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Curriculum Change in NCEA Geography – an update
Gill Hanna (Avondale College) and Mary Robinson (Kaiārahi) give an update on the NCEA changes.
Eleanor Rattray from St Mary’s College, Ponsonby talks about putting the Geography into SST
Check out this link to see and hear from Eleanor (and Bronwyn – in absentia)
Mātauranga Māori – Karen Fisher
Please find a link to the talk by Karen Fisher on Mātauranga Māori from Wednesday 25 May.
Watch this here:
What is Urban Growth? by Tom Baker
What is Urban Growth?
Slides from Tom Baker’s presentation for scholarship students.
SCHOLARSHIP TALKS FOR STUDENTS
AGTA have partnered with the School of Environment, university of Auckland to present three scholarship sessions for students.
The first of these is a lecture by Tom Baker entitled “What is Urban Growth” It will be held on on Wednesday 1 June at 4pm – details below.
Please use the link provided below to access this.
Please click this URL to join.https://auckland.zoom.us/j/95271957596…
Passcode: 692601
The other two sessions will be:
- Urban Growth and Inequality – Larry Murphy – 4pm – 29 June
- Sustainable Urban Growth – Mel Wall – 4pm – 17 August
Details of these two sessions will be available later here and on the FB page.
We have included a flyer for you to advertise these workshops in your Geography area of the school.
RESOURCES from the Curriculum Change hui yesterday will be uploaded here.
AGTA Hui and AGM
We hope you have had a restful break. The AGTA will be hosting its annual AGM in conjunction with a curriculum change hui on the 25th May 2022 at Alexandra Park in Auckland.
The AGTA Curriculum Change Hui provides the chance for discussion and professional learning to support and inspire Geography Teachers in advance of the incoming curriculum changes. This free event includes the following:
- Dr Karen Fisher will explore Mātauranga Māori and Geography.
- Dr Bronwyn Houliston and Eleanor Rattray will share their experiences of incorporating Geography in the Junior Social Studies classroom while navigating the Aotearoa NZ Histories and Social Studies Curriculum Refresh.
- Mary Robinson (Kaiarahi) and Gill Hanna will provide insight into the future of teaching, learning and assessment in Geography.
- This will be followed by the Auckland Geography Teachers Association AGM.
- There will be opportunities for Q&A
This event is FREE and we welcome all Geography teachers to come along!
We look forward to seeing you there!
Mallory, Eleanor and the AGTA committee.
Term 2 begins – let’s hope it’s a calmer one this time.
Well done! Congratulations!!
Public spaces in AKL city – a teaching and learning resource
A new teaching. learning and assessment resource has been provided to us from Hannah Wood at Selwyn College.

It is focussed on Public Spaces in Auckland City – with the CBD as the focus
You can find it here.
Thank-you Hannah.
Thinking about scholarship with your classes for 2022
Ukraine – Russia war
If you are wanting to cover this in your classes then you might find this useful.
Created by Aidan Daly at Hobsonville Point Secondary School – a great resource on the war aimed at Level 3 students.
There is a resource booklet and a question paper as well.
Awesome work Aidan.
Ngā mihi
What a term!!!
Welcome Back to 2022
Goose Chase QUIZ
Our annual Auckland based Geography quiz has had a makeover this year. Instead, we would love your Geography students to participate in our online revision challenge using GooseChase!
This is free of charge and open to all Geography students (Years 11-13), who have a device.
What do your ākonga need to do? Complete FIVE different revision ‘missions’ by uploading a mixture or photos, diagrams, or revision tasks to the GooseChase app.
The GooseChase will go live on Friday 5th November @ 9am and close on Friday 19th November @ 3pm. Students can complete the missions from home or in school. What do you need to do? Encourage your Geography students to participate in this fun revision activity! Prize packs will be sent out to students via post/online. To join the online adventure, please register your students’ names here and share the ‘player instruction sheet’ with your Geography classes today (below).
For those of you returning to the classroom in Level 3
How natural disasters benefit rich people but make the poor poorer – an illustrated story
The vaccination rate for every suburb in New Zealand on one interactive map
Geography in a jar
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A revIsion Test for Level 2 students
A test for students who have been looking at the Amazon rainforest for 2.1
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1oX618cibCpDuvhoEaft-1RPdms9gC1OJoID6RniPJ1o/copy
and a mark schedule
Thanks to Mallory O’Brien from Rangitoto for these two activities
some revision actiVIties for Level 3
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Happy Holidays everyone
It’s been a long term especially those of you in the Auckland region. I hope that you all (wherever in Aotearoa NZ you may be) have an excellent holiday with family.
Some of you might be able to travel a bit and inject some $ into the NZ economy – please do this I am sure our tourist operators will appreciate it.
For those of you in the Auckland region – with luck we will be able to move around a little more next week. But, if we can’t then please:
- Put away your laptops for a while.
- Close off zoom, MS Teams or whatever system you have been using
- Turn off school notifications on your phone
and
And
Have some time just for you!
Relax, refresh and rejuvenate!
Are you teaching about Hurricanes or Tropical cyclones?
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Make a 3 D model
Whilst we have been in lockdown Level 4 I asked my class to make a 3D model of the Lee’s Migration Model.
I wanted to get them off their laptops and doing something fun. They had to use material lying around the house.
I wasn’t expecting much from the students but look at this.
I think this student really understands the model.

