Maui and the Sun

Curriculum Area

Learning Languages – Te Reo Māori
NZ Curriculum Level: Level 2
Year Group: Year 5
School Context: Kura o Malfroy, Rotorua

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Lesson 2 of 2 | Unit: Maui’s Sun Challenge

Lesson Title: Creating Our Own Māui Legend
Time: 45 minutes
Class Size: 17 students
Language Focus: Narrative structure, descriptive language, Māori vocabulary integration

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WALT (We Are Learning To):

• Create an original legend inspired by Māui and the Sun.
• Use descriptive language to enhance our narratives.
• Apply a clear beginning, middle, and end structure in storytelling.
• Work collaboratively and listen actively to others’ storytelling ideas.

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Success Criteria:

✔ I can create a short legend using some of Māui’s characteristics.
✔ I use descriptive words to help paint a picture in the reader’s mind.
✔ I clearly organise my story with a beginning, middle, and end.
✔ I can take turns, share ideas in my pair, and support my classmate.
✔ I include at least one phrase in Te Reo Māori that fits within my story.

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Lesson Breakdown:

1. Karakia and Whanaungatanga (5 minutes)

Start the class with your usual karakia timatanga (opening prayer). Sit in a circle and ask students to reflect briefly (1 minute each) on what they enjoyed in the previous lesson about Māui and the Sun. This restores the storytelling spirit and reconnects the class to cultural values of sharing and whakawhanaungatanga (relationship-building).

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2. Revisit Māui and His Traits (5 minutes)

Use large printed visual character cards (with dyslexia-friendly font like Lexend) showing:

• Māui: clever, cheeky, brave, problem-solver.
• Te rā: fast, untamed, powerful.

Ask:
🗣 “What challenge did Māui face in the story of the Sun?”
🧠 “What kind of person was Māui to try and slow down the Sun?”

Write brainstormed answers (in English and Māori, where appropriate) on the board or visible shared display. Add vocabulary in Te Reo such as toa (brave), kaitito (storyteller), and toa pakiwaitara (legend hero).

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3. Group Planning: Build-a-Legend (10 minutes)

• Students work in pairs using pre-designed Māui Challenge Legend Story Maps (dyslexia-friendly layout).
• Prompt questions:
  • Who is your hero character? Is it Māui or someone from your imagination with Māui-like bravery?
  • What challenge does your hero face? (Weather, nature, darkness, etc.)
  • How does your hero solve it?
  • How does the story end?

Allow creative freedom – legends could be futuristic, have animals, or involve local Rotorua features (geysers, lakes, spirits of the forest).

✅ Support for dyslexic learners: Offer oral dictation options or visual story prompts with picture sequences they can point to and order.

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4. Writing Time: Draft Our Legends (15 minutes)

Provide booklets with large line spacing and visual cues for:

• Title
• Characters
• Main problem
• Solution
• Ending twist (optional)

Encourage students to use one phrase of Te Reo Māori, e.g. "Ka tū a Māui!" (Māui stood tall!) or "Haere mai, te rā!" (Come here, Sun!).

Use word walls with bilingual support and model sentence starters on board for all levels:

• “One day, Māui saw the Sun moving too...”
• “So Māui…”
• “Finally, the world could…”

👂 Support: Roam and offer scribing/graphic organisers for learners needing writing support, including options for oral storytelling with teacher aide or digital recording.

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5. Tuku Kōrero – Sharing Our Legends (8 minutes)

Pick 4 pairs to share their short legends aloud in front of the class—or use a talking stick (rākau kōrero) to support confidence.

🗣 Encourage use of expressive voice and tone when sharing.

🎭 Optional: Allow quick character posing or haka movement if time permits.

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6. Reflection & Exit (2 minutes)

Circle back for a 1-minute “Pātai Poto” (quick question):

• “What would you do if you had to slow down something powerful like Māui?”

Finish with a quick karakia whakamutunga.

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Extension Activities for Advanced Learners:

• Turn their legend into a simple comic strip or storyboard using Māori captions.
• Add dialogue between characters using at least 2 Māori phrases.
• Research another Māori atua (e.g., Tāwhirimātea) and create a crossover legend.

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Differentiation Strategies:

Learner Needs	Strategy
Dyslexic learners	Use visual story maps, oral storytelling, scribe dictation, Lexend font
English Language Learners	Provide sentence frames, visual vocab chart, peer model collaboration
High achievers	Encourage multi-part storylines, deeper character traits, bilingual elements
Shy/reluctant learners	Option to record story in audio or use puppets/props to share safely
Students with IEP goals	One-on-one conferencing, scribing support, or computer typing option

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Resources Provided:

• Visual Māui character cards with TE/ENG descriptions
• Bilingual word wall of key story vocab
• Story map handouts with visuals
• Dyslexia-friendly printing (Lexend font)
• Rākau kōrero for designated speakers
• Whiteboard sentence starters

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Teacher Note:

This lesson aligns with the NZC Languages Learning Area at Level 2, incorporating:

• Cultural narratives (through Te Ao Māori)
• Functional language use (vocab in context)
• Interpersonal communication (pair work, storytelling)
• Exploring identity through characters like Māui

The lesson allows you to localise learning to your kura and community. Rotorua inspiration—think ngāwha (springs), tipua (supernatural beings), or a tamaiti from the kura becoming the next Māui!

Next Step Idea: Create a class anthology of legends to share with whānau at the next school hui. Include audio retellings by tamariki uploaded via QR code for accessibility.