Sharing Our Heritage

Year 0-1 | 30 minutes | Class of 20

---

Unit: One Family, Many Faces

Lesson 14 of 20

Lesson Title: Sharing Our Heritage

Subject: Religious Education

---

WALT (We Are Learning To)

• Share aspects of our own cultural heritage with confidence.
• Listen respectfully to our friends’ stories and understand different cultural backgrounds.
• Feel proud of our unique family and cultural identities.

---

Success Criteria

• I can talk about something special from my own culture or family.
• I can listen to my classmates' stories with interest.
• I can ask questions or make kind comments about others’ heritage.
• I can use simple words and gestures to help explain my culture or family traditions.

---

Learning Objectives (Aligned with NZ Curriculum Refresh)

Religious Education & Social Sciences Focus:

• Recognise that people belong to different cultural or family groups and that these backgrounds influence beliefs and practices.
• Develop an awareness and respect for cultural diversity, including their own and others’.
• Begin to express ideas about family, celebrations, and traditions from their own and others’ perspectives.

Key Competencies developed:

• Relating to others: Engaging respectfully with classmates’ stories and ideas.
• Participating and contributing: Sharing personal stories confidently and responding respectfully.
• Using language, symbols, and texts: Communicating meaning through spoken words, pictures, or simple props.
• Managing self: Gaining confidence to speak about personal identity.

See: Principles and Values supporting cultural diversity and inclusion; the importance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi for reflecting local tikanga Māori and the diverse heritages within the classroom and community .

---

Resources Needed:

• “Our Heritage” picture cards or objects brought by students (e.g., family photos, cultural artefacts, clothing items).
• A simple classroom “heritage map” backdrop or world map.
• Story stones or puppets to assist storytelling.
• Paper and crayons for drawing.
• Soft seating area for sharing circle.

---

Lesson Outline

1. Warm-Up & Setting the Context (5 minutes)

• Teacher gathers students in a circle.
• Begin with a brief recapitulation: "We have learnt about the many faces of families in our class. Today, we will share something special about our own family or culture."
• Use a simple story or song about family diversity (e.g., a waiata or English rhyme focusing on family and belonging).
• WALT reminder: “We are learning to share what makes our family and culture special.”

2. Sharing Heritage Presentations (15 minutes)

• Teacher model first: Share a small, simple story or artefact about your own heritage.
• Each student takes a turn (or in small groups if time is short) to share:
  • An item from home, a family tradition, a celebration, or a simple phrase in a home language.
  • Use supportive prompts like “Tell us about your family,” “What do you like to do at home or special days?”
• Encourage use of props or drawings if speech is limited.
• Teacher facilitates respectful listening, encouraging students to ask a simple question or give a kind comment, e.g., “That sounds fun!”

3. Connecting and Reflecting Activity (7 minutes)

• After presentations, help students place their photo or cultural symbol on a simple “heritage wall” or map showing the places they or their family come from.
• Facilitate a short discussion:
  • “Look how many places our families come from!”
  • “What new words or ideas did you learn about your friends today?”
  • Reinforce respect and pride for all cultures represented.

4. Closing and Success Celebration (3 minutes)

• Invite students to draw one thing they shared or learned about today.
• Teacher recaps the WALT and success criteria: “You all did a fantastic job sharing your stories and listening carefully to your friends.”
• End with a group song or mindfulness moment to celebrate the class as one big family with many faces.

---

Assessment for Learning

• Teacher Observation: Note students’ ability to speak confidently or show their heritage, and listen respectfully to peers.
• Anecdotal records of students’ contributions, their use of vocabulary related to family and culture, and social interactions.
• Portfolio inclusion: Collect student drawings/artefacts as evidence of understanding and engagement with cultural identity.

---

Differentiation & Inclusion Strategies

• Support students with limited English or communication needs through use of props, pictures, and peer buddy support.
• Encourage the use of home languages alongside English to validate heritage languages.
• Scaffold sharing by providing sentence starters (e.g., “My family likes to...”, “In my culture, we celebrate...”).

---

Curriculum Links Summary

• Religious Education: Explore personal, family and community identity (recognising cultural heritage).
• Social Sciences: Understand diversity and belonging; recognize different perspectives.
• Key Competencies: Relating to others, Participating and contributing, Using language and symbols, Managing self.
• Principles: Treaty of Waitangi, Cultural Diversity, Inclusion.

---

This lesson is designed to develop students’ identity and respect for cultural diversity in a safe, inclusive environment, fostering the NZ curricula values and principles for young learners, especially aligning with the refreshed curriculum's emphasis on cultural heritage and identity recognition from early years.

---

If needed, I can also assist in creating printable resources or student worksheet templates to enhance this lesson! Would you like me to prepare those?

---

References from the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh documents used:

• New Zealand Curriculum principles and key competencies for learner-centred, culturally responsive teaching【1:4, 11:12, 18:18†New Zealand Curriculum.html】.
• Foundations for developing oral language and cultural identity in early years religious education and social sciences【0:4, 5:5, 14:14, 16:16†Te Mataiaho English Single Page.pdf】.