Hawaii's Animal Ahupua`a
A Hands-on Guide to Hawaii’s Native Animals in an Ahupua`a
Grade Level: First Grade
Purpose: This curriculum is designed to communicate:
- Students learn that ahupua’a is a management system and also an animal habitat.
- Students learn the importance of the intact habitat for Hawaii’s native animals.
- Students explore ahupua’a and discover some of the native animals (gobies, happy face spiders, hoary bats, and honeycreepers) in Hawaii.
Rationale: Ahupua’a refers to the traditional land division in Hawaii. It provides a habitat for many native animals by supporting a diverse environment that includes the mountains, the valleys, and the sea. In this curriculum students will learn the basic natural history of some native animals in Hawaii and how they are unique to their habitat. Through hands-on, inquiry-based activities, students comprehend the importance of preserving diversity of the native animals in Hawaii.
This unit was created and piloted by Bobby Hsu & Tina Rizor