Lesson 1.1: What Makes a Society?
Exploring the Systems that Build Communities
Students explore the fundamental question "What is a society?" by examining its core components through both indigenous and contemporary lenses, establishing a foundation for systems thinking.
Whakatūwhera - Cultural Opening
In Te Ao Māori, a community is a web of deep relationships, not just a group of people. Whakapapa provides the blueprint for how we connect, support each other, and make decisions. Today, we explore how all societies, from a local marae to an entire nation, are built on these same ideas of connection, shared responsibility, and collective wellbeing. We ask: what are the essential systems that allow us to thrive together?
"Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi."
Ngā Whāinga Ako - Learning Intentions
Students Will Learn
- That societies are systems with interconnected parts.
- The four essential components of any society.
- How different cultures (e.g., Māori, Pākehā) structure their societies.
Students Will Demonstrate
- By identifying the four components in different scenarios.
- By comparing and contrasting two different societal models.
- By applying systems thinking to their own community.
🎥 Media Anchor (9 mins)
Video: What Is Sociology?: Crash Course Sociology #1
- Which parts, connections, and purpose did the video make most visible in a social system?
- How does kaitiakitanga shift what a “successful society” should optimise for?
Ngā Mahi - Lesson Activities (75 minutes)
1. Society Stations: The Four Pillars (30 mins)
Setup: Students rotate in small groups through four stations. At each station, they read the description and answer the prompt questions on a shared document or large sheet of paper.
Download Printable Station CardsPillar 1: People & Community
Who makes up the society? How are they connected? (e.g., whānau, citizenship, shared interests).
Prompt: How is our school a community? What connects us?
Pillar 2: Governance & Rules
How are decisions made? Who holds power? What are the rules? (e.g., government, tikanga, school rules).
Prompt: Who makes decisions in your family? How is that different from school?
Pillar 3: Resources & Economics
How does the society manage its resources? (e.g., money, trade, food, land, knowledge).
Prompt: What are the most important resources for our school to function?
Pillar 4: Culture & Values
What are the shared beliefs, traditions, and stories that give the society its identity? (e.g., language, religion, art, history).
Prompt: What is one value that is important to our school culture?
2. Systems in Action: Comparing Two Models (25 mins)
Activity: As a class, or in pairs, students complete a Venn diagram comparing a traditional Iwi/Hapū system with a modern city system, using the four pillars as a guide.
Focus on how each system handles the four pillars. What's the same? What's different?
Aromatawai - Assessment & Next Steps
Formative Assessment
- Observe group discussions at the stations.
- Review the shared documents for understanding of the four pillars.
- Check the Venn diagrams for thoughtful comparisons.
Homework & Extension
- Identify the four pillars in a movie or book.
- Ask a family member how their community has changed over time.
Whakaaro - Reflection
Every group of people is a system. By understanding the four pillars—People, Governance, Resources, and Culture—we can start to see how these systems work. We also see that while the goals are often the same (safety, wellbeing, a future for our children), different cultures have developed unique and brilliant ways to achieve them. The first step to improving a system is to see it clearly.
📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot
Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
Students will engage with this resource to apply systems thinking to real-world civic and community challenges — analysing feedback loops, leverage points, and emergent properties within social, environmental, and governance systems in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria
- ✅ Students can identify system components and their interactions within a real-world context.
- ✅ Students can apply indigenous systems thinking principles to analyse and propose community action.
Differentiation & Inclusion
Scaffold support: Provide systems mapping templates and sentence starters for entry-level access. Offer extension tasks asking students to identify a second-order effect or design an intervention at a leverage point within their chosen system.
ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach systems thinking vocabulary (feedback loop, leverage point, emergence, interdependence) using visual diagrams. Allow students to annotate systems maps in their home language first.
Inclusion: Use visual, spatial, and collaborative formats wherever possible — systems maps are inherently accessible for diverse learners. Neurodiverse learners benefit from structured inquiry steps and chunked analysis tasks. Ensure group roles are clearly defined.
Mātauranga Māori lens: Systems thinking has deep resonance with Te Ao Māori. Whakapapa is a relational map of systems — tracing connections between people, place, and time. Kaitiakitanga frames our responsibility within systems. Mauri provides a measure of system health. These indigenous concepts enrich Western systems thinking frameworks.
Prior knowledge: Students should have completed foundational systems thinking lessons (phases 1–2) before engaging with phase 3 inquiry tasks. No specialist prior knowledge required for standalone resources.
Curriculum alignment
- Te Mātaiaho (2025) · Social Sciences · Phase 3 (Years 7–8) · Civics and Society (Knowledge): “A constitution sets out the rules for how a country is governed.”
- NZC (2007) · Social Studies · Level 4: “Understand how formal and informal groups make decisions that impact on communities.”