Building Connections Together

Context

This 25-minute lesson is designed for New Zealand students Years 0–6 (approx. ages 5–10) with a focus on New Zealand history, aiming to build strong social bonds and class cohesion. The plan is aligned explicitly with the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum, incorporating social sciences content, key competencies, values, principles, and learning areas guidance, and explicitly referencing the curriculum’s progress outcomes for years 0–6.

WALT (We Are Learning To)

Understand important stories and histories about Aotearoa New Zealand.
Share ideas and learn about our classmates’ experiences.
Build trust and friendship in our classroom community through collaborative activities.

Success Criteria

Students can share and listen actively to stories about themselves and Aotearoa New Zealand.
Students work cooperatively in pairs or small groups to create a shared story.
Students demonstrate respectful communication, showing curiosity about others’ perspectives.
Students show developing understanding of New Zealand’s history as a shared story that connects us.

Curriculum Alignment

Social Sciences:

Aotearoa New Zealand Histories (Years 1-4 focus)
- Understand that people’s perspectives on events differ.
- Learn about stories and traditions that explain New Zealand’s past and identity.

Key Competencies:

Managing Self: Participate confidently in learning with others.
Relating to Others: Actively listen, share ideas, and negotiate in groups.
Thinking: Gather, interpret, and use information to ask questions and share knowledge.

Values:

Whanaungatanga (Relationships): Fostering connections and working collaboratively.
Manaakitanga (Care and Respect): Showing respect for others’ stories and experiences.

Principles:

Community Engagement: Use local history and student experience to connect learning.

Lesson Overview

Time	Activity	Description	Purpose
0–5 mins	Welcome & Shared Whakawhanaungatanga (Bonding)	Start the lesson with a simple sharing circle where each student says their name and one thing they love about New Zealand or their family heritage.	Build trust and a sense of belonging in the group (supports Key Comp Relating to Others).
5–10 mins	"Our Stories Tapestry" Introduction	Teacher introduces the idea of New Zealand history as many stories woven together (using a simple visual like a tapestry or string web). Briefly mention Māori history, settlers, and local stories appropriate to the year group.	Provide context about NZ histories, connecting to curriculum emphasis on multiple perspectives.
10–20 mins	Paired Story Sharing & Weaving Web Activity	- Students pair up to share a short personal or family story related to where they come from or a special place in NZ. - Then pairs link their stories with another pair by joining threads of coloured yarn or string to build a physical "story web" on a wall or board in the classroom.	Encourages oral language skills, listening, and respect for diverse histories. Physical weaving symbolises how each story is important and connected. Limited space friendly.
20–25 mins	Group Reflection & Closing	Gather the class to observe the "story web". Teacher facilitates a brief discussion: What did we learn about each other? How do our stories connect to New Zealand’s history? Invite students to share feelings about being part of this class community.	Consolidate understanding and highlight the value of diverse stories and teamwork (Key Competency Relating to Others and Thinking).

Detailed Instructions & Materials

Materials Needed

Small balls or skeins of coloured yarn or string (different colours for each group)
Space on a wall, door, or pinboard for creating the story web
Visual aid: a simple large picture or photograph depicting a woven tapestry or korowai weaving to symbolise connected stories
Optional: Simple picture cards showing aspects of Aotearoa New Zealand history (local landmark, waka, settlement)

Activity Details

Whakawhanaungatanga Circle

Each student says: “My name is ___. One thing I love about New Zealand/my family/my place is __.”
Teacher models with own example first, encourages listening and respectful responses.

Introduction to “Our Stories Tapestry”

Show visual aid and say: “Our class is like this tapestry—a beautiful weaving made up of many stories. Just like New Zealand has lots of different histories and stories, so do we in this class.”
Briefly mention: “Māori histories, stories of people arriving from other places, and stories of families today.”

Paired Story Sharing & Weaving Web

Students find a partner. Each shares their story (e.g., “My family likes to visit the beach at _____” or “I know something special about Māori waka.”)
After sharing, teacher gives one end of a coloured yarn to one student in each pair. They come up and tie it to the wall or board.
Then find another pair to connect with, sharing a brief idea about how their stories relate (e.g., both stories about water or about family). They join yarns together forming a web.
Repeat until a colourful web forms showing multiple connections.

Reflection and Closing

Sit together around the web. Teacher asks: “What did you learn from your classmates’ stories? How do you think our stories help us understand New Zealand better?”
Students share briefly. Teacher praises participation, kindness, and curiosity.
Close with: “Every story matters, and together we make our class stronger.”

Assessment (Formative)

Teacher observes student participation and listening during sharing circle and paired discussions (focus on respectful communication, engagement).
Notice students’ ability to connect their story to others’ (in forming the web).
Teacher records anecdotal notes if possible, noting examples where students demonstrate understanding of connection and respect for different histories.
Informal check: Responses during group reflection indicate emerging understanding of diversity in New Zealand’s stories.

Notes for Teachers

Adapt stories shared to reflect the local community histories relevant to the students.
Use inclusive language and support students with diverse backgrounds or learning needs to participate comfortably (scaffold story prompts).
Emphasise that all stories—big or small—are valued parts of New Zealand’s past and present.
This activity builds social-emotional bonds while grounding learning in the social sciences curriculum focus on Aotearoa New Zealand histories and identity.

This lesson plan directly follows the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh focus on students engaging with and understanding diverse New Zealand histories through social sciences. It centres on the development of key competencies of managing self, relating to others, and thinking, as well as the values of whanaungatanga and manaakitanga. The collaborative storytelling and weaving of a physical yarn web is a tactile and visual metaphor that helps young learners appreciate how individual stories connect to form a community and nation—deepening their sense of belonging and historical understanding within the constraints of a small classroom space and a brief 25-minute timeframe .

Teaching Instructions