Stream Education and Assessment Resource for Secondary Schools

• Introduction
• Course Outlines
• Assessments
• Acknowledgements

 

Introduction

Wai Care and the National Waterways Project have worked together to produce this stream education and assessment resource for secondary schools. It is hoped that the ready-for-use resources will support/encourage investigations, research and action for the environment, enable credit to be gained for NCEA and encourage more sustained involvement in waterways education in the secondary schools sector.

Local streams offer an excellent opportunity to practice the key dimensions of environmental education as described in The Environmental Education Guidelines (Ministry Of Education 1999) that is:

• education in the environment.
• education about the environment.
• education for the environment.

Teaching using the context of local creeks, streams and rivers can:

• provide hands on science for practical work.
• provide assessment opportunities for unit and achievement standards
• empower students by allowing them to take action rather than just learning about environmental issues. There are opportunities to make a difference in many small ways – riparian planting, stream clean up, building fish passages, habitat enhancement, making submissions to their local council.
• provide an excellent opportunity for connecting with your district and/or regional council and for introducing students to the processes by which they can effect change.
• connect schools and students with the network of organizations that are already taking action on our national waterways.

The resource has been put together to encourage teachers to use local creeks and waterways as a learning context. We have focused on the Science and Biology Curricula but are very aware that there is great potential for cross curricular links, particularly with Maths, Social Sciences and Technology.

However – in order to provide you with ready to use assessment material we have concentrated our focus on the sciences.

This resource is divided into two main sections:

Course outlines

Examples of courses which will make students aware of local environmental issues related to a local waterway and to empower them to take action.

• Yrs 9 and 10 ‘Local Waterways’ (PDF, 740K) A number of the resources in this unit of work are based on material in Environment Bay of Plenty's resource 'Waiora'. A full copy of 'Waiora' is on http://www.ebop.govt.nz/education/waiora---healthy-water.asp
• NCEA Level 2 ‘Living Communities’
• NCEA Level 2 or 3 ‘Questionable Waterways’ This is a versatile unit for level 2 or 3
• NCEA Level 3 ‘ Year 13 Environmental Biology’ Student Introduction

Assessment Materials

This section contains ready to use assessment materials for a variety of unit and achievement standards in a waterways context.

• A matrix is included with hyper links to the resource material.
• Where possible the resources include an assessment task, a student cover sheet and an assessment schedule.
• The resources have been up-loaded  as word docs, so you can alter them and add your school’s name etc.
• We have included the relevant standards downloaded October 2005.  
• Reviewed Science Unit standards and new Science unit standards have been included. Always check that you are using the right version
• Most of the material has been critiqued by a NCEA Moderator and we have indicated in the matrix when this has been done.

 

Assessment Matrix

This matrix will allow you to see what unit and achievement standards are available for use. Many of them have assessments that have been prepared which can be found by following the internal links. Copies of the standards can also be linked to in the file – they are the latest versions as at October 2005.

The code next to the registered number refers to the Domain that the standard comes from (within the Science Field on the Framework ie Biology, Science Core or Earth Science.)

The asterisk * in the first column indicates that the material has been critiqued by an NCEA moderator.

The matrix is intended to provide resources to be used in two ways:

• To create your own environmental-flavoured course using the freshwater context.
• To provide resources that will allow you to create a freshwater context for existing courses eg Level 3 Biology.

 

Science Field:  Standards Relevant to Waterways Work – Level 2

US or AS	Reg No.	Matrix no.	Description/Name	Version	Credits
AS *	90769BIO	2.2	Research the interaction between humans and an aspect of biology Standard: AS90769 Resource 1  Human Footprints Resource 2 Cover Sheet Tasks Assessment Schedule Student Guidelines	1	3
AS*	90460BIO	2.4	Investigate an interrelationship or pattern in an ecological population or community. Standard: AS 90460 Resource: 1. ‘What's lurking below’ NZQA Int. Ass. resource B 2. Aoteapsyche Cover Sheet   Aoteapsyche Teacher Resources   Aoteapsyche Student Notes   Aoteapsyche Student Instructions   Aoteapsyche Assessment Schedule	2	3
AS	90461BIO	2.5	Describe concepts and processes relating to ecology. Standard: AS90461	2	3 External
US	21610 NEW 2006		Collect and use computer technology to store and process numeric data for a scientific purpose. Standard: US21610	1	4
US*	8928BIO		Use a microscope to investigate biological material Standard: US 8928 Resource:   Cover sheet   Task   Assessment schedule	3	3
US*	8929BIO		Identify biological population patterns through investigation Standard: US 8929 Resource:  Patterns in Local Waterways	3	3
US*	8930BIO		Identify biological community interrelationships and patterns through investigation. Standard: US 8930 Resource:  Patterns in Local Waterways	3	3
US*	6312BIO		Investigate factors that affect a living process. Standard: US 6312 Resource:  Task  Assessment Schedule	4	3
US	6309BIO		Evaluate practices used for managing a resource to ensure ecological sustainability. Standard: US6309	4	4
US*	6352 SCI CORE		Produce a report on an issue affecting the environment from a science perspective with supervision Standard: US 6352 Resource  Cover Sheet  Task and Assessment Schedule	5	4
US	6361 ES		Investigate and report on the geology of an area Standard: US6361	5	4
AS	90771 SCI	2.2	Research information to present a scientific report. Standard: AS 90771	1	3
AS	90312 SCI	2.1	Carry out a practical scientific investigation with supervision. Standard: AS 90312 Resource  Sediments in Rivers	2	4
AS *	90457 BIO	2.1	Carry out a practical biological investigation with supervision Standard: AS 90457 Resource 1  Cover Sheet  Investigating Life in Fresh Water    Resource 2  Life Exposed	2	3
Not assessed			Resource Could be adapted to AS90460 or US8929/8930 (record sheet and task)

