✍️ Week 1: Scarcity Reflection Worksheet

Unit 10: Kai, Culture and Climate — Surviving Scarcity
Think about a time when you had to make a choice because there wasn't enough of something.

📋 Instructions: Complete the questions below. Use full sentences and give specific examples. This will help you understand what scarcity means in your own life.

1. My Scarcity Story

Think about a time when you wanted something but couldn't have it because there wasn't enough (money, time, food, space, etc.).

What was scarce?

What choice did you have to make?

What did you give up? (What was your trade-off?)

How did it make you feel?

2. Scarcity and Food

Now think about food and scarcity.

Have you ever experienced food scarcity? (e.g., empty shelves, not enough money for food, running out of something at home)

If food became scarce, what would you prioritise? (What would you buy first? What would you give up?)

3. Connecting to Our Big Question

Our Big Inquiry Question is: "What Will We Eat Tomorrow?"

Based on what you've learned about scarcity, why might this question be important?

What questions do you have about food scarcity?

4. Sentence Starters (For Support)

If you need help getting started, try these sentence starters:

"A time I experienced scarcity was when..."
"I had to choose between... and..."
"The trade-off I made was..."
"This made me feel... because..."
"If food became scarce, I would prioritise... because..."
"I think the question 'What Will We Eat Tomorrow?' is important because..."

💡 Remember: There are no wrong answers! This is about thinking and reflecting. Your experiences are valid and important.

Curriculum alignment

Measurement — Knowledge: - Decimal measures are used for very small durations (e.g. milliseconds); the rest of time measurement uses a different system, based principally on 12 and 60.

📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot

Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions

Students will engage with this resource to develop geometric thinking through the lens of Māori visual art — exploring symmetry, transformation, tessellation, and spatial reasoning through the mathematical structures embedded in tukutuku panels, kōwhaiwhai rafter patterns, tāniko weaving, and whakairo (carving).

Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria

✅ Students can identify and describe geometric properties (symmetry, rotation, reflection, translation) within Māori art forms.
✅ Students can design their own pattern using geometric transformations, connecting mathematical precision to cultural meaning.

Differentiation & Inclusion

Scaffold support: Provide grid templates and partially completed pattern examples for entry-level construction tasks. Allow students to trace and analyse existing patterns before creating their own. Extend capable students by asking them to calculate the mathematical properties of their design (angles, lines of symmetry, ratio of repeat unit to total pattern) and explain the transformation rules in formal mathematical language.

ELL / ESOL: Geometry is a highly visual domain — the spatial and pattern-based nature of this content naturally reduces language barriers. Key vocabulary (symmetry, reflection, rotation, translation, tessellation) should be taught using physical models and diagrams before text-based tasks. Students can demonstrate geometric understanding through drawing and construction without requiring English fluency.

Inclusion: Geometric pattern work is inherently accessible and engaging across learning styles — visual, kinaesthetic, and analytical learners all find entry points. Neurodiverse learners often excel at pattern recognition and spatial reasoning. Offer choice in medium: digital tools, grid paper, or physical construction with card. The cultural context provides motivating purpose for students who find abstract geometry disconnected from meaning.

Mātauranga Māori lens: Māori art is mathematics made visible. Tukutuku panels encode precise geometric grids requiring exact calculation of spacing, proportion, and symmetry. Kōwhaiwhai patterns use translational symmetry along the length of rafter beams — a sophisticated application of repeating geometric units. Tāniko weaving requires mental rotation and spatial reasoning to maintain pattern integrity across diagonal threads. Whakairo (carving) encodes symbolic meaning within geometric forms. Far from being decorative, these art forms represent generations of mathematical knowledge encoded in cultural practice. Teaching geometry through this lens shows ākonga that mathematics belongs to all cultures — and that Māori ancestors were sophisticated mathematicians.

Prior knowledge: Students should have foundational understanding of 2D shapes and basic transformation vocabulary. No prior knowledge of Māori art forms required — the unit introduces cultural context alongside mathematical content.

Curriculum alignment

Geometry and Measurement — Shape: Apply the properties of symmetry, including line and rotational symmetry, to identify, describe, and create patterns and shapes.
Geometry and Measurement — Transformation: Use the invariant properties of figures and objects under transformations (reflection, rotation, translation, or enlargement).