Years 4–6: count what you see
Ākonga count birds over a set time at one spot and record the numbers carefully.
- Years 4–6 move: Timed count at a single spot
- Evidence it produces: A dated count sheet a classmate could read
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 2: Counting Birds
Students learn the scientific 5-minute bird count protocol, practising tallying techniques and observation tikanga to gather accurate population data from their local kura.
Focus Question
How can we use scientific observation to count our local bird population?
🎥 Media Anchor (8 mins)
Media Anchor: Bird Counting Method
Watch: Watch this counting protocol before your field tally so everyone collects comparable data.
- List two practices that make your count more reliable.
- What is one source of bias you should avoid during your survey?
Ngā Mahi - Week 2 Activities
1. Scientific Census: Protocol Review (15 mins)
Activity: Introduction to bird counting as a tool for environmental monitoring. Model the "quiet sit" and the specific protocol: 5 minutes of stillness and focused listening/watching.
- Why count? Discuss how data helps kaitiaki make decisions
- Indoor practice: Watch a 1-minute bird video and practice tallying
- Safety Brief: Respecting nests, paths, and silence
2. Fieldwork: The Five Minute Count (25 mins)
Activity: Move to the observation sites mapped in Week 1. Students use the Manu ID & Tally Sheet to perform a real 5-minute count.
- Protocol: 5 minutes of total silence + independent counting
- Record: Use tallies for each species identified
- Note: Mark whether the bird was seen (S) or heard (H)
3. Data Check & Synthesis (15 mins)
Activity: Return to the classroom to gather and visualise the group results on a communal chart.
- Whiteboard Graph: Tally the class totals for the most common species
- Discuss: "Which manu were dominant? Did we hear more than we saw?"
- Exit Ticket: "One thing that surprised me about our count was..."
💡 Differentiation Strategies
- scaffold support: Provide a tally sheet with only 3 most common birds; use buddy pairs for observation
- Extension: Calculate the average number of birds per species; compare data between two different kura sites (e.g., playground vs garden)
- Visual Aids: Use a "Big Bird ID" poster to help students match sightings to species during the count
📋 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: A count sheet with the first row already filled as a worked example. Extension: count at a second time of day and compare.
ELL / ESOL: Teach 'count', 'tally', 'more than', 'fewer than' with the tally chart in hand.
Inclusion: Counting outside is the barrier, not the counting. Anyone who cannot go out tallies from a recording or a window and does the same maths.
Mātauranga Māori lens: Counting manu is close to the maramataka way of reading the taiao: what returns, in what numbers, and when. Ask ākonga what their count would mean if repeated across a season — one morning's tally is a snapshot, and both mātauranga and ecology treat it that way.
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.