Unit 8 Lesson 10: Taha Hinengaro

🌅 Karakia, Mauri Check & Safety Reset (8 minutes)

"Kia mau ki te tokanga nui a Noho" – Hold fast to stability when storms rise.

Karakia: Short karakia of gratitude for the strength in our whakapapa.
Mauri spectrum check: Students quietly show where their mauri sits (cards/hand signal). Offer break space.
Safety brief: Revisit the escalation protocol and make sure named support adults and spaces are visible.

🎯 Learning Intentions & Success Criteria

By the end of this lesson, ākonga will be able to:

Define resilience as a collective, cultural practice (not just individual grit).
Analyse scenarios to identify growth mindset vs fixed mindset responses.
Map their personal resilience supports using Te Whare Tapa Whā.
Commit to actions that strengthen protective factors and help-seeking pathways.

Success Criteria – Ākonga will demonstrate:

✓ Contributions in resilience story maps and discussions
✓ Completed Growth Mindset Reframe cards with culturally responsive language
✓ Resilience Weave Map showing people, practices, and routines across all pou
✓ Support Circle commitments with timelines and allies named

Activity 1: Stories of Resilience (12 minutes)

Whakapapa Strengths Spotlight

Ako, pukapuka kōrero, discussion

Share a short pūrākau/video snippet (e.g., Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei reclaiming Bastion Point, Pasifika family resilience story). In groups, ākonga identify resilience behaviours across Te Whare Tapa Whā.

Use prompt cards: "What helped their hinengaro stay hopeful?" "Which whānau supports activated?"
Students record observations on the Resilience Weave Map (outer ring: community stories).
Invite groups to share one insight that surprised or inspired them.

Activity 2: Growth Mindset Lab (15 minutes)

Reframe wero (challenges) with mana-enhancing language

Station rotation + pair kōrero

Set up four scenario cards (academic setback, sport injury, friend conflict, cultural performance nerves). At each station:

Read the fixed mindset statement (e.g., "Ka kore e taea e au te ako i tēnei").
Use the Growth Mindset Reframe Card to create manaaki-rich responses ("Kua piki ake te wero, ka rapu tautoko au...").
Note which support pou they would lean on and any tikanga guiding their approach.

Encourage bilingual reframes where possible. Collect exemplar sentences to display.

Activity 3: Resilience Weave Studio (18 minutes)

Map Your Protective Factors

Individual creation with kaiako conferencing

Using the Resilience Weave Map, list personal strengths, routines, taonga, and people within each pou.
Add outer ring supports (school services, community supports, and named wellbeing systems) to show layered protection.
Identify any pou that feels under-supported; brainstorm with a buddy or kaiako how to strengthen it.

Kaiako circulate to check for students flagging low resilience – connect them discreetly with support staff.

Activity 4: Support Circle Commitments (10 minutes)

Plan Real-World Actions

Individual planning + optional sharing

Complete the Support Circle Commitment Sheet: name trusted adults/peers, specify how/when to connect, write one sentence of kaupapa for each.
Set one short-term resilience goal (e.g., "Attend kapa haka practice twice this week"), include accountability partner and check-in date.
Optional whaikōrero circle: volunteers share a commitment, classmates respond with "Ka taea!" encouragement.

Whakamutunga – Reflection & Manaaki (7 minutes)

Strengths Anchoring (3 minutes)

In journals, students complete: "When things get tough, I will remember…" and "The pou I will strengthen next is…"

Collective Closing (2 minutes)

Stand in a circle, share one kupu that symbolises resilience (e.g., "manawaroa", "lototō").

Support Reminder (2 minutes)

Re-list named school supports, trusted adults, and the agreed wellbeing pathway for follow-up kōrero.

🏠 Homework / Extension

Required: Resilience Snapshot

Interview a whānau member about a time they overcame adversity. Note the supports they used and add them to your Resilience Weave Map.

Optional: Mentor Letter

Write (but don’t yet send) a letter/email to a mentor sharing your resilience commitment and asking for their encouragement or guidance.

🧰 Teacher Preparation & Notes

Resources: Print handouts, prepare story/video excerpts, set up mauri spectrum cards.
Pastoral coordination: Inform counsellors that resilience conversations may surface ongoing challenges; set up quick referral pathway.
Environment: Arrange whāriki or circles for story sharing; display whakataukī about resilience.
Whānau link: Send an optional take-home note summarising the resilience tools covered and the agreed school support pathway if appropriate.

📺 Related Videos

Curriculum alignment

Health & Physical Education: Understand that wellbeing is a dynamic state determined by physical, social, mental/emotional, and spiritual dimensions of health.
Social Sciences: Understand how people participate individually and collectively to support community wellbeing.

📋 Kaiako Planning Snapshot

Teacher planning support for this resource — learning intentions, success criteria, and inclusive practice guidance are summarised below.

Inclusion Guidance

ESOL / ELL learners: Pre-teach key vocabulary (taha, hinengaro, resilience) using visual word walls or bilingual glossaries before the lesson. Reduce language load with diagrams and visual models. Partner-share and think-pair-share strategies encouraged.
Neurodiverse learners / ADHD: Break the lesson into clear segments with visual checkpoints. UDL principle: offer ākonga a choice in how they demonstrate understanding (verbal, written, visual/drawn). Provide anchor charts or reference cards for unit 8 lesson 10 concepts throughout.
Dyslexia: Provide audio-text alternatives for written materials. Use high-contrast fonts and generous line spacing. Allow voice recording as an alternative to written responses where possible.

Unit 8: Hauora Wairua - Holistic Wellbeing