 

 

Science Field: Standards Relevant to Waterways Work – Level 3

US or AS	Reg No.	Matrix no.	Description/Name	Version	Credits
US*	6355SCI CORE		Research and report on a current environmental issue from a science perspective with guidance Standard: US 6355 Resource  Cover Sheet  Tasks  Assessment Schedule  Teachers Marking Sheet	5	4
US	21613 NEW 2006		Research and report on a scientific sustainability issue with guidance. Standard: US21613	1	4
US*	8153ES		Explain Factors affecting water resource and its management, and plot and interpret hydrographs. Standard: US 8153 Resources  Tasks	4	4
US	6319BIO		Make an informed judgment on a contemporary biological issue. Standard: US6319	4	3
AS *	90727 SCI	3.1	Carry out a practical scientific investigation with guidance. Standard: AS 90727 Resource A Local Stream Study	2	4
AS*	90728 SCI	3.2	Research a current scientific controversy Standard: AS 90728 Resource Cover Sheet Tasks Assessment Schedule Teachers Marking Sheet	2	4
AS	90713 BIO	3.1	Carry out an investigation into the ecological niche of an organism with guidance. Standard: AS 90713	2	4
AS *	90714 BIO	3.2	Research a contemporary biological issue Standard: AS 90714	2	3

 

Standards at other levels

These standards, except for 90164 "Bothering the Bugs" are not resources. Possible topic ideas are in italics.

Level 1 Sciences/Bio:

US 6294 Vers 4, 4 credits - Compare the diversity and organization of different biological communities.

AS 1.1 (90161) Carry out a practical biology investigation with direction.

AS 1.2 (90162) Process information to describe a use of biology with direction. The use of macroinvertebrates in monitoring water quality – differing sensitivities of macros to pollution can be used as a living indicator of water quality.

AS 1.4  (90164) Describe the ecological characteristics found in two communities. Resource “Bothering the bugs”

AS 1.5  (90165) Describe the control of an introduced species that affects native species.  Introduced species such as Lagarosiphon major (an oxygen weed), grass carp, coarse fish like tench and rudd, are serious threats to freshwater biodiversity.

Level 4 Sciences/Biology:

US8099 2 credits - Identify flora and fauna, Version 3

Level 4 Sciences/Earth Science:

US8152 4 credits - Collect water samples for analysis, Version 3

 

Waterways and CREST (Creativity in Science and Technology)

Go to http://www.crest.org.nz/botany-skool.pdf for a case study on the CREST programme at Botany Downs Secondary College which includes 37 ideas for CREST and Science Fair projects, shows how to use CREST to cater for Gifted and Talented and gives an overview of the CREST awards scheme.

AS 90186 (Science 1.1) can be used to assess the CREST Bronze Award
AS 90312 (Science 2.1) can be used to assess the CREST Silver Award
AS 90727 (Science 3.1) can be used to assess the CREST Gold Award

More details are on http://www.crest.org.nz/CRESTandNZQA1.pdf

Acknowledgements

Grateful thanks go to Ally Jerram (Marlborough Girls’ College), Simon McMillan (Kaikorai College), Lynette Rogers (EE Advisor, Faculty of Education, University of Waikato), Lynette Brown (ex EE Advisor, Taupo Nui-A- Tia College), Andrew Jenks (Wai Care), Heather Bell (Senior Advisor, Technology, Ministry of Education) and Bridgit Glasgow (EE Advisor, Faculty of Education, Auckland University, ex Wai Care facilitator) who gave freely of their time to produce this resource for all secondary school teachers.

Thanks to Wai Care for providing substantial funding to support this LEOTC initiative, managed by Kathryn Hicks (NWP) and Andrew Jenks.

This material is Crown Copyright and may be freely used for educational purposes.