FAULTLINE · FIELD ALERT: Monitoring stations have recorded movement across a fictional Aotearoa region. The landscape looks still, but the evidence says the crust is active. Your mission is to work out what the clues can support — and what they cannot predict.
ACTIVE OBJECTIVEFAULTLINE · FIELD ALERT: Monitoring stations have recorded movement across a fictional Aotearoa region. The landscape looks still, but the evidence says the crust is active. Your mission is to work out what the clues can support — and what they cannot predict.
WORLDWHENUA & POWER
SEQUENCE01 / 08
REWARDGAME BREAK
BEFORE YOU START
Get set for this mission.
You can complete the essential lesson on this page. You do not need to print anything.
YOU NEED
Required: a device with this page open.
Optional: headphones for video or read-aloud.
Optional: pen + paper for rough working if that helps you think.
HOW TO DO IT
Read or listen to the Briefing + Learn.
Do the interactive mission.
Use the reading and maths/data evidence.
Make your decision and add the Project HQ step.
Play the weekly game if you want, then complete Check-in.
WORK YOUR WAY
Short bursts are fine. Use Learning Tools for easier reading, read-aloud, less on screen, stronger contrast, no-rush and quieter-screen options.
If a question feels hard, go back to the worked teaching, use the hint/feedback, and try one step at a time.
MISSION BRIEFING
FAULTLINE · FIELD ALERT: Monitoring stations have recorded movement across a fictional Aotearoa region. The landscape looks still, but the evidence says the crust is active. Your mission is to work out what the clues can support — and what they cannot predict.
✓Explain that Aotearoa New Zealand lies across the active boundary between the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates.
✓Connect plate movement, stress, faults and earthquakes using a cause-and-effect model.
✓Use map scale, distance and coordinates in a simplified epicentre-location training task.
✓Distinguish geological evidence of an active landscape from a claim that an exact future earthquake can be predicted.
MISSION MEDIA · GeoNet
Why are there so many earthquakes throughout New Zealand?
Connect Aotearoa’s plate-boundary setting with faults, deformation and earthquake evidence.
Captions are controlled inside the YouTube player. If the embed is unavailable, use the YouTube link.
LEARN
PLATE → STRESS → FAULT → EVIDENCE
Earth’s outer shell is broken into tectonic plates that move slowly over time. Aotearoa New Zealand sits across the active boundary between the Pacific and Australian plates. Plate interaction deforms the crust and builds stress on faults. When accumulated stress is released suddenly, the crust can move and generate an earthquake. Geological evidence can show that a region is active and help scientists understand hazards, but it does not provide a clock that tells us the exact time, place and size of the next earthquake. Use the sequence PLATE MOVEMENT → STRESS / DEFORMATION → FAULT MOVEMENT → SEISMIC WAVES → OBSERVED EFFECTS.
Earth’s outer shell is broken into tectonic plates that move slowly over time. Aotearoa New Zealand sits across the active boundary between the Pacific and Australian plates. Plate interaction deforms the crust and builds stress on faults. When accumulated stress is released suddenly, the crust can move and generate an earthquake. Geological evidence can show that a region is active and help scientists understand hazards, but it does not provide a clock that tells us the exact time, place and size of the next earthquake. Use the sequence PLATE MOVEMENT → STRESS / DEFORMATION → FAULT MOVEMENT → SEISMIC WAVES → OBSERVED EFFECTS.
LEARNING BUILD
Refresh → Teach → Worked example → We do → You try
Build the idea before you enter the specialist lab. The point is to understand the reasoning, not just get through the buttons.
PREREQUISITE REFRESH
Reasoning lens:SOURCE → CONTEXT → CHANGE / POWER / PLACE → LIMIT → CONCLUSION
Bring these prerequisite tools back online.
English / communication:Scientific explanation using process, evidence and precise geological vocabulary.
Maths / data:Scale, radius, distance, coordinates and spatial reasoning.
Topic knowledge:Plate tectonics, faults, earthquakes, land deformation and geological evidence in Aotearoa.
This week’s first target:Explain that Aotearoa New Zealand lies across the active boundary between the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates.
Quick evidence refresh: which source is a defensible starting point?
Choose a source that can directly support part of the investigation. More than one source may be useful, but start with evidence that does not outrun its support.
TEACH 1 · CORE MODEL
Earth’s outer shell is broken into tectonic plates that move slowly over time. Aotearoa New Zealand sits across the active boundary between the Pacific and Australian plates. Plate interaction deforms the crust and builds stress on faults. When accumulated stress is released suddenly, the crust can move and generate an earthquake. Geological evidence can show that a region is active and help scientists understand hazards, but it does not provide a clock that tells us the exact time, place and size of the next earthquake. Use the sequence PLATE MOVEMENT → STRESS / DEFORMATION → FAULT MOVEMENT → SEISMIC WAVES → OBSERVED EFFECTS.
