Exploring Local Communities

Overview

This 50-minute lesson plan is designed for Year 9 English students in New Zealand to practise research skills themed around "Community." Students will investigate local community organisations — such as a marae, sports club, or charity group — focusing on their purpose, membership, and community impact. The lesson encourages connecting the information discovered with students' own experiences and local communities, aligning tightly with the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) and the Te Mātaiaho (English Curriculum) framework.

Curriculum Alignment

This lesson plan reflects key learning objectives from the New Zealand Curriculum for Years 9–10 (Level 5):

• English Learning Area – Understand, Know, and Do framework:

  • Understand: Recognise that texts and spoken language can influence understanding of the community and identity (Te Mātaiaho framework).
  • Know: Know how to select and integrate information from a variety of sources to develop ideas about community organisations.
  • Do: Practise researching, organising, and presenting information clearly in an oral or written format; develop comprehension and critical thinking skills through examining texts and oral communication about community themes.

• Key Competencies:

  • Thinking: Researching, questioning, and analysing community organisations.
  • Using language, symbols, and texts: Locating and organising information.
  • Relating to others: Developing understanding and respect for diverse cultural perspectives, including tangata whenua and local community relationships.

• Values Emphasised: Community and participation, diversity, and respect for cultural identity by engaging with local organisations and connecting findings to students’ own contexts.

• Support for diverse learners: Structured literacy and scaffolded activities that accommodate different learning needs, including dyslexia.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Identify a local community organisation and understand its role within the community.
2. Use a structured worksheet to guide research and organise key information (purpose, membership, impact).
3. Connect the organisation's role and activities to their own experiences or knowledge of New Zealand communities.
4. Communicate their research findings clearly and with accuracy using NZ spelling and language conventions.

Materials

• Worksheet: "Community Organisation Research Guide" (designed for clarity, with prompts to support dyslexic learners such as simplified language, bullet points, and visual icons)
• Access to school library, internet, or pre-prepared resource books about local community groups
• Whiteboard and markers or projector for teacher-led introductions
• Writing materials or digital devices for students

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Lesson Plan Detail

1. Introduction & Context Setting (10 minutes)

• Begin by discussing the term "community" in New Zealand, highlighting the diversity of local communities (urban, rural, iwi, sports clubs, charity groups).
• Show examples of community organisations: marae, local sports clubs, charitable groups, cultural trusts.
• Explain the purpose of today’s research task: to find out about a local community organisation’s purpose, members, and impact.
• Relate this to students’ own experiences and invite them to think about groups or places they or their whānau know.

Teaching Tip: Use visual aids and examples with clear language and provide sentence starters at this point (e.g., "I think community organisations are important because...").

2. Research Task Explanation and Worksheet Distribution (5 minutes)

• Introduce the "Community Organisation Research Guide" worksheet.
• Briefly run through each section with the class, modelling how to use it to record information:
  1. Name of organisation
  2. What the organisation does (purpose)
  3. Who are its members or people involved
  4. How it benefits or impacts the community
  5. Personal or community connections to it
• Discuss how to find information: websites, brochures, interviews, or pre-selected reading materials.
• Emphasise the use of bullet points and short sentences on the worksheet for ease of writing and reading.

3. Guided Research Time (20 minutes)

• Students work individually or in pairs (to support collaborative learning) to research their chosen community organisation.
• Teacher circulates to assist, especially dyslexic learners, by:
  • Helping them break down information into manageable parts.
  • Supporting vocabulary understanding and note-taking.
  • Providing verbal prompts when needed.
• Encourage using a variety of resources, including digital texts or images.
• Students record their findings on their worksheets in clear bullet points or short paragraphs.

4. Sharing and Connection (10 minutes)

• Invite a few students or pairs to share a summary of their research with the class.
• Encourage questions and discussion about similarities or differences between the organisations researched.
• Prompt students to make connections to their own lives or other communities in New Zealand.
• Highlight diversity in the types of organisations and roles within communities, reinforcing respect and cultural understanding.

5. Reflection and Wrap-up (5 minutes)

• Ask students to write one sentence on:
  • What they learned about community organisations.
  • How this knowledge relates to their own community or family.
• Collect worksheets to assess understanding and support further work.
• Explain that this research could lead to a more detailed project or presentation later in the term.

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Differentiation and Accessibility

• For dyslexic learners:

  • Worksheet includes clear headings, bullet points, and icons to support understanding.
  • Pairing with a buddy helps verbalise ideas before writing.
  • Allow use of voice-to-text or audio recording of findings if preferred.
  • Teacher to provide vocabulary banks or sentence starters on request.

• For ELL (English Language Learners):

  • Use the English Language Learning Progressions guidance by providing oral explanations and modelling (ELLP support).
  • Visual supports and access to bilingual resources if possible.

• Extension Tasks:

  • Encourage advanced learners to find extra information such as the history of the organisation or a quote from a member.
  • Challenge students to think critically about the impact and suggest ways the organisation could improve.

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Assessment

Formative assessment through:

• Observation and notes during research phase (engagement and ability to locate/reorganise information).
• Completed research worksheet assessing the ability to collect relevant details and connect ideas.
• Oral presentations demonstrating understanding and communication skills.
• Written reflection sentence giving insight into personal learning and connections.

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Example Lesson Reflection Prompts for Students

• "I found out that the [organisation name] helps the community by..."
• "This is important because..."
• "In my community, there is a similar group that..."

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References and Resources (NZ Curriculum)

• English Learning Area, Years 7–10 – Understand, Know, and Do: The lesson focuses on developing students' ability to comprehend, analyse, and create texts related to real-world community issues, consistent with curriculum goals that support students connecting with local cultural contexts and expressing personal understanding through research and discussion .

• Supporting Diverse Learners: Use of structured literacy approaches and scaffolds aligns with guidance for dyslexic students and ELL learners in English Years 0–6 and transition into higher years .

• Key Competencies: Emphasising Thinking, Using language, and Relating to others, rooted in authentic and local contexts, supports students’ holistic development as described in the NZC .

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This detailed and scaffolded lesson plan will engage your diverse Year 9 students thoughtfully, connecting their research skills to meaningful learning about New Zealand communities and their literacies in context.