Building conceptual understandings in the social sciences through the “big ideas” 

A concept is a general idea, understanding, or thought embodying a set of things that have one or more properties in common. A concept can be expressed in a single word, such as 'democracy' or 'needs', or a simple phrase, such as 'social decision-making' or 'cultural practices.' Some concepts are more abstract, and others are more concrete. Drawing on a broad range of diverse sources, particularly mātauranga Māori provides a fuller and layered understanding of the context of an investigation (Ministry of Education, 2022 p 4).

Teaching for conceptual understandings requires teachers to provide opportunities for learners to explore and revisit key concepts within the big ideas through a variety of meaningful topics and contexts to develop networks of connected knowledge. When learners construct networks of connected, conceptual knowledge around the big ideas, they learn with understanding and retain that learning in forms that they can access and apply more easily (from Building Conceptual Understandings in the Social Sciences, 2009, p 7).

Conceptual understandings can be developed in a holistic way through the Understand, Know, Do framework of the refreshed social sciences curriculum.

The topics and themes that schools select provide fertile grounds for exploring the big ideas and their embedded concepts. Selecting meaningful topics is critical if ākonga are to develop deep conceptual understandings. Teachers, together with ākonga, whānau, and communities, choose topics that have personal and social significance for society, and that:

• Enable ākonga to make connections across several big ideas and key concepts (Understand.)
• Support ākonga-led inquiries into societal issues in the rohe, the local area, Aotearoa New Zealand, and the world (Know.)
• support ākonga to use inquiry practices to inform their social decisions and actions (Do.)

At each phase of learning, the conceptual understandings (big ideas) will differ according to the context of study. As learners progress through school, the contextual changes of setting, time, and place support the development of deeper conceptual understandings and the exploration of new and more complex concepts.

The six big ideas from the refreshed social sciences curriculum are listed below, along with suggested key concepts that relate to them, and useful resources. The concepts and resources are not exhaustive or exclusive to only one big idea, but they provide a starting point to help you plan for conceptual learning in social sciences.

Remember to draw on the resources that exist within learners, their families, and your community to ensure that learning in social sciences is relevant and immerses ākonga in local heritage, cultures, landscapes, opportunities, and experiences.

For centuries, Māori have been settling, storying, and have been shaped by the lands and waters of Aotearoa New Zealand. Māori history forms a continuous thread, directly linking the contemporary world to the past. It is characterised by diverse experiences for individuals, hapū, and iwi within underlying and enduring cultural similarities.

Concepts that relate to this big idea

• tangata whenua
• mana whenua
• tūrangawaewae
• whakapapa
• heritage
• traditions
• familial links and bonds
• culture
• identity

Useful teaching resources and websites

Years 1–6

Aotearoa NZ's Histories | Nelly in Aotearoa – Tangata whenua
In this second episode of Nelly in Aotearoa, Nelly the kuaka (godwit) learns about ocean voyages made by the tūpuna of tangata whenua. This resource is designed for learners in years 1-3.

Aotearoa NZ's Histories | A sense of place
This resource shows how five texts from the School Journal series can be used to support learning in the context of tūrangawaewae me te kaitiakitanga through stories, names, whakairo (carvings), and pepeha. This resource is designed for learners in years 1-3.

Aotearoa NZ's Histories | Tūhura: Migration and settlement stories
The eight items in this collection are historical prompts relating to the context of Whakapapa me te Whanaungatanga. They tell stories of migration and settlement. This resource is designed for learners in years 4-6.

Years 7-10

RNZ | The Aotearoa History Show: Māori the first 500 years
This episode looks at how Māori arrived in Aotearoa and how the first few generations seem to have lived.

RNZ | The Aotearoa History Show: Tangata whenua
This episode looks at the origins of Polynesian people, the challenges faced by early Māori, and the development of distinct Māori culture.

Whakaata Māori | Artefact 2
This TV series focuses on objects and taonga that relate to Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories.

For kaiako

Māori History in the NZ Curriculum
This resource is founded upon the recognition that Māori history is the foundational and continuous history of Aotearoa New Zealand and that He Whakapūtanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tirene (the Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand) and Te Tiriti o Waitangi are our founding documents. It provides support, resources, and guidance to help you make this big idea an integral part of your teaching programme.

The settlement of Aotearoa New Zealand has contributed to an increasingly diverse population, with many languages and cultures now part of its fabric. Colonisation began as part of a worldwide imperial project. It has been a complex, contested process, which has been experienced, and negotiated differently in different parts of Aotearoa New Zealand over time. Aotearoa New Zealand has also colonised parts of the Pacific.

