Social Sciences

He aha te mea nui?

He tangata, He tangata, He tangata!

We value the different cultures that make Papatoetoe West School unique from other schools in our community. We promote a social consciousness within our students that acknowledges our obligations to the Tiriti of Waitangi and the status of Tangata-Whenua. As a school of cultural diversity, our students will gain an awareness of their own identity and their place in the wider-world.

Papatoetoe West School students will explore how societies work and how they themselves can participate and take action as critical, informed and responsible citizens.

The learning will be collaborative and provide opportunities for students to gain a wider perspective of themselves within the school, community, Aotearoa, New Zealand and globally by using contexts taken from the past, present and future. The Aotearoa NZ Histories Curriculum, Critical Programme Resource CPR (Tamsin Hanly) and liaising with the Papatoetoe Historical Society will be used to strengthen units of work that align to the school theme and promote links with our local community. Students will investigate how our histories have shaped our present day lives. It will support ākonga to be critical thinkers and understand our past, in order to make sense of the present.

Social Sciences will be structured through the following four strands:

Identity, Culture and Organisation
Place and Environment
Continuity and Change
The Economic World
Current issues will be threaded into programmes where relevant.

Our school inquiry cycle - WEST

Wonder,
Explore,
Search Further,
Take Action

We will engage with mana whenua to build our knowledge and strengthen local context when supporting students in learning.

Our whānau and the expertise they possess along with local resources are invited into the school to enhance the learning experiences of students and teachers as they study the different areas within the Social Studies Curriculum. Our students will be provided the opportunity to visit a marae on at least two occasions during their six years at Papatoetoe West School. We also have developed links with Papatuanuku Kokiri (Marae that promotes sustainable practices).