Mapping Our Place

Overview

This is lesson 2 of 6 in the unit “If The World Was A Village”. Students create a collective classroom map showing home countries and cultural connections, then share simple personal stories about belonging and identity.

Learning intentions

• WALT describe where we are from and name parts of our culture in simple ways.
• WALT recognise that people can feel belonging in more than one place.
• WALT contribute to a class map using agreed symbols and labels.
• WALT listen respectfully and share ideas using turn-taking.

Success criteria

• I can point to my home country (or the country my family comes from) on our class map.
• I can add a label or symbol that shows something important about my culture.
• I can explain, using my own words, one reason I feel a sense of belonging (or where I feel it).
• I can listen when others share and respond kindly.

Curriculum links

• Social Sciences: Building knowledge about people, place, and time through connections and identity.
• Key competencies: Thinking (making sense of maps and meaning), Communication (sharing stories), Participating and contributing (working as a community), Relating to others (respectful sharing).
• New Zealand Curriculum values: Respect for diversity; inclusion and belonging.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Welcome & unit recap. Teacher welcomes students and quickly revisits lesson 1 key idea: “In our village, everyone has a story.” Students answer one prompt: “One thing I learned last time was…”
2. 5–10 min · Show the map plan. Teacher shows a large world map outline or a table of continents and explains what “mapping” means (drawing/placing information on a map). Students look, think, and name one country they notice.
3. 10–20 min · Model symbols and respectful sharing. Teacher demonstrates 2–3 class-friendly symbols (e.g., flag sticker, food icon, dance/music icon, family language icon) and how labels will be written (first name + country). Teacher models a belonging story starter: “I feel I belong when…” Students practise saying the starter in pairs using a pretend example.
4. 20–35 min · Create the class map (stations or whole-class). Teacher guides students to add their home countries and one culture connection to the map. Students place their card/sticker on the correct area and say a short phrase to a buddy or teacher: “My home is… This is important because…”
5. 35–45 min · Turangawaewae mini-discussion. Teacher introduces the concept of turangawaewae in student-friendly language: “a place where you feel you can stand, connect, and belong.” Teacher reads or tells a short story example (teacher-made) about belonging through family, language, or community. Students share one simple idea: “My turangawaewae is like… because…”
6. 45–55 min · Gallery walk & feedback. Teacher sets clear expectations (walk safely, use kind words, one question at a time). Students do a quick gallery walk: stop, point to one person’s map piece, and say a compliment or ask: “I notice… / Tell me more about…”
7. 55–60 min · Exit reflection. Teacher asks students to complete a quick oral or written sentence stem on a small slip: “A place I feel I belong is…” Students hand it in as they leave (teacher collects for later grouping).

Resources

• Large world map poster or wall map (with continent outlines)
• Cut-out or pre-printed country label cards and/or sticker dots by region
• Colourful symbol cards (food, music, language, sport, traditional clothing, family activity)
• Student name tags
• Markers, crayons, sticky labels
• Reflection slips (one per student) with sentence stems
• Buddy cards or pairing list
• Simple story script or picture prompts for turangawaewae discussion
• Optional: atlas books or classroom globe for teacher reference

Assessment

• Formative check: during map placement, teacher listens for correct location identification (home country/ancestral country) and a culture connection label/symbol.
• Formative check: observe turn-taking and respectful listening during pair practice and gallery walk.
• Exit ticket: sentence completion (“A place I feel I belong is…”) to gauge understanding of belonging and turangawaewae ideas.

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence starters (“My home is…”, “This is important because…”, “I belong when…”) and picture symbol choices for students who need non-verbal ways to contribute.
• Support: allow students to indicate their country using a sticker/dot if they are unsure of spelling or exact placement; teacher confirms collaboratively.
• Extension: invite some students to add a second symbol (e.g., language + food) and share a two-sentence story: “I feel belonging when… and I share it by…”
• EAL: encourage using first language words for culture items; teacher models simple English phrases and repeats key vocabulary with gestures.
• Sensory/learning needs: give clear roles (placer, label writer, symbol chooser) so students can participate even if they struggle with writing.