Getting to Know You

Year 3 & 4 (Ages 7-9)

Duration: 60 minutes
Class size: 25 students
Subject: Other – Building Positive Classroom Community & Social Skills

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Learning Objectives

Aligned with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh (Te Mātaiaho), this lesson will help students to:

• Develop oral language skills through personal introductions and sharing (English, Oral Language strand) .
• Use descriptive and narrative language to talk about themselves and others (Year 3-4 verbal reasoning progress points) .
• Build positive interpersonal skills: listening actively, respecting others’ ideas, and responding appropriately (Oral Language – interpersonal communication focus) .
• Form and strengthen positive classroom relationships that foster a safe, inclusive, and collaborative environment (Social relationships and collaboration across curriculum areas) .
• Demonstrate metacognitive skills by reflecting on what they have learned about themselves and their classmates and how positive communication supports community building .

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Curriculum Links

• English, Oral Language: Communicating ideas and information; Verbal reasoning; Presenting to others (Years 3–4)
• Personal and Social Development: Developing self-awareness, managing relationships, and interacting positively with others.
• Key Competencies: Managing self, Relating to others, Participating and contributing.
• The Learning Areas' “The Learning That Matters”: Fostering positive identities and relationships .

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Resources Needed

• Name tags or stickers for students
• A large ball or “talking stick” object
• Chart paper and markers (for recording key ideas)
• A “Getting to know you” worksheet with simple prompts (optional for support)
• Reflection sheets or journals for students (optional)

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Lesson Breakdown

1. Warm-Up: Welcome Circle (10 minutes)

• Gather students into a circle.
• Teacher models introducing themselves with name, favourite hobby, and one interesting fact about themselves. Demonstrate speaking clearly and listening respectfully.
• Students take turns passing a soft ball around. When holding the ball, they introduce themselves with their name and one favourite thing (e.g., food, sport, place).
• Teacher emphasises active listening using eye contact, nodding, body language.

Focus: Building confidence in speaking, listening, and simple self-expression .

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2. Activity 1: “All About Me” Partner Interviews (20 minutes)

• Pair students up (ideally with someone they don't know well).
• Provide a simple interview prompt sheet with questions like:
  • What is your name?
  • What do you like to do after school?
  • What is your favourite food?
  • What is one thing you like about school?
• Students take turns interviewing each other and then share a sentence or two about their partner with the whole class or small groups.
• Provide vocabulary and sentence stems for support, such as “My partner’s name is _____. He/She likes ____.”

Focus: Developing interpersonal communication skills, verbal reasoning, narrative language, and respectful listening .

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3. Activity 2: “Classroom Quilt” Collaborative Poster (15 minutes)

• Each student draws or writes one thing about themselves (a picture or short sentence) on a square of paper. Examples: favourite colour, pet, a hobby, or special family tradition.
• Assemble the squares to create a “Classroom Quilt” poster to display in the room.
• Invite students to talk about their square when contributing to the poster.
• Highlight the diversity and commonalities in the class community.

Focus: Supporting positive social identities, cultural awareness, and strengthening classroom community by valuing each person’s contribution .

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4. Reflection and Sharing (10 minutes)

• Circle time: Invite students to share something new they learned about a classmate or about themselves.
• Discuss how learning about each other can help us be kind and work well with others. Emphasise the development of positive relationships and respect (key competencies: Relating to others, Participating and contributing).
• Optionally, students complete a short reflection prompt: “Something new I learned about someone is…”, or “One thing I like about myself is…”

Focus: Encouraging metacognition, self-awareness, and perspective-taking .

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5. Closure: Class Promise (5 minutes)

• Develop a simple class promise or agreement on how they want to treat each other this year (e.g., Listen when others are talking, be kind, try new things).
• Write it on chart paper using student language and display it as a visual reminder.

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Assessment

• Formative assessment through observation: Listen to students’ verbal introductions and partner sharing for clear expression and polite listening.
• Teacher anecdotal notes: Identify students who may need additional social or oral language support.
• Student reflection sheets: Gauge understanding of positive relationships and awareness of peer diversity.
• Participation: Ensure all students have opportunity to contribute verbally and visually, supporting equity and inclusion.

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Teaching Considerations

• Use simple language modelling and sentence stems for students who need language support or who are English language learners.
• Be culturally responsive by encouraging sharing of diverse cultural identities gently and respectfully.
• Be mindful of different comfort levels with speaking; allow alternative participation methods if needed.
• Promote a calm, inclusive environment by explicitly teaching and modelling respectful behaviours and non-verbal communication like eye contact and body language .

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Extension Ideas

• Create a “Getting to Know You” digital book with photos and sentences recorded by students using tablets or audio recorders (supports digital tool competency).
• Establish buddy systems based on partner interviews to support cross-age peer relationships or new student integration.

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This lesson plan intentionally weaves together oral language development, social skills, and identity formation, using engaging, structured activities informed by the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh, particularly the Te Mātaiaho English guidelines and key competencies. It aims to set a foundation for a positive classroom culture to flourish throughout the year.