
Making Careful Observations
Levels 3 and 4

NZC Achievement Objectives

Te Mātauranga o Aotearoa
Science Investigations: Carry out classifying and identifying; exploring; looking for patterns and modeling; fair testing; problem solving; making/building an object or a system.
Ngā Momo Tūhuratanga: Ka oti te whakarōpū me te tautohu, te torotoro, te rapu tauira me te whakatauira, te whakamātau tika, te whakaoti rapanga, te hanga i tētahi mea, i tētahi pūnaha rānei.

Learning Intentions

Integration Ideas
Learning Intentions are from the Ministry of Education
Integration ideas are from the Ministry of Education
Coming Soon!
Mathematics and Statistics (Number and Algebra): Use a calculator and mental methods to round numbers of people who support a decision to fine students who drop litter in the playground.

Related Topics
Resources

Can you cross off a line, a diagonal, or even the whole board, by finding each of these NZ tree species?
Level
1-4
Type
Outdoor Activity
Bark Bingo!
Kiwi Conservation Club - Hakuturi Toa
Can you cross off a line, a diagonal, or even the whole board, by finding each of these NZ tree species?

Joe takes you on a journey to discover the wonderful world of bugs!! Find some critters in your backyard & get to know them a little better.
Level
1-4
Type
Video
Bug hunt
Whenua Iti Outdoors
Joe takes you on a journey to discover the wonderful world of bugs!! Find some critters in your backyard & get to know them a little better.

What doesn’t breathe but can’t live without air, doesn’t drink but needs water near, never sleeps and won’t rest much, is stronger than steel, but crumbles at a touch?
Level
3
Type
Book
Connected 2013 Level 3: ‘Fast Rust’
Ministry of Education NZ
What doesn’t breathe but can’t live without air, doesn’t drink but needs water near, never sleeps and won’t rest much, is stronger than steel, but crumbles at a touch?

Mr Tuala’s class have lost the Boat Float competition and they want to figure out why. By learning more about density (and how it relates to floating a boat), they critique their original boat designs and use what they have learned to design and build new, more successful boats.
Level
4
Type
Book
Connected 2015 Level 4: ‘A Sinking Feeling’
Ministry of Education NZ
Mr Tuala’s class have lost the Boat Float competition and they want to figure out why. By learning more about density (and how it relates to floating a boat), they critique their original boat designs and use what they have learned to design and build new, more successful boats.

Scientific evidence suggests that sitting for long periods of time can cause health problems and that standing and moving around is better for us. But as with any scientific evidence, we need to ask questions about the evidence to determine if it can be trusted.
Level
4
Type
Book
Connected 2015 Level 4: ‘Don’t Sit If You Want to Keep Fit’
Ministry of Education NZ
Scientific evidence suggests that sitting for long periods of time can cause health problems and that standing and moving around is better for us. But as with any scientific evidence, we need to ask questions about the evidence to determine if it can be trusted.

This article explores a scientific issue from a Pacific worldview. It describes how the people of the Cook Islands have attempted to manage and protect their marine resources with the tradition of ra‘ui. The article highlights the very real issues that make success difficult and the diversity and validity of different people’s perspectives on ra‘ui.
Level
3
Type
Book
Connected 2020 Level 3: ‘Ra’ui: Giving It Back to the Gods’
Ministry of Education NZ
This article explores a scientific issue from a Pacific worldview. It describes how the people of the Cook Islands have attempted to manage and protect their marine resources with the tradition of ra‘ui. The article highlights the very real issues that make success difficult and the diversity and validity of different people’s perspectives on ra‘ui.

Why not conduct a scientific survey of the crab population on your local shoreline and develop your student's investigative attitudes.
Level
1-4
Type
Outdoor Activity
Crab Study
New Zealand Marine Studies Centre
Why not conduct a scientific survey of the crab population on your local shoreline and develop your student's investigative attitudes.

The appearance of the moon is a result of geological features (mountains, craters and plains).
Level
3-4
Type
Activity
Different stories about the Moon: Rona me te Mārama
Ministry of Education NZ
The appearance of the moon is a result of geological features (mountains, craters and plains).

