🏺 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?
🎯 Learning Intentions
- Analyze how Māori innovated to store kūmara (rua kūmara)
- Understand the connection between innovation and food security
- Calculate volume and estimate storage capacity
✅ Success Criteria
- I can explain how rua kūmara worked
- I can calculate the volume of a storage pit
- I can write from the perspective of a kūmara grower
📚 Curriculum Links
- Social Studies: Understand innovation and adaptation
- Mathematics: Calculate volume and capacity
- English: Write from different perspectives
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