Unit 9 · Week 1

🔍 Week 1: Environmental Detective — Investigating What's Wrong

Students become environmental detectives, using both Māori observation methods and scientific tools to identify actual problems they can measure and potentially fix at their school.

Focus Question

What environmental problems can we actually see, measure, and fix right here at school?

🎯 Learning Intentions

Identify specific environmental problems using systematic observation
Connect traditional Māori environmental knowledge with modern investigation methods
Select a realistic environmental problem that students can actually address

✅ Success Criteria

I can identify and document multiple environmental problems at school
I can explain how traditional knowledge helps environmental investigation
I can work with my team to choose one problem to focus on solving

📚 Curriculum Alignment

Science: Investigate environmental systems and human impacts
Social Studies: Understand how people interact with environments
Mātauranga Māori: Apply traditional environmental observation methods

Ngā Mahi - Week 1 Activities

🎥 Media Anchor

Video: Māori Systems: Kaitiakitanga

How does this week's environmental inquiry reflect kaitiakitanga in action?
Which local indicator best tracks whether your intervention is working?

1. Hook: Environmental Crime Scene (15 mins)

Activity: Show photos of environmental problems: polluted streams, dying plants, litter-covered areas, extreme weather damage. Ask: "If you were an environmental detective, what would you investigate first?"

Kaitiakitanga Connection: Traditional Māori were environmental guardians who observed changes in nature closely. Today we continue this role as modern kaitiaki.

2. Environmental Crime Scene Walk (30 mins)

Activity: Use the Environmental Detective Checklist to systematically investigate problems around the school.

Form detective teams of 3-4 students
Each team gets a different area to investigate (sports fields, gardens, buildings, waterways)
Look for water issues, waste problems, biodiversity loss, energy waste
Take photos and rate severity of each problem found
Record specific observations, not general statements

3. Problem Ranking & Voting (20 mins)

Activity: Use the Problem Ranking Cards to vote on the most urgent and fixable environmental problems.

Democratic Process: Each student gets 3 voting dots. Vote based on: "How urgent is this?" and "Can we realistically fix it?"

4. Traditional Knowledge Planning (15 mins)

Activity: Introduce the Kaumātua Interview Guide and plan respectful interviews with community elders.

Discuss proper tikanga for interviewing kaumātua
Identify community members who might share traditional knowledge
Arrange interviews through proper cultural protocols
Prepare questions about traditional environmental observation methods

5. Team Formation & Problem Selection (10 mins)

Activity: Form environmental action teams around the highest-voted problems. Each team commits to solving one specific issue.

Team Contract: Each team signs a commitment to their chosen environmental problem and action plan timeline.

💡 Differentiation Strategies

Support: Pre-teach environmental vocabulary, provide observation sentence starters, pair struggling students with confident peers
Extension: Research similar environmental problems globally, investigate connection to climate change, propose innovative solutions
Cultural connection: Connect all observations to kaitiakitanga principles, invite local iwi members to share traditional knowledge

🔄 Assessment & Next Steps

Formative Assessment:

Completed Environmental Detective Checklists with specific observations
Participation in problem ranking voting process
Team formation and clear problem selection

Preparation for Week 2:

Teams begin detailed investigation of their chosen environmental problem
Schedule and conduct kaumātua interviews using proper protocols
Start baseline measurements and "before" documentation

📋 Kaiako Planning Snapshot / Teacher Planning Snapshot

Timing Overview

Hook / Engagement: 10–15 min
Core Field / Lab Activities: 40–50 min
Analysis & Discussion: 15–20 min
Reflection / Exit: 5–10 min
Total: ~75–90 min (double period)

Curriculum Alignment — Achievement Objectives

Learning Areas: Science (ecological investigation, data collection, scientific method), Social Studies (human-environment interaction, kaitiakitanga), English (observation recording, report writing)
Achievement Objective: Students will investigate local environmental problems using both mātauranga Māori and scientific methods, and design and implement solutions that reflect kaitiakitanga
Key Competencies: Thinking, Participating & Contributing, Relating to Others (manaakitanga, whanaungatanga)

Inclusion & Accessibility Guidance

ESOL / ELL learners: Environmental observation activities are highly practical and reduce language barriers — prioritise field work over written tasks. Pre-teach key vocabulary with visual diagrams. Allow bilingual recording of observations.
ADHD / neurodiverse learners: Outdoor and hands-on activities naturally suit diverse attention profiles. Provide clear task cards for each station. Use visual timers and offer regular structured movement breaks.
Accessibility: Ensure field investigation areas are physically accessible. Provide adapted observation tools (magnifying glasses, large-print checklists) on request. Allow verbal or drawn responses as alternatives to written recording.
Cultural inclusion: Mātauranga Māori is foregrounded throughout — validate Indigenous environmental knowledge as rigorous and equal to Western science. Involve local iwi and kaumātua from the outset rather than as an add-on.

Unit 9: Environmental Mātauranga — Protecting Our Taiao