Wondering About Water

Overview

Lesson 1 of 20 in Our Stream, Our Taonga. Students connect with the idea of a local stream, share what they already know, and develop questions about stream habitats, living things, water, people and place.

Learning intentions

• WALT listen, notice and share ideas about our local stream.
• WALT ask questions about stream habitats.
• WALT work together and show respect for people, place and mātauranga Māori.
• WALT begin to identify questions that could be investigated.

Success criteria

• I can share an observation about water or a stream.
• I can ask a wondering question.
• I can listen respectfully while someone else is speaking.
• I can help sort questions into a group.

Curriculum links

• Nature of Science: participating and contributing by sharing observations, ideas and questions.
• Living World: recognising that living things depend on their habitat and surroundings.
• Science capabilities: gathering and interpreting information, and using evidence from observations.
• Key competencies: thinking; relating to others; managing self; participating and contributing.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 minutes – Enter the soundscape Dim the lights if appropriate. Play the stream soundscape opening with water sounds and a stream image or short video. Ask students to sit quietly, notice what they hear and imagine, then share one observation with a partner. Remind students that an observation is something they notice, not a guess.

2. 5–15 minutes – Mystery-water object talk Display or pass around safe objects such as shells, pebbles and leaves. Open the mystery-object discussion prompts and ask: “What do you notice?”, “What might this tell us about a stream?” and “What are you wondering?” Model respectful talk: “I noticed…” and “I wonder…”. Record useful vocabulary and gently clarify misconceptions without correcting every idea immediately.

3. 15–30 minutes – Build our wonder wall Give each student the wondering page. Students first think independently, then share with a partner. Year 2 students may draw, dictate to an adult or complete a question stem such as “I wonder why…”, “I wonder how…” or “I wonder what lives…”. Year 3 students write a question and add why it might matter. Invite students to place their ideas on a large class wonder wall. Read several questions aloud and celebrate different ways of thinking.

4. 30–40 minutes – Sort our questions In groups of four or five, students discuss and sort selected sticky-note questions into four headings: living things, water, people and place. Use the question-sorting instructions to show the headings and model one example. Groups may place a question between two headings if it fits both. Ask: “Which questions might we investigate by looking closely?” and “Which questions might need to be answered by listening to people with knowledge of this place?”

5. 40–45 minutes – Introduce the unit and agree on safe learning Explain that over the next 20 lessons students will learn about the local stream as a habitat and taonga, investigate questions, and consider how people can care for it. Open the unit overview and safe-learning agreement. Co-construct three or four agreements, such as stay with the group, care for living things, do not taste or touch unknown water, listen respectfully, and follow local guidance. If available, explain that local iwi, hapū and mana whenua knowledge will be included accurately and respectfully, using resources checked with the appropriate community representatives.

Resources

• the stream soundscape and discussion deck
• the wondering page
• Stream photographs or a short, silent stream video
• Water sounds and speakers
• Clean shells, pebbles and leaves
• Sticky notes in several colours
• Large chart paper or whiteboard for the wonder wall
• Thick pens or markers
• Four heading cards: living things, water, people, place
• Local iwi, hapū or mana whenua resources, checked for accuracy and appropriate use

Assessment

• Record children’s observations, vocabulary, questions and explanations on the wonder wall or teacher notes.
• Listen for prior knowledge and misconceptions, including ideas about where water comes from, what lives in a stream and how people affect it.
• Note whether each student can share an observation, ask a question and listen respectfully. Photograph or retain the sorted questions as evidence for planning the next lesson.

Differentiation

• Provide picture prompts, real objects, partner rehearsal and the question stems “I notice…” and “I wonder…”. Accept drawing, oral responses, dictation or scribing.
• Pair students strategically and assign supportive roles such as reader, speaker, sorter or recorder. Allow additional processing time and repeat instructions one step at a time.
• For EAL learners, pre-teach and display words such as stream, water, habitat, living, observe, notice and wonder. Invite home-language discussion before sharing in English.
• Extend Year 3 learners by asking them to make a question more investigable and explain what they might observe, compare or find out. Encourage them to identify questions that require community knowledge rather than classroom testing.