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🔬 Field Report Template

Pūrongo Rangahau Taiao — Ecosystem Investigation Report

📋 Student Information

Name / Ingoa:

Date / Rā:

Field Site / Wāhi:

Group Members / Ngā Hoa Mahi:

1. Introduction | Kupu Whakataki

Research Question / Pātai Rangahau:

What are you trying to find out? Write your question clearly.

Background Information:

What do you already know about this ecosystem? Why is this investigation important?

Hypothesis / Whakapae:

What do you predict you will find? Give a reason for your prediction.

A good hypothesis is specific and testable. Example: "I predict that the shaded area will have fewer plant species than the sunny area because plants need sunlight for photosynthesis."

2. Method | Tikanga Mahi

Equipment Used / Ngā Taputapu:

Quadrat (1m × 1m)
Thermometer
Soil pH kit
Light meter
Moisture meter
Identification guides
Camera/phone
Other:

Procedure:

Describe step-by-step what you did during your field study.

  1. Step 1:
  2. Step 2:
  3. Step 3:
  4. Step 4:
  5. Step 5:
Before beginning your field study, acknowledge the land and its guardians. Consider: What tikanga (practices) should we follow when studying te taiao (the environment)?

3. Site Description | Te Āhua o te Wāhi

Site A:

Feature Description
Location description
Dominant vegetation
Soil type / condition
Light conditions
Human impact visible?

Site B:

Feature Description
Location description
Dominant vegetation
Soil type / condition
Light conditions
Human impact visible?

Site Sketch / Map:

Draw a labelled sketch or map of your study sites

4. Results | Ngā Hua

Abiotic (Non-living) Data:

Measurement Site A Site B
Temperature (°C)
Soil pH
Light level (lux or %)
Soil moisture
Humidity (%)

Biotic (Living) Data — Species Observed:

Species Name Native/Introduced? Site A Count Site B Count
TOTAL Species —

Graph or Chart:

Create a graph comparing your two sites (bar graph recommended for species counts).

Draw your graph here or attach a printed graph

5. Discussion | Kōrero Whakamārama

What do your results show?

Describe the key patterns or differences you observed between the two sites.

Why do you think this happened?

Explain the science behind your observations. Link to abiotic factors and ecological concepts.

Was your hypothesis supported?

Compare your prediction to your actual results. Explain why it was supported or not.

What are the limitations of your investigation?

What factors might have affected the accuracy of your results?

Consider: sample size, weather conditions, time of day, equipment accuracy, human error, and whether your sites were truly comparable.

6. Conclusion | Whakakapinga

Summary of Findings:

In 2-3 sentences, summarize what you discovered from your investigation.

Ecosystem Health Assessment:

Based on your investigation, rate the health of each site:

Site Health Rating (1-5) Reason
Site A ☐1 ☐2 ☐3 ☐4 ☐5
Site B ☐1 ☐2 ☐3 ☐4 ☐5

Kaitiakitanga Connection:

As a kaitiaki (guardian) of this environment, what recommendations would you make to protect or restore this ecosystem?

7. Extension | Whakawhānui

Further Investigation:

If you had more time, what additional questions would you want to investigate?

iNaturalist Contribution:

Did you upload any observations to iNaturalist NZ? ☐ Yes ☐ No

If yes, how many observations?

📊 Self-Assessment Checklist

Before submitting, check that you have:

Completed all sections of this template
Written a clear research question and hypothesis
Described your method step-by-step
Recorded accurate data in the tables
Created a graph or chart of your results
Explained your results using scientific reasoning
Discussed whether your hypothesis was supported
Identified limitations of your investigation
Made recommendations for kaitiakitanga
Used correct scientific vocabulary
Checked spelling and grammar

📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot

Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions

Students will engage with this resource to build understanding of Aotearoa New Zealand's ecosystems, biodiversity, and the role of kaitiakitanga in environmental stewardship.

Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria

  • ✅ Students can explain key concepts from this resource using their own words.
  • ✅ Students can connect the content to real-world environmental contexts in Aotearoa.

Differentiation & Inclusion

Scaffold support: Provide sentence starters, word banks, or graphic organisers to scaffold access for students who need it. Offer entry-level and extension tasks to address a range of readiness levels.

ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach key vocabulary and provide bilingual glossaries where available. Allow students to respond in their home language first.

Inclusion: Use accessible formats. Neurodiverse learners benefit from chunked instructions and choice in how they demonstrate understanding.

Prior knowledge: Best used after the relevant lesson sequence. No specialist prior knowledge required for entry-level engagement.

Curriculum alignment

  • Ecosystems — Practices: Representing ecological data using tables and graphs to interpret patterns and draw conclusions about ecosystem dynamics
  • Ecosystems — Knowledge: Indigenous knowledge systems, such as mātauranga Māori, are often founded on long-term observations of environmental patterns. For example, ngā tohu o te taiao can be used to …
  • Earth and Space — Practices: Using scientific data (e.g. light years, astronomical units) to interpret and compare the size of, and distances between, celestial bodies, as well as the time scales of event…
  • Ecosystems — Practices: Observing local ngā tohu o te taiao, such as flowering of certain plants or bird migrations, and explaining why these indicators can be used to understand and predict other en…
  • Body Systems — Practices: Analysing patterns of change in internal conditions and explaining how feedback mechanisms restore equilibrium in human body systems, such as temperature regulation