students are not expected to disclose personal information.

6. 52–60 min · Apply and exit check

   • Display the final prompt in the application and plenary slides.
   • Students complete the short response on their worksheet:
     • “Culture influences people’s connection to land and identity because…”
   • Students must include:
     • One key term
     • One example from the perspectives or video
   • Invite two or three students to share.
   • Collect worksheets as formative evidence.
   • Students self-assess with a quick thumbs signal:
     • Confident
     • Developing
     • Need more support

Resources

• Interaction and Cultural Identity slide deck
• Identity and perspectives worksheet
• Projector or interactive display
• Two-minute tūrangawaewae video
• Whiteboard and markers
• Student exercise books and pens
• Timer

Assessment

• Vocabulary task:
  • Listen for accurate explanations of interaction, culture, identity and tūrangawaewae.
  • Reteach terms that are confused.
• Paired comparison:
  • Check whether students can distinguish a key idea from supporting detail.
  • Check whether students can accurately summarise both perspectives.
• Final written response:
  • Assess whether each student connects culture, land and identity.
  • Check for a relevant term and example.

Differentiation

• Scaffolds:
  • Provide sentence starters on the worksheet:
    • “Land influences identity because…”
    • “Both perspectives show…”
    • “One difference is…”
  • Read all source text aloud.
  • Chunk information into one idea at a time.
  • Allow students to use labelled diagrams or bullet points instead of full sentences.
• Collaboration and vocabulary support:
  • Pair students strategically.
  • Assign roles such as reader, summariser and recorder.
  • Provide a word bank with:
    • Whakapapa
    • Hauora
    • Kaitiakitanga
    • Tikanga
    • Tūrangawaewae
• Extension:
  • Students explain one similarity and one difference between the perspectives.
  • Students evaluate how migration might change a person’s tūrangawaewae.
• Cultural responsiveness:
  • Avoid assuming that all Māori students share the same experiences.
  • Students may discuss a chosen place, community or tradition.
  • Students may use examples from the video instead of sharing personal information.