Expressions of belief

Overview

This is lesson 5 of 8 in “He aha te Whakapono?”. Today you will model how to evaluate religious expressions (words, symbols, rituals, and spaces) and explain how they shape community and identity.

Learning intentions

Students will be able to:

• WALT identify common forms of religious expression and describe what they communicate.
• WALT evaluate how an expression influences belonging, identity, and community.
• WALT use a structured questioning approach to analyse cultural and religious expressions.
• WALT express a personal response to a religious expression using evidence from observations/text.

Success criteria

Students can:

• I can name at least two forms of belief expression and link each to its meaning.
• I can explain how an expression can create inclusion or exclusion in a community.
• I can evaluate an expression using evidence (what I see/hear/read) and a “therefore” (what that suggests).
• I can ask meaningful questions that deepen understanding (not just “what is it?”, but “why/how does it function?”).

Curriculum links

• Religious education: analysing expressions of belief in ways that build understanding of how beliefs are represented in cultures and communities.
• Textual and critical analysis (response to texts in varied formats): expressing personal responses to expressions using structured thinking and evidence.
• Te Mātaiaho English (Years 9–10 text specifications; includes bicultural and multicultural heritage): engaging with texts/expressions that represent diverse cultural and religious backgrounds, and analysing meaning.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Warm-up (recall + connect). Teacher displays a simple “Expression Types” chart (words, symbols, rituals, spaces) and asks students to jot one example from any belief community they know. Students do a quick write: “One expression I notice is…, it communicates…”.

2. 5–15 min · Teacher modelling (think-aloud evaluation). Teacher chooses one teacher-provided example card showing a religious expression (e.g., a symbol on a necklace, a prayer practice, a worship space feature) and models a full think-aloud using a consistent framework:

• What is it? (description)
• What does it communicate? (meaning)
• How does it affect people? (community/identity)
• Therefore, what can we infer? (evaluation). Students watch for the “therefore” step and circle where meaning turns into evaluation on the model sheet.

3. 15–30 min · Direct instruction (questioning strategies). Teacher explicitly teaches a set of question stems for cultural/religious analysis:

• “What might this express about identity?”
• “How does this practice shape community relationships?”
• “Who might feel included, and who might feel excluded? Why?”
• “What context is needed to understand it fairly?”
• “How could different people interpret this differently?” Students practise by generating 3 questions for the same teacher example in pairs, using only the stems provided.

4. 30–45 min · Guided practice (structured feedback). Students move into groups of 3–4. Each group receives two expression cards from different belief communities (teacher-selected to be respectful and age-appropriate). For each card, they complete a one-page evaluation table:

• Evidence: “I notice…”
• Meaning: “It may communicate…”
• Impact: “This could influence…”
• Evaluation: “Therefore…” (one clear claim). Teacher circulates and gives “structured feedback” using a two-part script:
• “Your evidence shows…”
• “To improve evaluation, add a therefore that links meaning to impact.”

5. 45–55 min · Whole-class sharing (accountable discussion). Teacher facilitates a short gallery-share: 2 groups share one strongest “therefore” claim. Teacher prompts the class to evaluate clarity and fairness: “Does the evidence match the claim? Are we assuming more than we know?” Students listen and add one “question for the group” using the stems.

6. 55–60 min · Exit ticket (quick assessment). Individually, students complete:

• “Today I learned that religious expressions can influence… (community/identity)”
• “One question I would ask to understand an expression more deeply is…”

Do Now

• Quick write: "One expression I notice is…, it communicates…" to activate prior knowledge.

Bible Provide

• Provide selected Bible verses or passages that illustrate expressions of belief relevant to the lesson.

SKILLS NEEDED

• Critical thinking and evaluation.
• Questioning and discussion.
• Evidence-based reasoning.
• Group collaboration.

TEACHING STRATEGIES

• Think-aloud modelling.
• Questioning with stems.
• Structured feedback.
• Accountable talk and gallery sharing.
• Exit ticket for formative assessment.

Resources

• Teacher-made “Expression Types” chart (words, symbols, rituals, spaces)
• Expression cards (2 per group; respectful, age-appropriate examples)
• One-page evaluation table template (Evidence / Meaning / Impact / Therefore)
• Model evaluation sheet with a worked example and highlighted “therefore”
• Question stem strip for student use
• Exit ticket slips or digital form
• Timer and class display for discussion norms

Assessment

• Formative during modelling: teacher checks whether students can spot the “therefore” step on the model sheet.
• Guided practice feedback: teacher uses the “evidence shows… / therefore needs…” script and listens for evidence-to-impact links.
• Exit ticket: checks each student can state an impact on community/identity and provide a high-quality questioning stem.

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence starters for the evaluation table (e.g., “I notice… therefore it may communicate…” “This could influence… because…”).
• Support: offer a reduced card set with clearer visual cues for students who need scaffolding.
• Extension: challenge students to include context and fairness (e.g., “What could we misunderstand without cultural background?”).
• EAL/SEN: allow responses via short bullet points; provide an example “therefore” bank; check understanding with brief conferences during group work.

Curriculum alignment note for the teacher

Keep the focus on evaluating expressions (not debating beliefs). Model how to be fair, evidence-based, and respectful when interpreting how expressions connect to community and identity.