He Waʻa He Moku, He Moku He Waʻa
The Island is a Canoe, The Canoe is an Island
A unit exploring how global systems impact Indigenous islands — and how ʻike Hawaiʻi lights the way forward.
Explore the Unit
Unit Purpose
The Big Idea
Students explore how global systems — colonization, consumerism, and climate change — impact small Indigenous islands, while strengthening their identity through ʻike Hawaiʻi and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.
Investigate
Explore the world beyond Hawaiʻi — Vanuatu, Kiribati, Marshall Islands
Recognize
Compare Indigenous vs. Western perspectives and systems
Communicate
Express ideas in both ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and English
Take Action
Address real-world issues: plastic, cultural loss, climate migration
Standards Alignment
ACTFL + HĀ Framework
ACTFL World Language Standards
Communication
Interpret and present in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi
Cultures
Compare Hawaiian values with other Indigenous island cultures
Connections
Link science (climate, plastics) with culture
Communities
Engage with local and global communities
HĀ Framework
ʻIke (Belonging)
Identity as kanaka + global Indigenous connections
Kuleana (Responsibility)
Stewardship of ʻāina and ocean
Aloha
Compassion for other island communities
Hawaiʻi
ʻIke kūpuna as foundation for all learning
5–7 Day Lesson Sequence
Unit Overview
Each day builds on the last — from personal identity outward to global action — keeping ʻike Hawaiʻi at the center of every lesson.
Day 1
ʻO Wai Au? — Identity + Place
Essential Question: How does place shape identity?
Students create a moʻokūʻauhau of place — a personal map of where they come from and what they are connected to. The class explores the concept of islands as interconnected, not isolated, and locates Pacific Islands on a map.

ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi Output: "No ___ mai au… Pili au i ___…"

Day 2
Indigenous Islands vs. Western Systems
Essential Question: What changed after Western contact?
Ahupuaʻa System
Sustainable land division from mountain to sea. Subsistence-based, community-centered, reciprocal relationship with ʻāina.
Imported Economy
Consumer-driven, extraction-based, waste-generating. Produces pollution that disproportionately impacts island communities.
Case studies from Hawaiʻi and Vanuatu anchor the comparison. Discussion centers on a critical question: Who produces waste — and who deals with it? Students complete a Venn Diagram comparing Hawaiian and Western systems.
Day 3
Climate Change + the Plastic Crisis
Essential Question: Why are islands most impacted? Students analyze images and videos of ocean plastic and shoreline debris, learning how global ocean currents carry waste from distant nations directly onto island shores.
ʻŌpala
Trash / waste
Kai
Ocean / sea
Mālama
To care for

ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi Output: "Ua nui ka ʻōpala i ke kai…" — Connected to Sustainable Saturday work.
Day 4
Cultural Loss + Climate Migration
Essential Question: What happens when people leave their islands?
Students examine climate migration across the Pacific — particularly in Vanuatu and Kiribati — and the devastating losses that follow: language, cultural practices, and connection to ʻāina.
A storytelling circle invites students to reflect personally: What would it mean to leave Hawaiʻi?

Journal Output: "Inā haʻalele au i koʻu ʻāina…"
( they those ther culture, tourist come and buy the land, they forget about their history, they learn the new culture of the new communuty theyʻre moving to.)
Days 5–7
Taking Action + Advocacy
Essential Question: What is our kuleana? Students connect classroom learning to real-world action, then design and present their own solution or advocacy project.
Waste Action
Cardboard shredding, plastic reduction, school waste audits
Voice of the Valley 🔥
Podcast episode sharing global issues through a Hawaiian lens
Awareness Campaign
Visual campaigns, speeches in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, letters to policymakers
Assessment
Measuring Growth + Global Competency
Formative Assessment
  • Participation in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi discussions
  • Daily reflections and journal entries
  • Storytelling circle contributions
Summative: Project-Based Assessment
Students answer: "How are Indigenous islands impacted by global systems, and what is our kuleana?"
Rubric includes:
  • ACTFL communication proficiency
  • Cultural understanding
  • Global awareness
  • Action-oriented thinking
UN Sustainable Development Goals
SDGs + ʻIke Hawaiʻi
The SDGs provide a global framework for the world's most pressing challenges. By connecting ʻike Hawaiʻi with the SDGs, haumāna understand that Indigenous knowledge systems already contain sustainable practices the world is now trying to relearn. Students see themselves not only as learners, but as global Indigenous leaders with the power to advocate for change.
SDG 13 + SDG 14
Climate Action + Life Below Water
SDG 13: Climate Action
Islands like Hawaiʻi and Vanuatu contribute very little to global emissions yet face sea level rise, coral bleaching, stronger storms, and food insecurity. Students connect climate action to mālama ʻāina, kuleana, and aloha ʻāina — grounding global science in Hawaiian values.
SDG 14: Life Below Water
Students explore ocean plastics, microplastics, reef damage, and how global waste washes onto island shores. Activities include beach cleanups, plastic audits, and marine debris analysis. The Hawaiian lens connects to kai as ancestor and traditional fishing stewardship.
SDG 15 + SDG 12
Land, Forests + Responsible Consumption
SDG 15: Life on Land
Students learn about native ecosystem restoration, invasive species, watershed protection, and the ahupuaʻa system. Tied directly to Hakalau watershed discussions, native planting projects, and ʻŌhiʻa forests. Hawaiian lens: "The health of the forest determines the health of the people."
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption + Production
Students investigate consumer culture, fast fashion, imported waste, and landfill dependence — then compare traditional Hawaiian resource management to modern disposable lifestyles. Activities include cardboard shredding, compostable pots, and circular economy projects rooted in taking only what is needed.
SDG 10 + SDG 4
Equity, Education + Indigenous Leadership
SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
Indigenous peoples and small island communities often experience environmental injustice, fewer resources, displacement, and loss of language and culture due to colonization. Students examine why communities contributing least to climate destruction suffer the most — connecting to Hawaiʻi's own history of overthrow, land loss, and cultural suppression.
SDG 4: Quality Education
Students engage in culturally grounded education, ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi revitalization, project-based learning, and civic engagement. Education becomes a tool for empowerment and cultural perpetuation — guided by ma ka hana ka ʻike and ʻike kūpuna through community-based learning.
Closing Reflection
Global Leaders from 96792
"Small islands may be physically small, but they carry some of the world's largest lessons about sustainability, resilience, community, and cultural survival."
This unit builds identity first through the HĀ framework, then expands outward to global competency — keeping learning grounded in ʻāina + action. Students shift from seeing themselves as victims of climate change to becoming innovators, advocates, cultural practitioners, and environmental stewards.
Closing question for your classroom: "What can the world learn from Hawaiʻi and other Indigenous islands?"
Innovators
Advocates
Cultural Practitioners
Environmental Stewards