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Earth Systems and Natural Hazards
GeoNet and NIWA monitoring · proxies for slow and fast Earth processes
Rock and mineral specimens · scale solar system walk · data visualisation
How do we know what's coming — and how do scientists detect what we can't see directly?
Planet Earth and Beyond · Earth systems
If the Sun were a basketball, how far away would Earth be — really? Pick up river gravel, sort it by how it formed, then walk the distances that numbers alone cannot make you feel.
Some things are invisible because they are too small; others because they are too far away. Classify real NZ rocks, trace matter through Earth's four spheres, walk a true-to-scale solar system model, and turn raw data into honest science communication.
First step
Compare one week of local sensor data to a public GeoNet or NIWA dataset.
Expected outcome
Earth-system claim with monitoring build and community risk communication.
Local place context
Link your evidence to a local landform — maunga, awa, or coast near your school.
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 Earth systems· Lessons 1–2
VentureCalibrate and log locally· Lessons 3–5
ObserveLockedYour teacher will unlock this when the class finishes step 1.
Compare public data· Lessons 5–6
ObserveLockedYour teacher will unlock this when the class finishes step 1.
Site hazard evidence· Lessons 6–7
InferLockedYour teacher will unlock this when the class finishes step 1.
Monitoring FORGE builds· Lessons 7–8
CreateLockedYour teacher will unlock this when the class finishes step 1.
Look back and communicate· 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 (Year B / both years)
VOICE = thinking phases · Sequence above = what to do · Tabs = where materials live
Warm-up on earth systems; look-back pairs Q1–8; local claim in Q9.
- Venture
Lessons 1–2
Spheres, sensors, calibration
Materials: Learn
- Observe
Lessons 3–5
Week logging, public data compare
Materials: Investigate
- Infer
Lessons 6–7
Site maps, projections, claims
Materials: Investigate · Portfolio
- Create
Lessons 7–8
Monitoring builds, risk displays
Materials: Make
- Evaluate
Lessons 9–10
Revision, consequence, portfolio
Materials: Portfolio · Check understanding
- Year
- Year 7–8 combined
- Audience
- School emergency committee · Regional council youth hui · Whānau evening · Civil defence education week
- Equipment
- Arduino loggers, Stevenson screen materials, Rain gauge, Maps and site cameras
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 ·
Name two parts of the Earth system that interact when it rains.
Q2 ·
How can a thermometer reading mislead you about “the weather”?
Q3 ·
What does GeoNet measure that you cannot see with your eyes?
Q4 ·
Where does water go on our school grounds when it rains heavily?
Q5 ·
What is the difference between weather and climate?
Q6 ·
Why should hazard maps show what scientists are not sure about?
Q7 ·
Why compare your measurements to NIWA or MetService data?
Q8 ·
Who in our community needs honest earth-science information?
Q9 ·
What do you want to find out about Earth systems near us?
Q10 ·
Confidence about earth systems — 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.