Cross-curricular Themes

The Resource Management Act 1991 – Level 7

Suggested learning outcomes for environmental education
Students will develop:

knowledge and understanding of:

• a local or national environmental issue involving a significant natural resource;
• The Resource Management Act 1991 and its implications for the management of New Zealand's natural resources.

skills, such as:

• communication – presenting a case clearly, accurately, and logically;
• research and inquiry – critically evaluating ideas about or possible solutions to an environmental issue, using analysed data and scientific theory and drawing and justifying conclusions.
• decision making – comparing and evaluating different ways of making and implementing decisions on the management of a natural resource.

attitudes and values, such as:

• a respect for the beliefs and values of others;
• appreciation of the need for independence of thought on environmental issues;
• an appreciation of and concern for living things;
• an awareness of the need for individual and group action in maintaining a natural resource.

Achievement objectives from selected curriculum statements that could be used as a focus for the environmental education topic Marine Reserves
These include:

Social Studies
Place and Environment
Students will understand why and how people regulate the use of places and the environment.

English
Written Language: Transactional Writing
Students will write clear, coherent explanations and reports and debate a proposition or point of view, structuring well-researched material effectively, in appropriate styles for different audiences and in a range of authentic contexts.

Science
Making Sense of the Living World
Students can research and develop a defensible position about a selected issue affecting the New Zealand environment (AO4).

Making Sense of Planet Earth and Beyond
Students can survey and evaluate the literature relating to an Earth sciences issue (AO4).

Making Sense of the Nature of Science and its Relationship to Technology
Students can research the personal and ethical issues that arise from the impact of science and technology on people and their environment (AO3).

Suggested learning experiences that could enable students to meet the learning outcomes of environmental education in association with achievement objectives from selected curriculum statements

Prepare a case study on a local or national environmental issue involving a significant natural resource, such as open-caste mining or the construction of a hydro dam. This case study could include:

–	making a historical overview of the issue;
–	identifying the various groups involved and explaining their respective positions on the issue;
–	examining the implications of the Resource Management Act 1991 for the management of the selected resource;
–	analysing how the issue is likely to affect the local environment;
–	identifying and supporting a personal position on the issue, making recommendations for further investigations.

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