📚 Unit Plans → 🔄 Systems Thinking — Whakaaro Pūnaha → 📖 Lesson 1.2: Systems Are Everywhere
Years 7–8 Tikanga-ā-Iwi / Social Sciences

Systems Thinking — Whakaaro Pūnaha

A Year 8 Social Studies unit on how parts, people, and decisions connect

U Overview
1 What Makes a Society?
2 Systems Are Everywhere
3 Democracy vs. Dictatorship
4 How NZ Government Works
← Back to Y8 Systems Unit

Lesson 1.2: Systems Are Everywhere

Learning to See the World Through a Systems Lens

Students learn to identify systems in their everyday lives, from natural ecosystems to social structures, understanding that a system is a set of connected parts forming a complex whole.

📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot

Materials & Resources

Draw-your-system template (resources/lesson-1-2-draw-your-system-template.html), coloured markers or pencils, sticky notes.

Timing Overview

75 minutes: 10 min opening, 15 min concept introduction, 25 min system mapping activity, 20 min gallery walk and discussion, 5 min exit ticket.

Prior Knowledge & Scaffolding

Lesson 1.1 — Understanding the four pillars of a society.

Differentiation: Provide sentence starters for ELL students. Extend confident learners by asking them to find a real-world example beyond the lesson activities.

Whakatūwhera - Cultural Opening

In Te Ao Māori, nothing exists in isolation. The forest, the rivers, the community—they are all interconnected systems. The principle of whanaungatanga teaches us that our relationships with people and with the environment are what give us strength. Today, we will learn to see these connections everywhere, to recognise the hidden patterns and relationships that make up our world. This is the heart of systems thinking.

Ngā Whāinga Ako - Learning Intentions

Students Will Learn

  • To define a **system** (parts, purpose, connections).
  • To identify systems in the **natural world**.
  • To identify systems in the **social world**.

Students Will Demonstrate

  • By finding examples of systems in the classroom.
  • By drawing and labeling a system they are part of.
  • By explaining how one part of a system can affect the whole.

Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria

By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

  • ✅ I can define a system and identify its key parts: components, connections, and purpose.
  • ✅ I can give examples of systems from everyday life (ecological, social, technological).
  • ✅ I can explain how a change in one part of a system affects other parts.

🎥 Media Anchor (8 mins)

Video: Māori Systems: Kaitiakitanga

  • What system boundary is easiest to miss when analysing everyday systems?
  • Which feedback loop from the video can you apply to your systems map today?

Ngā Mahi - Lesson Activities (75 minutes)

1. What is a System? (15 mins)

Teacher-led discussion: Introduce the three key parts of any system:

  • Parts: The individual components or elements.
  • Connections: The relationships between the parts.
  • Purpose: What the system does or achieves.

Example: A Bicycle. Parts (wheels, frame, pedals), Connections (chain connects pedals to wheel), Purpose (transportation).

Activity: "Systems Spotting Game." In 1 minute, how many systems can students spot in the classroom? (e.g., the lighting system, the desk system, the human body system).

2. Draw Your System (30 mins)

Creative Task: Students choose one system they are a part of and draw it. They must label the parts, the connections, and the overall purpose.

System Ideas:

  • My family system
  • My sports team system
  • The school bus system
  • A video game system (e.g., Fortnite)
  • A local park ecosystem

Differentiation:

  • Support: Provide a template with boxes for "Parts," "Connections," and "Purpose." Download Template
  • Extension: Ask students to add a "What if?" scenario to their drawing (e.g., "What if one part was removed?").

3. Gallery Walk & Sharing (20 mins)

Students place their drawings around the room. In small groups, they do a "gallery walk" to see each other's work. Each student shares their drawing with their small group, explaining the parts, connections, and purpose.

Aromatawai - Assessment & Next Steps

Formative Assessment

  • Can students define "system" in their own words?
  • Do their drawings correctly identify parts, connections, and purpose?
  • Can they explain how a change in one part affects the whole system?

Homework & Extension

  • Find a news story about a system that is broken (e.g., a healthcare system, a transportation system).
  • Explain a system to a family member.

Whakaaro - Reflection

Seeing the world as a series of systems is like gaining a superpower. Instead of seeing separate, unrelated things, you start to see the hidden connections and patterns all around you. This is the first step to understanding how our world works, and how we can work to change it for the better.

Curriculum alignment

  • Know: How different systems function in Aotearoa and globally, including iwi, local and national governments: Local government, Māori leadership, democracy, dictatorship.
  • Ecosystems — Knowledge: Human activity and technology impact the environment.
  • Understand (ANZH): Relationships & connections between people & across boundaries have shaped the course of Aotearoa New Zealand histories.
  • Organism Diversity — Knowledge: Cells are the fundamental unit of living organisms and contain parts (structures) called organelles.
  • Matter Interactions and Energy — Practices: Making and testing predictions about how changing components in a series or parallel circuit affects whether and how the circuit works