Unit #1: Whaling Begins

Lesson 1 of 7 – Introduction to Whaling: The Wellerman Song

---

📚 Curriculum Link

Learning Area: Social Sciences
Curriculum Level: Level 4 — "Understand how people participate individually and collectively in response to community challenges" and “Understand how exploration and innovation create significant change.”
Aligned with The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC).

---

🎯 Learning Objectives

By the end of this 45-minute lesson, students will:

• Understand the historical context of the song "Soon May the Wellerman Come" within New Zealand's whaling history.
• Begin to explore the impact of whaling on Aotearoa’s early colonial economy and culture.
• Interpret lyrics as historical evidence and connect to social changes during early European and Māori interactions.
• Engage actively in group discussion and reflection, practising key competencies in Thinking, Relating to Others, and Participating and Contributing.

---

🎒 Required Resources

• Audio version of "Soon May the Wellerman Come" (acoustic or sea shanty style)
• Printed or digital lyric sheets
• PowerPoint slide deck with timeline visuals (1830s–1850s)
• Large projector and speaker system (for 120 students)
• Printed Whaling Fact Cards (early whalers, Māori partnerships, processing methods)
• Digital collaboration tool (e.g. Google Jamboard or Padlet) or large butcher paper
• 6–8 groups of floor seating or tables (15–20 per cluster)

---

🧭 Lesson Outline (45 Mins Total)

⏱️ 1. Karakia and Welcome (3 mins)

• Begin the session with a short karakia (teacher led or student-chosen).
• Set the tone of the unit — discovery, challenge and connection to Aotearoa’s history.

⏱️ 2. Hook: Song Experience (7 mins)

• Play "Soon May the Wellerman Come" while projecting the lyrics on screen. Encourage students to tap along.
• Immediately after the song, ask:

  “Who or what do you think the ‘Wellerman’ was?”
  “What kind of work do you think they were doing?”

Purpose: Engages students musically and emotionally, draws them into the world of 1800s New Zealand whaling.

⏱️ 3. Lyrics Analysis in Groups (10 mins)

Students sit in predetermined whānau groups (15–20 per group).
Provide each group with printouts of the lyrics, highlighting key phrases:

• "Tonguing"
• "Billy of tea"
• "Sugar and tea and rum"
• "Company store"

Each group answers:

• What does this line tell us about life in the whaling days?
• Who do you think the song is written by or for?
• How does this connect to early New Zealand economy or people?

Teacher moves through groups prompting with historical insights.

⏱️ 4. Whole-Class Timeline Walk (7 mins)

Project a brief whaling timeline (1830–1855): arrival of whalers, Māori-European trade, decline of shore whaling.
Ask different groups to call out events they think would have happened when the song was sung.
Stick lyrics or phrases onto appropriate places on the timeline.

Purpose: Builds chronological understanding and spatial timeline literacy.

⏱️ 5. Interactive Placemat Activity (8 mins)

Using Whaling Fact Cards, students collaborate in subgroups (4–5) within their cluster to:

• Match facts to song references (e.g. ‘tonguing’ = whale blubber processing)
• Write reflections around the placemat:

  “What surprised us?”
  “Who benefited from the whaling industry? Who didn’t?”

Teacher prompts critical thinking on equity, trade, environmental impact.

⏱️ 6. Share Back and Synthesis (5 mins)

Invite selected students to share reflections or interesting links their group made.
Emphasise:

• Songs as historical sources
• The dual impact of whaling: economic opportunity and environmental/cultural change

⏱️ 7. Closing (3 mins)

• Teaser for next session: Māori and European partnerships in whaling
• Quick exit slip on post-it or Jamboard:

  "One thing I learned today was…"
  "One thing I’m curious to know more about is…"

---

🔎 Extension / Differentiation

For advanced learners:
Encourage them to research the Weller Brothers and their influence in Ōtākou and Otago Harbour, comparing colonial business practices to today.

For emerging learners:
Use visuals (images of whaling at sea/shore), word banks, and sentence starters during lyric interpretation.

---

💬 Teacher Reflection Prompt

“How did students respond to using a song as a historical source? What observations did I make around their prior knowledge of colonial New Zealand?”

Consider recording student comments for tracking progression through the whaling unit.

---

🧠 Key Competencies Practised

• Thinking (analysing lyrics, making connections)
• Relating to others (group collaborative tasks)
• Participating and contributing (sharing back and engaging in whole-class timeline)

---

🌿 Culturally Responsive Teaching Practice

This lesson acknowledges:

• Māori-European histories of cooperation and conflict
• The role of whaling in shaping early cross-cultural interaction
• Aotearoa’s unique cultural and economic development in the 19th century
  Future lessons will deepen these elements with Māori perspectives and iwi-specific whaling narratives.

---

Next Lesson: Whalers and Mana Whenua – Co-operation or Conflict?

---

Let history sing — through stories, rhythms, and real-world connection.