Our Voices Create Change

Overview

In this final lesson of Every Voice Matters, students use what they have learned about belonging, group voices, symbols, greetings, and responsibilities to turn a shared concern into a positive class action. Working collaboratively, they create and present a simple message that shows how their voice can help make their classroom or community more welcoming, fair, and cooperative.

Learning intentions

• WALT identify a shared concern in our class or community.
• WALT work together to create a positive message or action.
• WALT explain how groups use words, symbols, and actions to show what matters to them.
• WALT listen to different voices and make sure people are included.

Success criteria

• I can name a concern that matters to our class.
• I can contribute an idea, drawing, word, role, or action to our group.
• I can help create a positive message for others.
• I can explain how my voice can help create change.

Curriculum links

• Belonging and community: students explain how being part of a group shapes personal experiences and belonging.
• Belonging and community: students investigate how symbols, greetings, and uniforms represent people, places, and groups in New Zealand.
• Belonging and community: students explain how public displays communicate meaning behind national symbols.
• Dialogue about rights and responsibilities: students practise listening, sharing ideas, and acting cooperatively to support a fair and safe group.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 min · Reconnect and hook. Teacher opens with the opening question and unit recap and asks, “If our class could make one thing better, what would we choose?” Students think quietly, then share one possible concern with a partner. Remind students that a concern is something we notice and care about, not a person to blame.

2. 4–8 min · Choose a shared concern. Teacher displays examples of positive class actions and briefly discusses possible actions, such as a friendship message, a te reo Māori celebration, a peace display, or a Daffodil Day contribution. Students suggest concerns and vote by placing one finger beside their preferred idea; the teacher selects one concern with broad support and clarifies the intended positive change.

3. 8–12 min · Model an action message. Teacher models turning a concern into a clear, kind message: “Some people feel left out at playtime. We can invite others to join.” Highlight that messages can use words, pictures, colours, symbols, greetings, or a group action, and explain that te reo Māori words and symbols should be used respectfully and checked with a knowledgeable adult or whānau member. Students help identify who the message is for and what they want people to think, feel, or do.

4. 12–21 min · Create collaboratively. Teacher places students in four groups of five and gives each group the shared-action planning and message sheet. Support groups to assign roles such as idea sharer, drawer, writer, materials helper, and presenter. Students agree on a positive action, complete the planning prompts, and create a short message or display. Each group must include at least one idea from every member, using turn-taking and respectful listening.

5. 21–27 min · Present and respond. Teacher uses presentation prompts and audience reminders to guide each group to present in about one minute: “Our concern is… We want to… Our message or symbol shows…” Students present their action and explain how it could help. The audience listens for one included voice and gives one warm response, such as “I noticed…” or “This could help because…”

6. 27–30 min · Reflect and commit. Teacher returns to the reflection and closing prompt and asks, “Whose voices were included? Whose voice might we still need to hear? What will we do next?” Students complete the final reflection on the personal voice reflection section, drawing or writing one way their voice can help create positive change. Invite two or three students to share, then agree on one practical next step for the class action.

Resources

• the complete Every Voice Matters presentation
• the shared-action planning and message sheet
• Large sheets of paper or card
• Markers, crayons, pencils, and glue
• Optional images or symbol examples appropriate to the selected action
• A class voting area or board space
• Timer

Assessment

• Listen during partner and group discussions for students identifying a shared concern, contributing an idea, and responding respectfully to others.
• Check each group’s planning sheet and presentation for a clear concern, positive action, message or symbol, and evidence that several voices were included.
• Use the final reflection to assess whether students can explain one way their voice can contribute to positive change and identify whose voice may still need inclusion.

Differentiation

• Provide sentence starters: “Our concern is…”, “We can help by…”, “Our picture/symbol shows…”, and “My voice helped when…”.
• Allow students to communicate through drawing, pointing, choosing from pictured options, speaking, or taking a practical group role.
• Pair students strategically and rehearse presentations with an adult or buddy; provide a quiet workspace and reduce writing demands for students with additional learning needs.
• For EAL learners, use gestures, images, home-language discussion where possible, and explicitly model key words such as voice, belong, listen, fair, and change.
• Prompt confident students to ask whose perspective is missing and suggest how the class could include that person or group.