Unit 9 · Week 3

🌿 Week 3: Biodiversity Count — Measuring Life Diversity

Students conduct systematic biodiversity surveys to measure ecosystem health. They learn to identify native and introduced species while understanding how biodiversity indicates environmental problems and solutions.

Focus Question

How does counting species tell us about environmental health and what needs fixing?

🎯 Learning Intentions

Conduct systematic biodiversity surveys using scientific sampling methods
Distinguish between native and introduced species and understand their impacts
Calculate biodiversity indices and interpret what they mean for ecosystem health

✅ Success Criteria

I can use quadrat sampling to systematically count species in an area
I can identify at least 5 native and 5 introduced species in our local environment
I can calculate biodiversity measures and explain what they indicate about ecosystem health

🗣️ Kupu / Vocabulary

biodiversity, species, habitat, ecosystem
indicator, sampling, data set, mauri

📚 Curriculum Links

Science: Ecosystem interactions, species relationships, sampling methods
Mathematics: Data collection, statistical analysis, percentage calculations
Mātauranga Māori: Traditional ecological knowledge, native species roles

Ngā Mahi - Week 3 Activities

1. Hook: Biodiversity Spotting Challenge (15 mins)

Activity: Give students 10 minutes to list as many different living things as they can see from the classroom window or in the school grounds.

Traditional Connection: Māori traditionally knew hundreds of species by name and understood their relationships. Biodiversity was a sign of mauri (life force) and ecosystem health.

2. Scientific Sampling Methods (25 mins)

Activity: Learn and practice the Quadrat Sampling Method for systematic biodiversity counts.

Use 1m × 1m quadrats (wire frames or string squares)
Select sampling sites using random number coordinates
Count and identify all species within each quadrat
Record data systematically on survey sheets
Practice identifying plants at ground level, shrub level, and canopy level

3. Species Identification & Classification (30 mins)

Activity: Use the Native vs Introduced Species Guide to identify and classify species found in surveys.

Photograph or sketch unknown species for later identification
Learn key identification features (leaf shape, bark patterns, flower types)
Distinguish native species (endemic and indigenous) from introduced species
Research which introduced species are considered pests vs. beneficial
Document Māori names and traditional uses for native species

Cultural Learning: Many native plants have traditional Māori names and were used for medicine, food, or materials. Understanding these connections deepens our appreciation for biodiversity.

4. Biodiversity Survey Field Work (25 mins)

Activity: Conduct comprehensive biodiversity surveys using the Biodiversity Survey Sheets.

Survey different habitat types (grass areas, gardens, around buildings, near water)
Count species numbers, abundance, and percentage cover
Note evidence of animal life (birds, insects, traces)
Record environmental conditions (shade, moisture, human disturbance)
Compare biodiversity between different areas of the school

5. Data Analysis & Interpretation (15 mins)

Activity: Calculate biodiversity indices and interpret results to assess ecosystem health.

Calculate species richness (total number of species found)
Calculate Shannon diversity index (accounts for both richness and evenness)
Determine percentage of native vs. introduced species
Create graphs comparing biodiversity across different survey sites
Identify areas with highest and lowest biodiversity

Analysis Question: What does our biodiversity data tell us about the health of different areas? Where do we need to focus environmental restoration efforts?

💡 Differentiation Strategies

Support: Pre-identify common species, provide laminated species cards, work in mixed-ability groups
Extension: Research threatened species in the region, investigate impacts of climate change on biodiversity, design habitat restoration plans
Cultural connection: Research traditional Māori uses for native species, investigate local iwi conservation projects

🔄 Assessment & Next Steps

Formative Assessment:

Completed Biodiversity Survey Sheets with accurate species counts
Correct identification of native vs. introduced species
Calculated biodiversity indices with proper mathematical working

Preparation for Week 4:

Teams combine biodiversity data with water quality results from Week 2
Begin connecting local environmental patterns to broader climate data
Prepare to analyze NIWA climate data and its environmental impacts

Curriculum alignment

Ecosystems — Knowledge: Indigenous knowledge systems, such as mātauranga Māori, are often founded on long-term observations of environmental patterns. For example, ngā tohu o te taiao can be used to …
Ecosystems — Knowledge: Marama Muru-Lanning (Contemporary) explores mātauranga Māori as environmental knowledge, linking Indigenous perspectives to ecological science.
Ecosystems — Practices: Representing ecological data using tables and graphs to interpret patterns and draw conclusions about ecosystem dynamics
Ecosystems — Knowledge: Human activity (e.g. agriculture, urbanisation, resource extraction, industry, recreation) can cause habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change, which threaten ecosyst…
Ecosystems — Practices: Interpreting data (e.g. graphs, maps) to evaluate how human activity (e.g. agriculture, resource extraction) influences ecosystem stability and biodiversity

📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot

Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions

Students will explore environmental mātauranga — traditional Māori ecological knowledge — alongside contemporary science to understand Aotearoa's environmental challenges. This unit develops students' capacity to apply both knowledge systems to real environmental issues, building towards informed, culturally grounded kaitiaki action.

Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria

✅ I can explain key environmental concepts using both scientific and mātauranga Māori frameworks.
✅ I can investigate a local environmental issue and present evidence-based findings.
✅ I can describe what kaitiakitanga means in practice and apply it to a real environmental context in my community.

Differentiation & Inclusion

Scaffold support: Provide structured investigation templates and sentence starters for entry-level access. Offer extension tasks requiring students to independently design an environmental inquiry and present recommendations to a community audience.

ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach key environmental and te reo Māori vocabulary. Provide bilingual glossaries. Allow students to respond in home language first and provide visual supports for all key concepts.

Inclusion: Offer multimodal entry points — field observation, visual analysis, oral discussion. Neurodiverse learners benefit from structured inquiry processes with clear milestones. Ensure outdoor or field-based components are fully accessible with alternatives available.

Mātauranga Māori lens: This unit centres mātauranga Māori as a valid and valuable knowledge system. Explore concepts such as mauri (life force of ecosystems), tohu (environmental indicators), mahinga kai (food gathering practices as ecological knowledge), and the role of the maramataka in environmental monitoring. Frame the unit through the lens of whakapapa — understanding ecological relationships as a genealogy of interconnection.

Prior knowledge: Best used as a capstone or integrative unit. Benefits from prior exposure to both science and social studies ecological content.

Unit 9: Environmental Mātauranga — Protecting Our Taiao