TEACH 2 · WHAT TO NOTICE
Explain that Aotearoa New Zealand lies across the active boundary between the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates.Connect plate movement, stress, faults and earthquakes using a cause-and-effect model.
TEACH 3 · CONNECT + TRANSFER
Use map scale, distance and coordinates in a simplified epicentre-location training task. Distinguish geological evidence of an active landscape from a claim that an exact future earthquake can be predicted.
WORKED EXAMPLE · EVIDENCE
TECTONIC SETTING
Aotearoa New Zealand lies across the boundary of the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates. Their interaction produces earthquakes, active deformation and volcanic activity in different parts of the country.
Reasoning: Start with exactly what the source establishes. Connect it to the relevant concept, then stop before the claim becomes broader than the evidence. Now compare it with PREDICTION CLAIM: A social post says the latest small earthquakes prove a major earthquake will strike the town next Tuesday. The evidence shown cannot establish an exact future time, place and magnitude.
Why caution still matters:This item is weak evidence for a broad conclusion: its claim or implication reaches beyond what the available support can establish.
WORKED EXAMPLE · MATHS / DATA ROUTE
In the Faultline training map, 1 cm represents 25 km. A monitoring station is 75 km from the modelled epicentre. What radius should be drawn on the map?
This week’s maths/data focus:Scale, radius, distance, coordinates and spatial reasoning.
Identify the dates, quantities, denominator or map scale first. Calculate carefully, then return the number to its historical or geographic context. A correct number does not explain the whole story by itself.
Worked solution:The map scale is 25 km for each 1 cm. Divide the real distance by 25: 75 ÷ 25 = 3, so the radius is 3 cm.Answer check:3 cm. Now return the result to the question and state what it means in context.
WE DO · GUIDED PRACTICE
Which source needs the most caution before it is used to support a broad conclusion?
Choose any source whose claim outruns its support.
YOU TRY · INDEPENDENT PRACTICE
For Faultline, explain one core idea in your own words. Use one named source or observation from this page, then add one sentence saying what that evidence does NOT prove.
Write at least 18 words. Name the evidence or data you are using and keep the claim inside what it can support.
MISCONCEPTION CHECK
PREDICTION CLAIM:A social post says the latest small earthquakes prove a major earthquake will strike the town next Tuesday. The evidence shown cannot establish an exact future time, place and magnitude.
This item is weak evidence for a broad conclusion: its claim or implication reaches beyond what the available support can establish.
HELP
Try: “The source shows ___. In this context, that matters because ___. It does not prove ___. My conclusion is ___.”
STRETCH · OPTIONAL
Add a second source, data point or test. Explain whether it strengthens, weakens or qualifies your first conclusion.
FAULTLINE · FIELD LAB
The landscape looks still. The evidence says otherwise.
Open the geological clues, model three plate-boundary movements, solve the map-scale task and make an evidence-limited conclusion.
EARTH ENGINE · BOUNDARY MODELS
Match each movement to the boundary behaviour.
MODEL 1
Two crustal blocks move towards one another.
MODEL 2
Two crustal blocks move away from one another.
MODEL 3
Two crustal blocks move sideways past one another.
EPICENTRE TRAINING MAP · SIMPLIFIED SCALE MODEL
Scale: 1 cm = 25 km. A sensor is 75 km from the modelled epicentre. What map radius represents that distance?
ABC×
This is a maths-and-mapping model for learning. Real earthquake location uses arrival-time data and seismological analysis.
EVIDENCE LIMIT
What is the strongest conclusion these clues support?
Open all four field files, solve all three boundary models, complete the scale task and pass the evidence-limit check.
OPEN THE SOURCE NOTES
SOURCE 1
TECTONIC SETTING
Aotearoa New Zealand lies across the boundary of the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates. Their interaction produces earthquakes, active deformation and volcanic activity in different parts of the country.
SOURCE 2
FAULT OFFSET
A fictional river channel and rock layer are displaced across a mapped fault trace. The offset is evidence that the landscape has moved in the past.
SOURCE 3
MONITORING CLUSTER
A network map shows repeated small earthquakes and measured ground movement across the fictional region. These observations support the conclusion that the crust is active.
SOURCE 4
PREDICTION CLAIM
A social post says the latest small earthquakes prove a major earthquake will strike the town next Tuesday. The evidence shown cannot establish an exact future time, place and magnitude.
