Curriculum

A Whale-Riding Lesson

March 01, 2006 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

(Excerpted from Activity 3, Lesson 6—“General Cross-Cultural Understanding”—in Journeys in Film’s curricular materials for the movie)

A scene from <i>Whale Rider</i>

Whale Rider reveals the struggle between Koro, the old chief of a contemporary Maori (New Zealand) community, and Pai, his young granddaughter. Koro refuses to accept that a girl may in fact be the most capable new leader. Strong-willed Pai must gain his approval.

Demonstrate the correct stance for Greek wrestling (feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, upper body erect, hips to the front). Invite students to knock you off balance. They’ll discover that they cannot. Explain that this stable stance is the same in life: Many cultures believe that we must be rooted in the earth, as in our beliefs.

See Also

Return to the main story,

Film School

Next, demonstrate how easy it is to unbalance someone who is too inflexible by again taking your proper stance, while keeping the upper body very rigid. Invite students to try to put you off balance, by holding both your hands and pushing or pulling. They should find they can do that.

<i>Whale Rider</i> is "rich in content" for lesson plans, says Anna Mara Rutins, JiF's director of programs.

Then let your upper body be very flexible. Demonstrate that some flexibility actually creates more balance. Let the students try to push and pull you again. They will find that they can’t because your upper body can “roll with the punches” without affecting your solid stance.

Relate this discussion to the film by talking about how the grandfather’s rigid stance made him ill, harmed the leadership of the community, and alienated his own son and wife.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the March 01, 2007 edition of Teacher Magazine as A Whale-Riding Lesson

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Curriculum Explainer Social Studies and Science Get Short Shrift in Elementary Schools. Why That Matters
Learn why the subjects play a key role in elementary classrooms—and how new policy debates may shift the status quo.
10 min read
Science teacher assists elementary school student in the classroom
iStock / Getty Images Plus
Curriculum Letter to the Editor Finance Education in Schools Must Be More Than Personal
Schools need to teach students to see how their spending impacts others, writes the executive director of the Institute for Humane Education.
1 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
Curriculum Q&A Why One District Hired Its Students to Review Curricula
Virginia's Hampton City school district pays a cadre of student interns to give feedback on curriculum.
3 min read
Kate Maxlow, director of curriculum, instruction, and assessment at Hampton City Schools, who helped give students a voice in curriculum redesign, works in her office on January 12, 2024.
Kate Maxlow is the director of curriculum, instruction, and assessment in Virginia's Hampton City school district. She worked with students to give them a voice in shaping curriculum.
Sam Mallon/Education Week
Curriculum One School District Just Pulled 1,600 Books From Its Shelves—Including the Dictionary
And the broadening book ban attempts may drive some teachers out of the classroom.
6 min read
Books are displayed at the Banned Book Library at American Stage in St. Petersburg, Fla., Feb. 18, 2023. In Florida, some schools have covered or removed books under a new law that requires an evaluation of reading materials and for districts to publish a searchable list of books where individuals can then challenge specific titles.
Books are displayed at the Banned Book Library at American Stage in St. Petersburg, Fla., Feb. 18, 2023. In Florida, some schools have covered or removed books under a new law that requires an evaluation of reading materials and for districts to publish a searchable list of books where individuals can then challenge specific titles.
Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP