Movement and Mana

Overview

A culturally responsive, practical Health and Physical Education session designed for Year 9 and 10 students at Wairoa College. This 60-minute lesson embraces Māori perspectives and values, promotes hands-on learning, and caters to a wide range of abilities. Literacy and numeracy are integrated through communication and measurement activities. Visual and interactive strategies ensure engagement for all learners.

Curriculum Alignment

Health and Physical Education Learning Area (Levels 4 and 5 / Years 9–10)
Critical Focus: Having a purpose and being empathetic and resilient (phase 4)
Key Competencies: Managing self, Relating to others, Thinking, Using language, symbols, and texts, Participating and contributing
Principles: Inclusive learning, high expectations, and cultural responsiveness, with strong Māori worldview integration
Values: Respect (manaakitanga), Excellence (toitū), and Community (whanaungatanga)

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will:

Demonstrate teamwork and communication skills in a physical activity context.
Understand and apply the Māori concept of 'mana' and related values in sportsmanship and well-being.
Measure and analyse aspects of physical performance using numeracy skills (e.g., timing, counting repetitions).
Use appropriate specialist vocabulary orally and visually to describe movement and strategy.
Reflect on their learning and articulate how physical activity contributes to personal and collective well-being.

Lesson Duration

60 minutes Class size: 25 students

Resources

Soft balls, cones, stopwatches, measuring tapes
Whiteboard and markers
Visual posters of Māori values (manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, kaitiakitanga)
Activity cards with movement challenges and Māori proverbs (whakataukī)
Recording sheets for data collection (timing, counts)

Lesson Outline

1. Whakatauki and Waiata Introduction (10 minutes)

Activity: Begin with a welcoming whakatauki that links mana and physical strength (e.g., “E kore te toiroa e wehi i te tangata whai kaha” – The strong person is not feared).
Lead a short waiata related to strength, courage, or community well-being.
Discuss briefly what mana means in the context of physical activity and team respect.
Explain culturally responsive behaviour expected during the lesson, reinforcing manaakitanga (caring for others).

Literacy focus: Oral language development, listening skills, and introducing key terms like mana, whanaungatanga, toitū.

2. Warm-up and Skills Stations (15 minutes)

Organise students in small groups (4-5 per group) and rotate through three skill stations focusing on:
Agility and coordination (e.g., cone dodging relays)
Passing and teamwork (simple ball passing drills)
Measurement challenge: Each group times how quickly they complete a relay
Encourage students to use specialist vocabulary during activity (e.g., speed, agility, coordination, teamwork).

Numeracy integration: Students record relay times and calculate averages as a group (support scaffolded for those needing help, extension challenges for gifted learners include calculating differences between groups or percent improvements).

3. Team Game with Māori Values Focus (20 minutes)

Organise a modified team game such as a simplified version of ki-o-rahi or a cooperative ball game.
Before the game, highlight how Māori values like whanaungatanga (teamwork) and manaakitanga (respect) will guide play, supporting positive communication and cooperation.
During the game, teachers and kaiako circulate, encouraging students to demonstrate empathy and resilience (e.g. cheering for teammates, supporting errors constructively).
Students assigned roles including timekeeper, score recorder, and referee rotate to build responsibility and numeracy application.

4. Reflection and Literacy Integration (10 minutes)

Bring the class together for a circle discussion.
Prompt students to share:
How they demonstrated or saw manaakitanga and whanaungatanga.
What skills they improved and how numeracy helped in the game.
Personal feelings about working as part of a team.
Use sentence starters and visual prompts to help all levels articulate their thoughts, and introduce new vocabulary written on the board.
Write a collective group reflection on how sportsmanship enhances well-being.

5. Closing and Next Steps (5 minutes)

Recap the key Māori values and physical skills developed today.
Assign a simple literacy task: write a short paragraph or draw a visual symbol showing how they used mana or teamwork.
Encourage setting a personal goal related to physical activity and wellbeing for the next lesson, linking to managing self and relational competencies.

Differentiation and Inclusion

Visual instructions and demonstrations support ELLs and lower literacy learners.
Flexible roles during activities cater to physical ability levels and confidence.
Extension tasks (such as statistical analysis of team performance) challenge gifted learners.
Groupings support peer tutoring and encourage relational teaching responsive to the Māori cultural context.

Assessment

Formative assessment through observation of:

Participation and communication during activities.
Use of key vocabulary and concepts in reflection.
Recording and interpreting times and scores.
Demonstration of Māori values in teamwork and sportsmanship.

Pedagogical Notes

Foster mana-enhancing relationships by encouraging positive, respectful interaction and including te reo Māori terms.
Use practical, real-world examples (e.g., timing relays) to embed numeracy skills.
Create a safe space for learning through tikanga Māori by starting and ending with karakia or whakataukī.
Scaffold literacy through sentence starters and guided discussions.
Ensure all students have an ‘entry point’ to the learning experience to promote equitable outcomes.

This lesson plan embraces the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh’s critical focus for Phase 4: "Having a purpose and being empathetic and resilient" and integrates key competencies, values, and culturally responsive pedagogy for Health and Physical Education at Wairoa College. It reflects the principles of inclusion and partnership with Māori concepts central to students’ identity and learning success. It also encourages literacy and numeracy development through authentic, interactive practice.

Teaching Instructions