Peace Prayer Book Plan

Overview

This short session connects students’ completed mat-weaving to their spiritual journey (hīkoi wairua) and clarifies the end project: a Prayer Book of Peace. Students then understand how everyday learning tasks will become “treasure pages” stored for the final build later in the unit.

Learning intentions

• We are learning what our end project is so that every piece of learning connects to our spiritual journey.
• We are learning to explain how prayer gathering and reflections help us put trust in God and build friendship with Him.
• We are learning to see our completed weaving as a “thread” that links our learning across the unit.
• We are learning to identify what goes into our Prayer Book of Peace.

Success criteria

• I can tell you the final project we are collecting pages for: a Prayer Book of Peace.
• I can explain how the book helps me on my hīkoi wairua (trust in God and friendship with Him).
• I can describe what counts as a “treasure page” and where it will be stored until the end.
• I can contribute ideas respectfully during pair-share.

Curriculum links

• Religious education (History/Religion learning focus): Protestant religious rules and practices; enforcement and treatment of people following different beliefs are part of understanding how faith communities live out belief—here we focus on how personal prayer practices build spiritual life and community respect.
• Students demonstrate understanding and reflection about religion by identifying meaningful prayer and creating/collecting it for guidance.
• Key competencies (NZ Curriculum): thinking (making connections between learning activities and purpose), communicating (explaining the purpose of the prayer book clearly), and participating and contributing (working respectfully in pairs and with class discussion).

Lesson structure (35 minutes total)

1. 0–5 min · Gather and notice the weaving. Teacher brings the class together and points to the completed mat, saying it represents the foundation for a special journey (hīkoi wairua); students look, listen, and then give one quick observation (e.g., “It’s colourful/strong/connected”).

2. 5–12 min · Connecting the threads to our hīkoi wairua. Teacher explains: on this journey we learn to put faith and trust in God and build a true, deep friendship with Him; teacher frames the next tools students will create next (their Prayer Book of Peace). Students turn-and-talk for 30 seconds: “What journey are we talking about?” then share one idea.

3. 12–21 min · Big picture: collecting our prayers (the end project). Teacher models the “big picture” using clear teacher talk:

• “Throughout this unit, we will create our very own Prayer Book of Peace.”
• “It will be designed to guide us on our journey.”
• “Whenever we need to strengthen our friendship with God, we can turn to it.” Teacher then explains what goes in it: “Every time we discover an amazing prayer, write a prayer of our own, or find a beautiful thought about peace, we collect it.” Students listen and then complete a quick teacher-led checklist orally: “What goes in the book?” and “Why does it help us?”

4. 21–27 min · Treasure hunter time (how daily work connects). Teacher clarifies the process: “Because we aren’t building the physical book until the very end, right now your job is a treasure hunter.” Students understand their tasks already done/that will be done become pages: faith exploration sheets, reflections, and prayer collections are “treasure pages” stored in their folder. Teacher points to where storage happens and models the expectations: keep work safe, labelled, and ready to use later. Students check their folders for correct storage and add one small note on the first page (a heading such as “Treasures for my Prayer Book of Peace” and their name/date).

5. 27–33 min · Quick check for clarity (pair-share). Teacher pairs students and asks two questions for clarity:

• “What is the final project we are collecting pages for?” (Prayer Book of Peace)
• “How will this book help us on our hīkoi wairua?” (trust in God and builds friendship with Him) Students pair-share, then teacher randomly selects 2–3 pairs to share answers to the class.

6. 33–35 min · Closing and forward link. Teacher ends by reminding: Week 1 ends here, so students will have a permanent visual anchor in the classroom (the mat). Students quietly reflect: “One word that describes our goal is…” and write it on an exit slip or in books (e.g., trust, peace, friendship, prayer).

Resources

• Completed mat weaving (class “anchor visual”)
• Student folders (or folder compartments)
• Treasures heading label template or paper slips (teacher-made)
• Exit slip paper or small sticky notes
• Whiteboard/markers for listing “What goes in the book”
• Seating plan for quick pair-sharing
• Quiet background music (optional)

Assessment

• Formative: teacher observes students’ ability to articulate the end project and its purpose during class discussion and pair-share.
• Formative: folder check—students correctly understand where treasure pages are stored and add the heading.
• Exit slip: students write/draw one word that shows the goal (peace, trust, prayer, friendship) to confirm understanding.

Differentiation

• Support: sentence starters for pair-share (e.g., “We are collecting pages for a…”, “This helps my hīkoi wairua because…”).
• Support: provide an example “treasure page” format (e.g., prayer + short reflection) for students who need a model.
• Extension: invite students to add an extra peace idea for later collection (a short “peace thought” they could include) without writing it into the final book yet.
• EAL/SEN: allow oral responses for the exit slip (student dictates to teacher or uses a symbol/1-word option).