Professional Documents
Culture Documents
5E Lesson Uala
5E Lesson Uala
edu 3/28/19
Pauline Chinn
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Sweet potatoes,‘uala, were associated with Lono, god of planting and the demigod Kamapua‘a. A
broken sweet potato resembles a pig snout, leaves may remind one of a pig’s head (kukui, too), thus
were considered kinolau, body forms of Lono. ‘Uala could be grown in sunny, drier areas than kalo
in any soil but heavy clay. Though most food plants brought by Polynesian voyagers were
domesticated in Asia and the Western Pacific, genetic evidence indicates sweet potatoes were
domesticated in S. America. Family members including the sweet potato (above) have flowers that
look like morning glories. Beach morning glory, pohuehue; pāʻū-o-Hiʻiaka, skirt of Hiʻiaka, and
koali are native to Hawaiʻi. Introduced relatives include edible ung choi (swamp morning glory),
and decorative wood roses, morning glories, and a few weeds. The legendary menehune ate ʻuala
and made baskets from koali vines.
Materials: Sweet potatoes, cuttings, relatives growing in the community, ung choi from market.
Instructional Activities:
1. Engage: Connect topic to prior knowledge, engage learners in concept, process or skills to be
learned.
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3/28/19Pauline Chinn, chinn@hawaii.edu 3/28/19
3. Explain: What are main ideas and concepts? How will they be constructed and explained by
teacher and children?
Scientific classification and description: flower shape, growth form, and adaptations.
What are effects of human selection on sweet potato? (Many varieties and large, starch
storing roots)
What characteristics give different family members cultural and economic value, or make
them undesirable weeds?
4. Elaborate/Extend: Which process skills will be practiced? How will ideas be extended to new
interests?
5. Evaluate: How will children show/know what they have learned? Teacher reflection, how
could the lesson by more effective?
Sources:
1. Abbott, I. A. (1992). Lāʻau Hawaiʻi: Traditional Hawaiian uses of plants. Honolulu: Bishop
Museum Press.
2. The 5 E’s: http://enhancinged.wgbh.org/research/eeeee.html
3. 5 E Lesson Plan Template: http://www.ehhs.cmich.edu/~dnewby/5eLessontemplate.doc.
4. St. John, H. & and Jendrusch, K. “Plants introduced to Hawai'i by the ancestors of the
Hawaiian people” http://pvs.kcc.hawaii.edu/migrationsplants.html
5. Nutritional Education for Wellness: Cultural Cuisine (recipes with nutritional information)
http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/NEW/CulturalCuisine/CulturalCuisine.htm