Words of Travel

Title: The Seven Waka of Hawaiki — Introduction and Stories

Unit Overview

This four-lesson unit for Year 6 students explores the Great Migration waka narratives from Hawaiki, integrating Te Reo Māori language learning with Social Sciences concepts of culture, identity, and migration. Beginning with the foundational stories of the seven waka, students will develop an understanding of how these migrations shaped Aotearoa New Zealand’s communities and cultural identity. The unit progresses through vocabulary acquisition related to travel and community, deepens understanding of migration impacts, and concludes with an interactive assessment.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this unit, Year 6 students will be able to:

• Understand and retell key narratives of the seven waka from Hawaiki and their significance to Māori migration and identity.
• Use and understand Te Reo Māori vocabulary related to travel, migration, and community.
• Demonstrate oral communication skills through role-play and conversation using new vocabulary and sentence stems.
• Explore and reflect on cultural concepts of manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, and migration’s impact on community identity.
• Participate in formative assessment activities demonstrating comprehension of waka stories and related vocabulary.

This unit integrates the Learning Languages and Social Sciences learning areas of the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh, focusing on:

Curriculum Links

• Learning Languages - Communicating strand
  • Participate in extended conversations, taking turns, actively listening, questioning, and contributing.
  • Use and understand precise vocabulary related to migration, travel, and community.
  • Use sentence stems to respectfully agree, disagree, and add on to ideas.
• Social Sciences - Culture and Identity strand
  • Understand how migration and waka narratives contribute to community identity and cultural diversity in Aotearoa New Zealand.
  • Explore connections between language, identity, and community through stories and personal reflection.
• Developing Key Competencies: Relating to others (using language to interact respectfully), Participating and Contributing (sharing ideas about community and history), and Thinking (making connections to identity and cultural heritage).

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Lesson Sequence

Lesson 1: The Seven Waka of Hawaiki — Introduction and Stories (60 minutes)

• Greeting and Introduction: Begin with whakawhanaungatanga in English and Māori (e.g., "Ko [name] ahau. Tēnā koutou katoa").
• Introduce the WALT (We Are Learning To): "Understand the stories of the seven waka from Hawaiki and their importance to Māori migration and identity."
• Present an overview of the seven waka (e.g., Tainui, Te Arawa, Mataatua, Tokomaru, Kurahaupō, Aotea, Tākitimu) using images and storytelling.
• Share key narratives about the voyages, highlighting cultural values such as manaakitanga and whanaungatanga.
• Facilitate a class discussion on why these stories are important for understanding community and identity.
• Use visual supports and think-alouds to scaffold comprehension.
• Invite students to share any family or community stories related to migration or waka.

Lesson 2: Migration and Community Impacts (60 minutes)

• Explore how migration shaped communities in Aotearoa New Zealand.
• Discuss cultural diversity and identity through the lens of the waka migrations.
• Use visual images or short video clips showing migration and community activities.
• Facilitate group activities that connect migration stories to students’ own experiences and communities.

Lesson 3: Words of Travel — Te Reo Māori Vocabulary (60 minutes)

• Use flashcards with Te Reo Māori travel and community vocabulary (e.g., "haere" (go), "whānau" (family), "hapori" (community), "tereina" (train), "waka" (canoe), "kainga" (home), "tāngata" (people), "manaaki" (to care for)).
• Practice oral communication using sentence stems and role-play scenarios related to migration and community.
• Emphasize pronunciation, respectful turn-taking, and cultural concepts.
• Encourage students to use vocabulary in context and reflect on language’s role in identity and belonging.

Lesson 4: Assessment and Review — Kahoot Quiz and Reflection (60 minutes)

• Conduct a Kahoot quiz assessing knowledge of the seven waka stories, Te Reo Māori vocabulary, and migration concepts.
• Facilitate a reflection discussion on what students have learned about migration, language, and community.
• Oral formative assessment: Each student uses a Māori word or phrase in a sentence related to the unit themes.
• Exit slip: Students write or say one new thing they learned about the waka, migration, or language and one way language helps people connect in communities.

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Resources

• Visual images and story cards of the seven waka from Hawaiki.
• Flashcards with Te Reo Māori travel and community vocabulary.
• Short video clips illustrating migration and community activities.
• Māori language phrase sheet with sentence stems and greetings.
• Whiteboard / large paper for recording vocabulary, ideas, and waka names.
• Audio recordings of pronunciation of key Māori words (optional).
• Kahoot quiz prepared with questions on waka stories, vocabulary, and migration concepts.
• Name tags for role-play activities.

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Teaching Considerations

• Use explicit teaching and structured literacy approaches to support vocabulary acquisition, pronunciation, and sentence structure.
• Scaffold communication with sentence stems and model respectful turn-taking and questioning.
• Foster an inclusive environment recognising students’ diverse experiences with Māori language and cultural identity.
• Integrate visual supports, storytelling, demonstrations, and think-alouds to manage cognitive load and support memory.
• Emphasise the cultural significance of waka stories and language as key aspects of identity and belonging in Aotearoa New Zealand.
• Ensure a cohesive flow from introduction of foundational narratives to vocabulary development, cultural understanding, and assessment.

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This unit plan is designed to engage Year 6 learners in meaningful cultural and language learning through the Great Migration waka narratives, supporting confident communication in Te Reo Māori and deepening understanding of migration and identity in line with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh.