🏺 Week 2: Kūmara — Māori Innovation & Adaptation
Students explore how Māori adapted to grow and store kūmara in Aotearoa, demonstrating innovation in response to environmental challenges. This week connects traditional knowledge to modern understanding of food security.
Focus Question
How did Māori adapt to grow and store kūmara in Aotearoa?
Ngā Mahi - Week 2 Activities
1. Source Analysis: Rua Kūmara (20 mins)
Activity: Use the Rua Kūmara Diagram Analysis handout. Students analyze diagrams and illustrations of traditional kūmara storage pits.
- Examine diagrams of rua kūmara (storage pits)
- Identify key features: insulation, ventilation, protection from pests
- Discuss: Why was this innovation important for food security?
2. Numeracy: Volume Calculation (25 mins)
Activity: Use the Rua Kūmara Volume Calculation handout. Students measure a model pit's dimensions and calculate its volume.
- Measure length, width, and depth of a model storage pit
- Calculate volume using formula: length × width × depth
- Estimate how many kūmara it could hold (considering spacing)
- Compare to modern storage methods
3. Literacy: Kūmara Grower Diary (30 mins)
Activity: Use the Kūmara Grower Diary Template. Students write a diary entry from the perspective of a traditional kūmara grower.
- Write about a day in the life of a kūmara grower
- Include seasonal activities (planting, harvesting, storing)
- Describe the importance of kūmara to the community
- Connect to concepts of kaitiakitanga (guardianship)
4. Video: Kūmara & Māori Innovation (15 mins)
Activity: Watch videos about Māori kūmara cultivation and storage.
Kūmara: Traditional Māori Food
Additional resource: Alternative kūmara video
Before, During & After Watching
Before watching: What do you know about kūmara? How do you think Māori stored food before refrigeration?
During: Note how rua kūmara work. What problems did they solve?
After: Think-Pair-Share: How does innovation help people survive scarcity?
💡 Differentiation Strategies
- Lower support: Provide pre-labeled diagrams, work in pairs, use calculators for volume
- Extension: Research different traditional storage methods worldwide, compare to modern refrigeration
- Cultural connection: Invite a local kaumātua or Māori gardener to share knowledge. Connect to kaitiakitanga and whakapapa
📋 Kaiako Planning Snapshot / Teacher Planning Snapshot
Timing Overview
- Hook / Engagement: 10–15 min
- Core Activities: 40–50 min
- Video / Multimedia: 10–15 min
- Reflection / Exit: 5–10 min
- Total: ~75–90 min (double period)
Curriculum Alignment — Achievement Objectives
- Learning Areas: Social Studies (Māori agricultural innovation, adaptation strategies), Science (plant biology basics), English (information report writing)
- Achievement Objective: Students will understand how scarcity, trade-offs, and food systems shape human decisions and cultural practices across time and place
- Key Competencies: Thinking, Using Language Symbols & Texts, Participating & Contributing
Inclusion & Accessibility Guidance
- ESOL / ELL learners: Pre-teach key vocabulary before each activity. Provide visual vocabulary cards and allow responses in home language before English. Pair with a bilingual buddy where possible.
- ADHD / neurodiverse learners: Break activities into clearly timed segments with visible countdown. Offer movement breaks between activities. Provide choice in response format (verbal, visual, written).
- Accessibility / dyslexia: All handouts available in larger font on request. Read aloud instructions for students with reading difficulties. Accept drawn or verbal responses as alternatives to written tasks.
- Cultural inclusion: Validate diverse food traditions as equally valid — avoid framing any culture's food practices as primitive or inferior. Connect to students' own whānau food knowledge.