Building Connections Together

Overview

A 60-minute Languages lesson for Years 7-9 focused on exploring Whanaungatanga (relationships and sense of belonging) through language learning. This plan incorporates team-building (whakawhanaungatanga) activities to deepen students' connections and language skills. It aligns closely with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh expectations and key competencies while fostering cultural identity and inclusiveness.

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Learning Outcomes (WALT - We Are Learning To)

• WALT understand and express concepts of whanaungatanga using appropriate language structures in an additional language.
• WALT develop interpersonal communication skills through whakawhanaungatanga activities.
• WALT reflect on and value cultural identity as expressed through language and relationships.

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Success Criteria

Students can:

• Use oral and written language to describe relationships (family, friends, community) reflecting whanaungatanga.
• Participate in team-building activities demonstrating cooperation and respect.
• Express ideas about belonging and connections using culturally appropriate phrases and vocabulary.
• Collaborate respectfully with peers, showing empathy and relating to others (Key Competency: Relating to others).

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Curriculum Links

Learning Areas & Key Competencies

• Learning Languages (Years 7-9) (NZ Curriculum, p.24-25):
  Focus on communicating in an additional language, developing cultural knowledge, and expressing whanaungatanga concepts.
• Key Competencies:
  • Relating to others (communicating and interacting effectively)
  • Using language, symbols and texts (expressing meaning in oral and written forms)
  • Managing self (collaborative skills, self-regulation)

Achievement Objectives Examples (adapted for language choice)

• Communicate personal and cultural information, experiences, and ideas relevant to students’ lives and communities.
• Use culturally meaningful language forms to express social relationships and responsibilities.
• Engage in social interactions demonstrating respect and empathy, reflecting whanaungatanga.

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Materials Required

• Whiteboard and markers
• Printed vocabulary sheets with key phrases related to relationships and belonging (dyslexia-friendly fonts, clear spacing)
• Flashcards for team-building games
• Recording device (optional) for student reflections
• Visual aids showing cultural symbols of whanaungatanga

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Lesson Plan

1. Introduction and Whakawhanaungatanga Activity (15 mins)

• Activity: “Mihi Whakawhanaunga” - Each student shares their name, affiliation (whānau / school), and one thing they value about their community or family in the additional language being learnt.
• Teacher models language use and phrases on the board, with sentence stems like:
  • “Ko [name] tōku ingoa.” (My name is...)
  • “No [place] ahau.” (I am from...)
  • “He tino pai ki ahau [something positive about community].”
• Purpose: To build rapport and confidence in speaking, valuing whanaungatanga as cultural identity.

2. Language Focus & Vocabulary Development (10 mins)

• Introduce key vocabulary and sentence structures related to relationships: family members, friends, community roles. Use visuals and flashcards.
• Use a dyslexia-friendly printed sheet with words and meanings, alongside pictorial supports.
• Practice pronunciation and meaning via choral repetition and paired echo reading.

3. Team Building Game: “Whakawhanaungatanga Bingo” (15 mins)

• Create bingo cards with relationship- and community-related prompts in the target language.
• Students mingle and ask each other questions matching the prompts, e.g., “Kei te noho koe ki hea?” (Where do you live?) or “He aha te mea nui ki tō whānau?” (What is important to your family?)
• Encourage students to practice asking and answering using full phrases, emphasizing respectful listening and responding.
• Reinforce key competency relating to others and oral language learning.

4. Collaborative Task: Create a Whanaungatanga Web (15 mins)

• In small groups (4-5 students), students use the whiteboard or paper to draw a “Whanaungatanga Web” showing connections between people they know or cultural groups. Label connections with phrases in the additional language (e.g., “tēina”, “tuakana”, “hoa”).
• Encourage use of sentence stems such as “Ko [name] tōku [relation]” to build written and spoken skills.
• Groups share their webs with the class briefly, practicing oral language.

5. Reflection and Discussion (5 mins)

• As a class, discuss how learning about whanaungatanga through language helps us understand each other better.
• Invite students to share one new phrase or idea they enjoyed or found meaningful.
• Assign optional extension: Write a short paragraph about their own family or community relationships using the new language phrases.

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Differentiation Strategies

• For diverse learners: Provide sentence stems and vocabulary mats with translations. Use multi-sensory approaches (visual aids, gestures, modelling).
• For dyslexic learners: Use dyslexia-friendly fonts, coloured overlays, and graphic organisers. Allow oral responses or recordings.
• For advanced learners: Challenge them to write descriptive paragraphs or create dialogues incorporating figurative language or idioms related to relationships in the target language.

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Assessment Opportunities

• Formative observation during oral sharing and team game participation: note vocabulary use, pronunciation, interaction skills.
• Group whanaungatanga webs assessed for appropriate vocabulary and conceptual understanding.
• Reflection statements or extension writing task to assess expressive language development.

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Cultural Responsiveness and Inclusiveness

• Respect student cultural identities and encourage sharing of personal and familial stories in any language familiar to them.
• Connect whanaungatanga to students’ own cultural contexts and languages, supporting bilingual and multilingual learners.
• Integrate te reo Māori concepts and language as a model for relational language learning to deepen cultural understanding.

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By structuring the lesson around whanaungatanga and embedding interactive, language-rich team activities, students experience Māori value concepts in an engaging way while advancing their language competencies and social skills, fully aligned with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh for languages and key competencies .