Kaiako Planning Snapshot

Ngā Whāinga Akoranga — Learning Intentions

• Use Newton's laws to explain how balanced and unbalanced forces change the motion of trolleys, waka, rockets, and racing yachts.
• Calculate force, mass, acceleration, momentum, and drag in practical investigations using measured data, graphs, and correct SI units.
• Compare how mātauranga Māori navigation knowledge and modern physics both describe wind, current, inertia, and stability on the moana.
• Design and justify a waka model or force-based solution using evidence from experiments, simulations, and Aotearoa case studies.

Paearu Angitu — Success Criteria

• I can identify the forces acting on an object and show whether they are balanced or unbalanced.
• I can use F = ma and momentum calculations to solve Year 10 physics problems and explain what the numbers mean.
• I can link one example of celestial navigation, waka design, or Māori engineering to a physics idea such as thrust, drag, or inertia.

Teacher Planning Snapshot

• Year level: Year 10 | Duration: 7 lessons across 6-8 lessons | NZC Level 5 / Science 5 Physical World
• Curriculum alignment: Te Mataiaho Science — Physical World; students investigate balanced and unbalanced forces, gather and interpret motion data, and use models such as F = ma and conservation of momentum to explain outcomes from practical work. Links naturally to Technology through design testing and to Aotearoa examples such as waka, Rocket Lab, and high-performance sailing.
• Mātauranga Māori: Mātauranga Māori in this unit sits inside the physics, not beside it. Waka navigation, maramataka-informed voyaging, and reading wind, swell, and current are sophisticated applied physics developed through whakapapa and passed on through whanaungatanga. Tikanga shapes how traditional knowledge and taonga technologies are discussed, and kaitiakitanga keeps engineering conversations connected to safe, responsible use of moana environments.
• Entry support: Start each law with a concrete demo before equations: tablecloth pull, trolley push, or balloon rocket. Give students a force-diagram scaffold, a bilingual vocabulary card, and partially completed data tables so attention can stay on the physics idea rather than copying text.
• On-level: Most students work through the seven-lesson sequence with paired practicals, PhET simulations, and short calculation sets after each investigation. Use whole-class graphing and worked examples before independent explanation writing.
• Extension: Students design a fair-test investigation comparing waka hull shapes, sail angles, or balloon-rocket mass, then present a justified recommendation using force calculations, data displays, and a brief discussion of environmental trade-offs.

Inclusion and Accessibility

• ESOL / ELL: Pre-teach force, mass, acceleration, drag, and momentum with visual icons, sentence frames, and te reo Māori / English key terms. Let students explain a diagram orally with a partner before writing full physics paragraphs.
• Accessibility: Provide digital simulation alternatives when launching, pushing, or measuring in physical space is a barrier. Lab sheets should use large-print tables, colour-safe graphs, and clear step numbers so students can follow practical sequences safely.
• Neurodiverse learners: Keep each investigation on a predictable routine: predict, test, record, discuss, calculate. Offer calculator check-ins, chunk multi-step problems, and assign practical roles so students with ADHD or processing-load needs can participate without losing the thread of the lesson.