Connected – promoting STEM literacy
The New Zealand Ministry of Education publishes the Connected instructional series to promote scientific, technological and mathematical literacy. Connected is provided to all New Zealand primary schools and since 2013 Connected resources have been freely available to educators and students on Google Drive.
The Hub partnered with Connected to feature selected articles. We share a similar philosophy – engaging students in a critical and informed manner with authentic, contextual STEM resources.
Some titles in the Connected instructional series
The Connected instructional series provides authentic context-based learning in scientific, technological and mathematical literacies.
Adding depth with Hub resources
Connected articles are ideal for cross-curricular literacy learning. With thoughtful planning, educators can integrate science with literacy to enhance learning in both areas – the article Literacy through science provides helpful information on how to achieve this.
Hub articles that feature Connected titles serve several purposes. They provide a brief synopsis of the article, associated teacher support material and links to the digital resources on Tāhūrangi. They also provide a wealth of related Hub content and activity ideas – wrap-around resources to deepen or extend student thinking and learning, practise content vocabulary or prompt inquiry.
Sampling Connected articles
This link will take you to all of the Connected articles on the Science Learning Hub.
Alternatively, we have grouped Connected titles by topic and/or concept.
Adaptation
The following articles showcase animal adaptations – what helps the animals live in a particular habitat.
Classification
The following articles feature how we use classification systems to help us understand living things.
Connected article: City of bugs
An article in the 2020 level 2 Connected journal ‘Digging deeper’ published by the Ministry of Education, New Zealand.
Photograph (slug, dirt and leaf elements) by George Frost, and student photo, © Otago Daily Times/Allied Press/Jessica Wilson.
Ecology
The following articles explore the interactions of living organisms with each other and the environment.
Environmental monitoring
Monitoring provides data – information to help us make decisions and take action. The following articles feature monitoring protocols.
Habitat
The following articles feature habitats – the natural environments in which organisms live.
Mātauranga and pūtaiao Māori
Mātauranga and pūtaiao Māori refer to Māori knowledge, Māori ways of knowing and associated practice, and Māori science. The following articles provide rich examples of mātauranga and pūtaiao.
Connected article: Te Tapa Ingoa
An article in the 2020 level 3 Connected journal ‘Kaitiakitanga’ published by the Ministry of Education, New Zealand.
Illustrations by Isobel Te Aho-White.
Measurement
The following articles feature mathematics in authentic, context-based settings.
Connected article: Building for the future
An article in the 2017 level 3 Connected journal ‘Mahi tahi’ published by the Ministry of Education, New Zealand.
Pasifika patterns by Aaron McKirdy and photograph by Michael Field.
Science and society
We commonly encounter science-related issues. The following articles feature how science supports societal issues and how science literacy can help with decision-making.
Taking action/citizen science
The following articles showcase student and/or community action inspired by a local interest or issue.
Technology
The following articles feature real-life technology-related issues and/or innovations.
Nature of science
Communicating in science is a substrand of the nature of science. articles help students to:
find trustworthy sources of information
be critical consumers of science
uncover the purpose and meaning of messages about science
identify and evaluate the science behind the messages
use their growing knowledge to identify misrepresentations of science.
Activity ideas
We have created some ‘grab and go’ resources – downloadable worksheet-based resources in Word, which allow educators to edit them to suit students or use them just as they are. They cover literacy, maths and science. The resources are based on the Connected articles, which are available online through Tāhūrangi, and some also have audio files with the stories.
Literacy and science PLD
There are multiple connections between science learning and literacy learning. The following webinars identify strategies to deliberately incorporate literacy learning in both areas.
Useful link
The Connected journals can be ordered from the Down the Back of the Chair website. Access to these resources is restricted to Ministry-approved education providers. To find out if you are eligible for a login or if you have forgotten your login details, contact their customer services team on 0800 660 662 or email orders@thechair.education.govt.nz.
