Lesson video

Hi there, I'm Miss Chu, and in this lesson we're going to be exploring characters' perspectives.

That means we are going to be looking at the world through their eyes, and the two characters that we're going to focus on are Paikea and Koro.

So when you are ready, let's get started.

Today's lesson outcome is I can understand different characters' perspectives.

Here are the keywords for this lesson.

I'm going to let you read them now.

In today's lesson, we're going to be looking at Paikea's perspective and then also then exploring Koro's perspective.

So let's begin by exploring Paikea's perspective.

When exploring a character's point of view, we experience life as if through their eyes.

This is called their perspective.

As well as focusing on characters' appearance.

That's what they look like, words they use, actions they perform, and how they interact with others, we can also look for clues that show a character's reason for doing something.

In "Whale Rider," Paikea and Koro have different perspectives shaped by their roles, beliefs, and life experiences.

In the story, Paikea feels a deep spiritual and ancestral connection to her Maori heritage.

This ancestral connection is significant because it links her directly to the leaders within her family's tribe.

Pai sees herself as capable of embodying the qualities of leadership, even though traditionally it is males who lead the tribe.

What does the word ancestor mean? Is it A, a pet you own, B, a family member from the past, C, all your teachers, or D, your best friend? Pause the video and have a think about what the word ancestor means.

Okay, so the answer is a family member from the past.

In the story Pai respects and values the traditions and customs of her people.

She learns the traditional chants and songs, and this shows her commitment to preserving and honouring her cultural heritage.

True or false, Ikea is committed to preserving the Maori culture.

That means she wants to keep it alive.

Pause the video and think about whether it's true that she wants to preserve her Maori culture or false.

Okay, so the answer is true.

She learns the traditional chants and songs, or she listens to and learns contemporary songs.

The answer is A.

She learns the traditional Maori chants and songs.

In the story Pai has a spiritual connection to her ancestors and the natural world around her.

This connection is evident, means you can see it, in her interactions with the whales.

Whales in Maori culture are sacred beings.

When does Paikea show this deep connection with whales? I want you to turn and tell the person next to you when you think this happens in the story.

Off you go.

Which animal is sacred in the Maori culture? Is it fish, whale, hamster, or snake? Pause the video and think about the animal that's sacred in the story.

The answer is, of course, a whale.

Despite her strong connection to tradition, Paikea faces resistance, that means a pushback, from her grandfather, Koro, because she is a girl.

Paikea feels strongly that she has to prove herself as a capable leader.

Her journey is one of determination, challenging traditions, and creating her own aspirations.

In your first task, I would like you to draw an outline of a whale and then write down the names of the people in your family, or it could be anyone that's special to you, inside the outline of your whale.

Pause the video and have a go.

These are the names of the people in my family that I've written down and put inside the outline of my whale.

I have my mum, my dad, my sister.

I've also got my grandmother, my cousin, and I've included my stepdad as well.

Who have you put in your whale? We are now onto the second part of the lesson.

We are now going to explore Koro's perspective.

Let's compare and contrast the character of Paikea with the character of Koro.

Koro is deeply committed to the beliefs and customs of his Maori tribe.

He firmly believes that the leader should be male.

He expects the next male leader to embody the qualities and wisdom of their ancestors.

He feels a huge responsibility to ensure that the traditions are preserved and passed down correctly to the next generation.

Is it true or false? Koro does not follow the traditions of his ancestors.

Pause the video and think about whether this is true or whether this is false.

So, the answer is false because Koro is committed to modernising traditions and beliefs, or Koro is deeply committed to the traditional beliefs and customs of his Maori tribe.

We know, don't we, that Koro is deeply committed to the traditional beliefs and customs of his Maori tribe and works really hard at trying to preserve and pass this on.

Koro's resistance to change is a central part of his character.

He struggles to resolve differences between his deep respect for tradition and the changing dynamics of his community and family.

Koro fears that moving away from traditional practises will lead to the loss of their cultural identity and heritage, and it's this fear that drives his resistance to acknowledging Pai as a possible leader.

What is a central aspect of Koro's character? Does he like keeping up-to-date with changes in society? Does he resist changes to tradition? Or is he quite accepting of women as leaders? Hmm.

Pause the video and have a think.

So, we know, don't we, that Koro is resistant to changes in tradition.

Despite rigidly sticking to tradition, Koro deeply loves his granddaughter, and that's evident in the story.

Koro's love for Pai is clear, but his beliefs create a barrier between them.

He's torn between his love and affection for Pai and his belief that she cannot ever, ever be a leader.

She cannot fulfil the role of a leader.

Koro often acts harshly towards Paikea, that means sometimes that he might be perceived as being not very nice, because he wants to protect her from what he thinks is a role she's not meant to take.

Is this true or false? Koro does not like Paikea.

Pause the video and point to whether you think this is true or false.

So, the answer is obviously false.

We know that Koro deeply loves his granddaughter.

Or is it that Koro acts harshly towards Paikea? Well, he does, but it's false because he deeply loves his granddaughter.

Over the course of the story, we learned that Koro eventually recognises Paikea's innate leadership qualities, that means qualities that are natural to her, her connection to their ancestral heritage, and also her determination.

By the end of the story, Koro learns to embrace, that means welcome, change and accept that leadership and cultural preservation can come in different forms. Paikea's success in riding the whale and leading the tribe symbolises a new understanding and acceptance for Koro.

In Task B, I would like you to write a sentence from Koro's perspective in the speech bubble, and then I would like you to write a sentence about Koro's hopes or fears for the future in the thought bubble.

So in the speech bubble, you might want to start with, "I am Koro and I feel.

." In the speech bubble, you might want to say, "I am Koro and I am hopeful that.

." Pause the video and have a go thinking about Koro's perspective.

Well done.

You did that amazingly.

So I heard some people say, "I am Koro and I feel disappointed because I have always believed that a boy should lead our tribe." And then someone else said, "I am Koro and I am hopeful, but I'm also scared.

I feel afraid of the changes that might come if we let go of our traditions." To summarise this lesson, exploring characters' perspectives, when exploring a character's point of view, we experience life as if through their eyes.

We call this perspective.

Paikea feels a deep spiritual and ancestral connection to her Maori heritage.

Despite Koro's disapproval, Paikea is determined to prove herself worthy of carrying on the leadership of her tribe.

Koro is deeply entrenched in the traditional beliefs and customs of their tribe.

And finally, Koro sees Paikea's desire to lead as a challenge, and he dismisses her abilities based on her gender, based on the fact that she's a girl.

I hope you enjoyed exploring Paikea and Koro's perspectives in this lesson.