Biodiversity is essential to life as we know it and we’re excited to share our enthusiasm with your class. In this topic we'll look at what biodiversity looks like in both Antarctica and New Zealand, and learn how our actions are impacting our ecosystems. During the topic we’ll encourage your students to get outside and get their hands dirty. They'll look for plants and animals in their local environment - any ideas on how you can help improve your local backyard biodiversity? 🦉🌳
Core objective:
Mātauranga Māori: Whakapapa is an integral part of Mātauranga Māori, these resources explore this concept
Call-to-Action: Start a school trapping project! Trap introduced predators and save our native birds, insects and plants!
Major links
The Arts
English
Science
Minor links
The Arts
Health and Physical Education
Science
Major links
English
Science
Minor links
Health and Physical Education
Mathematics and Statistics
Major links
English
Science
Minor links
Health and Physical Education
Core Objective:
Understand food chains as a tool for exploring Antarctic and local biodiversity through outside play.
Lesson summary:
In this topic's suggested lesson plan students are introduced to the concept of biodiversity, and why it’s so important. They will learn to use food chains as a tool for understanding Antarctic ecosystems by representing animals and creating their own chain. They will then get out of the classroom to explore the biodiversity around their school and consider how the organisms they find form food chains.
Topic Call-to-Action:
Start a school trapping project! Trap introduced predators and save our native birds, insects and plants!
Remember - feel free to give us direct feedback by commenting directly on the lesson plans themselves!
Did you find alternative resources or an alternative use for this lesson plan in your classroom? Share it here!
Extra Resources:
Core Objective:
Understand food webs as a tool for exploring Antarctic and local biodiversity, and consider the ways climate change may impact Antarctica and Aotearoa’s food webs.
Lesson summary:
In this week's suggested lesson plan students are introduced to the concept of biodiversity, and why it’s so important. They will then learn to use food webs as a tool for understanding Antarctic ecosystems by creating their own. Finally students get to explore the biodiversity around their school and consider how the food web relationships they find might be impacted by climate change.
Topic Call-to-Action:
Start a school trapping project! Trap introduced predators and save our native birds, insects and plants!
Remember - feel free to give us direct feedback by commenting directly on the lesson plans themselves!
Did you find alternative resources or an alternative use for this lesson plan in your classroom? Share it here!
Extra Resources:
Core Objective:
Understand food webs as a tool for exploring Antarctic and local biodiversity, and consider the ways climate change may impact Antarctica and Aotearoa’s food webs.
Lesson summary:
In this week's suggested lesson plan students are introduced to the concept of biodiversity, and why it’s so important. They will then learn to use food webs as a tool for understanding Antarctic ecosystems by creating their own. Finally students get to explore the biodiversity around their school and consider how the food web relationships they find might be impacted by climate change.
Topic Call-to-Action:
Start a school trapping project! Trap introduced predators and save our native birds, insects and plants!
Remember - feel free to give us direct feedback by commenting directly on the lesson plans themselves!
Did you find alternative resources or an alternative use for this lesson plan in your classroom? Share it here!
Extra Resources:
Core Objective:
In this topic students will grow their understanding on their own Whakapapa by exploring who they are in their family tree. (Older age groups can also explore how Whakapapa relates to biodiversity, Te Reo & traditional narratives - shaping our understanding of the world).
Description:
Whakapapa is the core of traditional Mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge). Whakapapa means genealogy. Other Māori terms for genealogy are kāwai and tātai. Kauwhau and taki refer to the process of tracing genealogies.
It maps relationships so that mythology, legend, history, knowledge, tikanga (custom), philosophies and spiritualities are organised, preserved and transmitted from one generation to the next.
East Coast elder Apirana Ngata (The cultural leader on your $50.00 note) explained that whakapapa is ‘the process of laying one thing upon another. If you visualise the foundation ancestors as the first generation, the next and succeeding ancestors are placed on them in ordered layers.’
Lesson plans:
In this topic you will explore the meaning of Whakapapa. You will be encouraged to wear your ‘cultural glasses’ to view how one can see the world through the ‘eyes’ of Whakapapa.
Understanding how ecosystems and our biodiversities link to the whakapapa Kaitiaki of Atua.
These Te Ao Māori resources have kindly been put together by Hinga
