ELA Lesson: Biodiversity in the Kumulipo
Lesson Plan
1 hour 20 minutesGrades11, 12English Language Arts
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Written by Kara Hisatake
About this lesson
In this lesson, students analyze the biodiversity represented in the Kumulipo creation chant and create a children’s book about protecting species.
Step 1 - Inquire: Students discuss origin stories and why stories are important to understanding a place.
Step 2 - Investigate: Students read the Kumulipo, the creation chant of the Hawaiian people, and learn how biodiversity within the chant is threatened by climate change.
Step 3 - Inspire: Students collaborate to create a children’s book about plants and animals from the Kumulipo, including how to protect these species from climate change.
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Positives
- This lesson aligns with Hawai‘i’s Nā Hopena A‘o HĀ-BREATH Framework.
- This lesson can be incorporated into units about personal narratives, the literature of Hawai‘i, Aloha ‘Āina, and what it means to build a sustainable Hawai‘i. This lesson can also be used in a Hawaiian Studies or science class exploring biodiversity and the impact of climate change on species over time.
- Students are given choice and are empowered to teach others.
- Students see species and ecosystems through both a Native Hawaiian worldview and a Western scientific biodiversity standpoint and learn why climate change that harms one species can also cause the entire ecosystem to suffer.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students should have some familiarity with how climate change impacts plants and animals in Hawai‘i. Even just knowing that many species are endangered or extinct is enough.
- Students should have some knowledge of origin stories.
- Teacher should preview the Kumulipo and the Teacher Answer Key before starting the lesson.
Differentiation
- Students can extend this assignment into a personal narrative. Students can choose their “keystone” species that adds value to their life, outside of humans and pets, and write about this relationship.
- This assignment can also be made into one about character voice. Students can choose a species, create personality traits, and write using that voice.
- Students may work in groups or look up each plant or animal individually.
From the scientist review
This lesson allows students to explore species and natural resources in Hawai'i and how climate change has impacted biodiversity. They will also learn how to convey the state of the biodiversity through storytelling. The lesson passed our science credibility process after all of the supporting documents, images, and resources were examined.
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About the teacher writer
Kara Hisatake
Teacher
Kara Hisatake holds a PhD in Literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She has more than six years of experience teaching high school English Language Arts for grades 9–12. Her expertise is in literature and English language arts education.
