Years 4–6: do something that helps
Ākonga choose and carry out one action that helps local manu.
- Years 4–6 move: A completed helping action
- Evidence it produces: The action done, and what it was meant to help
Before you plan from this: Te Kete Ako carries three routes through this kaupapa, not two. The lesson body below is currently near-identical to the Year 7 route’s — this panel describes the intended difference between those two, which is not authored yet, so choose between them on year band rather than on this pitch. The third route sits at the Years 7–8 band and is genuinely different in shape: its lessons are noticeably shorter, around half the length of these. All three are kept; none is being retired.
💡 Week 4: Solutions & Action
Students transition from analysis to action. They brainstorm diverse solutions to habitat issues, evaluate them using a feasibility grid, and begin planning their advocacy through posters or PSAs.
Focus Question
What is the most effective and realistic action we can take to help local birds?
🎥 Media Anchor (8 mins)
Media Anchor: From Problem to Solution
Watch: Analyse how communities move from evidence to practical conservation action.
- Which stakeholder actions in the source are most effective, and why?
- What is one realistic action your class can prototype this week?
Ngā Mahi - Week 4 Activities
1. Brainstorming Solutions (15 mins)
Activity: Group brainstorm session. Based on the threats identified in Week 3, what could we actually do? List everything from planting bushes to starting a no-litter campaign.
- Options: Planting native shrubs, installing nest boxes, creating signage, starting a backyard trapping info session
- Rule: Every group needs at least one "low cost" and one "high impact" idea
2. The Feasibility Grid (20 mins)
Activity: Using the Action Planner, groups map their ideas onto a grid. Axis 1: How much effort/money? Axis 2: How much help for the birds?
- "Quick Wins": High impact, low effort (e.g., signage or litter cleanup)
- "Major Projects": High impact, high effort (e.g., building a repo/wetland zone)
- Final Choice: Select the action for Week 6
3. Advocacy: Poster/PSA Drafts (20 mins)
Activity: Review the Poster Rubric. Students begin rough drafts of their message. It must include: A clear headline, one data point from Week 2, and one community quote from Week 3.
- Headline: Must be a call to action (e.g., "Keep our Tūī Singing!")
- Kupu Māori: Use at least 3 names or environmental terms correctly
- Drafting: Focus on layout and message before final art
💡 Differentiation Strategies
- scaffold support: Provide 'Starter Ideas' cards for groups struggling to brainstorm; use a cloze-style poster template
- Support: Focus on "Direct Action" only (e.g., making bird feeders) if advocacy writing is too complex
- Extension: Create a digital PSA using Canva or Spark; include a QR code linking to bird call audio
✉️ Reminders for Kaiako
Send home the Whānau Permission and Participation Note today so families have clear timing, supervision, and support details well before Action Day in Week 6. Confirm any transport, material, or accessibility needs now rather than chasing them at the last minute.
📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot
Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
Students will investigate the ecological roles of ngā manu o te taiao — the birds of the natural world — within local habitats, drawing on both science and mātauranga Māori to understand why native birds are taonga and what kaitiakitanga requires of us in their protection.
Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria
Assess this week against its own criteria above. The unit-wide criteria live once on the unit overview — they are not repeated here, so nobody marks the week against the wrong list.
Differentiation & Inclusion
Scaffold support: An action menu with three options already costed by time and effort. Extension: work out who would need to give permission.
ELL / ESOL: Model each action verb physically — plant, trap-check, feed, monitor — before ākonga choose.
Inclusion: Every ākonga has a named job. Recording, photographing, timekeeping and measuring are real jobs.
Mātauranga Māori lens: Kaitiakitanga of manu is practical and spiritual at once. This week's action must be practical enough to measure, but ākonga should be able to say what relationship it honours as well as what number it moves.
Prior knowledge: Best used after introductory ecology concepts. Connects well to science food webs and biodiversity units.
Curriculum alignment
- Ecosystems — Knowledge: Biotic and abiotic factors in ecosystems can affect the distribution and abundance of organisms; changes in one part can affect the balance and wellbeing of the whole system.