INVESTIGATE + ENGLISH · EVIDENCE CASE
A landscape can look still while the crust keeps moving
Aotearoa New Zealand sits across an active tectonic plate boundary. Plate movement is slow, but the forces involved can deform rock and build stress on faults over long periods. When a fault slips suddenly, stored energy travels through the ground as seismic waves. Scientists use instruments, mapped faults, landforms, rock records and earthquake locations to investigate this activity. Those observations can improve understanding of where hazards exist and how the crust behaves. They do not create an exact timetable for the next earthquake. Good geological reasoning therefore separates what the evidence shows — an active, deforming landscape — from claims that go further than the evidence can support.
MAKE THE CALL
Use the Faultline evidence board to answer: What shows that this fictional landscape is tectonically active? Build a claim using at least three clues, then state one prediction the evidence does not justify.
BUILD YOUR CASE CONCLUSION1. Make the call. 2. Use at least two relevant pieces of evidence. 3. Explain one limitation or uncertainty. 4. Finish with what can responsibly be concluded.Strong structure: My judgement is… The strongest evidence is… However, we still do not know… Therefore…
CASE CONCLUSION: Write 170–230 words explaining why earthquakes occur in Aotearoa New Zealand. Use the sequence plate movement → stress/deformation → fault movement → seismic waves, include at least two pieces of evidence from the field lab, and finish by explaining one thing the evidence cannot predict exactly.
0/170 words minimum for this writing mission.
CLAIMEVIDENCELIMITATIONCONCLUSION
MATHS + DATA LAB
Check the numbers.
HOW TO SUCCEEDRead the situation first. Estimate what a sensible answer should look like, choose an efficient calculation, then use the feedback to check your reasoning.For data questions, explain what the number shows — and what it does not prove.
In the Faultline training map, 1 cm represents 25 km. A monitoring station is 75 km from the modelled epicentre. What radius should be drawn on the map?
Estimate first, then choose the answer.
MISSION 05 · MATHS + DATA LAB
DATA TRAINING
ALGEBRA · YEAR 7 CORE
6 PROBLEMS
QUICK METHODALGEBRA
Keep the equation balanced: undo operations in reverse order.
GUIDED · Q01–Q03Use the quick method, then check the explanation.
Q01
x + 5 = 29. What is x?
Subtract 5 from both sides: x = 24.
Q02
3x = 24. What is x?
Divide both sides by 3: x = 8.
Q03
If n = 5, what is 2n + 3?
2(5) + 3 = 10 + 3 = 13.
INDEPENDENT · Q04
Continue the pattern: 4, 9, 14, 19, …
The rule is add 5 each time, so 19 + 5 = 24.
INDEPENDENT · Q05
Which expression means “five more than twice x”?
Twice x is 2x; five more gives 2x + 5.
INDEPENDENT · Q06
2x + 4 = 18. What is x?
Subtract 4: 2x = 14. Divide by 2: x = 7.
OPTIONAL CHALLENGE · OPEN RESPONSE
Write an equation with x = 10, then show how to solve it.
0 words · optional
KEEP YOUR SKILLS SHARP
YOUR WEEKLY TRAINING
Four short sessions to spread across your week. Each has six problems and a reasoning mission. Allow about 10–15 minutes per session, and take longer when you need it.
Use paper for working. Enter numbers only; units are shown beside each answer. These are fictional practice scenarios.
0 / 24 correctSESSION 1 · NUMBER CHECK0 / 6
LEARN THE METHOD
Use brackets first, then powers, multiplication/division, and addition/subtraction. For fractions, use a common denominator.
WORKED EXAMPLE
18 + 4 × 3 = 18 + 12 = 30. But (18 + 4) × 3 = 66.
Use a hint
Multiply first: 4 × 3 = 12; add 69 to get 81.
Use a hint
Brackets first: 73 × 3 = 219.
Check the method after trying
4² = 16; subtract 3.
Check the method after trying
One quarter is 66; multiply by 3.
Check the method after trying
1/2 = 2/4, so 2/4 + 1/4 = 3/4 = 0.75.
Check the method after trying
(279 − 3) ÷ 4 = 69.
Compare your reasoning after trying
Multiplication is done before addition unless brackets change the order. For example, 2 + 3 × 4 = 14, but (2 + 3) × 4 = 20.
Your example may differ. Check your calculations and whether you explained why.
SESSION 2 · SCALE EXPLORER0 / 6
LEARN THE METHOD
A 1:n scale means 1 unit on a drawing represents n of the same units in reality. Convert units after scaling. 100 cm = 1 m and 1,000 m = 1 km.
