Our Ahurutanga Promise

Overview

In this final lesson of Our Safe, Kind Classroom, students retrieve and apply their learning about rules, relationships, tikanga, and kawa. Through a cooperative challenge, they improve the class rules, rehearse a calm response to problems, and contribute to a shared “Ahurutanga Promise” that reflects manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, and respect for all cultures.

Learning intentions

• WALT explain how rules and routines help our group work well together.
• WALT recognise actions that are safe, kind, and respectful.
• WALT use a helpful response when a problem happens.
• WALT contribute ideas to a shared class promise and reflect on our learning.

Success criteria

• I can sort an action and explain my choice.
• I can suggest a rule that is positive, clear, and achievable.
• I can use the sequence: stop, name the problem kindly, seek help, and help repair.
• I can explain how I help our classroom feel safe and warm.

Curriculum links

• Social Sciences — Civics and Society: group rules, routines, roles, and social organisation.
• Social Sciences — Civics and Society: building relationships and participating in a group.
• Social Sciences — Civics and Society: tikanga, kawa, cultural practices, and diverse identities.
• English — speaking, listening, recounting, reflecting, and contributing to a shared text; supports the key competencies of relating to others, participating and contributing, and managing self.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Welcome and retrieve. Teacher displays the lesson focus in the opening question and learning intention and asks, “What helps our classroom feel safe and warm?” Students turn and talk, then share one rule, routine, relationship skill, or Māori concept from the unit. Acknowledge that ahurutanga means a feeling of safety, security, and wellbeing.

2. 5–17 min · Safe classroom challenge. Teacher places students in five groups of four and gives each group a mixed set of teacher-prepared action cards. Open the challenge instructions and sorting headings to show the three categories: safe/unsafe, kind/unhelpful, and respectful/disrespectful. Students sort actions, discuss different viewpoints, and choose two cards to explain to the class. Prompt: “What might happen next?” and “Who could be affected?” Remind students that respectful actions include making space for different languages, cultures, identities, beliefs, and ways of participating.

3. 17–24 min · Explain and connect. Teacher invites each group to explain one decision and records key reasons on the board. Use the discussion prompts and visual examples to distinguish an action that follows a rule from an action that shows the values behind the rule. Students listen, agree or respectfully disagree, and use the sentence frame, “We think this is ___ because ___.” Link ideas to manaakitanga—showing care and respect—and whanaungatanga—building positive relationships and belonging.

4. 24–31 min · Improve our rules. Teacher displays the existing co-constructed rules with the rule-improvement checklist. Together, test each rule: Is it positive? Is it clear? Can we do it? Does it help everyone belong? Students suggest improvements, such as changing “Don’t hurt people” to “We use safe hands, feet, and words.” Agree on four or five concise rules. Include a rule that explicitly respects all cultures and identities. Teacher checks that the wording is understood and achievable for Year 2 students.

5. 31–38 min · Rehearse repairing a problem. Teacher models a brief playground or classroom problem, first unhelpfully and then using the sequence shown in the four-step response sequence: 1) stop, 2) name the problem kindly, 3) seek help, and 4) help repair the relationship. Students rehearse in pairs using simple scenarios, without naming real classmates. Examples include someone interrupting, excluding another person, using an unkind word, or taking equipment. Partners swap roles and practise a repair statement such as, “I’m sorry. Are you okay? How can I help?” Reinforce that seeking an adult’s help is appropriate when someone is unsafe or the problem cannot be solved safely.

6. 38–45 min · Create and reflect. Teacher writes the agreed rules and values into a class “Ahurutanga Promise”, using the promise-building and reflection prompts to gather final suggestions. Read the promise aloud together; students sign, add a class mark, or contribute a drawing. Students complete the oral or drawn reflection sheet by finishing, “I help our classroom feel safe and warm when…”. Invite several students to share. Close with a choral reading of the promise and a reminder that shared values shape classroom life through what people say and do each day.

Resources

• the complete lesson slide deck
• the oral or drawn reflection sheet
• Teacher-prepared action cards for the three sorting categories
• Existing co-constructed classroom rules
• Large paper or board space for the Ahurutanga Promise
• Thick pens or markers
• Signing pens, crayons, or pencils
• Pair role-play scenario cards
• A quiet space for private or supported reflection

Assessment

• Listen during group sorting for explanations that connect actions with safety, kindness, respect, belonging, or consequences.
• Check whether students can improve a rule using positive, clear, and achievable language, and observe their use of the four-step response sequence.
• Collect or photograph the reflection sheets. Confer with students who need to respond orally, through drawing, or with an adult scribe.

Differentiation

• Provide picture-supported action cards, repeated modelling, gestures for the four response steps, and sentence starters: “This is ___ because ___” and “I help when ___.”
• Allow students to sort, point, draw, dictate, or respond in their strongest language before sharing an idea in English. Pair EAL learners with a supportive peer and pre-teach ahurutanga, manaakitanga, and whanaungatanga.
• For students needing additional support, reduce the number of cards, offer two choices, rehearse privately with an adult, and avoid requiring disclosure of personal experiences.
• Extend confident students by asking them to explain how one rule supports more than one value, or to suggest how the promise could guide behaviour in another school setting.