Handout for Lesson 3.1: Council Services Card Sort

Cut out these cards. Sort them into two columns: "Local Council Responsibility" and "Central Government Responsibility."

Fixing potholes

Building hospitals

Running the library

Setting foreign policy

Collecting rubbish

Running the army

Maintaining local parks

Issuing passports

Zoning for new buildings

Managing the water supply

Printing money

Organising local festivals

📚 Teacher Resource Notes

Purpose: Use these cards to support Lesson 3.1's card-sort activity on local council services and responsibilities.

Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions

Students will engage with this resource to build understanding of systems, governance, and civic action in Aotearoa New Zealand, connecting to Te Ao Māori principles.

Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria

✅ Students can categorise at least eight council services into the correct functional area.

📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot

Differentiation: Provide sentence starters or word banks for students who need scaffold support. Extend capable learners by asking them to find a real-world NZ example connected to this resource. Support ELL students with vocabulary pre-teaching. Adapt for neurodiverse learners by offering choice in how they record their thinking.

Prior knowledge: Best used after the relevant lesson or as an introductory hook. No specialist prior knowledge required.

Curriculum alignment

Te Mātaiaho (2025) · Social Sciences · Phase 3 (Years 7–8) · Civics and Society (Knowledge): “Pressure groups influence decision-makers outside of elections.”
NZC (2007) · Social Studies · Level 4: “Understand how people participate individually and collectively in response to community challenges.”