Our Tūrangawaewae Puzzle

Overview

Students build on their exploration of tūrangawaewae, identity and belonging by creating one piece of a collaborative puzzle about Orautoha Kura. Through drawing, colour and symbols, they communicate what makes the kura a place where they belong, then join their individual artworks to form a shared class artwork.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• Explore drawing, colour and pattern to communicate an idea.
• Develop an artwork from a personal experience of their local environment.
• Share the meaning behind their artwork and listen respectfully to others.
• Contribute to a collaborative artwork that represents belonging and whanaungatanga.

Success criteria

• I can show something that helps me feel connected to Orautoha Kura.
• I can use pictures, symbols, colours, lines or patterns to communicate my idea.
• I can explain one choice I made in my artwork.
• I can listen respectfully and help our class puzzle become one artwork.

Curriculum links

• The Arts — Visual Arts, Level 1: developing and communicating ideas in response to personal experiences and the local environment.
• The Arts — Visual Arts, Level 1: exploring a variety of materials and processes to communicate ideas.
• The Arts — Visual Arts, Level 1: sharing ideas about how and why artworks are made and the meanings they communicate.
• Values and key competencies: belonging, participation and contribution; relating to others; managing self; thinking.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 min · Connect and notice. Teacher displays the heading and opens with the hook and local-place images, inviting students to silently notice details in photographs or teacher-selected images of Orautoha Kura and Ruapehu. Students turn to a partner and complete: “I feel I belong at our kura when…”

Reinforce that tūrangawaewae means a place where we have a connection and a place to stand. Explain that today each person will make one puzzle piece, and every piece is needed.

2. 4–8 min · Model the idea. Teacher shows the visual arts examples and modelling slides and models thinking aloud: “I might draw our classroom doorway because it welcomes me. I could use warm colours to show feeling happy and safe.” Demonstrate that students may use people, places, objects, patterns, symbols or colours, and that there is no single correct answer.

Students contribute possible ideas and identify materials they could use to show an idea clearly.

3. 8–11 min · Plan briefly. Teacher distributes the small tūrangawaewae idea-planning sheet and explains that students should draw a quick plan and choose one idea to place on their large Mount Ruapehu puzzle piece. Offer prompts such as “Who is important here?”, “What place helps you belong?” and “What do you notice at our kura?”

Students sketch one idea and, if ready, add a colour or material choice. Students who prefer may explain their idea orally before beginning.

4. 11–23 min · Create the puzzle pieces. Teacher hands out one large Mount Ruapehu puzzle piece per student and provides pencils, erasers, coloured pencils, crayons and felt pens. Keep the step-by-step creating and respectful-working slides visible, reminding students to fill the piece with meaningful details while keeping the outside edge clear for joining.

Students draw and colour their idea, using lines, shapes, patterns, symbols and words if helpful. Move around the room asking: “What does this show about belonging?” and “How is your colour or pattern helping communicate your idea?” Encourage students to celebrate different ideas rather than copy one another.

5. 23–27 min · Join and share. Teacher gathers the pieces and works with students to arrange them into a large Mount Ruapehu image on the backing paper. Invite each student to share one sentence while placing their piece: “My piece shows… It helps me belong because…”

Students listen without interrupting, notice connections between pieces and help decide where the pieces fit. A student may point to their artwork or have a partner share their sentence if speaking to the group feels difficult.

6. 27–30 min · Reflect and display. Teacher opens the reflection and plenary slide and asks: “What can we learn about our class from this puzzle?” Record a few student comments beneath the display heading, Our Orautoha Kura – Our Tūrangawaewae.

Students complete a quick oral or written reflection: “One thing that helps people belong is…” and help tidy materials. Display the joined artwork at an accessible height.

Resources

• the complete introduction, modelling, instructions and reflection slide deck
• the small tūrangawaewae idea-planning sheet
• Large Mount Ruapehu puzzle pieces, one per student
• Pencils and erasers
• Coloured pencils, crayons and felt pens
• Large backing paper
• Glue
• Local photographs of Orautoha Kura and Ruapehu, if available
• Display heading: Our Orautoha Kura – Our Tūrangawaewae

Assessment

• During planning and creating, listen for students connecting an image, symbol, colour or pattern to a personal experience, person or place.
• Observe whether students explore materials, stay engaged, care for resources and respond respectfully to classmates’ ideas.
• Use the sharing sentence and final reflection to assess whether students can explain the meaning of their artwork and recognise that each contribution strengthens the collaborative artwork.

Differentiation

• Provide oral rehearsal, picture prompts and sentence starters: “I belong when…”, “I chose this because…” and “This colour shows…”
• Allow students to draw a simple symbol, use a familiar place or person, or dictate an idea to an adult or peer. Do not require writing.
• Offer photographs, a teacher-scribed plan, thicker drawing tools or a quiet workspace for students who need additional sensory, motor or communication support.
• Challenge confident artists to include two connected ideas, such as people and place, or to use repeated pattern and colour to show a feeling. Ensure extension remains connected to meaning rather than detail alone.