Reading Migration Evidence

Overview

Students independently revisit prior knowledge of Māori migration and practise using evidence from different primary sources. They will annotate a small source collection, identify strengths and limitations, and form a supported response to the focus question: What can primary sources tell us about Māori migration traditions and experiences?

Learning intentions

Students will:

• identify relevant evidence in a variety of primary sources
• annotate sources by recording main ideas, details and questions
• explain strengths and limitations within a collection of sources
• use evidence to write a clear historical response

Success criteria

• I can select evidence that helps answer the focus question.
• I can annotate a source with its main idea and a supporting detail.
• I can explain why a source is useful and what it cannot tell us.
• I can connect at least two sources in a short historical response.

Curriculum links

• Engage with a variety of primary sources in a historical context: source selection, annotation, relevance, and strengths and limitations.
• Interpret primary sources by identifying main ideas and explaining the value and limitations of the collection.
• Demonstrate understanding of te reo Māori and its principles in a familiar context by recognising language elements and connecting meaning with supporting detail.
• Communicate in written te reo Māori relating to a familiar context through relevant information, ideas and opinions, where appropriate for the class.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Settler and retrieval. Teacher opens the retrieval and focus-question slides and displays three prompts: “What is a primary source?”, “What Māori migration knowledge do you already have?”, and “What makes evidence trustworthy?” Students complete a silent three-minute brain dump, then compare one idea with a partner.

2. 5–12 min · Model source reading. Teacher briefly explains that traditions, oral histories, artefacts, written records and visual materials can all provide evidence, but each source has a context, purpose and limitation. Using one sample source on the source-analysis model, teacher models the prompts Who created or shared it? What does it show? How is it relevant? What is missing? Students copy the four prompts onto their worksheet.

3. 12–15 min · Explain the independent task. Teacher distributes the Māori migration source investigation worksheet and checks that students understand the focus question and completion steps. Students read the instructions, choose a sensible order for the sources, and ask clarifying questions before beginning.

4. 15–38 min · Independent source investigation. Teacher circulates quietly, conferences with students who need support, and avoids supplying answers. Students work through four short sources: an oral tradition extract, an artefact or waka image, a written account, and a migration-route visual; they annotate each source, highlight relevant evidence, and record one strength and one limitation.

5. 38–48 min · Evidence ranking and connection. Teacher displays the evidence-ranking and connection prompts: “Which source is most useful for the focus question?”, “Does useful mean completely reliable?”, and “How do two sources support, complicate or add to each other?” Students independently rank their two most useful sources, justify the ranking in two or three sentences, and draw one connection between sources.

6. 48–56 min · Historical response. Teacher reminds students that a strong response makes a claim, uses specific evidence, and explains the evidence rather than merely repeating it. Students complete the paragraph on the worksheet: “The sources suggest that Māori migration knowledge is best understood through…” They must refer to at least two sources and include one limitation.

7. 56–60 min · Exit check. Teacher displays the plenary and exit-question slide. Students answer on the bottom of the worksheet: “One thing a primary source can show about Māori migration is… One thing it may not show is…” Teacher collects worksheets for a quick review.

Resources

• the Māori migration evidence inquiry slide deck
• the Māori migration source investigation worksheet
• Projector or interactive board
• Pens, highlighters and pencils
• Māori migration source extracts and images embedded in the worksheet
• Timer
• Optional headphones or text-to-speech access

Assessment

• During retrieval and modelling, listen for accurate understanding of primary source, evidence, context and limitation.
• Check annotations for relevant evidence, main ideas, source purpose and justified strengths or limitations.
• Use the completed paragraph and exit response as formative evidence of whether students can connect sources and answer the focus question. Responses can inform the next History source-analysis lesson.

Differentiation

• Support students with a dyslexia-friendly worksheet: clear sans-serif font, enlarged spacing, short source extracts, bolded key terms and one source completed as a model. Offer text-to-speech, headphones, coloured overlays or printed extracts on cream paper where available.
• Provide sentence starters: “This source is relevant because…”, “A strength of this source is…”, “A limitation is…”, and “This connects with Source… because…”.
• Allow students to record a verbal response to the teacher or use labelled bullet points before writing the final paragraph. Pair students briefly for clarification, while keeping the source investigation and written response independent.
• Advanced learners should evaluate whether the sources represent Māori perspectives, later interpretations or outsider viewpoints, then explain how this affects the overall collection rather than judging one source in isolation.
• Take care not to treat iwi or hapū traditions as interchangeable. Encourage students to identify whose knowledge is represented and to use respectful language when discussing whakapapa, pūrākau and migration traditions.

Extension

• Write a second paragraph explaining which additional primary source would strengthen the investigation and why.
• Translate one key sentence from the response into appropriate te reo Māori, using vocabulary and structures already taught in class.