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Level 6 and 7 snapshots

Learning programme design

Level 6/7 snapshots

Health ed snapshots:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Physical ed snapshots:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

Home economics snapshots:

1 |  2 |  3 |  4 |  5 |  6

Combined HPE and home economics snapshots


Physical education snapshot 10

A moving Pepeha at year 11

Inquiry

How can you incorporate kaupapa Māori in a particular unit of work?

  • Use the He Aratohu resource as a basis for planning.
  • Focus on the concept of whakapapa.
  • Select relevant achievement objectives, such as:
    • to explore movement (6B1) 
    • to support and encourage others to explore movement (6C3). 

Linking kaupapa Māori and physical education gives students opportunities to find out more about themselves and to give them the knowledge/skills to be able to work with and/or relate to others. By exploring their whakapapa, students can find out about themselves and use this knowledge to empower them to work with others. 

This whakatauki is a famous proverb from the Aotea waka, which shows the importance of a person’s genealogy and culture:

He kakano ahau i ruia i Rangiatea 

I am a seed which was sown in the heavens of Rangiatea. 

Teacher inquiry

Each lesson began with a slow tai chi movement sequence acknowledging the different Māori Atua (gods) – Ranginui, Papatūānuku, Tāne Mahuta. This showed that in Māoridom, everything has a whakapapa. 

The song He Kakano ahau was used as the music for the tai chi atua routine, which reinforced the whakatauki. 

The format of mihi/pepeha was used so each student could come up with their own movement sequence, developing one movement for each heading of the pepeha, that is, one movement to represent their waka, awa, marae, and iwi. Students then used their individual pepeha movement sequence to build a group sequence. Collaborating with other members in the class, who were also sharing their pepeha, highlighted the diversity in the class through movement and sharing of their whakapapa. 

Achievement objectives that could be used as a basis to develop learning intentions

  • 6A4: Demonstrate an understanding of factors that contribute to personal identity and celebrate individuality and affirm diversity.

There were strong links to this achievement objective as this is became the focus for the unit, using movement to show a student's whakapapa/pepeha and using that to understand and celebrate with others as they shared and brought together their whakapapa/pepeha. 

  • 6B4: Demonstrate understanding and affirmation of people's diverse social and cultural needs and practices when participating in physical activities.

The understanding and affirming of people’s diverse social and cultural needs and practices when participating in movement happened as students explored movement and encouraged others to explore their heritage through movement. 

Possible assessment links to achievement standards

  • AS90962 (PE1.1) Participate actively in a variety of physical activities and explain factors that influence own participation. 

Resources

Learning inquiry

Students researched their own pepeha; they talk to their own whānau (parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles) to find the appropriate information. They then took this further and researched what aspects  are included in a pepeha and what they actually mean, for example, if their Maunga or mountain was Rangitoto or Taupiri then looking at myths and legends and definitions of those words to help inspire a specific movement to represent it. 

Discussion topics included what a pepeha is, when you use it, why is it important/why is it important for Māori. This all helped to promote the essence of whānau as your pepeha acknowledges your ancestral connections. 

Pepeha is also important to Māori because it represents what they stand for, who and what they represent as people, and their actions in their own lives. This was an important realisation for some students. 

This unit also focused on developing movement sequences and on working together. Teaching activities to develop ideas around whānau included:

  • Counterbalance, working in pairs, threes and groups.
  • Whole class social dance routines where the dance will only work if everyone follows the right sequence.
  • Group performance work, having a different focus for each lesson. Groups were given time to work on or put together their sequences, that is, effective communication, constructive feedback, co-operation, active participation.
  • When developing group movement sequences, each person in the group has a role to undertake, that is, choreographer, encourager/motivator, and literacy coordinator. 

Students were assessed on:

  1. exploring movement 
  2. encouraging others to explore movement. 

The Māori students who knew their pepeha felt enthused and proud to share it. Those Māori students, whānau and non-Māori students in the class who didn’t know were encouraged to find out where they had come from. Students who could not find out about their heritage were given the school/community pepeha. All students were encouraged to consider where they had grown up or the area they identified with the most. They then researched the closest mountain, river etc, and other relevant information needed for the pepeha. 

Students really enjoyed coming up with a sequence that was relevant to them and their pepeha. They also enjoyed sharing their movements with their group and working together to develop a combined sequence. Students' understanding of the concept whanaungatanga developed as students worked together and found out more about each other’s pepeha, resulting in a group movement sequence. The roles students had in their groups (that is, literacy co-ordinator - ensuing their sequence had at least three dance terms such as cannon, repetition and motif, choreographer, stylist etc) helped to develop positive relationships as they looked at the skills needed for each role. 

Learn more

There is much excellent teaching and learning going on in New Zealand schools through Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC). The site profiles case studies of good practice from a range of school levels and contexts. A number of case studies are listed and, specifically, we draw your attention to  EOTC at ‘our place’ – a journey of discovery about place-based learning.

Last updated May 10, 2022



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