1

Subtotal: $0

View Cart Checkout

“Searching for Amani” has been added to your cart. View cart

Whale Rider

A Māori village faces a crisis when the heir to the chiefdom dies at birth and is survived only by his twin sister Pai. Disregarded by her grandfather, twelve-year-old Pai remains certain of her calling and trains herself in the ways and customs of her people. With remarkable grace and courage, she summons the strength to challenge and embrace a thousand years of tradition in order to fulfill her destiny.

$0

- +

Product Description

Film runtime: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Film rating: PG-13. Common Sense Media rates this film as appropriate for ages 10+.

Grade levels: Resources available for Grades 5-9.

Where to Watch: Watch it on Amazon Prime and other streaming platforms. Or buy the DVD or Blu-ray.

Literary connection: For a film-book pairing, teach the Whale Rider movie with the book it was based on, The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera.

Whale Rider Curriculum Guide

Lesson 1: Who are the Māori (Social Studies)
Lesson 2: Viewing Whale Rider (Media Literacy)
Lesson 3: The World Outside, The Spirit Within (Social Studies)
Lesson 4: Māori Roles and Relationships (Language Arts / Visual Literacy)
Lesson 5: Insights Into Māori Culture (Film Specific Cross-Cultural Understanding)
Lesson 6: Culture and Gender (General Cross-Cultural Understanding)
Lesson 7: Special Effects and Music (Media Literacy)
Lesson 8: Echolocation (Science)
Lesson 9: Counting the Uncountable (Mathematics)
Lesson 10: Markings of the Māori (Visual Arts)

Preview Curriculum Guide

How to download your free resources
1. At the top of the page, click “Add to Cart”. 2. Check out.  3. Download.
Related Resources

For more films where girls are the hero, check out He Named Me Malala, Queen of Katwe, and Wadjda.

Teaching about Indigenous People? We also recommend Searching for Amani.

Teaching about the wonders of nature and living creatures? Get more resources in our Celebration of Nature Collection.

The Cup is featured in our Media Literacy and Journalism Lessons collection.

Whale Rider lead actress Keisha Castle-Hughes was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Learn more about teaching with our collection of  Oscar nominated and award-winning films.

Whale Rider is part of our global education collection of award-winning films from around the world for introducing students to global cultures and customs. We also recommend: Children of Heaven (Iran), Like Stars on Earth (India), Please Vote for Me (China), The Cup (Tibet),  The Way Home (South Korea) and, Wadjda (Saudi Arabia).

Sustainable Development Goals

Journeys in Film supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more about teaching with SDGs.

This curriculum guide connects to the following UN SDGs:

Red orange background. Number five upper left hand corner. Gender Equality, white, beside the number. Main image on the orange background is a symbol that combines the man symbol and woman symbol with equal marks inside the circle part of the symbol. Blue background with a white 14 in the upper left hand corner. Text beside it reads: Life Below Water. There are two white wave lines below the text and a large white fish below that.

This page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra change to you.

You may also like…

Related Products

FacebookInstagramLinkedIn