WORKED EXAMPLE
On a 1:500 plan, 4 cm represents 4 × 500 = 2,000 cm = 20 m. A 30 m real distance would be 6 cm on the plan.
metres
Use a hint
70 × 100 cm ÷ 100 = 70 m.
metres
Use a hint
5 × 500 ÷ 100 = 25 m.
cm
Check the method after trying
140 × 100 ÷ 200 = 70 cm.
km
Check the method after trying
7 × 2 = 14 km.
Check the method after trying
200 ÷ 4 = 50.
km
Check the method after trying
Add the two travelled sections: 70 + 5.
Compare your reasoning after trying
The drawn length halves: 20 m is 4 cm at 1:500 but 2 cm at 1:1,000. Each map centimetre now represents twice as much.
Your example may differ. Check your calculations and whether you explained why.
SESSION 3 · BUILD + MEASURE0 / 6
LEARN THE METHOD
Rectangle area = length × width; perimeter = 2 × (length + width). Triangle area = base × perpendicular height ÷ 2. Cuboid volume = length × width × height.
WORKED EXAMPLE
For an 8 m × 3 m rectangle: area = 24 m² and perimeter = 22 m. A 6 m × 4 m rectangle has the same area but perimeter 20 m.
m²
Use a hint
Length × width = 71 × 6.
m
Use a hint
2 × (71 + 6) = 154.
cm²
Check the method after trying
Base × height ÷ 2 = 142 × 6 ÷ 2.
cm³
Check the method after trying
Multiply the three dimensions.
°
Check the method after trying
180 − 46 − 65 = 69.
m²
Check the method after trying
Whole area 426 minus uncovered area 4.
Compare your reasoning after trying
For example 12 × 2 and 6 × 4 both have area 24 square units. Their perimeters are 28 and 20 units. Area and perimeter measure different things.
Your example may differ. Check your calculations and whether you explained why.
SESSION 4 · NUMBER CHECK0 / 6
LEARN THE METHOD
Use brackets first, then powers, multiplication/division, and addition/subtraction. For fractions, use a common denominator.
WORKED EXAMPLE
18 + 4 × 3 = 18 + 12 = 30. But (18 + 4) × 3 = 66.
Use a hint
Multiply first: 7 × 2 = 14; add 72 to get 86.
Use a hint
Brackets first: 79 × 2 = 158.
Check the method after trying
7² = 49; subtract 2.
Check the method after trying
One quarter is 69; multiply by 3.
Check the method after trying
1/2 = 2/4, so 2/4 + 1/4 = 3/4 = 0.75.
Check the method after trying
(506 − 2) ÷ 7 = 72.
Compare your reasoning after trying
Multiplication is done before addition unless brackets change the order. For example, 2 + 3 × 4 = 14, but (2 + 3) × 4 = 20.
Your example may differ. Check your calculations and whether you explained why.
Answers and reasoning save on this device when browser storage is available.
PROJECT HQ · TERM 2
PROJECT HQ · PROJECT FILE 07
BUILD — add THE LAND BENEATH US evidence layer.
Start something real. Build an idea, test it, improve it, and share it. Make your move.
Our Place / Our Story begins now. Choose an Aotearoa or rohe inquiry that can be investigated with more than one source. You can refine the question as the evidence grows.
PROJECT HQ · PROJECT FILE 07
BUILD · LAND / RISK LAYER
Make your move.
PROJECT JOURNEYWEEK 7 / 9BUILD · LAND / RISK LAYER
Start something real. Build an idea, test it, improve it, and share it.
Connect land, hazard, resilience or place evidence to the larger inquiry instead of treating it as a disconnected topic.
THIS WEEKBUILD · LAND / RISK LAYER
Complete only this project step today. Your saved work carries forward, so you do not need to finish the whole project at once.
A STRONG STEPSpecific · useful · achievable
Use evidence from this week's mission, name a real audience or purpose, and make the idea small enough to test and improve.
BEFORE YOU SAVE, CHECK:✓ I answered every field clearly✓ I used evidence or reasoning from this week✓ My next step is realistic
Complete each field with enough detail to carry this work into the next week. This step saves on this device as you type.
IDEA→RESEARCH→PLAN→BUILD→TEST→IMPROVE→PRESENT
Project sharing will be optional. A future upload system must keep private submission separate from public-showcase/marketing permission.
CHECK-IN
What changed in your thinking?
16ICONIC GAMES
YOUR WEEKLY GAME · TERM 2 / WEEK 7
Off-Road Racing
Race three laps over dirt. Rough ground slows you down.
01BRIEF
02LEARN
03INVESTIGATE
05DECIDE
07PROJECT
08CHECK-IN