Science in the New Zealand Curriculum
Achievement objectives
Level 4: Making Sense of the Nature of Science and Its Relationship to Technology
Students can plan and carry out a "fair test" and make decisions about whether the conclusions drawn from an investigation are soundly based.
Science in the New Zealand Curriculum, page 32
http://www.tki.org.nz/r/science/curriculum/p32_33_e.php
Levels 3 and 4: Developing Scientific Skills and Attitudes
Information gathering: Students can:
- identify trends and relationships in recorded observations and measurements by making links within organised data
- use organised data and scientific ideas to suggest an answer to their selected questions and problems and make an evaluation of their investigation.
Science in the New Zealand Curriculum, page 46
http://www.tki.org.nz/r/science/curriculum/p44_51_e.php
Level 4: Making Sense of the Living World
Students can:
- investigate and describe special features of animals or plants which help survival into the next generation
- use simple food chains to explain the feeding relationships of familiar animals and plants and investigate effects of human intervention on these relationships.
Science in the New Zealand Curriculum, page 60
http://www.tki.org.nz/r/science/curriculum/p60_61_e.php
The teacher's intended outcomes were for the students to:
- develop an interest in issues related to New Zealand's endangered species
- independently choose a topic, ask questions, and use resources to seek relevant information and ideas.
The intended outcomes were aligned to the following "big ideas":
- Scientific research can be used to help or exploit people and the environment.
- Scientists take account of and build on the work of previous scientists.
The students completed a number of classroom-based activities and field trips and were visited by conservation officers. They then carried out individual research-based learning projects on an endangered native bird. The teacher encouraged the students to take a personal interest in their projects. Samantha developed an increasing interest in native bird conservation and became a very active volunteer in the local bird conservation programme.
The students began by recording definitions of terms such as "endangered", "native", "exotic", "biodiversity", "ecosystem", and "adaptation". They created a mind map headed "What I know now about endangered species" and participated in a range of activities about endangered species taken from the Auckland Zoo teacher support material and Making Better Sense of the Living World. Then they discussed the following questions:
- What could happen to New Zealand's endangered species in the future?
- What are we doing about it?
- What can we do about it?
They also discussed food chains and food webs, how they are constructed, and how they apply to New Zealand flora and fauna. The students then focused on their individual projects.
Teacher-student conversation
On completion of the individual projects:
| Teacher: |
Samantha, can you talk to me about your kākāpō study? |
| Samantha: |
The kākāpō is endangered because the food it needs to survive isn't always available, or it's being consumed by competitors. The rimu tree is very important for the kākāpō. It needs rimu berries to breed successfully – the fruit is essential for its chicks. |
| Teacher: |
Where did you find your information? |
| Samantha: |
Books, the kākāpō conservation website, and the conservation officer who came and talked to our class. |
| Teacher: |
Tell me about the visiting speaker. |
| Samantha: |
I found her talk very interesting. I thought to myself, this might be something I could do in later life. |
To move Samantha towards the next learning step, the teacher could help her to focus on:
- sustaining her interest in conservation organisations, for example, the Kiwi Conservation Club (developing interest and relating scientific learning to the wider world)
- reflecting on the processes she uses to gather information and recognising areas for improvement (investigating in science).
The teacher could:
- encourage Samantha to research and undertake learning and action opportunities related to endangered species
- give Samantha opportunities to carry out practical investigations that challenge her to make selective, accurate, and detailed observations and to look for and suggest patterns and relationships.
References
Auckland Zoo teacher support material.
Kākāpō Recovery Programme
Kiwi Conservation Club: www.kcc.org.nz/
Ministry of Education (1993). Science in the New Zealand Curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.
Ministry of Education (2001). Making Better Sense of the Living World. Wellington: Learning Media.
TKI Science community
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