Teaching use
Junior science introduction to scientific enquiry, observation, evidence, and local knowledge systems.
Science • Years 9-11 • Ready to teach
Scientific Method Through Traditional Māori Practices
Help ākonga recognise that careful observation, testing, pattern recognition, and knowledge-sharing sit inside both modern science and mātauranga Māori, especially in environmental and seasonal decision making.
Use this lesson to ground science in place
This page is free to teach as-is. Te Wānanga is useful when you want to generate a local inquiry, swap the environmental example, or differentiate the level of scientific writing and data handling required.
- Replace the sample investigation with a local awa, ngahere, school garden, or weather pattern study.
- Generate sentence frames or practical templates for classes that need more structure.
- Save a rohe-specific version for future classes and cross-curricular planning in My Kete.
Teacher planning snapshot
- Duration: 1 to 2 lessons of 50-60 minutes.
- Grouping: Whole-class unpacking, then pairs or small groups for planning an investigation.
- Prep: Choose one accessible local example where observation leads to a prediction or decision.
- Pedagogy: Teach mātauranga Māori and science as complementary knowledge systems, not as “old belief versus modern truth.”
Resources provided here
- Scientific method sequence handout
- Traditional ecological indicators handout
- Investigation planning prompts and variable checklist
- Curriculum companion page for planning and reporting
If the lesson asks for experiment planning, ecological observation, or evidence discussion, the core scaffolds are linked below so teachers can pick up and go.
Ngā Whāinga Ako / Learning Intentions
- We are learning to describe the main steps of a scientific investigation.
- We are learning to recognise how mātauranga Māori also uses sustained observation, evidence, and testing in the natural world.
- We are learning to plan a fair test or local investigation with clear variables and useful data.
Paearu Angitu / Success Criteria
- I can explain the purpose of observation, hypothesis, testing, and conclusion.
- I can give an example of mātauranga Māori that uses careful environmental observation.
- I can identify an independent variable, controlled variables, and useful data for an investigation.
- I can explain how different knowledge systems can strengthen understanding rather than compete.
Curriculum integration / Te Marautanga alignment
This lesson should be taught with the curriculum connection made explicit. Use the companion page to link the investigation work to science enquiry, understanding evidence, and local curriculum planning.
Context, care, and kaupapa
Teach this lesson as a comparison of robust ways of knowing, not as a contest where one system “wins.” Mātauranga Māori includes long-term observation, local testing, pattern recognition, and the passing on of reliable knowledge. Students should leave seeing that careful evidence-based thinking is already embedded in many Indigenous practices.
Keep the discussion local where possible: maramataka, weather signs, awa health, bird behaviour, and planting knowledge all help students see science as lived and relational rather than detached from place.
Inclusion and adaptation guidance
Support ESOL learners with a worked example that labels observation, variable, evidence, and conclusion explicitly. For neurodiverse learners, ADHD learners, or classes that need lower-load entry points, offer a partly completed investigation planner, a visual flowchart of the inquiry cycle, and the option to respond through discussion, diagrams, or annotated exemplars instead of extended writing.
Suggested lesson sequence
1. Hook: What counts as evidence?
Ask students to list how they know when rain is coming, when a place is unhealthy, or when a season is changing. Sort responses into observation, inherited knowledge, measurement, and prediction.
2. Scientific method refresh
Use the handout to revisit observation, question, hypothesis, experiment, data, and conclusion. Clarify variables and fair testing.
3. Traditional ecological indicators
Students read examples of tohu taiao and identify the observation, the pattern, and the action that follows. Ask what makes this knowledge reliable over time.
4. Plan an investigation
Pairs create a simple school-based or local investigation. They identify the question, the variables, the evidence needed, and how they would know if their hypothesis is supported.
5. Reflect and connect
Students explain one similarity and one difference between school science investigations and mātauranga Māori observation systems, then describe why both matter in Aotearoa.
Ready-to-use scaffolds
Investigation planning frame
- Question: What do we want to find out?
- Hypothesis: If..., then...
- Independent variable: What will we change?
- Controlled variables: What must stay the same?
- Evidence/data: What will we observe, count, measure, or record?
- Conclusion: How will we decide whether the evidence supports the idea?
Discussion prompts
- How can repeated observation become trustworthy knowledge?
- What makes an observation useful for prediction or decision making?
- How do place and local experience strengthen a scientific investigation?
- When might measurement tools add value, and when might local observation still matter most?
Sentence starters
- This investigation is asking...
- The variable we are changing is...
- We will keep these things the same so that...
- This traditional ecological indicator is reliable because...
- This shows that both science and mātauranga Māori...
Assessment and feedback
Possible task: Students complete a planning sheet or short written explanation for a local investigation and explain how observational knowledge informs the design.
| Criteria | Developing | Secure | Strong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific method | Names some steps. | Explains the main steps and variables clearly. | Applies the sequence accurately and purposefully to a local investigation. |
| Mātauranga connection | Mentions one cultural example. | Explains how observation works in a Māori practice or indicator. | Shows insight into how local knowledge and science can strengthen each other. |
| Investigation planning | Provides a basic idea. | Plans a fair, evidence-based investigation. | Plans a strong investigation with clear reasoning about evidence and reliability. |
Support and extension
Support
- Use a shared class investigation instead of open choice.
- Complete the variable checklist together before independent planning.
- Keep the mātauranga example concrete and local, such as maramataka or bird behaviour.
Extend
- Ask students to compare two knowledge systems and evaluate where each is strongest.
- Have students design a real field investigation for a school garden, awa, or weather log.
- Use the lesson as an entry point to a longer inquiry or science fair project.
What to prepare before lesson one
- Print or open the scientific method and ecological indicators handouts.
- Select one local example of environmental observation or seasonal knowledge.
- Decide whether students will only plan an investigation or also begin collecting data.
What good progress looks like by the end of lesson one
Students can explain the main steps of investigation, identify a fair-test structure, and describe at least one way mātauranga Māori uses observation and evidence to guide action.
Resources and linked scaffolds
Curriculum alignment
- English — Writing: Students will construct and communicate meaning using language features appropriate to purpose and audience.
- Social Sciences: Understand how people participate individually and collectively in response to community challenges.