Science Phase 4 — Earth Systems, Ecosystems, and Earth and Space Science. Every statement below is quoted verbatim from the live Te Mātaiaho curriculum and anchors specific lessons.

"Researching interventions that address specific ecosystem disruptions, using case studies or local examples to explore the practicalities and outcomes of different solutions (e.g. conservation strategies, sustainable technologies)"

"Analysing the effects of human activities (e.g. deforestation, pollution) on ecosystems and large Earth systems (e.g. climate, oceans) using scientific models and concepts"

"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 monitor seasonal changes and ecosystem health."

"Matter cycles and energy transfers occur within and between Earth’s spheres through global systems, such as the water and carbon cycle."

"Human activities remove carbon from the lithosphere (e.g. combustion of fossil fuels, cement production) and biosphere (e.g. logging) and release it into the atmosphere."

How the statements map to the arc:

• Matter and energy cycles → Lessons 1 + 8: Lesson 1 grounds the unit in Antarctica's role in global systems; Lesson 8 returns to it when ākonga synthesise their Kaitiaki Action Plans.
• Human activities and Earth systems → Lesson 2: local climate impacts analysed with scientific models.
• Mātauranga Māori and ngā tohu o te taiao → Lesson 3: long-term environmental observation as a knowledge system in its own right.
• Researching interventions → Lessons 4, 5, 7: the unit's spine — youth action, community solutions, and each rōpū's own kaitiaki plan are all interventions researched against real case studies.
• Human carbon transfers → Lesson 6: the evidence map distinguishes national production emissions from the activity data required for a defensible household or school estimate.

📑 Full verified curriculum alignment for this unit → — Phase 4 · Years 9–10.

Throughout this 8-lesson unit, students engage in scientific inquiry by analysing and interpreting specific datasets, visual models, and indigenous frameworks. The learning intentions verbatim and tailored from each lesson are:

• Lesson 1: Antarctica Warming — Analyse visual and scientific evidence of climate change impacts in polar regions using the RNZ documentary "Antarctica in a Warming World" and NASA Ocean Currents Visualisation to understand global climate interconnections and how current-driven changes affect Aotearoa's marine ecosystems.
• Lesson 2: Local Climate Impacts — Interpret and analyse trends in NIWA climate projection data for Aotearoa New Zealand (2050 and 2100 models) , identifying coastal zones vulnerable to flooding and erosion and connecting polar ice sheet dynamics directly to sea-level rises affecting local shorelines and South Pacific nations, referencing events like Cyclone Gabrielle (2023) .
• Lesson 3: Mātauranga Māori & Climate Knowledge — Explain the concept of maramataka (the Māori lunar calendar) as a long-term environmental observation system, identifying traditional ecological indicators ( ngā tohu o te taiao ) and comparing these 700+ year baseline observations with instruments and satellites used in Western scientific climate monitoring.
• Lesson 4: Youth Climate Action — Describe and evaluate the strategies, tactics, and effectiveness of recent youth-led campaigns (specifically the School Strike 4 Climate NZ movement) and examine how climate justice intersects with Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) obligations and indigenous voices at global forums.
• Lesson 5: Community Solutions — Analyse how kaitiakitanga principles underpin effective environmental restoration by researching three real New Zealand community case studies, evaluating the differences between climate mitigation (reducing emissions) and adaptation (building resilience).
• Lesson 6: Carbon Footprint — Describe New Zealand's national greenhouse gas emissions profile using Ministry for the Environment (MfE) 2022 sector data (agriculture 53%; energy, including transport, 37%; industrial processes 6%; waste 4%), and map the evidence needed to compare personal, school, and systemic reduction opportunities without inventing a false-precision footprint total. Source: Ministry for the Environment, 2022 inventory summary.
• Lesson 7: Kaitiaki Action Plan — Synthesise learning from across the unit to construct a personal, three-tiered Kaitiaki Action Plan (individual, whānau, and school/community) that aligns carbon mitigation goals with Te Tiriti o Waitangi and UNDRIP environmental responsibilities.
• Lesson 8: Reflection & Commitment — Reflect critically on how understanding of place ( tūrangawaewae ) has deepened, compile an 8-lesson Kaitiaki Action Portfolio , and articulate a personal environmental commitment to help restore the mauri of the local taiao.

