Celebrating Our Faith

Context:

This is a 40-minute Religious Education session for a Year 7 class in a New Zealand Catholic school. The class consists of 14 ākonga (students). This learning experience aligns with Level 4 of the Religious Education Curriculum for Catholic Schools in Aotearoa New Zealand and incorporates outcomes from the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) – specifically the Key Competencies, Values, and Vision of the curriculum.

The lesson contributes to a wider whole-school video project for Catholic Schools’ Day, celebrating the uniqueness and value of Catholic school education. Year 7 learners will create a segment that showcases their personal connections to the school, their understanding of being part of a Catholic community, and their reflections on why they love their school. The outputs will be recorded and edited on iPads using iMovie.

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Curriculum Links:

Religious Education (NZ Catholic Curriculum) – Level 4

• Strand: Community of Disciples
  • Learners understand that they belong to a Catholic school community and explore how this shapes their values and connections.
• Strand: The Church
  • Learners recognise and can talk about the importance of Catholic traditions, practices, and their significance in daily school life.

Key Competencies (NZC)

• Thinking – Reflecting on experiences and ideas about community and faith.
• Using language, symbols, and texts – Expressing their ideas in spoken, visual, and digital forms.
• Managing self – Planning, taking responsibility, and managing time during recording and editing.
• Relating to others – Collaborating respectfully and creatively in small video teams.
• Participating and contributing – Representing their class in a school-wide celebration.

Values

• Faith | Whakapono
• Community | Hapori
• Respect | Whakaute

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Learning Intentions:

Ākonga will:

• Reflect on and articulate what they value about being in a Catholic school.
• Collaboratively script and film short video interviews or scenes using iMovie on iPads.
• Recognise that being part of a Catholic school includes a shared sense of faith, whānau, responsibility, and celebration.

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Success Criteria:

Ākonga can:

• Confidently express what they value about their Catholic school.
• Work cooperatively to plan and record a clear, engaging video segment using iPads.
• Use basic video editing tools in iMovie to enhance clarity and message.

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Resources:

• Class set of iPads with iMovie installed
• Headphones (optional for editing)
• Printed prompt cards with guiding questions
• Whiteboard and pens
• Video planning template (paper copy)
• School uniform (worn neatly for video appearance)

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40-Minute Lesson Sequence:

0–5 mins: Karakia and Introduction (Class Discussion)

• Begin with a simple morning karakia (led by a student or teacher).
• Briefly introduce the purpose: Catholic Schools Day Video Project.
• Frame the significance: "What makes our school special as a Catholic school?"
• Share the goal: Today you'll be creating a short segment showing why you love our school and what being Catholic here means to you.

💡 Include student voice right from the beginning. Ask: “What are the things that make us different from other schools?” Record brainstormed words on the board: e.g. faith, Mass, kindness, whānau, crosses, Jesus, singing, service, house groups, chapel.

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5–15 mins: Planning in Pairs (Small Group Work)

• In pairs, students fill out a Video Planning Template including:

  • Who will be filmed?
  • What will they say or do?
  • Where will it be filmed in the school?
  • How will they express their ideas visually?
  • How does this connect to our Catholic identity?

• Provide prompt question cards for scaffolding:

  • Why are you proud to be in a Catholic school?
  • What Catholic value do you love most here?
  • What is your favourite Catholic tradition we do?
  • What makes our school feel like a whānau?

🧠 Encourage them to think creatively – could one person speak while another is doing something meaningful (e.g., ringing the bell, collecting for charity, preparing Mass)?

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15–30 mins: Filming Segments (Hands-on Learning)

• Students move to selected areas around the school to begin recording their video clips.
• Teacher and teaching assistant (if available) float and support with:
  • Basics of iMovie during filming (e.g., start/stop, rotate camera, framing).
  • Prompting and encouragement.
  • Ensuring filming areas are quiet and safe.

🎬 Remind them: “Keep clips under 1 minute and speak clearly — you are telling our school’s story!”

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30–35 mins: Initial Editing and Peer Feedback

• Return to class.

• Each pair begins editing their clip using basic iMovie tools:

  • Trimming
  • Adding title text to introduce names or topic
  • Fading in/out

• Partner up with another group to preview and give quick feedback:

  • Was it clear? Could you hear them well? Did it show something special about our Catholic community?

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35–40 mins: Reflection and Karakia Whakamutunga

• Circle time: Invite students to briefly share one thing they enjoyed or learned.

• Reflect together: “What did we show that makes our school unique and special?”

• End with a closing karakia or a simple song connected to unity and shared faith.

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Extension / Homework (Optional):

• Students finish any outstanding edits during next session.
• Write a short reflection in their RE journal:
  • "God is present in our Catholic school because…"
  • Include a sketch of a moment from the video that felt meaningful.

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Teacher Notes:

• Culturally Responsive Practice: Support students to mention the diverse cultures that make up your Catholic community. Encourage use of te reo Māori or Pasifika greetings to reflect your ākonga’s backgrounds.
• Digital Fluency Focus: This session supports digital citizenship, teamwork, and design thinking — through a faith-based and values-driven context.
• Universal Design for Learning: Students may express ideas visually, orally, or through movement/action in the video. Let them choose the mode that fits their strengths.

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Final Outcome:

Segments collected from this session can be compiled into a whole-school video for Catholic Schools Day celebration — led and narrated by the students, showing what makes their faith-based learning special in Aotearoa New Zealand.