"Wētā", School Journal, Level 2, August 2019
20 August 2019
This article provides information on wētā, the five broad types, and why they are endangered.
You can find the article and the teaching notes here:
Other useful resources
Students could participate in technological practice by designing and building a wētā motel by themselves and/or with the help of others. They could compare the success of different designs in attracting and keeping wētā safe. A wētā motel is essentially a nice, dry hole that wētā can crawl into and be safe from predators like rats, mice, stoats, cats, birds, and hedgehogs.
Here are some articles on different designs for wētā motels:
- build a wētā motel
- create a safe haven for your dinosaurs – build a wētā motel
- making houses for New Zealand native wētā
Discussion questions
- Why do we need to make motels for wētā?
- What do you think will be the key attributes for a wētā motel?
- What resources might we have available to us to make a wētā motel? Resources can include time, expertise, materials, and equipment.
- Do we know anyone in our community who is already making wētā motels?
- What will the key stages be in designing and developing your wētā motel?
- What resources (see the list above) will we need at each stage?
Students could work individually or in groups to design and make their wētā motel.
- Describe your design ideas for your wētā motel through drawing, making a model, and/or talking to others.
- Evaluate your design ideas in terms of the key attributes you decided on for a wētā motel.
- Produce your wētā motel to match your brief.
- Did your wētā motel work?
- Did it successfully meet the brief?
Indicators of progression for discussion starters
| Component | Indicator | Level |
| Brief development |
| 2 |
| Planning for practice |
| 2 |
| Outcome development and evaluation |
| 2 |