Unit 10 · Week 8
📐 Week 8: Poster Planning & Data Visualisation
Students focus on completing research and planning their poster design. This week emphasizes turning research into visual communication through effective layout, data visualization, and peer feedback.
Focus Question
How do I turn research into an effective poster?
Ngā Mahi - Week 8 Activities
1. Research Focus: Section C - Aotearoa Link (30 mins)
Activity: Students complete research for Section C: The Māori Economy (Aotearoa Context).
- Section C requires: One link between the chosen global commodity and Aotearoa/New Zealand
- Examples:
- A major NZ company that imports or uses the commodity (e.g., Whittaker's and cocoa; a major coffee roaster)
- A comparable high-value NZ export commodity (e.g., Kiwifruit, Wine, Mānuka Honey) and how its trade compares
- Key Question: "What if my crop isn't grown in NZ?" That's the point! Most are imported. Find the connection.
- Record sources and take notes in bibliography template
💡 Student FAQ: "For Section C, what if my crop isn't grown in NZ?"
That's the point! We import most of these. Your job is to find the connection. Coffee/Cocoa: Find a famous NZ roaster or chocolate maker (like Whittaker's). Bananas: Who imports them? (T&G). Palm Oil: This is hidden in lots of food. Look at the ingredients on a biscuit packet.
That's the point! We import most of these. Your job is to find the connection. Coffee/Cocoa: Find a famous NZ roaster or chocolate maker (like Whittaker's). Bananas: Who imports them? (T&G). Palm Oil: This is hidden in lots of food. Look at the ingredients on a biscuit packet.
2. Mini-Lesson: Poster Design - C.H.A.T. Principles (20 mins)
Activity: Teach students how to design an informative poster using the C.H.A.T. framework.
- C - Colour: Use colours that work together, avoid clashing
- H - Hierarchy: Most important info (title) should be biggest
- A - Alignment: Line up text boxes and images neatly
- T - Text: Writing should be easy to read from a few steps away
- Layout: Clear sections, logical flow, white space
- Images vs. Text: Balance visuals with information - don't copy-paste walls of text!
- Show examples of effective posters
Remember: A poster with huge walls of text is boring. Summarise research into short, punchy captions and bullet points. Use your own words!
3. Numeracy: Data Visualisation (25 mins)
Activity: Teach students how to visually represent data. This is crucial for meeting the "Extending" criteria for Visual Communication (Rubric C).
- Pie Charts: Turning production numbers into percentages (e.g., "Brazil grows 30%, Vietnam grows 15%...")
- Maps: Showing trade routes and production regions (world map with production regions labeled)
- Bar Graphs: Comparing values (e.g., market values, price comparisons)
- Flow Diagrams: Supply chain illustrations (e.g., Farmer → Collector → Exporter → Corporation → Supermarket → Consumer)
- Key Message: Don't just write the statistic, show it! Instead of "Brazil grows 30%, Vietnam grows 15%...", make a chart.
- Practice: Create one visualization for their crop
Assessment Link: To meet "Extending" for Visual Communication, ākonga should create their own charts. For example: A chart showing the percentage of global production by country, a bar chart comparing market values, or a flow diagram for the supply chain.
4. Draft Layout Creation (40 mins)
Activity: Students create a draft layout of their poster (digital or on paper).
- Sketch or design poster layout
- Plan where each section will go
- Decide on visual elements (charts, maps, images)
- Consider color scheme and fonts
- Differentiation: Provide poster templates (Canva, Google Slides) for students who need structure
5. Peer Review: Gallery Walk (25 mins)
Activity: Students participate in a "Gallery Walk" with draft posters and give feedback.
- Display draft posters around the room
- Students walk around and view each other's work
- Use the Peer Feedback Form to give structured feedback based on the rubric
- Focus on: Content, Visual Communication, Organization, Scarcity & Trade-offs
- Students collect feedback and plan improvements
Handout: Peer Feedback Form — Structured form to guide constructive feedback
💡 Differentiation Strategies
- Lower support: Provide poster templates (Canva, Google Slides), scaffolded research guides, work in pairs
- Extension: Challenge students to create innovative visualizations, research ethical issues in depth, compare multiple crops
- Cultural connection: Encourage students to consider Māori perspectives on trade and food systems in their NZ links section
📺 Related Videos
📋 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 (presenting geographic and economic data), Mathematics (graphs, scale, data display), English (layout, visual communication, headings and labels)
- 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 — Korero ā-Kanohi
Data visualisation in te ao Māori has long taken the form of whakapapa charts, star navigation charts, and tā moko — all ways of making complex relational knowledge visible. Encourage ākonga to consider: is a bar graph the only way to show patterns in food data? Could a Māori-inspired visual (circular, relational, place-based) better represent the connections between crops, communities, and ecosystems? This encourages visual literacy that honours diverse knowledge systems.