This lesson integrates artistic creation and reflection as students learn about the history of the Māori Tribe of New Zealand and their efforts to protect the lands they deem as sacred.
Students will engage in a classroom discussion that covers multiple disciplines, complete a project that is based on a local natural landmark that they deem as important, and answer guided questions that encourage them to reflect on salient environmental issues.
Teaching Tips
Positives
This lesson provides students with an opportunity to develop their empathy and emotional intelligence.
This lesson challenges students to think about colonialism's impact on Indigenous people and the world at-large.
Additional Prerequisites
Some art supplies, such as crayons and paint, will be needed to administer this lesson.
It may be helpful if teachers read the attached "Empathy Framework" before conducting this lesson.
Differentiation
There is a BBC article attached to this lesson plan, and students can read this article at home to prepare for in-class discussions.
Teachers can use this lesson plan as a conceptual introduction to Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK).
This lesson can support a classroom discussion on the connection between colonialism of centuries past and the environmental challenges that we face today.
This lesson can enhance a classroom discussion on environmental stewardship and how students can take responsible ownership of the natural world that they inhabit.
Scientist Notes
This resource spotlights the Māori tribe and the way they use their indigenous knowledge to conserve the rainforest in New Zealand. This is recommended for teaching.
Standards
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 2: Civics
D2.Civ.12.6-8 Assess specific rules and laws (both actual and proposed) as means of addressing public problems.
D2.Civ.5.9-12 Evaluate citizens' and institutions' effectiveness in addressing social and political problems at the local, state, tribal, national, and/or international level.
Dimension 2: History
D2.His.1.6-8 Analyze connections among events and developments in broader historical contexts.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Reading: Informational Text (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.6 Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author distinguishes his or her position from that of others.
National Core Arts Standards
Visual Arts: Standard 1 - Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
VA:Cr1.1.6a Combine concepts collaboratively to generate innovative ideas for creating art.
