Māui Slows the Sun

Overview

Students explore the pūrākau of Māui slowing the sun and consider how stories communicate values about leadership, power, responsibility and collective challenges. They sequence key events in a six-panel storyboard, then discuss whether Māui’s actions were selfish, heroic, or both.

Learning intentions

• WALT explore how a Māori pūrākau reflects values and beliefs.
• WALT identify how Māui used power and creative problem-solving for the community.
• WALT use a storyboard to communicate the most important events in a historical or cultural narrative.
• WALT discuss different viewpoints respectfully.

Success criteria

• I can retell six important parts of the pūrākau in the correct order.
• I can explain how Māui’s actions helped his community.
• I can use evidence from the story to describe Māui as a leader.
• I can listen to another viewpoint and give a reason for my own opinion.

Curriculum links

• Social Sciences — using historical narratives, timelines and visual communication to communicate learning.
• Social Sciences — exploring sources that reveal how societies change and how people interact with places and environments.
• Social Sciences — investigating how societies, values and community needs shape people’s actions.
• Te Mātaiaho competencies — thinking critically, communicating ideas, participating and contributing respectfully.

Lesson structure (40 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook

   • Teacher: Open with the fast-forwarded day hook. Show a one-minute sunrise-to-sunset sequence. Invite students to imagine living with a very fast sun.
   • Students: Turn to a partner and answer: “What would you do if the sun moved that fast every day?”
   • Teacher: Invite two or three responses. Connect ideas to food, work, rest and community wellbeing.

2. 5–12 min · Build context and watch

   • Teacher: Explain that a pūrākau carries knowledge, values and explanations. Note that versions may differ between storytellers and iwi.
   • Teacher: Remind students to listen respectfully rather than treating the story as a simple scientific explanation.
   • Teacher: Open the Māui and the sun context slides and show the supplied How Māui Slowed the Sun clip.
   • Students: Notice key images: the sun’s rapid journey, the ropes, the teamwork and the slowing of the sun. Record or share one detail.
   • Teacher: Briefly clarify unfamiliar words or actions without interrupting the story.

3. 12–17 min · Check understanding

   • Teacher: Distribute the differentiated Māui text, comprehension and storyboard worksheet.
   • Students: Read independently, with a partner, or through teacher read-aloud as appropriate.
   • Students: Identify the problem, Māui’s plan, who helped, what happened to the sun, and how life changed afterwards.
   • Teacher: Take class answers and establish six agreed storyboard events:
     • The sun moves too quickly.
     • People struggle.
     • Māui recognises the problem.
     • The group prepares ropes and plans.
     • They catch and restrain the sun.
     • Daylight lasts longer and the community benefits.

4. 17–27 min · Six-panel storyboard

   • Teacher: Model one panel with a simple drawing, caption and arrow showing sequence.
   • Students: Complete the six-panel storyboard on the differentiated Māui text, comprehension and storyboard worksheet. Work individually while discussing ideas quietly with a partner.
   • Teacher: Encourage students to show people, place, problem, action and consequence rather than every small detail.
   • Teacher: Confer using: “Which part is essential?” and “How does this panel show the community’s challenge or Māui’s response?”

5. 27–35 min · Character motivation debate

   • Teacher: Arrange five groups of four. Open the motivation debate prompts.
   • Teacher: Give each group the question: “Were Māui’s actions selfish, heroic, or both?”
   • Students: Choose a position, select two details from the story as evidence, and prepare one speaker.
   • Students: Share briefly. Classmates may respectfully agree, disagree or add another interpretation.
   • Teacher: Prompt discussion:
     • “How did Māui use his power to help others?”
     • “What qualities made him a powerful leader?”
     • “What might happen if people today tried to change nature?”
   • Teacher: Emphasise that a strong answer can recognise both courage and risk.

6. 35–40 min · Reflection and next step

   • Teacher: Display the reflection and plenary slide.
   • Students: Complete the sentence stems on the worksheet or in their books: “One thing I admire about Māui is…” and “I would use power like Māui to…”
   • Students: Star the storyboard panel they would recreate on a larger scale and explain to a partner why it is important.
   • Teacher: Collect worksheets as evidence of understanding.

Resources

• Teacher device, projector and speakers
• the complete Māui and the Sun teaching deck
• Supplied How Māui Slowed the Sun video clip
• the differentiated Māui text, comprehension and storyboard worksheet
• Pencils, erasers and colouring materials
• Six-panel storyboard examples or board space
• Timer

Assessment

• Listen during the hook and comprehension check for understanding of the community problem and Māui’s purpose.
• Check storyboards for six sequenced events, captions and a clear connection between Māui’s actions and community wellbeing.
• Assess debate contributions and reflection responses for evidence-based thinking, respectful listening and understanding of leadership, power and responsibility.

Differentiation

• Provide the simplified version of the differentiated Māui text, comprehension and storyboard worksheet, read the text aloud, and allow oral responses or labelled drawings. Offer a word bank such as pūrākau, community, problem, leader, power, ropes, sun, and responsibility.
• Use mixed-ability pairs and give sentence starters: “Māui helped because…”, “I think his actions were…”, and “My evidence is…”. Allow students to rehearse ideas before speaking.
• Support students who find drawing difficult by accepting stick figures, symbols and captions; provide a six-box template and model one panel.
• Extend confident students by asking them to explain how the community’s needs shaped Māui’s decision, or to compare the pūrākau’s solution with a present-day response to an environmental challenge.

Extension

• Write a journal entry from the sun’s point of view, describing being caught and slowed.
• Create a modern version of Māui solving a current environmental issue, explaining the power used and its possible consequences.
• Begin a larger-scale recreation of the starred storyboard panel, including people, setting, action and a caption showing its significance.