πŸ“š Unit Plans β†’ πŸ“œ Unit 10: Kai, Culture and Climate β†’ πŸ“– Week 1: Scarcity & Kai
Years 7–8 Tikanga-ā-Iwi / Social Sciences

Unit 10: Kai, Culture and Climate β€” Surviving Scarcity

"What Will We Eat Tomorrow?" β€” A 9-week exploration of how people in different places and times have responded to food scarcity

U Overview
1 Scarcity & Kai
2 KΕ«mara Innovation
3 Rice & Trade
4 Flour & Colonisation
5 Trade-offs & Choices
6 Climate Change
7 Assessment Launch
8 Poster Planning
9 Poster Production
Unit 10 Β· Week 1

🍽️ Week 1: Introduction β€” Scarcity & Kai

Students explore the fundamental concept of scarcity and how it affects food and survival. Through personal reflection, vocabulary building, and numeracy activities, they begin to understand the choices people make when resources are limited.

Focus Question

What is scarcity, and how does it affect food and survival?

🎯 Learning Intentions

  • Understand what scarcity means and identify examples in daily life
  • Connect scarcity to food and survival
  • Recognize that scarcity forces choices and trade-offs

βœ… Success Criteria

  • I can define scarcity and give examples
  • I can explain how scarcity affects food choices
  • I can identify trade-offs I've made when resources were limited

πŸ“š Curriculum Alignment

  • Social Studies: Understand how scarcity affects decisions
  • Mathematics: Create and interpret pie charts
  • English: Write personal reflections

Ngā Mahi - Week 1 Activities

1. Hook: What is Scarcity? (15 mins)

Activity: Show photos of empty supermarket shelves, droughts, or other examples of scarcity. Discuss: What do you see? How would this make you feel? What choices would you have to make?

Think-Pair-Share: Students share a time when they had to make a choice because there wasn't enough of something.

2. Vocabulary Sort (20 mins)

Activity: Use the Vocabulary Sort Cards handout. Students match terms (scarcity, abundance, trade-off, staple, innovation) with definitions and examples.

  • Cut out cards and sort into categories
  • Discuss meanings in pairs
  • Create a class vocabulary wall

3. Literacy: Personal Reflection (20 mins)

Activity: Use the Scarcity Reflection Worksheet. Students write a paragraph about a time they experienced scarcity.

Differentiation: Provide sentence starters for students who need support.

4. Numeracy: Food Budget Pie Chart (20 mins)

Activity: Use the Food Budget Pie Chart Template. Students estimate what percentage of their household's food budget goes to different categories (staples, fruits/vegetables, protein, etc.).

  • Complete the budget table
  • Draw a pie chart showing the percentages
  • Reflect: What would you cut back on if food prices went up?

5. Video: Scarcity Concepts (15 mins)

Activity: Watch "Scarcity | Basic Economics Concepts" (Khan Academy).

Scarcity | Basic Economics Concepts

Source: Khan Academy

Before, During & After Watching

Before watching: Brainstorm what scarcity means

During: Note examples from the video

After: Think-Pair-Share: How does scarcity relate to food?

πŸ’‘ Differentiation Strategies

  • Lower support: Use sentence starters, provide vocabulary definitions, work in pairs
  • Extension: Research food scarcity in different countries, compare household budgets
  • Cultural connection: Discuss how whānau manage food resources, connect to kaitiakitanga

πŸ“‹ Kaiako Planning Snapshot / Teacher Planning Snapshot

Timing Overview

  • Hook / Engagement: 10–15 min
  • Core Activities: 40–50 min
  • Video / Multimedia: 10–15 min
  • Reflection / Exit: 5–10 min
  • Total: ~75–90 min (double period)

Curriculum Alignment β€” Achievement Objectives

  • Learning Areas: Social Studies (scarcity, trade-offs, economic decision-making), Mathematics (pie charts, percentages), English (personal reflection writing)
  • Achievement Objective: Students will understand how scarcity, trade-offs, and food systems shape human decisions and cultural practices across time and place
  • Key Competencies: Thinking, Using Language Symbols & Texts, Participating & Contributing

Inclusion & Accessibility Guidance

  • ESOL / ELL learners: Pre-teach key vocabulary before each activity. Provide visual vocabulary cards and allow responses in home language before English. Pair with a bilingual buddy where possible.
  • ADHD / neurodiverse learners: Break activities into clearly timed segments with visible countdown. Offer movement breaks between activities. Provide choice in response format (verbal, visual, written).
  • Accessibility / dyslexia: All handouts available in larger font on request. Read aloud instructions for students with reading difficulties. Accept drawn or verbal responses as alternatives to written tasks.
  • Cultural inclusion: Validate diverse food traditions as equally valid β€” avoid framing any culture's food practices as primitive or inferior. Connect to students' own whānau food knowledge.