Maramataka and Change

Overview

This is lesson 3 of 5 in Understanding Maramataka Māori. Ākonga investigate how Maramataka observations can guide sustainable decisions, linking lunar phases with agricultural activities and changes in local flora and fauna. The lesson treats mātauranga Māori as a valid knowledge system alongside scientific observation and evidence.

Learning intentions

• WALT analyse how Maramataka can guide sustainable practices.
• WALT discuss relationships between lunar phases and agricultural activities.
• WALT use observations and evidence to explain changes in local flora and fauna.
• WALT compare Maramataka knowledge with scientific ways of investigating environmental patterns.

Success criteria

• I can identify a Maramataka phase or period connected with an environmental activity.
• I can link an observed change in plants or animals to a specific Maramataka phase.
• I can explain how timing an activity may support sustainability.
• I can distinguish between an observation, an explanation and a prediction.

Curriculum links

• Pūtaiao: investigating relationships in te taiao through observation, evidence and contemporary scientific method.
• Te Ao Māori: engaging with mātauranga Māori, tikanga and connections between people, whenua and the natural world.
• Marau ā-Kura: use local iwi, hapū or marae knowledge, local names and pūrākau where these have been approved for classroom use.
• Pūtaiao and Te Ao Māori: valuing multiple knowledge systems and communicating explanations respectfully.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Reconnect and hook. Teacher welcomes the class, briefly revisits the previous lesson’s Maramataka observations, and opens the opening question and image: “Could the Moon help us decide when to plant, harvest or leave an area undisturbed?” Students silently predict, then share one reason with a partner.

2. 5–12 min · Build shared understanding. Teacher uses the Maramataka teaching slides to clarify that Maramataka is an observation-based system that connects lunar phases, environmental signs and activities; explain that practices and names differ between iwi and rohe. Students record two examples of environmental signs or activities and ask questions about evidence, avoiding the assumption that every community follows one identical calendar.

3. 12–25 min · Local evidence inquiry. Teacher places students in four groups of three and distributes the Maramataka evidence organiser. Provide a locally appropriate Maramataka excerpt, teacher-prepared observations, or approved local knowledge showing examples such as planting, fishing, flowering, bird activity or harvesting. Students identify the lunar phase or Maramataka period, record the environmental change, and classify each statement as observation, explanation or prediction.

4. 25–34 min · Analyse sustainability. Teacher displays the group-analysis instructions and asks: “How might this knowledge help people take only what is needed, protect breeding times, or work with seasonal conditions?” Students use evidence from the worksheet to write a CER response: claim, evidence and reasoning. Each group prepares a 45-second explanation linking one environmental change to a Maramataka phase and a sustainable practice.

5. 34–41 min · Share and challenge. Teacher invites each group to present and prompts respectful comparison: “What evidence supports this link?” and “What might we need to observe over several months before making a strong conclusion?” Students listen, offer one warm feedback comment, and add one refinement to their own explanation. If local knowledge is shared, students acknowledge its source and avoid treating it as a general rule for all iwi or places.

6. 41–45 min · Plenary and exit check. Teacher returns to the final reflection slide and asks students to complete the final section of the worksheet: “One Maramataka phase can guide ___ because I observed/read that ___.” Students also write one question they would investigate next. Collect responses to identify whether students can make an evidence-based link rather than simply repeat a fact.

Resources

• the Maramataka and environmental changes slide deck
• the Maramataka evidence organiser
• Teacher-prepared local Maramataka information or approved iwi/hapū resource
• Photographs or observation records of local flora and fauna
• Whiteboard and markers
• Coloured pens or highlighters
• Projector or interactive display
• Optional local map or seasonal observation calendar

Assessment

• During group work, check whether students correctly identify the phase or period, environmental change and type of statement.
• Listen for explanations that connect evidence to a sustainable practice, rather than claiming that lunar phases alone cause every change.
• Use the final written response and question to assess understanding and plan the next lesson’s inquiry.

Differentiation

• Provide a word bank, phase icons, colour-coded evidence, a completed example and sentence starters: “The observation is…”, “This may link to…”, and “This could support sustainability by…”.
• Offer dyslexia-friendly copies: clear sans-serif font, larger spacing, short lines, uncluttered layout, strong contrast, and the option to hear information read aloud or discuss responses before writing.
• Pair students strategically and allow oral, diagrammatic or written explanations. Pre-teach terms such as phase, observation, evidence, prediction and sustainable.
• Support learners who need reduced cognitive load with two evidence examples; challenge advanced learners to compare two possible explanations, identify a variable that should be monitored, and design a six-week observation plan.
• Ensure local knowledge is used with permission and appropriate attribution. Invite students to distinguish knowledge specific to their rohe from patterns that might be investigated elsewhere.

Extension

• Advanced learners research how another culture uses a lunar calendar in agriculture, then compare its purpose, evidence base and relationship with place to Maramataka. They present one similarity, one difference and one question about respectful knowledge sharing.
• Students design a simple observation table for recording lunar phase, weather, soil or water conditions, plant changes, animal activity and human activity over several weeks.