Gallipoli Exploration

Year Levels

6–8 (Ages approx. 10-13)

Duration

30 minutes

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WALT (We Are Learning To)

• Understand what the Gallipoli campaign was and why it is significant to New Zealand history.
• Locate Gallipoli geographically and sequence key events during the campaign.
• Reflect on the experiences of New Zealand soldiers in the campaign.

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Curriculum Links

Social Sciences: Learning Area (New Zealand Curriculum)

• Understanding How People Make Sense of the Past: "Understand how significant events, people, and places have influenced New Zealand’s history" (Levels 3–4).
• Time, Continuity, and Change: Students create timelines to sequence events and understand their significance.
• Place and Environment: Use maps to locate and describe places important to historical events.
• Participating and Contributing: Engaging with history to understand identity and heritage.

Key Competencies

• Thinking: Using evidence to explain events and their significance.
• Using language, symbols, and texts: Reading and interpreting historical texts and maps.
• Managing self: Applying skills for independent and group work.
• Relating to others: Sharing perspectives on historical events.

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Success Criteria

Students will be successful when they:

• Correctly locate Gallipoli on a blank map of the region.
• Demonstrate understanding of New Zealand soldiers' roles at Gallipoli through discussion.
• Accurately place at least five key events of the Gallipoli campaign in chronological order on a timeline worksheet.
• Show respect and empathy when discussing the experiences and sacrifice of soldiers.

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Resources

• Blank outline map of Gallipoli (with simple surrounding geography).
• A short, dyslexia-friendly text titled “NZ Soldiers at Gallipoli” (carefully written with accessible fonts and layout).
• Worksheet 2: Timeline activity (PDF with key dated events from the Gallipoli campaign to order).
• Projector or whiteboard for showing a sample timeline and map.
• Pencils, coloured pens.

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Lesson Outline

1. Introduction & Engagement (5 minutes)

• Teacher prompts discussion: “Have you heard about Gallipoli? Why might it be important to New Zealand?”
• Show teacher-prepared Gallipoli map on projector, ask: "Where do you think Gallipoli is?"
• WALT and success criteria shared on the board—briefly discuss expectations.

2. Map Activity (7 minutes)

• Distribute blank Gallipoli outline maps.
• Guide students to locate and mark Gallipoli using compass points and regional landmarks, encouraging use of their prior knowledge of compass directions (raki/north, tonga/south, etc.).
• Incorporate simple directional language connections: “Gallipoli is north of where many New Zealanders live.”
• Support students with individual help as needed (including labeled versions for dyslexic learners as a scaffold).

3. Reading & Class Discussion: NZ Soldiers at Gallipoli (8 minutes)

• Read aloud the dyslexia-friendly text “NZ Soldiers at Gallipoli”, pausing to discuss key points.
• Teacher models making inferences: “Why do you think this place was important? How might the soldiers have felt?”
• Students can follow the text in pairs or with reading support.
• Encourage questions using prompts like, “What surprised you about the soldiers’ experience?”
• Discuss the significance of the campaign to New Zealand identity and ANZAC Day.

4. Timeline Activity (8 minutes)

• Hand out Worksheet 2: Timeline of Events.
• Students work individually or in pairs to put key events of the Gallipoli campaign in the correct order.
• Teacher circulates, facilitating and clarifying event details.
• As a class, review and create a collective timeline on the board, inviting students to contribute their answers.

5. Wrap-up & Reflection (2 minutes)

• Quick recap: Why is Gallipoli important to New Zealanders?
• Students share one new thing they learned or found interesting.
• Offer suggestion for extension activity: Write a short diary entry imagining you are a New Zealand soldier at Gallipoli (great for advanced learners to deepen understanding and empathy).

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Differentiation Strategies

• Support for diverse learners:

  • Provide a clearly structured, dyslexia-friendly text with appropriate spacing and font.
  • Offer a partially completed timeline or map for students needing extra scaffolding.
  • Provide audio versions or read-aloud options where possible.
  • Allow paired or small group work for peer support.

• Extension for advanced learners:

  • Research a particular soldier’s story from Gallipoli.
  • Explore the impact of the campaign on New Zealand society today.
  • Investigate the role of Māori soldiers in the campaign and present findings to the class.

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Notes on Accessibility & Engagement

• Use clear face-to-face communication and visual supports throughout.
• Build on students’ prior knowledge and experience with simple map reading and sequencing events.
• Model thinking processes explicitly (making inferences, synthesising information).
• Encourage respectful discussion about the human experience of historical events, developing empathy and cultural understanding in line with New Zealand Curriculum principles.

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This lesson plan complies directly with the New Zealand Curriculum emphasis on social sciences, key competencies, culturally responsive pedagogy, and student engagement strategies for Years 6–8 students . The map and timeline activities address spatial and temporal understanding, while the reading text and discussions foster critical thinking and communication. The differentiated supports and extensions ensure inclusivity for a diverse classroom.