Content vocabulary is an important aspect of science knowledge and understanding. Students learning about the water cycle or undertaking water quality monitoring are likely to encounter terms that represent concepts that may be new to them. If students are unable to master the meanings of the terms, it is unlikely they will be able to master the underlying concepts.
In this activity, students are introduced to Māori classification of water and science content vocabulary associated with wai, water monitoring and water quality. The activity provides a variety of opportunities for students to learn the words and their meanings and the contexts in which they may encounter the terminology.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
- read some or all of the content vocabulary words
- match some or all of the content vocabulary words to their definitions
- recite or paraphrase some of the definitions without looking at the cards
- group words in categories of their own choosing.
Download the Word file (see link below).
Nature of science
The New Zealand Curriculum achievement aim for communicating in science says that students should develop knowledge of the vocabulary of science and use this knowledge to communicate their own and others’ ideas. This activity helps to build and use a range of content vocabulary.
Activity ideas
Discover how the Ake Ake model uses Māori perspectives to view changes in a local environment, then try it out with Mapping the future.
Te mana o te wai explores the concept of mauri – the health and wellbeing of a waterway.
Acknowledgement
This activity has been developed in partnership with the Waikato Regional Council as part of the Rivers and Us resource.
