Blue 2B Green Teacher Resources

These resources are designed to support learning for 11-14 year olds, linked to the New Zealand Curriculum. They facilitate exploration of the issue of sustainable food production and the use of pesticides and oil-based fertilisers in agriculture. Teachers could easily adapt these resources for younger or older students.

In exploring this context, opportunity is provided for students to develop understanding of concepts of science, the nature of science and the process of science.

Exploration of the work of scientists from the Bio-Protection Research Centre involved in the Greening Waipara Project provides opportunity for insight into the culture of science.

The learning experiences should culminate in students taking on the role of scientist by using their developing skills and understanding to:

• design and carry out an assessment of the biodiversity of a section of their school environment;
• design and carry out an investigation to assess the effect of application of the scientific evidence used in the Greening Waipara Project within a defined section of their school environment;
• communicate their work within their school and local community and make recommendations about the potential for application of the scientific evidence they have been exploring within their school, home and local community gardens.

The learning experiences are designed to support students to use science knowledge and understanding, alongside key competencies and values to explore their own ideas about how individuals, communities and society could respond to the challenge of sustainable food production.

The investigations suggested in this mini-module offer an opportunity for a longitudinal study within the school that is added to each year. This connected learning offers further opportunity for students to experience the nature and process of science.

Direct access to the Bio-Protection Research Centre team is provided to schools and students through the LENScience Connect Community.

The learning experiences provide extensive potential for the development of cross-curricular collaboration with mathematics, the social sciences, art and languages.

The Greening Waipara Research Project is a collaboration between scientists from the Bio-Protection Research Centre and almost 60 North Canterbury wineries. The project is about adding value to the production in the vineyards through ecological approaches.

By encouraging nature's services through planting to provide increased biodiversity as well as mulching, the project offers improved pollination and pest and disease control, as well as weed suppression, improved soil quality, conservation and eco-tourism.

For example, one strip of buckwheat planted every ten vine rows can save $250/ha/year in pesticide and labour costs and under-vine mulches can bring botrytis levels below the need for spraying, saving a further $750/ha/year.

The success of the programme is reflected in the fact that all vineyard regions in New Zealand and Australia are using the Greening Waipara buckwheat protocols. In fact, as a result of this New Zealand ran out of seeds of this plant in late 2009!

For more information about the project:

• Greening Waipara Project
• Waipara Valley
• Download a brochure about the Greening Waipara Project
• Hear about the Greening Waiapara Project on Radio New Zealand's 'Our Changing World' March 4th, 2010

The LENScience Connect Community is an online network where open-discussion can occur between teachers and scientists, and between students, teachers and scientists. Groups within the community are created for specific discussion topics. Each group has a defined membership so that members are aware who the audience is. For instance the Blue 2B Green resource has two groups within the community:

• Blue 2B Green - Teachers and Scientists
• Blue 2B Green - Students, teachers and scientists.

To ensure the safety of everyone involved in the community, access to groups is via a secure login. Teachers wanting their students to participate in a group must provide LENScience with a class list including the name, date of birth and email address for each student.

For more information about the community please contact lenscience@auckland.ac.nz