Pasifika Connections

Overview

Today students explore Pasifika culture through stories, songs, and shared celebration traditions, linking language use to values and identity. They use listening, short speaking tasks, and respectful participation to create and perform a simple celebration piece.

Learning intentions

• Students will recognise how Pasifika stories, music, dance, and food connect to people’s values and identity.
• Students will use spoken language in a respectful way to share information about a chosen Pasifika celebration.
• Students will demonstrate listening skills during performances and respond appropriately with respectful language.
• Students will compare how stories and celebrations are communicated through more than one medium (words, music, movement, images, food).

Success criteria

• I can name at least two Pasifika cultural elements (e.g., dance, song, story, food) and explain how they show values.
• I can speak clearly using a rehearsed short script or sentence starter to share my ideas.
• I can respond as a listener using respectful phrases and attention cues.
• I can contribute to a group performance (movement, rhythm, sound effects, or a spoken line) safely and respectfully.

Curriculum links

• Languages: Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge—how people use language and oral forms to share identity, connections, and community knowledge.
• Languages: Engagement—participate in activities that build confidence using learned language in meaningful contexts (listening, speaking, performing).
• Values and key competencies—respectful relationships (listening and responding), participating and contributing (group roles), and thinking (making connections between culture and language).
• Oral communication: speaking to share ideas and listening for meaning during performances and discussions.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Welcome and hook. Teacher shows 3 quick culture cards (story image, music/dance clip still, festival/food picture) and asks, “What values might this show—respect, kindness, community, courage, or celebration?” Students turn-and-talk, then share one idea.

2. 5–12 min · Direct teach: values in culture + language purpose. Teacher briefly introduces that Pasifika cultures share knowledge through stories, songs, dance, and celebrations; these help communities remember, connect, and show values. Teacher models short, respectful language for group sharing (e.g., “Tēnā koe/Hello,” “Kia ora/thank you,” “I think… because…,” “My group chose…,” “We will be respectful by…”) and demonstrates how to follow performer/listener cues. Students repeat 2–3 phrases chorally and practise a “listener response” (e.g., nod + short “Ngā mihi/thank you” after a performance line).

3. 12–20 min · In-groups: build a mini celebration script. Teacher assigns groups of 3–4 with roles: speaker (one short line), rhythm (clap/stomp pattern), movement (2 simple dance steps), or artist (quick drawing of a festival symbol/food). Each group chooses one celebration theme from teacher-provided prompts (e.g., a community dance night, a family festival, a feast and thanks, a story-based gathering). Students complete a one-page planning card:

• one Pasifika cultural element (story/music/dance/food/art)
• one value it represents
• one short spoken line using a sentence starter (“Our celebration shows… because…”)

4. 20–27 min · Group performances: listen and respond. Teacher sets a clear performance routine: quiet space, respectful stillness while others perform, clap only at the end, and use listener phrases. Groups perform their mini piece (1 minute max each). After each performance, the audience uses the agreed listener response and shares one “glow and grow” comment using a sentence starter (“I noticed… I liked… because…”). Teacher circulates to listen for clear speaking and respectful participation.

5. 27–30 min · Exit ticket: connect culture to language. Individually, students complete: “One Pasifika cultural element I learned today is ___.” and “It shows a value of ___.” Teacher collects tickets as a quick check for understanding.

Resources

• Visual cards (story, music/dance, celebration/food) printed or displayed
• Planning card with sentence starters and simple value options
• Rhythm instruments optional (small hand drums/shakers) or classroom alternatives (hands/claps)
• Paper and colouring pencils for quick festival symbol/food art
• Timer or visual countdown
• Teacher phrase chart with respectful response language
• Space for group performances (clear floor markers)

Assessment

• Formative listening check during group work: can students name a cultural element and link it to a value?
• Observation during performances: clarity of one rehearsed spoken line and respectful audience behaviours.
• Exit ticket: evidence that students connect cultural elements to values using understandable language.

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence starters, a word bank of values, and allow students to practise their line in pairs before performing.
• Support for participation: offer alternative roles (movement, rhythm, drawing) for students who need less speaking time.
• Extension: challenge students to add a second line or modify the rhythm/movement to match the “story moment” (beginning, middle, celebrating ending).
• Language learners/SEN: reduce the spoken requirement to one meaningful phrase; allow rehearsal with teacher or peer model; use visual cues for listener expectations.

Notes for the teacher (alignment emphasis)

• Keep the focus on respectful cultural learning and short, meaningful speaking tasks rather than long memorised language.
• Ensure every group includes a clear connection: cultural element → value → one spoken line, supported by performance and audience listening routines.