CONTENTSImportant
Draft curriculum content
This page is based on the draft Year 6 content for Social Sciences, which is currently open for feedback. Schools are not required to implement changes until the consultation process is confirmed.
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The Social Sciences help students understand how people live together, make decisions, and shape communities so they can participate thoughtfully in society. In Years 4 to 6, students build upon their prior learning as they start to connect important concepts such as migration and democracy.
Teaching is structured around 4 strands that focus on key areas of learning. In Year 6, these include:
- History: New Zealand to 1840, the Elizabethan and Victorian ages
- Civics and Society: citizenship rights and responsibilities
- Geography: urbanisation, climate patterns, the Southeast Asian region
- Economic Activity: business, innovation, and enterprise.
History#
Ideas to help at home
With your child, you could:
- explore influential people and events in your area from early European contact to 1840, walk around your community and model showing curiosity about the area by asking questions like:
- I wonder who used to live here?
- I wonder what happened here?
- discuss He Whakaputanga | the Declaration of Independence, including who signed it, why, and its importance in establishing Māori self-determination and British recognition of Māori sovereignty
- discuss how Māori and Pākehā interacted during this time, including the exchanges of technology, trading items, literacy, and land ownership
- visit a museum or gallery and discuss how life in the Elizabethan or Victorian ages they are learning about in school is similar to or different from life in New Zealand today
- use words like settlement, redress, recognition, tūrangawaewae, rangatiratanga, nobility, gentry, monarch, industrialisation.
What the teacher will focus on#
The teacher will focus on New Zealand to 1840 and a comparative study of the Elizabethan and Victorian ages. For example, by the end of the year, your child may be able to:
- discuss the impact of early contact between Māori and European, including the exchange of technology, trading items, literacy, and spiritual beliefs
- describe the impact of the New Zealand Company and the process of land acquisition, including the role of contrasting beliefs about the relationship between people and the land and whether land can be owned
- describe Māori political response to European settlement, including petitions to the Crown and signing the 1835 Declaration of Independence | He Whakaputanga
- describe the causes and consequences of the Musket Wars
- compare and contrast the Elizabethan and Victorian ages, considering:
- life for different groups in society
- the power of the monarch compared to the power of Parliament and the people
- religion
- trade and exploration
- buildings and technology.
Civics and Society#
Ideas to help at home
With your child, you could:
- discuss what an act of Parliament is and how it is used to form legislation in New Zealand
- talk about the rights and responsibilities of everyone in your home and community, and how we can act in ways that support everyone’s wellbeing
- model critical thinking about trustworthy sources of information and understanding different perspectives
- use words like legislation, rights, responsibilities, citizen.
What the teacher will focus on#
The teacher will focus on people’s rights and responsibilities as citizens. For example, by the end of the year, your child may be able to:
- give examples of rights and responsibilities and how these apply to them in everyday life
- discuss why rights and responsibilities matter for keeping society fair, safe, and cooperative
- complete a case study of a key law that protects rights in New Zealand, for example, how the Human Rights Act 1993 protects people from unfair discrimination
- give examples of how international agreements, for example, the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, affect New Zealand’s approach to human rights
- understand the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, for example, obeying laws, voting, paying taxes, and respecting others
- develop a campaign and associated materials to raise awareness of the rights and responsibilities of citizens in New Zealand.
Geography#
Ideas to help at home
With your child, you could:
- search online for aerial photographs that show the urbanisation of your community and talk to older family members to see how this has changed
- make a plan to reduce emissions by having them walk or bike to school, if it’s too far, drive them part of the way and they can walk or scooter the rest
- use a map to find where Southeast Asia is and name all 11 countries in the region.
What the teacher will focus on#
The teacher will focus on urbanisation, climate patterns, and a regional study of Southeast Asia. For example, by the end of the year, your child may be able to:
- understand that urbanisation refers to an increasing number of people living in towns and cities rather than rural areas
- use visual geographic data and other information, like historic maps, graphs, and aerial photographs, to analyse the process of urbanisation
- use data and first-hand accounts to identify the challenges of living in informal settlements
- describe the impact of urbanisation on being Māori
- understand line graphs showing:
- how global temperatures change over different time periods
- the link between increasing greenhouse gases and rising global temperatures
- explain how climate change affects the Earth and how we can address it through:
- mitigation: reducing greenhouse gases
- adaptation: preparing for its effects
- interpret a range of geographical information to:
- identify shared characteristics and internal differences between the 11 countries in the Southeast Asian region
- complete a case study of one country.
Economic Activity#
Ideas to help at home
With your child, you could:
- make a budget for a gathering or party, taking note of how many guests you will have and what kind of event it is
- talk about whether you use a debit or credit card when shopping in store or online, and why you made that choice.
What the teacher will focus on#
The teacher will focus on how and why people engage in business, innovation, and enterprise. For example, by the end of the year, your child may be able to:
- understand that most businesses earn money by selling goods and services, and this is called income or revenue
- understand the difference between credit and debt and the importance of having a budget
- identify how people’s values and an organisation’s pūtake | purpose influence the types of business, innovation, and enterprise they develop
- conduct a case study of a small business, like a school bake sale, by making a budget, listing costs, setting prices, estimating earnings, and comparing it to other types of businesses
- understand that “specialisation” means focusing on one type of good or service, so people have to trade and exchange goods and services to get what they need
- identify local examples of specialisation and exchange and how they are connected so that everyone can work and earn an income.
