Hamilton Zoo Map Adventure - Year 6 | Te Kete Ako

🎯 Your Mission | Tō Kaupapa

Welcome to Hamilton Zoo, explorer! 🎉

You just arrived at the START point in the car park. Now you need to find different animals using our special map!

🗺️ How to Use This Map

Grid Squares: The map is divided into squares like a chess board
Finding Places: Use the numbers along the edges to find locations
Moving Around: Count squares to see how far things are apart
Starting Point: Look for the red pulsing dot - that's where you begin!

Hamilton Zoo grid map: a 6 by 6 grid with columns lettered A to F across the top and rows numbered 1 to 6 down the side. The giraffe is at A3, the entrance and car park at F3, the Oasis cafe and toilets at C3, the ponds at D3, and the savannah holding zebra and ostrich at C1. — Hamilton Zoo grid map — a simplified schematic for classroom use. Positions are approximate, placed from Hamilton Zoo’s published visitor map (November 2025); it is not to scale and not a survey. One grid square = 80 metres. For the current official map see hamiltonzoo.co.nz.

🔍 Activity 1: Finding Animals

Look at the map and find these animals! Write the letter and number for each one.

🦒 Giraffes: Letter Number

🐘 Elephants: Letter Number

🐅 Tigers: Letter Number

👣 Activity 2: Counting Steps

🧮 Counting Helper

How to count squares:

Put your finger on the START point
Count how many squares you move across (left or right)
Count how many squares you move up or down
Add them together!

From your START point, count how many squares to reach each animal:

Animal	Squares Across	Squares Up/Down	Total Squares
🦒 Giraffes
🐘 Elephants
🐅 Tigers

🎯 Activity 3: Which Animal First?

You want to visit all three animals, but which one should you visit first?

Look at your counting from Activity 2. Which animal needs the smallest number of squares to reach?

I should visit the first because it only takes squares to get there!

🔍 Activity 4: Treasure Hunt!

There are other cool things at the zoo too! Can you find them?

🎠 Playground: Letter Number

🍕 Food Area: Letter Number

💧 Water/Lake: Letter Number

🤔 Activity 5: Planning Your Day

You're getting hungry! Plan the best route to get food.

You're still at the START point. You want to see one animal, then get food.

My plan:

1. First, I'll visit the

2. Then I'll go to the food area

3. This is a good plan because:

🌟 Activity 6: Help a Friend!

Your friend is lost! They tell you they can see elephants and a playground.

Look at your map. Where do you think your friend is?

My friend is probably at: Letter Number

How do you know?

🎉 Well Done! | Ka Pai!

You've completed the Hamilton Zoo Map Adventure!

You now know how to:

✅ Find locations using letters and numbers
✅ Count squares to measure distances
✅ Plan efficient routes
✅ Help others using map references

🎯 Teacher Notes | Ngā Kōrero Kaiako

Year 6 Learning Objectives:

Simple Grid References: Using letters and numbers to locate positions
Basic Counting: Counting grid squares for distance
Spatial Awareness: Understanding relative positions
Problem Solving: Planning simple routes
Communication: Describing locations clearly

Simplifications for Year 6:

Bigger Grid: Only 5×4 squares instead of complex coordinates
Letters + Numbers: A1, B2 format instead of (x,y) coordinates
Visual Cues: Animal emojis, bright colours, clear labels
Simple Counting: Just add squares across + squares up
Real Context: Focus on practical zoo navigation

Extension Ideas:

Draw their own zoo map with a grid system
Create treasure hunt clues using grid references
Use classroom or playground as practice grid
Compare this map to other maps they know (school, neighbourhood)

🎬 Media Anchor (8 mins)

Media Anchor: Taking a 4-figure grid reference (Ordnance Survey, 1m52)

Real source: Ordnance Survey (UK), How to take a 4-figure grid reference with Steve Backshall. Runtime 1m52. Replaces a clip that was previously mislabelled here and had no grid-reference content.

Steve Backshall reads the reference along the bottom first, then up the side. Say that rule aloud together before Activity 1 — it is the move ākonga most often get backwards.
The clip uses a British Ordnance Survey map. Our zoo map uses letters and numbers instead of four digits. What stays the same about the method, and what changes?

Curriculum alignment

Geometry — Knowledge: - An alphanumeric grid reference is a system that divides a map into labelled rows (letters) and columns (numbers), so that each square can be identified by combining a letter…
Geometry — Practices: - Use alphanumeric and general grid references to identify regions and plot positions on a grid map
Number — Knowledge: - Division may result in a whole number quotient or a quotient with a remainder, represented as a whole number. - Division can be represented as grouping, sharing, or an area …
Measurement — Knowledge: - Division may result in a whole number quotient or a quotient with a remainder, represented as a whole number. - Division can be represented as grouping, sharing, or an area …
Statistics — Knowledge: - Division may result in a whole number quotient or a quotient with a remainder, represented as a whole number. - Division can be represented as grouping, sharing, or an area …

📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot

Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions

Students will apply mathematical thinking to authentic contexts at Te Kāhui Kararehe o Kirikiriroa (Hamilton Zoo), developing tūhuratanga (statistical inquiry) skills through real data about animal populations, habitats, and conservation. This unit connects maths to kaitiakitanga — our responsibility to care for ngā manu me ngā kararehe of Aotearoa.

Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria

✅ I can collect, display, and interpret data about animals using appropriate graphs and statistics.
✅ I can apply measurement, geometry, or number skills to solve real problems in a zoo context.
✅ I can connect mathematical findings to conservation and kaitiakitanga for native species.

Differentiation & Inclusion

Scaffold support: Provide pre-drawn graph templates and data tables for entry-level access. Offer extension tasks requiring students to design their own statistical investigation using zoo population data and write a conservation recommendation backed by evidence.

ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach mathematics and conservation vocabulary. Use visual supports — diagrams, models, and real objects where possible. Allow students to explain their mathematical thinking verbally before writing.

Inclusion: Offer manipulatives and calculator access to support all learners. Neurodiverse learners benefit from structured inquiry frameworks, clear success criteria, and choice in how they present mathematical findings. The hands-on, real-world context of zoo mathematics motivates engagement across learning profiles.

Mātauranga Māori lens: Connect to traditional Māori knowledge of kararehe and manu — including the significance of native species like tuatara, kiwi, and kākāpō in tikanga Māori. Use maramataka (traditional Māori lunar calendar) as a context for data and pattern recognition. Frame conservation mathematics as a practical expression of kaitiakitanga.

Prior knowledge: Best used after foundational statistics and measurement skills. Connects well to science ecology units.