Plants play a very important role in our local environment, and across Aotearoa, connecting many different organism together. Learn how to use a hula hoop as a quadrat, make some new discoveries where you live, and monitor changes over time.
Level
1-4
Type
Outdoor Activity
Discovering plant life
Kiwi Conservation Club - Hakuturi Toa
Plants play a very important role in our local environment, and across Aotearoa, connecting many different organism together. Learn how to use a hula hoop as a quadrat, make some new discoveries where you live, and monitor changes over time.

Who, what, where, why and how are powerful question words.
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7dh3EdCEHE
Level
1-4
Type
Video
Do-It-Yourself Science
Bill Nye The Science Guy
Who, what, where, why and how are powerful question words.
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7dh3EdCEHE

Humans have always looked with wonder at the movement of celestial bodies in the sky. Investigate movement, size and scale by creating 3D models of the solar system.
Level
3
Type
Unit
Earth's place in space
Primary Connections
Humans have always looked with wonder at the movement of celestial bodies in the sky. Investigate movement, size and scale by creating 3D models of the solar system.

See what variety can you find in flora (plants) and fauna (animals). Can you find something different to go in each box that matches the description?
Level
1-4
Type
Outdoor Activity
Explore your local environment Scavenger Hunt
Kiwi Conservation Club - Hakuturi Toa
See what variety can you find in flora (plants) and fauna (animals). Can you find something different to go in each box that matches the description?

Our eyes are incredible machines, but how do they work? Suzy asks the question while on the grounds of parliament, in NZ. She visits the NZ Film Archive and takes a good look things there!
Level
1-2
Type
Video
Eye: How does the eye work?
Suzy's World
Our eyes are incredible machines, but how do they work? Suzy asks the question while on the grounds of parliament, in NZ. She visits the NZ Film Archive and takes a good look things there!

Hold it right there, buddy – it’s the “Forensics” show
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP3xuHnbXM4
Level
1-4
Type
Video
Forensics
Bill Nye The Science Guy
Hold it right there, buddy – it’s the “Forensics” show
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP3xuHnbXM4

As this topic is Fungi, our activities are based around identification of fungi and lichens, zombie fungi, spores, cultural uses, and the importance of fungi for on this planet.
Level
1-4
Type
Unit
Funky Fungi of Aotearoa
Kids Greening Taupō
As this topic is Fungi, our activities are based around identification of fungi and lichens, zombie fungi, spores, cultural uses, and the importance of fungi for on this planet.

Your garden is full of life and ONE tree/shrub is waiting to be your friend. Get to know your
tree/shrub, learn, and recognise your friend.
Level
1-4
Type
Outdoor Activity
Get to know your trees
Whenua Iti Outdoors
Your garden is full of life and ONE tree/shrub is waiting to be your friend. Get to know your
tree/shrub, learn, and recognise your friend.

Johnny gives you some great tips & tricks that will help to take some awesome photos, and there are a couple of prizes up for grabs!
Level
1-4
Type
Video
Go Wild Photo Skills
Whenua Iti Outdoors
Johnny gives you some great tips & tricks that will help to take some awesome photos, and there are a couple of prizes up for grabs!

Uiuitia me pēhea te kaha o te hau ka taea te whakaangi ngā waka o te Ipu o Amerika, te whakaawe ō ratou tere. Inea ngā tawhiti e pā ana te raranga o te Ipu o Amerika.
Level
3-4
Type
Te Reo Māori
Hei tātaihia te hiko a Tāwhirimātea
Genesis School-Gen
Uiuitia me pēhea te kaha o te hau ka taea te whakaangi ngā waka o te Ipu o Amerika, te whakaawe ō ratou tere. Inea ngā tawhiti e pā ana te raranga o te Ipu o Amerika.

Plants, animals and fungi can be difficult to see easily - especially if they are very small, very shy or well camoflagued. Hence scientists use a variety of tools and techniques to help find what they are looking for.
Level
1-4
Type
Poster
How scientists find organisms
Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research
Plants, animals and fungi can be difficult to see easily - especially if they are very small, very shy or well camoflagued. Hence scientists use a variety of tools and techniques to help find what they are looking for.

We are going to practice our observation skills on a mū (insect) we find in our yard or a nearby
park. We will then build a model with the features of the insect we studied.
Level
1-4
Type
Outdoor Activity
Insect Tracking
Whenua Iti Outdoors
We are going to practice our observation skills on a mū (insect) we find in our yard or a nearby
park. We will then build a model with the features of the insect we studied.