📚 Lessons / Ngā Akoranga
He aha te Whakaaro Māramatanga?
Introduction to critical thinking in Te Ao Māori & Pākehā contexts. Whakataukī analysis and defining critical thinking.
Tika, Hē, me te Pono
Identifying bias, fake news, and credible sources. NZ headlines about Matariki as case study.
He Tātai Whakaaro
Recognising logical fallacies in arguments. Analyse NZ political speeches and advertisements.
Te Ture me te Whakatau
Applying ethical frameworks to real dilemmas. "Should NZ ban single-use plastics?"
Te Pakirehua
Socratic questioning & problem-solving. "The Mystery of the Missing Moa" investigation.
Te Arotake i ngā Kōrero
Argument mapping & persuasive techniques. Māori wards in local councils case study.
Hei Whakatau Tikanga
Collaborative problem-solving. Allocate a $10,000 grant using whanaungatanga principles.
Te Whakamātautau Whakaaro
Critical Thinking Challenge: Analysis of current NZ issues (vaping, climate policy).
📄 Resources / Ngā Rauemi
📝 Handouts
🛠️ Digital Tools
🌿 Key Māori Concepts
📋 Curriculum Alignment
NZC Level 4 — Social Studies / Tikanga-ā-Iwi
- Understand how people make decisions about access to and use of resources
- Understand how the ways in which leadership of groups is acquired and exercised have consequences
- Understand how people participate individually and collectively in response to community challenges
Key Competencies: Thinking, Relating to Others, Participating and Contributing
Values: Critical inquiry, Respect for evidence, Cultural responsiveness
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga — Learning Intentions
- Students can identify bias, fallacies, and credibility issues in Aotearoa NZ media and political texts.
- Students can apply ethical frameworks (including kaitiakitanga and whanaungatanga) to analyse real-world decision-making dilemmas.
- Students can construct and evaluate arguments using evidence, identifying logical flaws in competing positions.
- Students can use Socratic questioning to investigate complex social issues from multiple perspectives.
- Students can collaborate to reach a considered group decision, practising kotahitanga in deliberative contexts.
Paearu Angitu — Success Criteria
- I can identify at least three types of logical fallacy in a political speech or advertisement.
- I can rate a news source for credibility using at least two evaluation criteria and justify my rating.
- I can explain how kaitiakitanga applies as an ethical lens to a current NZ issue.
- I can write or speak a structured argument using the PEEL framework with evidence and counter-argument.
- I can contribute meaningfully to a group deliberation that reflects collective reasoning.
Teacher Planning Snapshot
Curriculum Alignment
Social Studies — NZC Level 4 (Years 9–10). Key AOs: decision-making about resources; leadership and consequences; participation in community challenges. Key Competencies: Thinking; Relating to Others; Participating and Contributing. Cross-curricular: English (argument), Science (evidence evaluation).
Mātauranga Māori Lens
Lesson 1 opens with a full Whakataukī Analysis activity ("He kōrero, he kōrero; he kai, he kai"), grounding critical thinking in Māori philosophical traditions; Lessons 2–8 carry the mātauranga Māori lens forward in their teaching notes rather than repeating the standalone activity. Kaitiakitanga is the unit's ethical touchstone. Pūrākau (narrative) functions as evidence alongside Western academic citation. Whanaungatanga and kotahitanga shape collaborative tasks in Lessons 7–8.
Entry / On-level / Extension
- Entry: Graphic organisers, sentence starters, paired kōrero before writing. Focus on identifying bias rather than evaluating argument structure.
- On-level: Independent PEEL arguments and fallacy identification with NZ case studies (Matariki, Māori wards).
- Extension: Original persuasive podcasts/debates on current NZ issues. Evaluate arguments using both Western and mātauranga Māori frameworks. Create peer-teaching resources.
Inclusion and Accessibility
- Neurodiversity: Predictable lesson structure with opening whakataukī ritual. Multiple output modes: written, verbal, digital (Padlet, Flipgrid, Canva).
- EAL/D: Bilingual whakataukī provided. Argument vocabulary wall maintained throughout. Visual sources precede text-heavy sources.
- Cultural Safety: Māori students may have personal connections to case studies. Right to pass on personal sharing; iwi knowledge invited as expert input.
- Gifted/Advanced: Extension pathways in every lesson; self-directed inquiry strand available Lessons 5–8.