Concepts that relate to this big idea

• colonisation
• settlement
• migration
• immigration policy
• government
• tino rangatiratanga
• sovereignty
• annexation
• cultural diversity
• identity
• belonging

Useful teaching resources and websites

Years 1–6

Aotearoa NZ's Histories | Nelly in Aotearoa – Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Nelly the kuaka travels to Aotearoa New Zealand. Her first stop is the Treaty grounds at Waitangi. This resource is designed for learners in years 1-3.

Aotearoa NZ's Histories | Nelly in Aotearoa – Migration stories
In this third episode of Nelly in Aotearoa, Nelly the kuaka learns that children in Aotearoa come from lots of different places. This resource is designed for learners in years 1-3.

Aotearoa NZ's Histories | Tūhura: Where we came from
The eight items in this collection are historical prompts relating to the context of Whakapapa me te Whanaungatanga. They tell stories about people’s origins and arrival to Aotearoa New Zealand. This resource is designed for learners in years 1-3.

Aotearoa NZ's Histories | Tūhura: Migration and settlement stories
The eight items in this collection are historical prompts relating to the context of Whakapapa me te Whanaungatanga. They tell stories of migration and settlement. This resource is designed for learners in years 4-6.

Years 7–10

Aotearoa NZ's Histories | Tūhura: Our changing identities
The eight items in this collection are historical prompts relating to the context of Whakapapa me te Whanaungatanga. They tell stories of our changing identities. This resource is designed for learners in years 7-8.

RNZ | Conversations with my immigrant parents
Immigrant whānau across Aotearoa have frank conversations covering love, ancestry, home, food, expectation, and acceptance. Made with the support of NZ On Air.

Te Ara | New Zealand peoples
Explore stories about the peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand on Te Ara: The Encyclopaedia of New Zealand.

RNZ | Land of the long white cloud
A documentary series that tells the stories of white New Zealanders who are confronting our colonial past and present, 250 years after Cook’s arrival. Made with the support of NZ On Air.

Instructional Series | Te Tiriti o Waitangi
This graphic novel is one of a growing number of items in the School Journal that provides opportunities for learning the story of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and exploring its ongoing significance. You can search the series to find items on related concepts, such as ‘colonisation’, ‘Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories’, ‘first encounters’, ‘settlers’, and ‘race relations’.

Ministry of Justice | Learn about the justice system
The Ministry of Justice has created teaching and learning resources that explain the place of the justice system within our system of government. There are ideas to help you co-construct a social inquiry with your students.

For kaiako

Tapasā | Who am I?
The construction of identity is a lifelong project – on of the many examples of how our own learning unfolds alongside others, including students. This set of resources on the Tapasā website provides an opportunity for you to explore aspects of your own identity in relationship to the identities and cultures of Pacific students.

Individuals, groups, and organisations exert and contest power in ways that improve the lives of people and communities, and in ways that lead to exclusion, injustice, and conflict. The course of Aotearoa New Zealand’s history has been shaped by the exercise and effects of power.

Concepts that relate to this big idea

• power
• authority
• control
• rules and laws
• human rights
• injustice
• inequity
• inequality
• mana motuhake
• protest
• conflict

Useful teaching resources and websites

Years 7-10

Aotearoa NZ's Histories | A struggle for land and sovereignty
This resource shows how three texts from the School Journal series can be used to support learning in the context of tūrangawaewae me te kaitiakitanga through the various ways that Māori tried to resist colonialism, retain land, and assert mana motuhake. This resource is designed for learners in years 7-8.

National Library | Topic explorer
The National Library curates resources on a range of topics to support and inspire inquiry. Topics that provide opportunities to explore this big idea include Kīngitanga, Mau Movement, and The Story of Rua Kenana.

For use across levels

Aotearoa NZ's Histories | Connecting current events to the past: The Dawn Raids
This resource provides a summary of the Dawn Raids and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s 2021 apology, suggested inquiry questions and activities for ākonga in years 1-10, and curated resources for further information.

First World War Inquiry Guides 
This suite of primary resources will help ākonga gain insights into the First World War. Although these inquiry guides were designed to meet the purpose and objectives of the 2007 National Curriculum, the learning activities can be adapted to support ākonga working towards progress outcomes of the refreshed social sciences curriculum (2022). These resources are especially relevant to the exploration of Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories.

National Library | He Tohu: Signatures that shape New Zealand
He Tohu is a permanent exhibition of three documents that have profoundly shaped our nation’s history and the ways in which we interrelate: He Whakaputanga, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and the Women’s Suffrage Petition. You can use the online resources to explore concepts related to these documents. If you are in Wellington or Auckland, you can book a visit to He Tohu.

For kaiako

Inclusive Education | Developing critical consciousness
This page in an Inclusive Education guide on supporting ākonga Māori is intended to help you unpack the notion of critical consciousness – to reflect critically on issues such as power, control, and privilege. It makes the point that to teach others, we first need to undertake our own journey.

