Students recognize Maori sayings, identify major characters, and discuss major story lines in The Whale Rider. For this The Whale Rider lesson, students repeat and define common words of the Maori and discuss the setting of the...

Students examine cultural differences through the reading of The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera.  For this language arts lesson, students work in groups to analyze chapters 11 and 12 of the novel; these chapters highlight...

Students compare and contrast the movie and the novel.  In this Whale Rider lesson plan, students work in groups to find similarities and differences in the book and the movie.  Students discuss the Maori culture and the...

Young scholars assess the Treaty of Waitangi and compare it to various Native American treaties. After discussing the legal issues of the treaties, they role-play as groups representing a nation-state and indigenous people who negotiate...