Course topics and Assessment Outline 2024

Year 8 Social Science

Term Week Date Topic Notes M Tu W Th F
1 22-Jan Introduction to the course School Begins
2 29-Jan Family Auckland anniversary
Waitangi Day
3 5-Feb Family
Swimming
4 12-Feb Family
5 19-Feb NZ Culture and Identity Athletics Day
Term 1

6 26-Feb NZ Culture and Identity

7 4-Mar Disasters and Aid
8 11-Mar Disasters and Aid
9 18-Mar Disasters and Aid
10 25-Mar Disasters and Aid Good Friday
11 1- Apr Disasters and Aid Easter Monday
12 8-Apr Disasters and Aid
Holiday Break
1 29-Apr Government and Organisation
2 6-May Government and Organisation
3 13-May Government and Organisation
4 20-May Mid-Year Examinations
Term 2

5 27-May Migration
King’s Birthday
6 3-Jun Migration
Cross Country
7 10-Jun Beliefs about food
8 17-Jun Beliefs about food
9 24-Jun Beliefs about food Matariki
Holiday Break
1 22-Jul Sustainability
2 29-Jul Sustainability
3 5-Aug Sustainability
4 12-Aug Sustainability
Term 3

5 19-Aug Places and Environment

6 26-Aug Places and Environment
7 2-Sep Places and Environment
8 9-Sep Economic Activity
9 16-Sep Economic Activity
10 23-Sep Economic Activity
Holiday Break
1 14-Oct Revision
2 21-Oct Revision
3 28-Oct End-Year Examinations Labour Day
4 4-Nov Leaders
Term 4

5 11-Nov Leaders
School Camps
6 18-Nov Leaders
Legacy Day
7 25-Nov Leaders Picnic Day
8 2-Dec Leaders Last day of school
Units for this year:

1. Family
• Self-identity through family identification through Māori introductions
(mihimihi?)
• Family trees and the primary and secondary source documents for these.
• European heraldry and symbolism
• Different family models (e.g., nuclear, blended, and extended families;
patriarchal vs matriarchal)

2. NZ Culture and Identity

• How and why have expressions of identity and belonging changed for
different groups of people as they have participated in society?
• How has their participation helped form New Zealand?
• How have they understood and enacted their relationship with tangata
whenua?
• Historically, what opportunities and barriers have different groups
experienced when participating in or contributing to New Zealand?
• How have they advocated for their rights?

3. Disasters and Aid

• Types of disasters… man-made vs natural and diseases.
• Disaster preparedness and Civil Defence in NZ.
• Volcanoes
• Winds – Tornadoes and hurricanes. How are they similar and how are they
different?
o Tornadoes – How they form, Fujita scale; how to predict and
prepare for them
o Hurricanes – How they form, effects, measuring strength, tracking
using latitude and longitude, case study
• Earthquakes and Tsunamis
• Supplying aid to those affected by disasters.

4. Government and Organisation

• How was mana expressed in relationships between iwi and between iwi and
Pākehā?
• How did iwi co-opt new ideas and technologies in pursuit of mana, and what
were some of the impacts of that?
• How did diseases brought by Europeans impact mana?
• How is mana evident in Māori protest action?
• What were Pacific peoples’ experiences of New Zealand’s colonial power in
the Pacific?
• How did they continue to sustain their culture and assert their authority?
• What were the historical events behind the New Zealand?
5. Migration
• Recap of urbanisation – what is urbanisation? Why do people choose to
move from rural areas to the city? What effects does urbanisation cause?
• Recap of migration – What is migration? Why do people immigrate? Is it a
choice or are they “forced” to?
• Immigration vs emigration?
• Push/Pull table

6. Beliefs about food

• What is a belief system and how can that impact one’s choice in foods?
• Different diet types – vegetarian, pescatarian, carnivore, omnivore, vegan,
gluten intolerance
• What questions could we ask about foods that come from animals, and our
beliefs about food that affect our choices? Animal welfare? Personal health?
Environment? Religion? Personal taste?

7. Sustainability
• What makes a business a “green” business; Greenwashing – misleading
claims about a business and sustainability
• The Dairy Industry
• Fast foods
• Problems with fishing
• Becoming a sustainable business
• The story of stuff

8. Places and Environment

• What practices of Māori transformed the natural environment?
• How did Māori express their kinship with and custodianship of the
environment?
• How did naming features of the land express their connection with it?

9. Economic Activity
• What stories do iwi and hapū tell about their experiences with new economic
activities?
• What opportunities and barriers were there?
• How did iwi adapt their economic activities to take advantage of
opportunities presented by Pākehā and the international economy?
• What factors damaged Māori economic activity?

10. Leaders
• What makes a good leader? Is a leader born or made?
• Different leadership styles
• Explore different leaders and their leadership styles.