Diversity encompasses differences in age, ethnicity, culture, religion, citizen status, abilities and disabilities, family composition, gender, and sexuality. It results in a wide range of views, values, beliefs, and perspectives between and within cultures, communities, and societies. It enriches and challenges individuals and the collective.

Concepts that relate to this big idea

• diversity
• culture
• heritage
• values
• traditions
• language
• cultural practices
• customs
• inclusion
• individual identity
• collective identity
• stereotypes

Useful teaching resources and websites

Years 1–6

NZC Online | A mātou kōrero – Our stories
Ā mātou kōrero (our stories) is a series of illustrated storybooks that have been developed to support, reflect, and celebrate the Kiwi Muslim community in Aotearoa New Zealand. They are also a way for non-Muslim Kiwis to “learn about others, so that they are no longer others.” They come with support material to help you use them to foster wellbeing, resilience, unity, diversity, and inclusion.

Literacy Online | Pasifika dual language books
These books are designed to support the early language and literacy learning of Pasifika new entrant students in English-medium classrooms. Many of them are available as PDFs, all are available as MP3 audio files, and they come with teacher and parent support material.  They make rich connections to the traditions, values, beliefs, and practices of each of the Pacific cultures they represent.  This means they provide a wonderful opportunity for all students to explore the way different people see the world and to understand their stories.

Years 7-10

Asia New Zealand Foundation

Asia NZ Foundation | Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games
Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhono and Paralympics New Zealand collaborated to create this resource, which include opportunities for students to learn and apply concepts about accessibility, inclusion, and inspiration.

For use across levels

NZ History | Chinese New Year
The New Zealand history site is a rich source for social studies teachers and learners. These two pages suggest how material on the Chinese New Year can be used as a springboard for inquiry into the experiences of Chinese New Zealanders. Page 2 looks at how time is measured in different cultures. What are some other topics you could examine from a range of perspectives?

Te Aka Māori Dictionary
If culture and language are intertwined, and if te reo Māori is the language of tangata whenua, then it is necessary to have easy access to a trusted and easily accessible dictionary. Te Aka is a bilingual dictionary that provides definitions in English and te reo Māori, as well as audio guides to pronunciation.

For kaiako

Inclusive Education | Guide to positive peer relationships
This guide focuses upon strategies you can use to support students to build relationships and work successfully with others. Inclusive classrooms and schools provide real-life settings for students to experience and explore the inter-relationship between the concepts of identity, diversity, and inclusion.

Inside Out | For schools
Inside Out offers resources, professional development, and other support to help you create a culture and curriculum that is inclusive of rainbow students. The focus is on collaboration and building from strengths, while taking a courageous approach to addressing entrenched attitudes and beliefs that can exclude students and cause lifelong harm. 

People participate in groups ranging in size and complexity to meet the need to belong, to affirm individual and collective identity, to fulfil obligations, and to survive and flourish.

Concepts that relate to this big idea

• identity
• manaakitanga
• kotahitanga
• communities
• beliefs
• roles
• rights
• responsibilities
• economic activity
• economic systems
• innovation
• trade
• fair trade
• needs and wants
• enterprise

Useful teaching resources and websites

Years 7-10

People and place in the kiwi world: Social studies activities to support the use of SOPI in schools
The Ministry of Primary Industries created this resource to help students understand concepts about innovation, resource management, and the important place our primary industries play in our overall economy.

Young Enterprise | Resources
Check out programmes, games, and units of work to help you make enterprise, innovation, and financial capability a part of your learning programme.  How can the activities of groups and individuals foster positive change in communities, the nation, and the world?

For use across levels

Trade Aid | For teachers
Trade Aid has designed a set of online teaching resources to support teachers and students in exploring the economic world, and trade in particular. The resources take a concept and issues-based approach, using critical thinking and actions to consider people’s participation in trade relationships and the challenges of economic disparity. Note the other resources offered, including Trade Aid educators and the opportunity to visit Trade Aid shops.

Inspiring Communities | Neighbourhood resources for Kiwi classrooms
Inspiring Communities is all about community, connection, and collaboration. These two resources are designed for students in years 1-8 to participate in community-led development, following a process that is aligned with the social inquiry model (Ministry of Education, 2008). It is predicated on the idea that whatever our age, we are a part of our community. We have obligations to our communities and the ability to make a positive difference.

For kaiako

NZC Online | Education for Enterprise
Education for Enterprise is a cross-curricular learning approach aimed at enhancing what, and how, young people learn. It aims to enable them to participate and contribute locally and globally and meet the demands of a rapidly changing world environment. It has a strong emphasis on innovation and community partnership.

