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Genetics and the Kākāpō Question
Conservation genetics · models and data visualisation for complex ideas
Kākāpō recovery · genetics models
Why do 235 kākāpō matter to all of us — and what does genetics have to do with it?
Living World · Ecology and evolution
235 kākāpō. Thousands of genes. One recovery programme. What does inheritance have to do with whether the species survives?
With only a few hundred kākāpō left, every individual matters. Explore pedigree data, genetic diversity, and inheritance patterns — then build models and displays that explain complex ideas without overstating what the evidence proves.
First step
Explore kākāpō pedigree data; draft one cautious claim about genetic diversity.
Expected outcome
Model or display connecting inheritance evidence to conservation stakes.
Local place context
Which trait or population in your school or community will you measure fairly?
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 kākāpō genetics· Lessons 1–2
VenturePedigree and diversity data· Lessons 3–5
ObserveLockedYour teacher will unlock this when the class finishes step 1.
Bottleneck and ethics· Lessons 5–6
ObserveLockedYour teacher will unlock this when the class finishes step 1.
Cautious claims· Lessons 6–7
InferLockedYour teacher will unlock this when the class finishes step 1.
Models and FORGE· Lessons 7–8
CreateLockedYour teacher will unlock this when the class finishes step 1.
Look back and share· Lessons 9–10
EvaluateLockedYour teacher will unlock this when the class finishes step 1.
How you think
VOICE across 7–9 lessons across one term (Year B)
VOICE = thinking phases · Sequence above = what to do · Tabs = where materials live
Warm-up on variation; look-back pairs Q1–8; kākāpō claim in Q9.
- Venture
Lessons 1–2
Wero, pedigree intro, stakes
Materials: Learn
- Observe
Lessons 3–5
Diversity metrics, bottleneck evidence
Materials: Investigate
- Infer
Lessons 6–7
Ethics, cautious claims
Materials: Investigate · Portfolio
- Create
Lessons 7–8
Models, games, displays
Materials: Make
- Evaluate
Lessons 9–10
Revision, communication, portfolio
Materials: Portfolio · Check understanding
- Year
- Year 7–8 combined
- Audience
- School conservation week display · DOC guest hui · Whānau evening · Buddy class
- Equipment
- Pedigree handouts or slides, Model kits, Classroom organisms for variation (teacher choice)
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 ·
Why do offspring resemble parents but are not identical?
Q2 ·
What could “low genetic diversity” mean for a species?
Q3 ·
Why might scientists track individual kākāpō carefully?
Q4 ·
What does evolution mean — in your own words?
Q5 ·
Can humans affect which animals breed? How?
Q6 ·
How could a chart mislead people about extinction risk?
Q7 ·
Who should decide conservation breeding choices?
Q8 ·
Name variation you have seen in plants or animals nearby.
Q9 ·
What do you want to find out about inheritance or evolution?
Q10 ·
Confidence about genetics now — one know; one unsure.
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 insights hub →Ten STEM inquiry worlds with dual angles: scientific investigation and makerspace builds on the same curriculum context.