Māori Life Death

Overview

This lesson is the fourth in a five-lesson unit on exploring assisted dying perspectives. Students will develop an understanding of Māori spiritual concepts relating to life, death, and human dignity, then connect these ideas to how a Māori worldview may influence ethical responses to assisted dying.

SKILLS NEEDED

• Critical thinking to analyze different perspectives on assisted dying.
• Cultural understanding of Māori spiritual beliefs and values.
• Discussion and reflection skills to engage respectfully with sensitive topics.

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TEACHING STRATEGIES

• Storytelling to convey Māori spiritual concepts and narratives.
• Group discussions to explore diverse viewpoints and ethical considerations.
• Use of multimedia resources to enhance engagement and understanding.
• Reflection exercises to encourage personal connection and deeper insight.

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Whakataukī/Bible Verse/Proverb

Whakataukī:

"He tangata, he tangata, he tangata." (It is the people, it is the people, it is the people.)

Bible Verse:

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." – Psalm 139:13

Proverb:

"Life is a journey, not a destination."

These sayings highlight the value of life, human connection, and dignity, connecting to Māori views on life and death.

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Do Now

Activity: Write down one Māori ethical concept related to life or death that you already know. Then, share your idea with a partner and discuss how it might influence views on human dignity.

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Learning intentions

• Students will identify Māori spiritual concepts related to life, death, and human dignity.
• Students will compare Māori perspectives with other ethical viewpoints from the unit using clear criteria.
• Students will use conceptual mapping to show relationships between key concepts and ethical responses.
• Students will explain, with evidence from provided articles, how one Māori concept could influence responses to assisted dying.

Success criteria

• I can map at least three Māori concepts connected to life, death, or human dignity.
• I can compare perspectives using a shared framework and give reasons for similarities or differences.
• I can interpret meaning from articles and summarise it accurately in my own words.
• I can write a clear response describing how one concept influences ethical views on assisted dying.

Curriculum links

• Understanding Religion: Analyse the response of a religious tradition to a contemporary ethical issue.
• Comparative thinking: break complex ideas into components and draw evidence-supported conclusions.
• Key competencies (NZC): Thinking (concept mapping and analysis), Relating to others (respectful discussion), and Communication (explaining reasoning).
• Values for the learning environment: respect for cultural diversity and human dignity.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–8 min · Do Now + hook. Teacher displays the prompt and whakataukī; students write Māori ethical concepts they already know, then share one idea with a partner.
2. 8–15 min · Read and clarify. Teacher provides short Māori perspective article excerpts; students highlight terms linked to life, death, dignity, and relational responsibilities, then ask one clarification question.
3. 15–28 min · Direct teach mini-lesson. Teacher models a conceptual mapping approach (nodes + linking words such as “because”, “protects”, “connects to”); students create a concept map draft for Māori life/death/dignity using the template.
4. 28–40 min · Venn diagram activity. Teacher introduces a unit comparison focus: “What matters most for ethical decisions about assisted dying?” Students complete a Venn diagram comparing Māori spiritual concepts with one other unit perspective they have studied (teacher assigns which one to each student pair).
5. 40–53 min · Guided analysis discussion. Teacher runs structured discussion using sentence stems (e.g., “From this concept, I infer that…”, “A respectful response might be…”, “The difference may be because…”); students contribute at least two evidence-based comments.
6. 53–60 min · Exit task (written). Students write a short response: describe how one Māori concept influences responses to assisted dying, referencing details from the articles and their concept map.

RESOURCES

• Māori perspective articles (teacher-selected excerpts suitable for Year 13)
• Concept map template (prompted with life/death/dignity nodes)
• Venn diagram template
• Highlighters and pens
• Discussion sentence-stem cards
• Exit task prompt on paper (or shared document)
• Timer and project slides for instructions
• Digital devices for accessing multimedia resources
• Cultural artifacts relevant to Māori perspectives on life and death (e.g., traditional carvings, symbols)
• Multimedia materials such as videos or audio recordings illustrating Māori spiritual beliefs

Assessment

• Formative: teacher checks concept maps for correct linking words and accurate use of article-based ideas during steps 3 and 4.
• Formative: teacher listens for evidence in discussions during step 5 and prompts students to justify claims with article details.
• Summative (for this lesson only): exit task assesses whether students can explain how one Māori concept influences responses to assisted dying using evidence and clear reasoning.

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence stems, word bank (e.g., life/death/dignity/relationships/responsibility), and a partially filled concept map for students needing scaffolding.
• Support: allow students to underline article evidence first, then craft their exit response from highlighted lines.
• Extension: challenge students to add a “tension” node (e.g., compassion vs spiritual responsibility) and explain how Māori concepts may handle the ethical dilemma.
• EAL/SEN: offer audio reading of articles or teacher read-aloud; permit brief first-language brainstorming before writing in English.

Exit task (student prompt)

Describe how one Māori spiritual concept from today influences responses to assisted dying. In your answer, include:

• the concept you chose
• how it connects to life, death, and/or human dignity
• at least one piece of evidence or detail from the provided articles
• a clear concluding statement about what this implies for ethical decisions