Māui and Tamanuiterā

Overview

In this second lesson of Power and Māui’s Sun, students revisit power, control, leadership and authority. Through a time-lapse, pūrākau and short drama activity, they consider how people’s actions and decisions can shape environments, and whether the use of power is fair.

Learning intentions

• WALT explain the meanings of power, control, leadership and authority.
• WALT identify how Māui and his team use different forms of power to change Tamanuiterā’s behaviour.
• WALT ask and answer logical questions about a pūrākau.
• WALT use drama elements to communicate an idea about power and fairness.

Success criteria

• I can explain at least two power words in my own words.
• I can identify Māui’s authority, teamwork, harakeke ropes, jaw bone and karakia in the pūrākau.
• I can describe one way daylight affects people and environments.
• I can use a symbol or short drama moment to show whether power is fair.

Curriculum links

• Social Sciences: understand how people, places and environments are shaped by people’s actions and decisions.
• Social Sciences: explore how groups use power, leadership and authority to influence what happens.
• The refreshed curriculum’s emphasis on asking questions, using evidence, and explaining relationships between people and the world around them.
• The Arts—Drama: explore and use drama elements and conventions to express ideas and communicate meaning.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 minutes – Recap and visual hook Display the class definitions from the previous lesson using the recap and daylight hook slides. Invite students to turn and talk: “What might life be like with only a little daylight?” Show the time-lapse of sunrise and sunset and collect quick ideas about sleep, food, travel, work, plants and safety.

2. 4–8 minutes – Power poster preparation Place students in five groups of four or five. Give each group one word: power, control, leadership or authority; one group may compare two words. Using the power words poster organiser, groups write a child-friendly definition, an example and a simple symbol. Remind students that authority means having an accepted right or responsibility to make decisions, not simply being the strongest.

3. 8–17 minutes – Read or view the pūrākau Read or watch the supplied Māui and the Sun pūrākau, pausing at planned points in the pūrākau vocabulary and pause slides. Clarify the kupu: pūrākau (a traditional story that carries knowledge and meaning), karakia (a prayer or incantation), Tamanuiterā (the sun personified) and harakeke (New Zealand flax). Ask: “Why might Māui need a team?” “What could go wrong?” “Why are the ropes important?” Respectfully explain that pūrākau can communicate values and understandings; they are not only stories about entertainment.

4. 17–22 minutes – Evidence of power In the same groups, students complete the evidence section of the power words poster organiser. They identify how Māui uses authority or leadership, teamwork, harakeke ropes, the jaw bone and karakia to change the sun’s behaviour. Groups add one piece of evidence to their poster. Prompt students to distinguish physical power from collective power, cultural or spiritual power, and authority.

5. 22–27 minutes – Drama: fair or unfair? Groups create a frozen tableau or ten-second acted scene showing one moment of the pūrākau. They must include one clear symbol of power, such as a rope, raised arm, circle of teammates or jaw bone. After each presentation, ask the audience: “What power did you notice?” and “Who decides whether its use is fair?” Students may show a fair or unfair use of power, then briefly explain their choice.

6. 27–30 minutes – Plenary and exit response Return to the discussion and exit prompt slides. Students complete: “Māui changed the environment by ______. This affected people or places because ______. I think the use of power was fair/unfair because ______.” Invite two or three students to share, noting that the next lesson will examine decisions and consequences in greater depth.

Resources

• the complete lesson slide deck
• the power words poster organiser
• Supplied Māui and the Sun pūrākau reading or video
• Sunrise and sunset time-lapse
• Group poster paper
• Thick pens or crayons
• Projector, speakers and timer
• Class definitions from lesson 1
• Space at the front for tableaux

Assessment

• Listen to group explanations for accurate use of power, control, leadership and authority.
• Check posters and worksheet responses for evidence from the pūrākau, including teamwork, harakeke ropes, the jaw bone and karakia.
• Use the exit response and drama explanations to assess whether students can connect actions and decisions with changes to people, places and environments.

Differentiation

• Provide illustrated word cards, sentence starters and a model example for students who need support: “Māui used ___ to ___.”
• Allow students to draw, orally explain or act their response instead of writing all answers. Pair EAL learners with supportive peers and pronounce kupu together before viewing.
• For students requiring additional structure, assign group roles: reader, scribe, illustrator, evidence finder and speaker; provide a quiet observation role during drama if needed.
• Extend confident students by asking them to compare Māui’s authority with Tamanuiterā’s power, or to explain whose decisions and interests are affected by changing daylight.