🎯 Week 7: Assessment Launch — Cash Crop Inquiry
Students are introduced to the summative assessment: researching a global cash crop and creating an informative poster. This week focuses on understanding the task, selecting a crop, and beginning foundational research.
Focus Question
What is a cash crop, and how does it connect to our unit?
Ngā Mahi - Week 7 Activities
🎥 Media Anchor
Video: Research Skills for Students
- Which evidence type should your assessment project prioritize first?
- How will you verify that your source set is balanced and reliable?
1. Assessment Introduction (20 mins)
Activity: Hand out the "Global Cash Crop Investigation Poster" brief and marking rubric. Review the assessment requirements together.
- Read through the assessment brief together
- Review the marking rubric (4 criteria: Content & Research, Social & Ethical Analysis, Visual Communication, NZC Concepts)
- Clarify expectations: A3 poster or digital (Google Slides, Canva)
- Explain the three required sections: A (Geography & Production), B (Economics & Trade), C (Aotearoa Link)
- Answer student questions
2. Class Brainstorm: What is a Cash Crop? (15 mins)
Activity: Class discussion to define "cash crop" and understand the concept.
- Brainstorm: What is a cash crop?
- Key idea: Grown for export/profit, not local subsistence
- Examples: Coffee, Cocoa, Palm Oil, Cotton, Sugar, Bananas
- Discuss: How is this different from staple foods?
3. Crop Selection (15 mins)
Activity: Students select their cash crop for research.
- Present examples: Coffee, Cocoa, Palm Oil, Cotton, Sugar, Bananas, Tea
- Students choose their crop (or suggest another with teacher approval)
- Record choices to avoid too many duplicates
- Differentiation: Provide a list of potential cash crops and starting websites
4. Research Skills: Finding Valid Sources (20 mins)
Activity: Mini-lesson on how to find valid sources and statistics.
- What makes a source reliable? (government, academic, reputable organizations)
- How to find statistics (FAO, World Bank, trade organizations)
- Creating a basic bibliography template
- Practice: Find one statistic about your chosen crop
5. Numeracy: Understanding Large Numbers (15 mins)
Activity: Practice reading and understanding large numbers in economic data.
- Examples: "$20 billion global market"
- How to read: billions, millions, percentages
- Practice: Convert and compare large numbers
- Why this matters: Understanding scale of global trade
6. Begin Research: Sections A & B (30 mins)
Activity: Students begin foundational research for their poster.
- Section A (Geography & Production): Origin, current production, environmental factors, process from harvest to export
- Section B (Economics & Trade): Choose at least one: Global value, Supply chain, Key players (monopoly?), Price & scarcity connection
- Use research skills learned earlier
- Take notes and record sources in bibliography template
💡 Differentiation Strategies
- Lower support: Provide a list of potential cash crops and starting websites, scaffolded research templates, work in pairs
- Extension: Challenge students to find NZ import data, research price fluctuations, investigate ethical issues
- Cultural connection: Encourage students to consider Māori perspectives on trade and food systems
📋 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 (inquiry methodology, research skills), English (research writing, source evaluation), Mathematics (data collection and presentation)
- 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.
🌿 Mātauranga Māori Lens — Whakaaro Hōhonu
Inquiry in te ao Māori is guided by whakaaro hōhonu — deep thinking that connects knowledge to identity and purpose. When ākonga choose their cash crop inquiry topic, encourage them to consider crops with local and Māori significance (kūmara, kawakawa, mānuka, harakeke) alongside global commodities. The pātai (questions) ākonga develop should include: Who benefits? Who bears risk? How does this connect to kaitiakitanga? Including these lenses elevates the inquiry from data collection to genuine critical thinking.