Students demonstrate their progress and mastery against the following lesson-specific indicators:

• Lesson 1: Polar and Global Systems
  ✓ I can explain how ocean current systems transfer heat globally and connect Antarctica's warming with climate outcomes in Aotearoa New Zealand.
  ✓ I can identify physical consequences of ice loss and warming temperatures on Antarctic penguin populations using RNZ documentary evidence.
• Lesson 2: NZ Impact Mapping
  ✓ I can accurately identify and label zones of Aotearoa that are highly vulnerable to climate change (such as coastal erosion and flooding) on a map using NIWA projections.
  ✓ I can explain how Antarctic ice melt contributes to sea-level rise in the South Pacific and discuss extreme events like Cyclone Gabrielle.
• Lesson 3: Epistemology & Observations
  ✓ I can compile research notes on one iwi's specific traditional ecological indicators (ngā tohu o te taiao) and explain how maramataka is used to predict environmental change.
  ✓ I can construct a comparison chart showing convergences and differences between mātauranga Māori observations and Western scientific instrument measurements.
• Lesson 4: Climate Campaigns
  ✓ I can demonstrate factual knowledge of at least two New Zealand youth climate campaigns and evaluate which campaign tactics were effective or ineffective.
  ✓ I can design a clear campaign proposal with a goal, target audience, specific tactics, and a kaitiaki framing that connects climate action to Treaty rights.
• Lesson 5: Local Mitigation & Adaptation
  ✓ I can summarise three real New Zealand community climate case studies and identify which specific kaitiakitanga principles are present in each solution.
  ✓ I can distinguish between climate mitigation and adaptation and design a local community climate solution that is feasible and culturally grounded.
• Lesson 6: Carbon Accounting
  ✓ I can list New Zealand's top three greenhouse gas emission sources with their approximate sector percentages based on Ministry for the Environment data.
  ✓ I can identify the evidence a carbon estimate needs and outline a reasoned position on individual versus systemic change.
• Lesson 7: Kaitiaki Strategic Planning
  ✓ I can complete a Personal Kaitiaki Action Plan specifying individual, whānau, and community carbon mitigation commitments.
  ✓ I can articulate how local climate action and environmental guardianship connect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and UNDRIP obligations.
• Lesson 8: Portfolio Presentation
  ✓ I can compile all my lesson activities, campaign proposals, carbon evidence maps, and action plans into a cohesive Kaitiaki Action Portfolio.
  ✓ I can reflect on my relationship to place (tūrangawaewae) and share my personal commitments as a guardian of the taiao in a class setting.

Scaffold support: Provide pre-structured data analysis templates and graph reading frameworks for entry-level learners. Offer extension tasks requiring students to evaluate international climate policy responses using evidence from Antarctic research.

ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach climate science vocabulary (glacier, sea level, albedo, ecosystem collapse, carbon cycle). Use visual data displays and maps. Allow students to discuss concepts in home language before writing in English.

Inclusion: Use multimedia resources — NASA and NIWA data visualisations — to make abstract climate data concrete. Neurodiverse learners benefit from structured inquiry frameworks and choice in how they present their understanding. Climate anxiety is real — acknowledge student feelings and emphasise agency and kaitiakitanga as empowering responses.

Mātauranga Māori lens: Connect to Māori understandings of Papatūānuku and the climate crisis as a disruption of mauri. Explore the whakataukī "Ka mua, ka muri" (walking backwards into the future) as a framework for using past knowledge to navigate an uncertain climate future. Discuss how Pacific and Māori communities who have lived with seasonal change and environmental reading for generations bring valuable ecological knowledge to climate science.

Prior knowledge: Best used after foundational science and geography concepts. Connects well to environmental studies and social sciences units.

On Te Kete Ako — the eight lessons and the full curriculum map:

• Lesson 1 — Antarctica Warming
• Lesson 2 — Local Climate Impacts
• Lesson 3 — Mātauranga Māori & Climate Knowledge
• Lesson 4 — Youth Climate Action
• Lesson 5 — Community Solutions
• Lesson 6 — Carbon Footprint
• Lesson 7 — Kaitiaki Action Plan
• Lesson 8 — Reflection & Commitment
• 📑 Curriculum Alignment (Phase 4 · Years 9–10)

Key external resources — each link checked and resolving (verified 20 Jun 2026):

• RNZ — Antarctica in a Warming World (documentary) · Lessons 1, 4, 5, 7
• NASA Goddard — An Ocean in Motion: Earth's Underwater Highways · Lesson 1
• Māori Minds — Māori Systems: Utu, Hau, Kaitiakitanga, Ecology · Lesson 3
• Teach For All — Building Collective Action: Climate Education & Leadership · Lessons 4, 5, 7
• NIWA — NZ climate science & projections · Lesson 2
• NASA — Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet · Lessons 1, 2
• Ministry for the Environment — Climate Change · Lessons 2, 6
• EPA NZ — Climate Change · Lesson 2
• SPREP — Pacific Regional Environment Programme · Lesson 2 (Pacific context)
• Tāhūrangi — The New Zealand Curriculum (Science)