Year 9 – Exploring Aotearoa's History

Lesson 2 of 9: Māori Society Before Colonisation

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WALT (We Are Learning To)

Explore pre-colonial Māori society and culture.

Success Criteria

• Describe key Māori customs and traditions before colonisation.
• Explain traditional social structures within Māori society.
• Identify significant cultural practices through storytelling and multimedia engagement.

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Curriculum Alignment

This lesson aligns with the following components of the New Zealand Curriculum:

Social Sciences – Level 4 (Ages ~13-14 / Year 9)

• Achievement Objective: Understand how and why people’s perspectives on places and environments vary and change over time, and the impact on society.
• Key Competencies Supported:
  • Thinking – critically exploring the societal structures and cultural practices of pre-colonial Māori life.
  • Using language, symbols, and texts – through storytelling and multimedia, students engage with a variety of information sources.
  • Relating to others – collaborative discussions about cultural understandings.
  • Participating and contributing – contributing respectfully to Māori perspectives.

Principles Incorporated

• Treaty of Waitangi: Recognising and respecting mātauranga Māori and tikanga Māori in the curriculum, achieving equitable outcomes for Māori learners.
• Inclusion: Differentiated learning tailored to diverse student needs.

Values

• Cultural diversity, community and participation, and innovation through engaging, creative lesson activities.

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Learning Intentions and Differentiation

Differentiation	Extension
Use a combination of oral storytelling, visual multimedia (images/videos), and group discussions catering to different learning styles.	Students create a visually engaging summary poster that synthesises Māori life before colonisation.

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Lesson Structure (45 minutes total)

Activity	Time	Details
1. Introduction & Setting the Context	5 mins	Brief class discussion: What do students already know about Māori society before colonisation?
2. Storytelling Session	10 mins	Teacher tells a pre-colonial Māori story, focused on customs, traditions, and social roles (e.g., whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, hapū/whānau/ iwi structure). Use expressive delivery.
3. Multimedia Exploration	10 mins	Show a curated multimedia presentation (slides/video) that illustrates Māori daily life, social hierarchy, cultural practices like noho marae, weaving, carving, traditional governance (rangatira, tohunga).
4. Guided Discussion & Questioning	8 mins	Facilitate student-led discussion reflecting on what they learned. Prompt with questions about roles, responsibilities, and cultural values before colonisation.
5. Collaborative Visual Poster Activity	10 mins	In pairs or small groups, students begin sketching a visual summary poster of Māori life pre-colonisation, using images and keywords from the session.
6. Wrap-up & Success Criteria Check	2 mins	Recap key points. Students self-assess via thumbs up/down if they met the success criteria. Brief reference to next lesson.

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Resources Needed

• Storytelling script or text (teacher-prepared)
• Multimedia presentation (images/videos showcasing pre-colonial Māori society)
• Paper, markers, and art supplies for poster creation
• Projector/screen or interactive whiteboard

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Teaching and Assessment Notes

• Formative assessment through discussion participation, responses to questioning, and observation of engagement during activities.
• Self and peer assessment encouraged during the visual poster activity, referencing the success criteria.
• Storytelling is central to connect students emotionally and culturally, consistent with Māori pedagogical approaches (oral traditions).
• Multimedia supports visual learners and enriches understanding of complex social structures.

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Additional Curriculum Connections

• Aligns with the National Education and Learning Priorities (NELP), particularly Priority 2: "Give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi" by incorporating Māori perspectives and language aspects.
• Supports development of the Key Competency Relating to Others by collaboratively exploring Māori social values.
• Ties into Social Sciences by fostering critical thinking about historical perspectives and cultural diversity.

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Summary

This lesson immerses Year 9 students in the rich world of pre-colonial Māori society by blending storytelling with multimedia and active creation. The approach honours New Zealand’s bicultural heritage and ensures diverse learners are engaged through differentiated methods while advancing essential competencies and curriculum goals.

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If you require, I can also help conceptualise specific storytelling scripts or multimedia slide outlines tailored for this lesson.