Hawaiʻi's Animal Ahupuaʻa

A Hands-on Guide to Hawaiʻi’s Native Animals in an Ahupuaʻa

Grade Level: First Grade

Purpose: This curriculum is designed to communicate:

• Students learn that ahupuaʻa is a management system and also an animal habitat.
• Students learn the importance of the intact habitat for Hawaiʻi’s native animals.
• Students explore ahupuaʻa and discover some of the native animals (gobies, happy face spiders, hoary bats, and honeycreepers) in Hawaii.

Rationale: Ahupuaʻa refers to the traditional land division in Hawaiʻi. 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 Hawaiʻi 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 Hawaiʻi.

Downloadable Lessons

• Unit Overview (PDF)
• Lesson 1: What is an Ahupuaʻa (PDF)
• Lesson 2: Oʻopu (PDF)
• Lesson 3: Hawaiian Hoary Bat (PDF)
• Lesson 3: Echolocation Game (PDF)
• Lesson 3: Hoary Bat Sound 1 (PDF)
• Lesson 3: Hoary Bat Sound 2 (PDF)
• Lesson 4: Happy Face Spider (PDF)
• Lesson 5: Protecting Our Native Forests (PDF)

This unit was created and piloted by Bobby Hsu & Tina Rizor.