This Assessment Activity should take place at the end of a teaching and learning programme of approximately 8 weeks. This assessment may sit within an extended topic, for example, on ecology and the interconnectedness of the environment, properties of substances, or climate change.

Kaiako should use a Universal Design for Learning framework when carrying out this Assessment Activity. This would include:

• adapting the Assessment Activity to respond to ākonga interest, engagement, and needs such as adapting this activity to suit a different ecological environment
• presenting multiple forms of information or reformatting information to improve accessibility for ākonga
• giving ākonga the opportunity to show their learning using different modes such as oral, visual, and text  
• using group work, individual work and wānanga when preparing for the Assessment Activity. 

To prepare ākonga for the Assessment Activity, kaiako should give guidance and check progress on:  

• selecting an appropriate issue
• selecting relevant information on the identified issue
• selecting another perspective from an identifiable group, to use in their response.

The final submission could be completed in approximately 4-6 hours of class time, but this timeframe can be adjusted for the learning needs of ākonga. 

 To help make the teaching and learning programme relevant and purposeful for ākonga, kaiako could:

• engage with whakataukī that are related to waterway use, eg for Whanganui iwi “Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au – I am the river, and the river is me”
• go on a field trip to the local waterway and collect and test water samples, or take a virtual field trip
• organise a kōrero with local iwi to learn about their perspective
• learn about any tikanga related to water use, for example rāhui
• watch news or TV interviews related to the health of waterways in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Support can be provided to help ākonga select the aspect that they will focus on, for example through a class brainstorm.

The two perspectives that ākonga consider (science and another) do not have to be opposing. Different perspectives can support the same outcome but may have different considerations. Different perspectives could also support different outcomes. The intention of this Assessment Activity is for ākonga to show their understanding of complex real-world decision making, in a science context. 

It is important that ākonga are given the opportunity to choose the form in which they wish to present their understandings for this assessment.

You could discuss the concept of tiakitanga and kotahitanga with ākonga, encouraging them to understand that issues don‘t always have a binary solution (‘right’ or ‘wrong’), and there is value in collaborative solutions.

You should provide ākonga with resources as a starting point.