God Calls Moses

Overview

This 60-minute lesson is designed for Year 2 students in New Zealand to explore the story of God calling Moses through the burning bush. Using storytelling, reflection, guided meditation, and creative drawing, students will deepen their understanding of listening to God and responding to His call, fostering personal faith connections. The lesson embraces New Zealand Curriculum Refresh values, key competencies, and relevant literacy strategies to engage diverse learners, especially ESOL students.

---

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will:

• Understand and retell the biblical story of God calling Moses through the burning bush.
• Explore the concept of listening carefully and responding to important messages, in particular God’s call.
• Express personal ideas creatively by illustrating their interpretation of God’s call.
• Develop interpersonal communication skills such as listening, turn-taking, and expressing ideas respectfully.

Curriculum Links

The New Zealand Curriculum Refresh - Religious Education (aligned with Te Mātaiaho English components for Year 2):

• Key Competencies:

  • Relating to others — Engage respectfully and actively listen.
  • Thinking — Interpret stories and make personal connections.
  • Using language, symbols, and texts — Express ideas through drawing and oral storytelling.

• Values: Encouraging respect, empathy, diversity of belief, and personal reflection.

• English (Te Mātaiaho) Supports:

  • Listening and responding to others actively.
  • Using sentence stems to contribute ideas and ask questions.
  • Using visual supports and modelling to aid comprehension for ESOL learners.

---

Lesson Plan

Time	Activity	Description & Teaching Strategies	Resources
5 mins	Welcome & Settling In	Welcome students and briefly recap previous lessons in the Moses unit. Use question prompts: "Who remembers Moses?" to activate prior knowledge.	Classroom setting, visual cue of previous lesson’s key image (e.g., Moses with his staff)
15 mins	Storytelling: God Calls Moses	Tell the burning bush story using simple language and dramatic expression. Use props or a picture storybook to aid understanding. Pause to ask comprehension questions: “What do you think Moses felt? What did God want Moses to do?” Use sentence stems like “I think Moses felt...” to support ESOL. Encourage students to listen carefully and imagine the scene.	Picture storybook or illustrated narrative, props such as a (safe) "burning bush" craft or flame visuals
10 mins	Guided Meditation: Listening to God	Lead a short guided meditation to help students imagine hearing God’s call in a quiet place. Use calming music, ask them to close eyes and imagine hearing a voice calling them kindly. Invite them to think about what their own ‘call’ might sound like. Use very clear, simple instructions and pause to allow thinking time.	Calm music/audio, comfortable sitting space
20 mins	Creative Drawing: What is God’s Call?	Invite students to draw or paint what they think God’s call looks like for them. Support varied responses, encouraging uniqueness. Walk around and ask open-ended questions about their drawings. Provide drawing materials and visuals of biblical artwork for inspiration. Use verbal prompts scaffolded for ESOL, e.g., “Can you tell me about your picture?”	Drawing paper, coloured pencils, paints, examples of religious art depicting God’s call
7 mins	Sharing & Reflecting	Students share their drawings in pairs or small groups, using sentence stems like “My picture shows…” or “I think God’s call means…” Support turn-taking and respectful listening. Highlight diversity of ideas and emotions.	Group circle setting, sentence stems visible on chart
3 mins	Wrap-Up & Prayer	Recap the key ideas of listening to God and responding kindly and bravely. Close with a short class prayer or moment of silence, inviting students to think about listening carefully in their lives.	Prayer or reflection prompt

---

Differentiation & ESOL Support

• Use visual aids and gestures throughout storytelling.
• Provide sentence stems and key vocabulary cards (e.g., “God”, “call”, “listen”, “feel”).
• Pair ESOL learners with supportive peers during sharing.
• Use repeated readings and choral response during story to build confidence.

---

Assessment

Formative assessment will be conducted through:

• Observation during story discussion to check comprehension and engagement.
• Monitoring responses in the guided meditation to assess ability to visualise and connect personally.
• Reviewing drawings to see expression of understanding about God’s call.
• Listening to sharing conversations for use of language and understanding of listening/responding concepts.

---

Cross-Curricular Links

• English: Listening and speaking skills development through storytelling and sharing.
• The Arts: Visual arts - expressing ideas through drawing and painting.
• Social Studies: Understanding of faith traditions and how people respond to important calls/events.

---

This lesson plan blends storytelling with reflective and creative activities, scaffolding for ESOL learners, and aligns with New Zealand’s refreshed curriculum priorities for Religious Education and literacy development, aiming to engage Year 2 learners in a meaningful exploration of faith that connects to their personal experiences and cultural backgrounds.

If you want, I can also assist in generating illustrated visual aids or suggest specific sentence stems for ESOL learners to scaffold their participation. Would that be helpful?