Stories Unite Us

Overview

Unit: One Family, Many Faces
Lesson: 4 of 20
Duration: 30 minutes
Class Size: 20 students
Year Group: Year 0-1
Subject: Religious Education

Learning Focus

WALT (We Are Learning To):

Share and listen to stories from different cultures.
Recognise that families may look different but share common feelings of love and belonging.

Curriculum Links

New Zealand Curriculum Refresh (Religious Education & Key Competencies)

Values: Emphasising respect, diversity, and belonging.
Key Competencies:
- Relating to Others: Listening to others’ stories and showing empathy.
- Using Language, Symbols, and Texts: Understanding oral storytelling and recognising cultural stories.
- Participating and Contributing: Sharing stories and ideas about family and love in group discussions.
Learning Area Links:
- Religious Education: Exploring how people from many cultures understand family and love through stories.
- English (Oral Language Strand): Listening and responding to stories from different cultures; recounting personal and shared experiences.
- Social Sciences: Understanding cultural diversity within families and communities.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will:

Recognise that stories come from many cultures and can teach us about love and family.
Listen attentively to at least two stories from different cultures.
Share a simple story or experience about their own family and how it is similar or different to others.
Use empathetic language and show respect during listening and sharing.

Success Criteria

Students can:

Listen quietly and show interest while stories are read or told.
Identify a theme of love or family in the stories.
Share one idea or feeling about their own family or the stories heard.
Participate kindly in group conversations.

Resources

Picture books or story cards with simple stories from diverse cultures (e.g., Māori, Pasifika, Asian, European).
Visual aids showing family photos or drawings representing different family groups.
Soft story props or puppets for engagement.
“Story Map” chart with images (characters, setting, feelings) for retelling support.

Lesson Plan

Time	Activity	Details	Teaching Notes
0-5 min	Welcome and Introduction	Greet students; introduce the lesson WALT and success criteria. Show a visual of different family types to stimulate interest.	Use simple, clear language. Reinforce respect for all family types. Connect to prior lessons in the unit about families.
5-15 min	Storytelling and Listening	Share two brief stories from different cultures emphasizing love and family (e.g., a Māori story about whānau, and a Pacific Island family tale). Use expressive voice, puppets, and visual aids. After each story, ask 1-2 simple questions: “Who loves this family?”, “How do they show love?”	Use engaging storytelling techniques; check for understanding; model attentive listening behaviour. Pause to highlight story elements: characters, setting, feelings.
15-20 min	Guided Discussion	Facilitate a simple, inclusive discussion. Guide questions such as: “How is your family like the stories?” “What do you love about your family?” Encourage short responses; validate all contributions. Use a story map chart to help students express ideas.	Use sentence starters (e.g., “My family is...”, “I feel...”) where needed. Allow shy students to use drawings or gestures. Scaffold language and support turn-taking.
20-27 min	Creative Response – Family Pictures & Story Sharing	Invite students to draw or use family photos to share something special about their family. Optionally, share a few examples aloud using the story map structure.	Provide scaffolds like labels or simple sentence stems. Use gentle prompts to help students talk. Encourage cultural sharing if relevant.
27-30 min	Reflection & Closing	Recap the WALT and success criteria; highlight kindness in listening and sharing. Close with a song or simple karakia about family and love (culturally inclusive).	Reinforce respect and appreciation for diversity. Praise effort and kindness. Connect learning to home by suggesting students share a story with their whānau/parents.

Assessment

Formative: Observe listening behaviours and participation during storytelling and discussion.
Anecdotal: Note students’ ability to express ideas about families and feelings.
Peer Interaction: Notice respectful listening and turn-taking in conversations.
Work Sample: Collect simplified story maps or family drawings as evidence of engagement and understanding.

Differentiation & Inclusion

Use visual supports and puppets to aid understanding for English language learners and students with learning needs.
Provide sentence stems and modelling for students needing speech support.
Allow alternative responses (drawing, gestures) for students who struggle with verbal communication.
Celebrate cultural diversity by including stories from the students’ cultural backgrounds when possible.

Reflection for Next Lesson

Note which students need reinforcement in listening or expressing ideas.
Plan to include more stories representing local cultural groups for stronger identity connections (e.g., Māori, Pasifika).
Consider pairing students for peer storytelling partnerships in future lessons.

This plan follows the principles and values of the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh by incorporating culturally responsive pedagogy, building oral language skills, developing key competencies, and fostering inclusive understanding of family diversity and love through storytelling.

Teaching Instructions