What to do

Note to teacher: This Internal Assessment Activity may be used unchanged, or can be adapted by the teacher, ensuring that all requirements of the Achievement Standard are still met. This textbox should be removed prior to sharing the activity with your students.

Note to teacher: This Internal Assessment Activity may be used unchanged, or can be adapted by the teacher, ensuring that all requirements of the Achievement Standard are still met. This textbox should be removed prior to sharing the activity with your students.

You are going to work as a group to plan and carry out three investigations that look at the science of rising sea levels.

Climate change is causing temperatures to rise, resulting in changes in ocean temperatures and causing glacial ice to melt. This will create a rise in sea level that will greatly impact nations surrounded by the sea, particularly Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

Choose three scientific investigative approaches from the list:

  • pattern seeking
  • exploring and observing
  • modelling
  • classifying and identifying
  • fair testing.

Identify a research question relating to rising sea levels for each investigative approach. Start with questions from your initial brainstorm and refine them if needed. Your kaiako will provide guidance and support you to refine or create a method for each investigation.

Carry out the three investigations:

  • collect data and report on findings for each investigative approach.

Discuss your findings:

Discuss your processed data. This could be with your kaiako, classmates, with kaumātua, or local kaitiaki, or through consulting a wider body of knowledge through wānanga. The purpose of the discussion is to validate your findings and conclusions.

Use these questions to guide your discussion:

  • What can you learn through looking at other people’s findings? Are they similar to your own? Why or why not?
  • What new understanding do you have about rising sea levels?
  • What new understanding do you have about investigative approaches?

Write or record an analysis of your investigations.  

In your analysis you should use the evidence you collected from your investigations to consider: 

  • how well each investigative approach answered the research question 
  • how you will describe the purpose of each investigation
  • whether your investigations were validated by evidence, fit for purpose, and why
  • if there was a benefit to using a range of investigative approaches in the same context
  • how the range of investigative approaches contributed to your understanding of rising sea levels. 

You are going to work as a group to plan and carry out three investigations that look at the science of rising sea levels.

Climate change is causing temperatures to rise, resulting in changes in ocean temperatures and causing glacial ice to melt. This will create a rise in sea level that will greatly impact nations surrounded by the sea, particularly Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

Choose three scientific investigative approaches from the list:

  • pattern seeking
  • exploring and observing
  • modelling
  • classifying and identifying
  • fair testing.

Identify a research question relating to rising sea levels for each investigative approach. Start with questions from your initial brainstorm and refine them if needed. Your kaiako will provide guidance and support you to refine or create a method for each investigation.

Carry out the three investigations:

  • collect data and report on findings for each investigative approach.

Discuss your findings:

Discuss your processed data. This could be with your kaiako, classmates, with kaumātua, or local kaitiaki, or through consulting a wider body of knowledge through wānanga. The purpose of the discussion is to validate your findings and conclusions.

Use these questions to guide your discussion:

  • What can you learn through looking at other people’s findings? Are they similar to your own? Why or why not?
  • What new understanding do you have about rising sea levels?
  • What new understanding do you have about investigative approaches?

Write or record an analysis of your investigations.  

In your analysis you should use the evidence you collected from your investigations to consider: 

  • how well each investigative approach answered the research question 
  • how you will describe the purpose of each investigation
  • whether your investigations were validated by evidence, fit for purpose, and why
  • if there was a benefit to using a range of investigative approaches in the same context
  • how the range of investigative approaches contributed to your understanding of rising sea levels. 

How to present your learning

Your findings could be presented in a variety of ways such as:

  • a presentation (3-4 mins), that could be a video, a voice recording, or a live presentation in front of the kaiako or class
  • a written article, report, or blog (750-800 words), in te reo Māori, English or braille which may also include visual or tactile diagrams or pictures. 

Your findings could be presented in a variety of ways such as:

  • a presentation (3-4 mins), that could be a video, a voice recording, or a live presentation in front of the kaiako or class
  • a written article, report, or blog (750-800 words), in te reo Māori, English or braille which may also include visual or tactile diagrams or pictures. 

Timeframe

Your kaiako will provide details of:  

  • the time you have to carry out your investigations
  • any checkpoints 
  • the final submission date and time.  

You will have 4-6 hours of class time to complete the final Assessment Activity. 

Your kaiako will provide details of:  

  • the time you have to carry out your investigations
  • any checkpoints 
  • the final submission date and time.  

You will have 4-6 hours of class time to complete the final Assessment Activity. 

Getting started

As a starter activity, explore rising sea levels and brainstorm a wide range of questions that could be investigated.

Find out about the different science investigation approaches on Science Learning Hub. Your kaiako will help you decide on the three investigation approaches to focus on for this Assessment Activity.

Think about how each investigative approach could contribute different knowledge to your overall understanding of what causes sea level rise. Your kaiako will help you decide on the three investigation approaches to focus on for this Assessment Activity.

As a starter activity, explore rising sea levels and brainstorm a wide range of questions that could be investigated.

Find out about the different science investigation approaches on Science Learning Hub. Your kaiako will help you decide on the three investigation approaches to focus on for this Assessment Activity.

Think about how each investigative approach could contribute different knowledge to your overall understanding of what causes sea level rise. Your kaiako will help you decide on the three investigation approaches to focus on for this Assessment Activity.

Student resources

Resources for investigations

 

What is Wānanga?

In this Standard wānanga involves discussing, challenging, and considering findings, and collaborating with others. Wānanga can be used to validate conclusions through wider consultation. Notes or recordings of the discussion can form data that supports findings and can validate the conclusions. Wānanga is an important skill for science as it expands the data you have access to and increases your understanding of your topic.

This may involve:

  • discussing the investigations and the conclusions with others, including kaumātua, local kaitiaki, kaiako, or classmates
  • comparing your results to other bodies of knowledge, like a database of information or data from previous experiments.

Examples of prompting questions for wānanga:

  • What features of the chosen investigative approaches meant they were the best approaches to answer your research questions?
  • What were the limitations of one approach compared with another?
  • What were the advantages of one approach compared with another?
  • What were significant similarities and/or differences between results within the class?
  • How well did each investigation answer your research questions and inform your understanding of the context?

Resources for investigations

 

What is Wānanga?

In this Standard wānanga involves discussing, challenging, and considering findings, and collaborating with others. Wānanga can be used to validate conclusions through wider consultation. Notes or recordings of the discussion can form data that supports findings and can validate the conclusions. Wānanga is an important skill for science as it expands the data you have access to and increases your understanding of your topic.

This may involve:

  • discussing the investigations and the conclusions with others, including kaumātua, local kaitiaki, kaiako, or classmates
  • comparing your results to other bodies of knowledge, like a database of information or data from previous experiments.

Examples of prompting questions for wānanga:

  • What features of the chosen investigative approaches meant they were the best approaches to answer your research questions?
  • What were the limitations of one approach compared with another?
  • What were the advantages of one approach compared with another?
  • What were significant similarities and/or differences between results within the class?
  • How well did each investigation answer your research questions and inform your understanding of the context?