Our Place, Our Stories

Overview

In this first lesson of Auckland: Sustainable New Home, students begin connecting their own identities and experiences with Auckland as a place. They locate Auckland and a heritage or significant place, use geographical map language, and share one personal connection through supported speaking. The lesson establishes respectful listening and prepares students to investigate how places change and how societies function in later lessons.

Learning intentions

• WALT share what makes Auckland and our Pacific or Bengali homes special.
• WALT locate Auckland and a heritage or significant place on a map.
• WALT use map vocabulary and labels to communicate geographical information.
• WALT listen and speak respectfully through supported interaction.

Success criteria

• I can locate Auckland and my heritage or significant place.
• I can create a map with a title, labels and a key or symbols.
• I can use a sentence frame to share one connection to a place.
• I can listen respectfully and ask or answer one simple follow-up question.

Curriculum links

• Social Sciences: understanding the changing nature of places and New Zealand’s place in a globalised world.
• Social Sciences: using sources and communicating ideas about people, places and events.
• Social Sciences practice: analysing information, considering perspectives, and participating in respectful social sciences dialogue.
• English language learning: supported listening and speaking through purposeful interaction, with visual and language scaffolds aligned to the ELLPs matrix.

Lesson structure (70 minutes)

1. 0–8 min · Visual warm-up. Teacher displays contrasting images of Auckland and Pacific or Bengali places using the opening image sequence, inviting students to notice land, buildings, water, food, people and cultural features. Students silently select one image, discuss with a partner, and contribute one observation; accept responses in English, te reo Māori or home languages before recasting key ideas in English.

2. 8–20 min · Build map vocabulary. Teacher uses the map vocabulary slides to explicitly model place, location, region, island, coast, landmark, border, symbol, label and key, connecting each word to a visual. Students match words to images or gestures, repeat and use two words in a supported oral rehearsal. Provide bilingual maps and picture/word cards where available, and check understanding through “point to…” and “show me…” prompts rather than translation alone.

3. 20–32 min · Locate and model. Teacher projects a map of Aotearoa New Zealand and Auckland, modelling how to identify the North Island, Auckland, the Waitematā Harbour and one significant place; think aloud while adding a title, labels, a north arrow and a simple key. Students locate Auckland on their own map and identify a heritage, family or significant place connected to their Pacific, Bengali or other background. Students may discuss the place first in their home language with a partner.

4. 32–47 min · Paired speaking. Teacher displays the interaction routine in the paired-speaking instruction slides and models both roles with a confident student: “A place that is special to me is ___.” “It is special because ___.” “One thing I notice about Auckland is ___.” Students practise in mixed-ability pairs, taking turns as speaker and listener. Listeners respond with “I heard you say…” or ask “What can people see or do there?” Encourage students to use a map, gesture, drawing or key word when searching for vocabulary.

5. 47–63 min · Personal place map. Teacher distributes the personal place map worksheet and demonstrates a simple, respectful map rather than judging geographical accuracy. Students create a personal place map showing Auckland and one heritage or significant place, with a title, at least three labels, a symbol or key, and one line showing a connection. Students may represent a place through coastline, street, mountain, building, food market, church, mosque, meeting place, family home or another meaningful feature; they do not need to disclose private information.

6. 63–70 min · Share and reflect. Teacher uses the sharing and reflection slides to invite three or four voluntary shares and revisits the success criteria. Students complete a brief oral or written reflection: “Today I learned that ___ is connected to ___ because ___.” Collect maps or photograph them for formative assessment and explain that future lessons will explore how Auckland grows and changes.

Resources

• the Auckland and place-learning slide deck
• the personal place map worksheet
• Projector or interactive whiteboard
• Large map of Aotearoa New Zealand and Auckland
• Bilingual maps, where available
• Picture/word cards for map vocabulary
• Coloured pencils, rulers and blank paper
• Atlases or approved digital maps
• Optional sentence-frame cards

Assessment

• During vocabulary work, listen for students who can connect a spoken word to a map feature; reteach using visuals, gesture and a model where needed.
• During paired speaking, record whether students locate Auckland, use a sentence frame, take turns and respond to a partner.
• Check personal maps for Auckland, a second significant place, meaningful labels, a title, a key or symbols, and a written or oral connection. Use the final reflection to identify next-step language needs.

Differentiation

• Support English language learners with bilingual maps, picture/word cards, labelled teacher modelling, gestures, pronunciation rehearsal and sentence frames. Allow planning and initial discussion in a home language before supported English sharing.
• Use mixed-ability pairs and clearly teach the speaker/listener routine. Offer an enlarged map, partially completed map template, word bank and scribing or speech-to-text for students with literacy, processing or fine-motor needs.
• Avoid assuming every student has one heritage place or wants to disclose family information; students may choose a favourite public place, a place they have visited, or a place important to their community.
• For ELLPs listening and speaking development, repeat key instructions, chunk tasks, check understanding individually, provide wait time, and value comprehensible communication before correcting grammar.

Extension

• Compare Auckland with the chosen heritage or significant place using at least three geographical terms, such as coast, climate, landscape, population, landmark or urban.
• Add a short comparison: “Both places ___, but Auckland ___ whereas ___.” Explain how one place might change as people move, build or use resources.