“The most I have learnt about the new curriculum came from trialling this resource, because it incorporates everything and you can see it working in front of you. It is a resource that gets students thinking, working together, questioning.”
Lorraine Spiller, NZ Science Mathematics and Technology teaching fellow 2008 and teacher, Aotea College.

Crammed full of activities including a board game, this latest resource from our Kick Starts series aims to get students developing and practising the key competencies–not as an add-on but integrated into their everyday learning. The resource is also intended to help teachers explore the “nature of science” strand in the new curriculum and how it fits into the key competencies.

NZCER’s science team has devised a board game based on the water cycle and able to be played in different ways and at all levels from year one upwards. It gives students the chance to put their knowledge into action, and it is content they can easily relate to. Detailed teacher’s notes explore the ways the game can be used and step into the classrooms where we first trialled the game, for their stories.

The resource is also much more than a game. Teachers will find a host of activities in the kit, including ones with a particular focus on developing language to help students think. These relate directly to the key competencies of thinking and using language, symbols and text.

This is not a traditional resource but rather a toolbox of activities, ideas and discussion points that all teachers will be able to use. It has been extensively trialled at all levels.

The kit consists of 42-page teacher’s notes and an A2 pad containing 20 copies of the board game.