People connect locally, nationally, and globally through voyaging, discovery, trade, aid, and creative exchanges. Such connections have shaped the course of Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories and led to the adoption of new ideas and technologies, political institutions and alliances, and social movements. How people live is shaped by their environment. Central to social sciences in Aotearoa New Zealand, and arising from Te Tiriti o Waitangi, is imagining equal, balanced relationships between Māori and other New Zealanders.

Concepts that relate to this big idea

• kaitiakitanga
• mana whenua
• whanaungatanga
• sustainability
• globalisation
• environmental degradation
• environmental justice
• resource management
• technology
• hauora
• wellbeing
• place names
• climate change

Useful teaching resources and websites

Years 1–6

Aotearoa NZ's Histories | Nelly in Aotearoa – Naming places
In this fourth episode of Nelly in Aotearoa, Nelly the kuaka learns about the names of places in Aotearoa New Zealand. This resource is designed for learners in years 1-3.

Years 7-10

Instructional Series | Connected 2020 Level 3 – Kaitiakitanga
This issue of Connected is a good example of how social science and scientific concepts often intersect. Many items in Connected are focused upon the relationship between people, science, and the environment and on the importance and value of mātauranga Māori. They come with teacher support materials to help you make these connections with students, often moving into action with community knowledge-holders. You might find these by searching the series with terms such as ‘citizen scientist’, ‘climate change’, ‘rongoā’, and ‘mātauranga Māori’.

Kā Huru Manu
Kā Huru Manu, the Ngāi Tahu Cultural Mapping Project, is dedicated to mapping the traditional place names and associated stories within the Ngāi Tahu rohe (tribal area). You and your learners can visit the Ngāi Tahu Atlas to see over 1,000 traditional place names in Te Waipounamu. As you do so, think about what drives this project, the use of digital technology to preserve mātauranga Māori, and how hapū and iwi across the motu are working to preserve what they know about their place names, travel routes, and histories. Why is this so important?

LEARNZ | Future journeys: Linking people and places sustainably
LEARNZ field trips provide opportunities for cross-curricular learning about big ideas that matter. In this one, learners can explore concepts such as kaitiakitanga, sustainability, and the impact of new technologies while learning about Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest every transport project.

For use across levels

Pūtātara: A call to action
Incorporating sustainability and global citizenship across the curriculum in Aotearoa New Zealand, this resource supports schools and teachers to develop learning opportunities that are place-based, inquiry-led, and focused on participation for change.

Science Learning Hub │ Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao
There is significant overlap between the concepts we focus upon within the social sciences and those that are a focus within science. This makes the Science Learning Hub a valuable starting point for exploring concepts and contexts such as climate change, innovation, kaitiakitanga, and resource management.

This resource series has been designed to support effective teaching and learning in social sciences at levels 1–5 of the curriculum. Although these resources were designed to meet the purpose and objectives of the 2007 National Curriculum, the ideas and approaches can be adapted to support ākonga working towards the progress outcomes of the refreshed social sciences curriculum (2022). These resources are especially relevant to the development of conceptual understandings.

For the following resources, see Materials that come with this resource to download:

Approaches to Building Conceptual Understandings (.pdf).

This book provides ideas and examples of how teachers can build learners’ understanding of key social sciences concepts at levels 1–5 of the curriculum. It provides strategies and approaches for building conceptual understanding and considers the role of the social inquiry process in developing those understandings.

Approaches to Social Inquiry (.pdf).

This book describes a social inquiry approach to teaching and learning. It gives examples of how this approach can be applied in the classroom, illustrating the social inquiry approach in more detail. Teachers, together with ākonga, whānau, and communities, can select from and adapt the ideas to develop their own learning programmes that use a social inquiry approach. Guiding questions are included that will support teachers as they do this.

Belonging and participating in society (.pdf).

This book examines the social sciences concepts of belonging and participating in society. It includes unit outlines that illustrate some contexts and activities you could use with your students to develop these understandings.

Being part of global communities (.pdf).

This book examines the social sciences concepts being part of global communities and globalisation. It includes three unit outlines that illustrate some contexts and activities you could use with your students to develop these understandings. This book provides examples of teaching, learning strategies and approaches, contexts, and activities.

Taking part in Economic Communities (.pdf).

This book is about developing conceptual understandings in the social sciences and providing ways to develop students’ financial literacy in the context of a social sciences learning programme.

Thinking Globally 1 (.pdf).

This book was developed for teachers of students in years 1–8 to foster an appreciation of New Zealand’s place in the economic world and its role as part of the global economy.

Thinking Globally 2 (.pdf).

This book was developed for teachers of students in years 9–13 to foster an appreciation of New Zealand’s place in the economic world and its role as part of the global economy.