Do you look at the Christchurch eQ with your Level 1 students?
The Origins of Geography Terms

The vocabulary we use to describe landforms and landscapes comes from languages around the world. It’s a prevalent example of how we rely upon the traditional ecological knowledge of peoples who know their lands best.
Here are some of the etymologies:
Alpine: From Latin Alpes “The Alps”
Archipelago: From Greek Arkhi Pélagos “chief sea” referring to the Aegean Sea
Atoll: From Dhivehi atholhu “palm of the hand”
Bayou: From Choctaw bayuk “small stream”
Billabong: From Wiradjuri bilabaŋ “watercourse that runs only after rain”
caldera: From Spanish caldera “cooking pot” referring to Las Cañadas caldera in the Canary Islands.
Cay: From Taíno cairi “island”
Cenote: From Yucatec Maya tsʼonot “accessible groundwater”
Drumlin: From Irish droimnín “littlest ridge”
Fjord: From Norwegian fjord “lake-like”
Geyser: From Icelandic Geysir “one who gushes”
Isthmus: From Greek isthmos “neck” referring to the Isthmus of Corinth
Jungle: From Sanskrit jaṅgala “arid”
Lagoon: From Venetian Laguna “lake” referring to the Venetian Lagoon
Mangrove: From Guaraní mangle “twisted tree”
Monadnock: From Abenaki Menonadenak “smooth mountain” referring to Mount Monadnock
Oasis: From Egyptian ouahe “dwelling place”
Savannah: From Taíno sabana “treeless plain”
Steppe: From Russian stepʹ “flat grassy plain”
Taiga: From Yakut tayga “untraversable forest”
Tundra: From Kildin Sami tūndâr “treeless plain”
Volcano: From Sicilian Vulcano, one of the Aeolian Islands
Map by Jordan Engel. As always, the Decolonial Atlas’ original media can be reused under the Decolonial Media License 0.1.
A contemporary Geographic Issue – Level 3

A combination assessment for Level 3 students – this resource activity combines both 3.6 and 3.7.
Check out the resources here:
Resource booklet
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aHxbDR2rGbKW2qd1FsVOxVLiutKFptpT/view
Assessment tasks
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1D1CxTSF8QGlnjjGoHtaAoi2Dg8EYx-1z/view
and
Assessment Schedule
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12WD-Yt92_mQkOV160y-_m25Qbm3O3qJt/view
These were originally written by Duncan Bond. Duncan has given us permission today to distribute these to all NZ Geography Teachers.
We would like to thank Sam Fazio-Smith, Curriculum Leader Geography at St Margaret’s College who has provided her updated resources which are attached.
in light of Hurricane Ida in the gulf of mexico – this resource might be useful.
THis is a fantastic promotional video
Thanks Gareth from Inglewood for sharing. It has a Game of Thrones theme – check it out!!!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y-tjj20_SXnM9W73SyeN7ca_an9YKZnK/view?usp=sharing
Skills RESOURCe – MV RENA Shipwreck.
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AS 91429 – a resource on SKILLs you might find useful
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Join us – FoR a korero about the Phase 2 RAS products – THis event has been postponed – sorry
When: Wednesday 18 August – 4.30pm to 6pm
Where: St Cuthbert’s College or on zoom
Purpose: To discuss and ask questions about the proposed standards and changes to the Level 1 programme.
We are looking forward to seeing you there.
Check out the proposed changes here: https://ncea.education.govt.nz/social-sciences/geography?view=learning
Some Skills activities using Rotorua
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Make a video on the impacts of your cultural process
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India states considering two-child policy and incentives for sterilisation
Should rivers have the same rights as people?
Milk and Money
This six part is available for viewing on The True Cost of Dairy in Aotearoa.
News exploring the dairy industry’s impact on the community, economy and environment of Aotearoa, and considering what a sustainable future for the industry could look like.
Might be a great investigation or issue to look at in your classes.

https://www.renews.co.nz/series/milk-and-money-the-true-cost-of-dairy-in-aotearoa/
Phase two of the review of Achievement standards ARE now out.
The revised learning matrix, course outlines and achievement standards has been published here today.
Check out the information and join us at St. Cuthbert’s College (Clouston Hall) on Wednesday 18 August at 4.30pm for a korero about the ideas and discussion about the proposals put forward by the Subject Expert Group.