Our Church Stories

Overview

Students explore how Catholic stories and traditions are preserved through whānau, school and parish life. Using an “I do, we do, you do” sequence, they compare Baptism and Eucharist, identify ways people are Church, and create a collaborative mural showing how belonging influences people’s lives.

Learning intentions

• We are learning to explain why Catholic stories and traditions matter.
• We are learning to compare Baptism and Eucharist as ways people belong to the Church.
• We are learning to identify actions that strengthen the Church community.
• We are learning to share how belonging to the Church can influence people’s lives.

Success criteria

• I can name ways Catholic stories are preserved in my whānau, school or parish.
• I can say one way Baptism and Eucharist are alike and one way they are different.
• I can contribute an idea or image to a mural about being Church.
• I can explain how prayer, service or celebration can help people belong.

Curriculum links

• Social Sciences: History / Religion — exploring Protestant religious rules and practices through the broader idea of how religious beliefs, stories and practices are preserved and passed on in communities.
• English: Writing — building knowledge through shared reading, discussion and relevant learning experiences.
• English: Writing Processes — planning ideas through talk before recording them.
• New Zealand Curriculum Refresh capabilities: participating and contributing, relating to others, and communicating ideas respectfully.

Lesson structure (40 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook — I do. Teacher displays a photograph or simple illustration of a baptism, Eucharist, people serving others and a parish celebration using the opening image and wonder question and asks, “How can a Church story live on when people keep telling and doing it?” Students quietly notice details, then share one observation with a partner.

2. 5–12 min · Teach and model — I do. Teacher explains that Catholic stories and traditions are preserved when people remember them, retell them, pray them and practise them together in whānau, school and parish. Model a two-column comparison on the board: Baptism welcomes a person into the Church using water and promises; Eucharist gathers the community to remember Jesus, listen, pray and share blessed bread and wine. Emphasise that both build belonging, while their signs and purposes are different. Students help identify the actions, people and places shown on the Baptism and Eucharist comparison slides.

3. 12–19 min · Guided comparison — We do. Teacher gives pairs the Baptism and Eucharist comparison sheet and reads the prompts aloud: “What happens?”, “Who takes part?”, “What does it help people remember?”, and “How does it show belonging?” Complete the first comparison together, thinking aloud about why welcoming, praying and gathering are important. Pairs complete the remaining picture-supported prompts and share one similarity and difference. Teacher checks that students understand that “better for the Church community” depends on the purpose: Baptism is especially important for welcoming and belonging, while Eucharist is especially important for gathering, remembering and giving thanks.

4. 19–24 min · Build a class list — We do. Teacher asks, “What are different ways people can be Church?” Record student suggestions under whānau, school and parish: praying, listening to stories, welcoming, helping, forgiving, serving, celebrating, singing, sharing kai and caring for others. Students contribute one action and explain whether it is mainly prayer, service, learning or celebration. Teacher prompts respectful connections without requiring children to disclose personal religious beliefs.

5. 24–35 min · Collaborative mural — You do. Teacher forms five groups of five and assigns each group a mural section: “Our stories”, “Prayer”, “Service”, “Celebration”, or “Belonging”. Groups use the instructions on the mural task and sentence-starter slide to draw or collage people, symbols and actions. Each group adds one sentence beginning, “The Church community helps people to…” and connects its section to whānau, school or parish. Students take roles such as illustrator, idea contributor, materials manager, writer and speaker. Teacher circulates, asks “Which story or tradition is this preserving?” and “How might this action influence someone’s life?”

6. 35–40 min · Gallery share and reflection — You do. Groups briefly present their section while the teacher joins the pieces into one class mural. Students identify one connection between two sections, such as stories leading to prayer or prayer leading to service. Finish with an oral exit response: “Belonging to the Church can influence people by…” Invite several students to share, then photograph or display the mural in the classroom or parish learning space.

Resources

• the complete Church stories and belonging slide deck
• the Baptism and Eucharist comparison sheet
• Large paper or assembled mural backing
• Coloured pencils, crayons, markers and glue
• Child-safe scissors and collage materials
• Optional printed photographs or teacher-drawn symbols
• Board and markers

Assessment

• Listen during pair talk for accurate language about Baptism, Eucharist, belonging and community actions.
• Check the worksheet for one meaningful similarity, one difference and an explanation of purpose.
• Assess the mural contribution and oral reflection: students identify a way stories or traditions are preserved and describe how belonging may influence people’s lives.

Differentiation

• Provide picture cues, oral rehearsal, word banks and sentence starters: “Both…”, “Baptism…”, “Eucharist…”, and “People can belong by…”.
• Allow students to draw, dictate to an adult or record an oral response instead of writing independently.
• Pair students strategically and give clear roles; support EAL learners by previewing key words and modelling gestures for welcome, prayer, service and celebration.
• Extend confident students by asking them to explain why an action may be particularly helpful in whānau, school or parish, and to add a linking arrow between two mural sections.
• Be sensitive to varied beliefs and experiences: students may describe Church community examples they have observed, imagined or learned about without needing to share private family information.