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Invertebrate biodiversity
Night sampling · MaramaTrap and stream bioindicators
MaramaTrap · UV light trap
What invertebrates share this place with us — and what do they tell us about ecosystem health?
Nature of Science · Living World · Ecology
Last night something landed in the trap — moths, beetles, maybe a wētā. Who else shares this place after dark, and what does that tell us?
Set a fair light trap, count what flies in the dark, and compare habitats near your school. What you find connects to maramataka, local biodiversity, and community science on iNaturalist NZ.
First step
Run a fair light-trap protocol; record counts, weather, and habitat notes.
Expected outcome
Biodiversity claim with field guide or iNaturalist submission plan.
Local place context
Which local habitat are you sampling? Note dominant native plants and seasonal timing for your trap.
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 trap· Lessons 1–2
VentureCollect trap data· Lessons 3–5
ObserveLockedYour teacher will unlock this when the class finishes step 1.
Identify species· 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
Trap plan, habitats, maramataka, wero
Materials: Learn
- Observe
Lessons 3–6
4+ trap nights, habitat compare, species ID
Materials: Investigate
- Infer
Lessons 6–7
Graphs, comparative claim, confidence
Materials: Investigate · Portfolio
- Create
Lessons 7–8
Idea canvas, FORGE pathway, first iteration
Materials: Make
- Evaluate
Lessons 9–10
Revision, community action, portfolio
Materials: Portfolio · Check understanding
- Year
- Year 7–8 combined
- Audience
- iNaturalist NZ · Local conservation group · School whānau · Predator Free NZ community
- Equipment
- MaramaTrap UV kit, Sorting trays and magnifiers, Field ID guide, Weather and moon log sheet, Camera or phone for specimens
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 ·
What kinds of small creatures have you noticed around your school or home at night?
Q2 ·
You look under a log in the bush and on the sports field at night. Which might have more insects? Why?
Q3 ·
Two people count the same jar of insects and get different numbers. What would you do?
Q4 ·
It is windy and rainy overnight. Do you think more or fewer insects would show up in a trap? Why?
Q5 ·
What would make you think a place is healthy for insects and other small creatures?
Q6 ·
If you trapped insects every night for a month, would you expect the same number each time? Why or why not?
Q7 ·
Taking photos of insects vs looking at them in a jar — what is each good for?
Q8 ·
Why might scientists or your community care which insects live nearby?
Q9 ·
What do you want to find out about insects where you live?
Q10 ·
How confident are you about insect biodiversity 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 · MaramaTrap
Try a moth night at home: white sheet, UV torch, phone camera. A quiet night still counts as useful data.
- Open platform:
- Moth photos + habitat notes from any garden or bush edge
- School unit:
- Fair trap protocols, stream MCI, and biodiversity claims in class
Ten STEM inquiry worlds with dual angles: scientific investigation and makerspace builds on the same curriculum context.