Spiritual Connections

Overview

Lesson 2 of 8 focuses on how whakapapa (genealogical connections) and atua (spiritual beings/forces of nature) build spiritual connections between people and the environment. Students begin with a scaffolded whakapapa mapping activity, then deepen understanding through a nature-based “atua spotting” task linked to daily life and place.

Learning intentions

• WALT explain how whakapapa connects people to whenua (land), whānau, and community.
• WALT describe atua as spiritual forces/beings associated with aspects of the natural world.
• WALT use evidence from sources and observation to make respectful links between atua and everyday life.
• WALT reflect on how belief systems shape identity and relationships with the environment.

Success criteria

• I can create a simple whakapapa chart using my own connections (or a provided template) and explain what it shows.
• I can identify Tāne, Tangaroa, and Papatūānuku as atua connected to nature, and share one example for each.
• I can connect at least one atua to something I notice in my local environment or daily routine.
• I can use respectful language when discussing spiritual beliefs and whakapapa.

Curriculum links

• Religious education (place and meaning): students explore spiritual beliefs and how they shape identity and relationships.
• Cross-curriculum Growing Trees / What next?: using awareness of spiritual significance of ngāhere (forest) and the role of Tàne Mahuta in Māori understanding.
• Te Reo Māori — Mihi: students practise acknowledging significant places and landmarks connected through whakapapa during a class mihimihi or guided acknowledgement.
• Te Reo Māori introduction: students are guided to use pepeha and/or mihi to express identity and share whakapapa and whenua connections.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Opening mihi + purpose

• Teacher leads a brief, age-appropriate mihimihi, including a class acknowledgement of place (school grounds/local environment) and a reminder about respectful listening.
• Students sit in place, listen, and repeat key phrases for acknowledging people/places (teacher-led).

2. 5–15 min · Activate prior learning: “What did we already learn?”

• Teacher prompts discussion: recap from lesson 1—belief systems, spirituality, and why people connect to place.
• Students do a quick think–pair–share: “One way beliefs shape how people treat the environment is…”; teacher records student ideas as discussion norms.

3. 15–25 min · Direct teaching: whakapapa and atua (with examples)

• Teacher explains whakapapa as relational mapping across generations (family/whānau/community links) and introduces atua as spiritual beings/forces linked to nature (Tāne, Tangaroa, Papatūānuku).
• Students annotate a simple anchor chart: “Whakapapa = connections” and “Atua = spiritual forces tied to nature,” adding one example per category.

4. 25–35 min · Build a whakapapa chart

• Teacher provides a pre-drawn “family connection” template with privacy options (e.g., “I can include only initials/first names” or use a “made-up example whakapapa” if needed).
• Students create a whakapapa chart in notebooks: include at least 3 connections (e.g., parent/guardian, grandparent, community link). They add a short sentence: “This shows my connection to…”

5. 35–48 min · Atua identification game: “Spot, name, link”

• Teacher sets up stations with nature images and objects (leaf, shell photo set, soil/rock photo set) and short clues (e.g., “associated with forests and growth,” “connected with the sea,” “connected with land/earth”).
• Students rotate in pairs to match clues to Tāne, Tangaroa, and Papatūānuku, then record one link for each atua: “I think this atua is connected to ___ because ___.” Teacher circulates for respectful language and conceptual accuracy.

6. 48–58 min · Nature walk + evidence collection

• Teacher takes students on a short, supervised walk within school grounds or a nearby safe area, asking them to observe for signs linked to the three atua categories (e.g., trees/plants, water/reflecting puddles, earth/soil).
• Students complete an “Observation–Link–Question” sheet: record 1 observation, write which atua it links to, and add one question they still have.

7. 58–60 min · Exit reflection

• Teacher leads a quick debrief: “Today I learned… / Something I still wonder… / A respectful way to talk about beliefs is…”
• Students submit a one-sentence exit ticket in writing or on a sticky note.

Resources

• Pre-drawn whakapapa chart templates (multiple options for privacy)
• Anchor chart paper or slides for whakapapa/atua definitions
• Atua clue cards and station materials (images of forest/water/earth; shell/leaf/soil items or photos)
• Observation–Link–Question sheet
• Clipboards, pencils, pens
• Classroom norms reminder card for respectful discussion
• PPE items as needed (hats, sunscreen) and safe-walk checklist for teacher

Assessment

• During charting: teacher checks students’ ability to explain what whakapapa shows (formative feedback on clarity and respect).
• During atua stations: teacher observes whether students can correctly associate Tāne, Tangaroa, and Papatūānuku with nature-linked clues and justify their reasoning.
• Exit ticket: teacher assesses whether students made at least one meaningful connection to daily life/environment and can express it respectfully.

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence starters for linking (“I notice…”, “This might connect to… because…”), and offer a partially completed whakapapa template.
• Support: allow drawing or symbols instead of full sentences; accept “made-up example whakapapa” if personal details feel unsafe.
• Extension: students choose one atua and write an extra “belief-to-action” statement: “Because some people believe ___, they may care for ___ by…”
• EAL/SEN: pre-teach 6–8 key words (whakapapa, whenua, whakapapa chart, atua, Tāne, Tangaroa, Papatūānuku, connection) with gestures and visual cards; provide extra time for recording answers.