Learning Objectives (Whāinga Ako)
"Kua tawhiti kē to haere mai ai" - You have come too far to turn back now
Students will understand:
- How economic systems affect daily life
- The difference between wealth and income
- Who benefits from current economic structures
- How economic inequality is created and maintained
Students will be able to:
- Analyze economic data critically
- Map their own economic reality
- Question dominant economic narratives
- Connect personal experiences to larger systems
Lesson Structure
Do Now Activity (10 minutes)
Economic Reality Check
Students individually complete a quick survey about their economic reality:
- Do you have a part-time job? How much do you earn per week?
- What does your family spend the most money on each month?
- What economic decisions has your family had to make recently?
- How do you think the current economic system affects your future plans?
Purpose: Activate prior knowledge and personal connection to economic systems.
👩🏫 Teaching Instructions
Distribute the Economic Justice Documentary Companion before pressing play.
- Before viewing: Preview companion vocabulary together and invite predictions about why inequality persists.
- During viewing: Pause at 6:30, 15:00, 24:00, and 31:00 to capture the focus questions in the companion. Facilitate quick pair-share check-ins.
- After viewing: Collect the quick-write, then move learners into the handout’s literacy and numeracy tasks as guided activities.
- Formative checkpoint: Use vocabulary definitions, personal budget reflections, and systems maps as evidence for Mātainuku and Mātairea progress.
📺 Video Introduction: Understanding Economic Inequality (12 mins)
Before Watching: Based on your "Do Now" responses, consider:
- Why do some people have so much while others struggle?
- Is the economic system fair? Why or why not?
- How does where you're born affect your opportunities?
Pātai - Questions While Watching:
- What statistics or facts surprise you most?
- Who benefits from economic inequality?
- How does inequality affect health, education, and wellbeing?
- What connections do you see to Aotearoa New Zealand?
After Watching - Quick Write (3 mins):
Write 3-5 sentences answering: "What is one thing you learned that changed how you think about economic systems?"
Collect these responses as evidence of immediate conceptual shifts; invite a few volunteers to share.
Activity 1: Economic Systems Mapping (15 minutes)
Instructions:
- In pairs, students create a mind map showing how the economy affects their daily lives
- Include: housing, food, transport, education, entertainment, future plans
- Use different colors to show: things they can control vs. things they cannot
- Add arrows showing cause and effect relationships
Key Questions:
- What economic forces shape your daily choices?
- Which economic decisions feel out of your control?
- How do economic factors affect your stress levels?
- What would change if you had more/less money?
Activity 2: Data Detective - Housing Crisis Analysis (20 minutes)
Resource Integration:
Use the numeracy section of the Economic Justice Companion alongside the Housing Affordability Crisis handout.
Investigation Process:
- Students read housing crisis data and statistics
- Identify who benefits from high housing costs
- Analyze government policy responses
- Connect to their own housing situations
Critical Analysis Questions:
- Who makes money when house prices rise?
- Why might some people want high house prices?
- How does housing affect educational opportunities?
- What solutions would help young people?
Activity 3: Economic Winners and Losers Gallery Walk (10 minutes)
Setup:
Place scenario cards around the room showing different economic situations in Aotearoa New Zealand
Scenario A:
Property investor with 5 rental properties
Scenario B:
Minimum wage worker living paycheck to paycheck
Scenario C:
Recent university graduate with student debt
Scenario D:
Small business owner during economic uncertainty
Students rotate through scenarios, discussing how current economic systems help or harm each person.
Wrap-up & Reflection (5 minutes)
Exit Ticket Questions:
- Name one way the current economic system benefits you
- Name one way it creates challenges for you
- What's one economic fact that surprised you today?
- What's one question you want to explore further?
Next Lesson Preview:
We'll dive deeper into wealth vs. income and explore how wealth is really accumulated and distributed in our society.
Assessment & Differentiation
Formative Assessment
- Do Now responses: Understanding of personal economic connections
- Video companion evidence: Vocabulary definitions, evidence charts, and systems maps (collect for Mātainuku/Mātairea progress)
- Data analysis: Critical thinking about housing crisis and personal budget reflection
- Gallery walk discussions: Empathy and systems thinking (capture key statements on chart paper)
- Exit tickets: Synthesis and next-step questioning
Differentiation Strategies
- Visual learners: Mind mapping, infographics, and colour-coded systems diagrams
- Kinesthetic learners: Gallery walk stations and embodied role cards
- Advanced students: Independent research into Doughnut Economics or Budget 2024 inequality data
- Struggling readers: Partner support, sentence starters, and partially completed handout tables
- ELL students: Dual-language vocabulary lists, icon-supported instructions, and peer buddies
Resources & Homework
Required Resources:
- Economic Justice Documentary Companion (one per student)
- Chart paper and markers for mind mapping
- Housing Affordability Crisis handout (linked above)
- Economic scenario cards (teacher preparation)
- Exit ticket slips
Homework/Extension:
- Interview a family member about an economic decision they've made
- Find one news article about economic inequality in NZ
- Read: Financial Literacy handout (preparation for next lesson)
- Optional: Research one economic policy affecting young people
- Invite whānau to support the handout’s “trash diary” reflection and share findings next lesson