10SST

Year 10 Social Studies

Course Description

Students explore the unique bicultural nature of New Zealand society that derives from the Treaty of Waitangi. They learn about people, places, cultures, histories, and the economic world, within and beyond New Zealand. They develop understandings about how societies are organised and function and how the ways in which people and communities respond are shaped by different perspectives, values, and viewpoints. As they explore how others see themselves, students clarify their own identities in relation to their particular heritages and contexts.


“He hokinga mahara he kawenga Mātauranga mo āpōpō.”

As we reflect on the past we carry today the knowledge of tomorrow.

Learning Opportunities

In this course you will need to:

Develop these skills:Explore this content:
  • Formal Writing - Students will learn to write formally in paragraphs.
  • Whakapapa me te whanaungatanga / Culture and Identity - students will explore the challenges of increased interaction and diversity, how people respond to these challenges and the resulting changes to culture, identity and community.
  • Research - Focus on planning, collecting and evaluating quality sources of information.
  • Tūrangawaewae me te kaitiakitanga / Place and Environment - students will explore the reasons for migration, how it impacts on the physical and cultural landscape and the unsustainable use of environments and the impacts this is having on people.
  • Decision Making - Identifying  and exploring social issues, evaluating and justifying decisions on these issues.
  • Tino rangatiratanga me te kāwanatanga / Government and Organisation - students will explore how systems are created to organise people, how these systems can support or oppress different groups and how people can assert their rights.
  • Perspectives - Exploring and explaining different perspectives.
  • Kōwhiringa ohaoha me te whai oranga / Economic Activity - students will explore how people innovate and create new opportunities, the opportunities and challenges with economic interdependence and the impact changes have had on people in different times and places.
  • Social Studies Skills  - Interpreting various forms of information, developing geographical knowledge  and applying a range of practical skills across multiple contexts.
  • Aotearoa New Zealand Histories - students will explore the link between Māori history and the contemporary world, colonisation, how our history has been shaped by the use of power and how connections between people and across boundaries have helped to shape our history. 
Possible contexts could  include:
  • My Cultural Identity

  • My Local Area

  • Te Tiriti o Waitangi

  • Land Wars and Land Confiscations

  • Environmental Issues

  • Migration

  • Human Rights


Resources Required

1B8 Exercise Book
Gluesticks, pens, pencils