Join the students of the Kids Restore the Kepler project as they work together to complete their mission: to bring birdsong back to the Kepler Track.
This article describes how young people are working with the Department of Conservation and Fiordland Conservation Trust to increase the population of native birds in Fiordland. It investigates the negative impact of introduced pests and describes how students have been involved in the tracking, trapping and decisions involved with returning birds to the Kepler region.
Check your school resource area for the article from the 2017 level 2 Connected journal ‘Taking action’, download it as a google slide presentation or order it from the Ministry of Education.
The teacher support material (TSM) can be downloaded from (TKI) (Word and PDF files are available, click on ‘Look inside this issue’). These materials focus on the science capability ‘Engage with science’. Activity suggestions support students to unpack the Predator Free 2050 vision and develop their understanding of ecosystems. Literacy strategies are also suggested, and many additional resource links are provided.
Related content
Birds in my backyard is a ready-to-use cross curricular teaching resource using the Connected article The Takeaway Table. It has a worksheet in Word that educators can customise to meet the needs of their students and teaching programme.
The activity ideas are based on the Science Learning Hub’s Predator Free 2050 resources and include content from the ecosystems concept and the conservation, ecology and birds topics.
The Science Learning Hub has worked with the Department of Conservation to produce a series of webinars focused on getting students involved in environmental action, including the PLD session Pest detectives.
The article 1080 – an overview curates a number of 1080 and pest control resources on the Hub. The article 1080 – a wicked problem provides pedagogical advice on how to use this issue to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Related collection
The Science Learning Hub team has curated an introductory collection of resources to help teach about bird conservation. Login to make this collection part of your private collection, just click on the copy icon. You can then add additional content, notes and make other changes. Registering an account for the Science Learning Hubs is easy and free – sign up with your email address or Google account. Look for the Sign up button at the top of each page.
Useful link
The 2011 Connected article ‘It seemed like a good idea at the time’ describes the decision to release ferrets, stoats and weasels into New Zealand.
Acknowledgement
The Connected series is published annually by the Ministry of Education, New Zealand.
