Our Community Role

Overview

Lesson 4 of 4 in Whanaungatanga – Connections Together. Students learn how local people contribute to community wellbeing, then work collaboratively to design a realistic community initiative that demonstrates kaitiakitanga, responsibility and kotahitanga.

Learning intentions

• WALT explain how people and groups strengthen our community.
• WALT identify a local issue and suggest a practical response.
• WALT plan a safe, inclusive community initiative.
• WALT use whanaungatanga, kaitiakitanga and kotahitanga to guide our decisions.

Success criteria

• I can describe one way a volunteer group supports our community.
• I can explain why our chosen issue matters.
• I can contribute ideas, listen respectfully and share responsibility.
• I can help create a clear action plan with a purpose, roles and next steps.

Curriculum links

• Understand how people participate individually and collectively in response to community needs.
• Understand how places and environments are shaped by people and how people can care for them.
• Develop informed, reasoned and responsible decision-making about social and environmental issues.
• Use the social sciences inquiry process: ask questions, gather information, consider perspectives, and communicate conclusions or proposed action.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 minutes – Welcome and reconnect Open with the opening question and unit recap. Ask: “Who helps our community thrive, and what responsibilities do we share?” Students think-pair-share, then revisit the unit ideas of whanaungatanga, aroha, kaitiakitanga and kotahitanga. Explain that today they will move from learning about connections to planning positive action.

2. 5–17 minutes – Meet the community volunteer Introduce the guest and establish respectful listening expectations: eyes and body turned towards the speaker, one person speaking at a time, and questions that show curiosity. The volunteer briefly explains their group’s purpose, the community need they respond to, what volunteers do, challenges they face, and one example of positive change. Use the guest speaker prompts to keep the kōrero focused. If the guest is unavailable, share a short teacher-prepared example of a local restoration, food-rescue, animal-welfare or neighbourhood group.

3. 17–25 minutes – Question and connect Students ask prepared or spontaneous questions, such as: “Who benefits from your work?”, “How do you decide what needs doing?”, and “What makes volunteering successful?” Record key ideas on the board under Need, People, Action and Impact. Briefly discuss that communities may have different perspectives and that effective initiatives are safe, respectful and inclusive.

4. 25–32 minutes – Identify an issue In groups of four or five, students brainstorm local issues they notice at school or in their neighbourhood: litter, waste, caring for a stream or reserve, welcoming new people, protecting native plants, or supporting people who need help. Groups choose one issue using these questions from the issue-selection slide: Is it important? Can students help? Can we act safely? Who should we work with? Remind students not to name or blame individuals. Their focus is on a shared need and constructive action.

5. 32–48 minutes – Plan a community initiative Distribute the community initiative planning sheet to each group. Students develop a proposal with:

• A memorable name and a one-sentence purpose.
• The issue and evidence that it matters.
• The proposed action, location and timing.
• People or organisations who could help.
• Materials, permissions and safety considerations.
• Group roles and responsibilities.
• How the group will know whether the action helped. Circulate and question groups: “How does this show kaitiakitanga?”, “Whose voice needs to be included?”, and “What is one achievable first step?” Students may include labelled sketches or a simple event poster.

6. 48–56 minutes – Share and give feedback Each group gives a 60-second proposal using the presentation and feedback prompts. Listeners offer one strength and one helpful question, using respectful language such as “I value…” and “Have you considered…?” If time is limited, groups present to another group and exchange feedback. Ask students to identify similarities between their plans and the volunteer’s work.

7. 56–60 minutes – Reflect and close Students complete the final reflection on the individual reflection section: “One contribution I can make is…”, “Our plan demonstrates kaitiakitanga because…”, and “A next step would be…”. Invite several responses, celebrate the class’s collective ideas, and explain that strong plans could be refined with whānau, school leaders, mana whenua or a relevant local organisation before any action occurs.

Resources

• the complete lesson slide deck
• the community initiative planning sheet
• Whiteboard or large paper and markers
• Timer
• Visitor seating and water
• Optional photographs or a simple map of the local area
• School safety and permission procedures
• Guest volunteer or teacher-prepared community-group example

Assessment

• Observe questioning, listening, turn-taking and use of social sciences concepts during the guest kōrero and group discussion.
• Check each planning sheet for a clearly identified need, feasible action, consideration of perspectives, roles, safety and intended impact.
• Use the final reflection to assess whether students can connect their proposed action with kaitiakitanga, whanaungatanga and responsible participation.

Differentiation

• Provide a choice of illustrated issue prompts and a partially completed planning model for students who need support.
• Use mixed-ability groups with purposeful roles such as facilitator, recorder, timekeeper, resource checker and speaker; allow students to contribute through drawing, speaking or writing.
• Provide sentence starters: “Our community needs…”, “This matters because…”, “We can include…”, and “We will know it helped when…”
• For EAL and SEN learners, pre-teach key kupu with gestures or visuals, repeat and chunk instructions, check understanding privately, and allow extra processing time or an adult scribe.
• Extend confident students to consider cost, permissions, accessibility, possible unintended effects and how they could evaluate the initiative using evidence.