Open access: browse this world, read tasks, and explore builds without signing in. You only need an account when you start an investigation.
Freshwater ecology
Living water systems · AwaKai tank and local awa monitoring
AwaKai aquaponics · Whanganui awa
What does a healthy freshwater system actually need — and is ours getting it?
Nature of Science · Living World · Ecology
Something is shifting in the AwaKai tank. The fish are quieter than last week and one plant is yellowing. What does the water know?
Investigate the same water chemistry scientists monitor in NZ rivers — in a living aquaponics system in your classroom, then compare it with macroinvertebrate evidence from a local awa. What you find connects to Te Awa Tupua and the Whanganui catchment.
First step
Log tank chemistry across three sessions; link patterns to nitrogen-cycle vocabulary.
Expected outcome
Defended claim about system health with optional Arduino logger or council brief.
Local place context
Name your school awa or water feature. Who are the tangata whenua kaitiaki for this place?
What to do, in order
Your steps for this unit
Work through one step at a time. Your teacher releases the next step when the class is ready — the overview above is always available so you know where the unit is heading.
Step 1 of 7 available now
Warm-up quiz· Lesson 1
VentureYour stepLearn the system· Lessons 1–2
VentureCollect tank data· Lessons 3–5
ObserveLockedYour teacher will unlock this when the class finishes step 1.
Visit the stream· Lessons 5–6
ObserveLockedYour teacher will unlock this when the class finishes step 1.
Make sense of your data· Lessons 6–7
InferLockedYour teacher will unlock this when the class finishes step 1.
Build a fix· Lessons 7–8
CreateLockedYour teacher will unlock this when the class finishes step 1.
Look back and finish· Lessons 9–10
EvaluateLockedYour teacher will unlock this when the class finishes step 1.
How you think
VOICE across 8–10 lessons across one term (Term 1 anchor)
VOICE = thinking phases · Sequence above = what to do · Tabs = where materials live
Warm-up captures naive thinking (one idea per question). Look-back pairs Q1–8 for gain; Q9–10 from investigation. Portfolio is formative.
- Venture
Lessons 1–2
System map, baseline chemistry, wero, Te Awa Tupua
Materials: Learn
- Observe
Lessons 3–6
Protocol, 8+ entries, stream visit, MCI
Materials: Investigate
- Infer
Lessons 6–7
Analysis, comparative claim, confidence
Materials: Investigate · Portfolio
- Create
Lessons 7–8
Idea canvas, FORGE pathway, first iteration
Materials: Make
- Evaluate
Lessons 9–10
Revision, system explanation, portfolio
Materials: Portfolio · Check understanding
- Year
- Year 7–8 combined
- Audience
- Horizons Regional Council · Te Awa Tupua office · iNaturalist NZ · School whānau
- Equipment
- Aquaponics system, Water quality test kit, Kick net and sorting trays, MCI ID cards, Gumboots
Unit pages
Pick your next page
One page at a time — warm-up, reading, tasks, builds, and portfolio. Locked cards unlock when your teacher releases the next class step.
- 1Type & save
Warm-up quiz
Lesson 1, before we start. No marks — just your first thoughts.
Open page → - Locked
Background reading
Step 2 — follow your class sequence.
- Locked
Investigation tasks
Step 3 — follow your class sequence.
- Locked
Build something
Step 4 — follow your class sequence.
- Locked
Discussion questions
Step 5 — follow your class sequence.
- Locked
Your portfolio
Step 6 — follow your class sequence.
- Locked
Look-back quiz
Step 7 — follow your class sequence.
Unit materials
Open a tab when your teacher or the sequence above points you there — locked tabs unlock with each new step.
Formative only — no grades. Several post-check questions repeat the warm-up on purpose so you can show how your thinking grew. Your teacher uses the rubric for professional judgement, not a score.
Pre-check · Lesson 1 (before teaching)
Warm-up quiz — 15–20 minutes. No right or wrong answers.
Q1 ·
Two streams are different: one has clear water and many insects, the other is green and has few. What do you think this means about water quality?
Q2 ·
Fish are gulping air after no water change. What do you think might be causing this?
Q3 ·
One student tests pH once. Another tests it many times in a day. Which is more reliable? Why?
Q4 ·
Someone washes the grow bed with tap water. What do you think happens to the fish next?
Q5 ·
What would make you think water is "healthy"? List a few things you would look for.
Q6 ·
Ammonia changes over time and sometimes spikes. Do you think water stays the same all the time? Why or why not?
Q7 ·
Chemistry tests vs insects in streams. What is each one good at telling us?
Q8 ·
The Whanganui River has legal personhood. What does that make you think about monitoring water?
Q9 ·
What do you want to find out about freshwater?
Q10 ·
How confident are you about freshwater systems right now? What is one thing you think you know? What is one thing you are unsure about?
AI mentor (inside your investigation)
Support appears in your investigation workspace — gentle prompts about your context, data, and analysis. Your teacher can turn assistance off for unassisted checkpoints.
Three ways to engage with this topic
They share a theme but serve different purposes — your class unit is structured and teacher-guided; community platforms are open; class insights are patterns from other school groups.
Your class inquiry world
Teacher-guided VOICE sequence, portfolio artefacts, datasets, and step-by-step release — consent-gated for your cohort.
Open school unit →Class insights from other groups
Anonymised patterns from school investigations on this topic — ideas to test in your dataset, not answers to copy.
Browse 2 discoveries →Try at home · AwaKai
Log one aquaponics reading each week. Patterns over time tell you more than a single snapshot — note feeding and harvests.
- Open platform:
- Aquaponics tank pH and temperature with a place nickname
- School unit:
- Full awa monitoring, MCI stream visits, nitrogen cycle, and portfolio evidence
Ten STEM inquiry worlds with dual angles: scientific investigation and makerspace builds on the same curriculum context.