Unit 10 · Week 6
🌍 Week 6: Climate Change & Local Food
Students explore how climate change affects food production in Aotearoa. Through case studies, data analysis, and writing, they connect climate impacts to food scarcity and consider adaptation strategies.
Focus Question
How will climate change affect food in Aotearoa?
Ngā Mahi - Week 6 Activities
🎥 Media Anchor
Video: Building Collective Action for Climate Education
- What local climate-food issue from this unit is most urgent in your community?
- Which practical response can students implement within one school term?
1. Case Study: Waikato River (25 mins)
Activity: Use the Waikato River Case Study handout. Students explore flooding/drought impacts on kai production.
- Read about Waikato River flooding and drought events
- Identify impacts on local food production
- Consider kaitiakitanga responses
- Discuss: How do communities adapt?
2. Numeracy: Rainfall Graph Analysis (25 mins)
Activity: Use the Rainfall Graph Analysis handout. Students analyze rainfall graphs for the Waikato region using NIWA 2024 data.
- Examine 2024 rainfall data from NIWA
- Identify patterns: droughts, floods, extremes
- Calculate averages and compare to normal
- Connect data to food production impacts
3. Literacy: News Article Writing (30 mins)
Activity: Use the News Article Writing handout. Students write a news article titled "Climate Change Hits Hamilton's Kai".
- Write a news article about climate impacts on local food
- Include: headline, lead, body paragraphs, quotes
- Use data from rainfall analysis
- Consider solutions and adaptation strategies
4. Video Resources (15 mins)
Activity: Search for and watch videos about climate change and NZ agriculture.
Search YouTube for:
• "climate change New Zealand agriculture" or "NZ farming climate" (RNZ, Stuff, Plant & Food Research)
• "Māori climate change" or "kaitiakitanga climate" (Māori perspectives on environmental protection)
Connection: Link to kaitiakitanga (guardianship) and how Māori frameworks can guide climate adaptation.
• "climate change New Zealand agriculture" or "NZ farming climate" (RNZ, Stuff, Plant & Food Research)
• "Māori climate change" or "kaitiakitanga climate" (Māori perspectives on environmental protection)
Connection: Link to kaitiakitanga (guardianship) and how Māori frameworks can guide climate adaptation.
💡 Differentiation Strategies
- Lower support: Provide scaffolded article templates, simplified data, work in pairs
- Extension: Research specific climate adaptation strategies, compare regions, investigate future projections
- Cultural connection: Encourage students to think in Māori frameworks (kaitiakitanga, whakapapa). Connect to how Māori communities are adapting
📋 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 — Achievement Objectives
- Learning Areas: Social Studies (climate change impacts on food systems, environmental stewardship), Science (climate science, food security), English (report writing, evidence-based argument)
- 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 — avoid framing any culture's food practices as primitive or inferior. Connect to students' own whānau food knowledge.