Best for
Integrated science inquiries, environmental investigations, local fieldwork, and projects where students compare evidence from more than one knowledge source.
Science / Mātauranga Māori • Years 9-13 • Ready to use tomorrow
Integrated Experiment Template
Use this template when ākonga are designing investigations that draw on both scientific method and local mātauranga Māori. It helps students plan a clear test while also identifying relationships, tikanga, and place-based knowledge that matter.
Free experiment template, premium adaptation path
This handout is ready to use as-is. If you want it rewritten for a specific local investigation, taiao issue, or achievement task, Te Wānanga can adapt the prompts while keeping the integrated structure coherent.
- Swap in your own local species, site, or environmental issue.
- Generate a scaffolded junior version or a formal senior investigation planner.
- Save the adapted version and continue working on it in Creation Studio.
Kaiako planning snapshot
- Use length: 25-40 minutes for planning, or longer if students are already gathering background evidence.
- Grouping: Best used in pairs or small investigation groups with teacher conferencing.
- Prep: Clarify the fieldwork context, equipment, and any cultural or local protocols before students begin planning.
- Teaching move: Encourage students to see integration as strengthening the investigation, not decorating it.
Resources already provided
- Integrated planning template
- Scientific background and prediction prompts
- Mātauranga and tikanga considerations
- Data / observation planning
- Integrated conclusion prompts
- Curriculum companion for assessment planning
If the lesson asks for an integrated experiment write-up, this handout already gives the bilingual structure needed to plan it properly.
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga / Learning Intentions
- We are learning how to design an investigation that uses more than one knowledge lens.
- We are learning how to plan methods, variables, and evidence collection carefully.
- We are learning how to draw integrated conclusions rather than treating knowledge systems as separate add-ons.
Paearu Angitu / Success Criteria
- I can explain my research question and why it matters in this place or context.
- I can show how scientific methods and mātauranga-based observations both contribute to the investigation.
- I can explain what my evidence suggests and what I would improve next.
Curriculum integration / Te Marautanga alignment
Use the companion page to make the curriculum intent explicit around Nature of Science, inquiry, evidence, and the respectful use of mātauranga Māori within investigation design.
1. Research question
What are you investigating?
2. Background knowledge
Scientific background
What does current science already tell you about this question?
Mātauranga background
What do local knowledge, long-term observation, oral history, or tikanga suggest here?
3. Prediction and planning
Scientific prediction: ________________________________________________
Mātauranga-informed expectation: ____________________________________
Independent variable: ________________________________________________
Dependent variable: ________________________________________________
Controlled variables: ________________________________________________
4. Methods and tikanga
- Scientific tools / measurements: ____________________________________
- Observation methods / local indicators: _____________________________
- Maramataka / seasonal timing: ______________________________________
- Tikanga or relationship considerations: _____________________________
5. Integrated findings
What did the scientific evidence suggest?
What did the mātauranga-based observations add or challenge?
How do the two together deepen the conclusion?
Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment
Social Sciences — Tikanga ā-Iwi
Level 3–4: Investigate social, cultural, environmental, and economic questions; gather and evaluate evidence from diverse sources; communicate findings and reasoning clearly for different audiences and purposes.
English — Communication
Level 3–4: Read, interpret, and evaluate information texts; write clearly and purposefully for specific audiences; apply critical thinking skills to evaluate sources and construct well-reasoned responses.
Aronga Mātauranga Māori
This resource sits within a kaupapa that recognises mātauranga Māori as a living knowledge system with its own frameworks, values, and ways of understanding the world. The New Zealand Curriculum calls for learning that reflects the bicultural partnership of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which means every subject area has an obligation to engage authentically with Māori perspectives — not as cultural decoration but as substantive contributions to how we understand our topics. The concepts of manaakitanga (care for others), kaitiakitanga (guardianship), whanaungatanga (relationship and belonging), and tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) provide a values framework applicable across all learning areas, and all are relevant to the work in this handout.
Tuhia ōu whakaaro · Write Your Thoughts
Reflect on your learning. What was the most important idea? What question do you still have?
Ngā Rauemi Tautoko · Support Materials
This handout is designed to be used alongside the broader unit resources available at Te Kete Ako handouts library. Related resources from the same unit are linked in the unit planner. All resources are provided — no additional preparation is required to use this handout in your classroom.
📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot
Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
Students will engage with this resource to explore the intersection of STEM disciplines and mātauranga Māori — understanding how Indigenous knowledge systems and Western science share complementary ways of knowing the world.
Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria
- ✅ Students can identify connections between mātauranga Māori and STEM concepts in this resource.
- ✅ Students can explain how dual knowledge systems strengthen understanding of natural phenomena.
Differentiation & Inclusion
Scaffold support: Provide concept maps or sentence frames to scaffold access for students at the entry level. Offer extension tasks exploring specific mātauranga Māori knowledge domains (e.g., tohu āhua rangi, rongoā, whakapapa o te taiao) in greater depth.
ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach key vocabulary in both te reo Māori and English — including domain-specific STEM terms. Bilingual glossaries and visual anchors support comprehension. Allow students to demonstrate understanding in their preferred language.
Inclusion: Tasks are designed for a range of readiness levels. Neurodiverse learners benefit from structured, chunked activities with clear success criteria. Use hands-on, inquiry-based formats where possible. Affirm the value of different ways of knowing.
Mātauranga Māori lens: Mātauranga Māori encompasses astronomy, ecology, navigation, agriculture, and medicine — systems of knowledge developed over centuries. This unit treats mātauranga Māori as epistemically equal to Western science, not supplementary. Bring kaitiakitanga as a guiding ethic: knowledge is held in relationship, not extracted.
Prior knowledge: Students benefit from baseline understanding of the relevant STEM domain. No specialist te reo Māori knowledge required — glossaries provided. Best used after introductory lessons or as a standalone exploration.
Curriculum alignment
- Nature of Science — Knowledge: Science is a way of investigating, understanding, and explaining our natural, physical world; mātauranga Māori offers complementary systems of knowledge that enrich scientific understanding.
- Identity, Culture, and Organisation: Understand how different knowledge systems — including mātauranga Māori — shape how communities relate to the natural world.