God’s Wisdom

Overview

In this lesson, students explore how Solomon’s wisdom is shown in biblical stories and how God’s wisdom can guide choices in daily life. They will connect learning to understanding religion as beliefs and practices that shape people’s actions and values, using discussion, structured responses, and a short reflection.

Learning intentions

• WALT identify key ideas about Solomon’s wisdom from a guided reading/discussion.
• WALT describe how wisdom from God can influence decisions and relationships.
• WALT explain why wise choices matter for individuals and communities.
• WALT use evidence from the story to support respectful opinions about faith and values.

Success criteria

• I can name at least one example of Solomon showing wisdom in a story.
• I can explain what “God’s wisdom” means in simple terms for my own life.
• I can give one decision I might make differently because of what I learned.
• I can use story details to support my answers respectfully.

Curriculum links

• History (Religion) — understanding religious beliefs and practices and how they influence people’s lives and choices.
• Te Reo me te tikanga and Cultural understanding — respectful dialogue when discussing beliefs, values, and perspectives.
• Key competencies: Thinking (using evidence to reason), Relating to others (listening and responding respectfully), and Communicating (sharing ideas clearly).

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Settling and hook. Teacher writes on the board: “What does ‘wisdom’ look like?” Students do a quick silent think and then share one word with a partner (e.g., fair, careful, kind).
2. 5–12 min · Short teaching input. Teacher introduces the unit focus: Solomon’s wisdom and God’s guidance, explaining that religious texts can teach values for real-life decisions. Students listen and record 2–3 “wonder questions” in their books.
3. 12–22 min · Guided story encounter. Teacher reads aloud (or plays teacher read-through) a guided section from the “God’s Wisdom” guide activity book about Solomon’s wisdom (e.g., decision-making, fairness, truth-seeking). Students track with a two-column note-catcher:

• “What Solomon did”
• “What that shows about wisdom/God’s guidance”

4. 22–30 min · Small group reasoning. Students form groups of 4 and choose one scenario prompt from the teacher’s list, based on the story (e.g., handling a disagreement, choosing honesty, deciding fairly when people want different outcomes). For each, groups complete:

• “What would a wise choice look like?”
• “Which story detail helps us think this through?” Teacher circulates to prompt evidence-based answers.

5. 30–38 min · Class discussion (values and behaviour). Teacher leads a structured discussion using sentence stems on the board:

• “I think this shows wisdom because…”
• “This reminds me of…”
• “A wise choice could help people because…” Students contribute one idea each, and respond respectfully to at least one peer.

6. 38–45 min · Exit reflection. Students complete an individual response:

• “One wise choice I can make because of Solomon’s wisdom is…”
• “A detail from the story that supports my idea is…”

Resources

• “God’s Wisdom” guide activity book (Solomon unit materials)
• Teacher story text/script for the chosen guided section
• Student notebooks or worksheets (two-column note-catcher + exit reflection)
• Sentence-stem cards (for discussion)
• Timer and board/markers
• Scenario prompt cards (teacher-prepared from classroom life and story themes)

Assessment

• Formative during guided story encounter: teacher checks students’ two-column note-catcher for accuracy and completeness.
• Formative during small group reasoning: teacher listens for evidence-based statements (students referencing story details).
• Exit ticket at the end of the lesson: teacher assesses whether students can connect Solomon’s wisdom to a personal choice and explain it with story evidence.

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence starters, a partially completed example of the note-catcher, and a reduced-choice option (students pick from two scenarios instead of four).
• Support for students needing language scaffolds: allow drawing alongside writing for the exit reflection (students label one wise choice and one story detail).
• Extension: challenge fast finishers to add a second “wise choice” that shows a different aspect of wisdom (fairness, truth, empathy) and justify it using another story detail.
• EAL/SEN: pre-teach 3–5 key words before reading (wisdom, decision, fair, guidance, truth) using simple definitions and examples; keep group roles (reader, recorder, reporter, timekeeper) to support participation.

Extension (optional)

• SKIP