Teacher-only planning note
This framework is strongest when the issue is genuinely local. Kaiako should choose a specific awa, place, planting project, transport issue, waste stream, or biodiversity concern so students can work with evidence and perspective rather than general environmental slogans.
Students understand how people view and use places differently.
How this handout aligns
The inquiry prompts ask students to identify the place, explain why it matters, and compare the different people and groups affected by the issue.
A strong fit for local place-based planning where students need to move beyond generic environmental concern.
Students understand how people participate individually and collectively in response to community challenges.
How this handout aligns
The action-planning section requires students to propose a realistic response to an environmental challenge rather than stopping at description.
Useful when kaiako want inquiry to lead into civic and environmental action, not just information gathering.
Students explore perspectives, use evidence to form conclusions, and share ideas in response to issues that matter in their world.
How this handout aligns
The mātauranga Māori lens is explicit through kaitiakitanga, relationship to place, and the expectation that evidence sits alongside local responsibility and cultural context.
A useful teacher reminder that environmental literacy in Aotearoa should feel relational, place-based, and culturally grounded.