📚 Unit Plans → 🌍 Ngā Manu o te Taiao — Local Birds & Habitats → 📖 Manu W1: Meet the Manu
Years 7–8Tikanga-ā-Iwi / Social Sciences

Manu W1: Meet the Manu

🎯 Learning Intentions

  • I can name 5+ local manu using Māori and English names.
  • I can explain why manu are important in te ao Māori.
  • I can start mapping habitats around our kura.

✅ Success Criteria

  • I can identify at least 3 manu by sight or sound.
  • I can share one pūrākau or fact about a local manu.
  • I can add 3+ features to my habitat map.

🗣️ Kupu / Vocabulary

  • manu (bird), kererū (wood pigeon), tūī, pīwakawaka (fantail)
  • nohoanga (habitat), ngahere (forest), awa (river), repo (wetland)
  • kaitiaki (guardian), taonga (treasure)

🧭 Lesson Flow

  • Hook (10): Play bird calls — students guess which manu. Gallery of local bird photos.
  • Pūrākau (10): Share a local story about manu (e.g., why the pīwakawaka is cheeky, Māui and the birds). Discuss: Why are manu taonga?
  • Vocab Practice (10): Use Manu ID cards to learn 5-7 common birds. Practice pronunciation.
  • Wonder Board (10): Students write questions about manu on sticky notes → create class wonder board.
  • Habitat Mapping (20): Walk school grounds. Students begin habitat map, marking trees, water, open spaces.
  • Share (5): "One manu I want to learn more about is..."

🎬 Media Anchor

Use this clip to model accurate observation language before field identification and habitat mapping.

Video anchor: Identifying Aotearoa native bird calls

  • Pause and discuss: What visual or audio evidence helps us confirm a species ID?
  • Link to today's task: Students add one evidence note from the clip into their lesson artefact.

📄 Resources

🧰 Differentiation

  • Support: Pre-teach 3 key manu names; buddy system for mapping walk.
  • Extension: Research a manu not on our list; find its pūrākau.

✅ Checks for Understanding

  • Students can name at least 3 manu using Māori names.
  • Wonder board shows genuine curiosity questions.
  • Habitat maps have at least 3 features marked.

Curriculum alignment

  • Social Studies — Understanding: Students understand how economic decisions affect people and communities and how Māori economic models reflect cultural values and environmental responsibility.

📋 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 (manu, meet, manu) 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 manu w1 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.