Overview

Unit: Growing Closer to God
Lesson: 6 of 8
Year Level: Year 1
Time: 30 minutes
Class Size: 25 students

Learning Intentions (WALT)

We Are Learning To:

• Explain how talking and listening to God builds our relationship.

Success Criteria

• I can describe how I feel closer to God through prayer and silence.
• I can work with others to talk about prayer and listening to God.

Curriculum Alignment

New Zealand Curriculum Refresh (Religious Education focus aligned with English and Key Competencies)

• Vision & Principles: Support holistic development including spiritual growth and communication.
• Values: Encourages respect, empathy, and self-reflection.
• Key Competencies:
  • Relating to Others: Participate in group discussions and collaboratively explore ideas about prayer.
  • Managing Self: Practice moments of quiet reflection and silence to connect spiritually.
  • Using Language, Symbols, and Texts: Develop vocabulary related to talking, listening, and prayer.
• Learning Areas:
  • English (oral language & listening skills): Engage in listening and speaking activities suited for Year 1 learners, including understanding and describing feelings.
  • Religious Education focus embedded through experiential and dialogue-based learning.

Specific Learning Objectives

• Students will understand that prayer is a way of talking to God, and silence is a way of listening to God.
• Students will experience a brief guided silent moment to practice listening.
• Students will share feelings about times they talk and listen to God.

Differentiation

• Collaborative group work to support verbal participation.
• Circle time for safe, inclusive sharing.
• Sentence starters to scaffold talk (e.g., "I feel close to God when...") for learners needing language support.
• Visual prompts and symbols representing talking, listening, and silence.
• Use of a story writing template for students with dyslexia or writing challenges.

Extension

• Students who finish early or are more advanced will write a short story about a time they prayed using the provided template.
• Encourage use of descriptive words for feelings and actions in their stories.

Resources

• Story prompts and sentence stems on cards.
• Quiet corner or calm-down space for silent reflection.
• Template for writing/drawing "A time I prayed."
• Visual symbols illustrating "talking," "listening," and "silence."

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Lesson Plan Detail

Time	Activity	Description	Differentiation	Success Evidence
0-5 min	Welcome and Introduction	Circle time greeting. Introduce WALT: "Today we are learning about how talking and listening to God grows our friendship with Him."	Use simple language. Visual WALT card.	Students respond when asked about talking or listening.
5-10 min	Group Discussion: What is Prayer?	Facilitate a talk with the whole class and then in small groups about what prayer means to them. Use sentence starters on cards: "When I pray, I feel..."	Collaborative groups to support shy or less confident speakers. Sentence stems provided.	Teachers listen for use of vocabulary related to prayer and feelings.
10-15 min	Guided Silent Listening Activity	Lead students to sit quietly, close eyes or look down, to listen to God's voice in the silence. Use soft music or nature sounds to support calm.	Provide quiet corner for students who find stillness challenging. Use gentle reminders about sitting quietly.	Observe students practicing silence; discuss how it felt afterwards.
15-20 min	Sharing Time	Invite students to share how they felt during prayer and silence. Use prompting questions like "What did you hear?" or "How did you feel?"	Use sentence starters for sharing. Encourage non-verbal sharing (drawing) if preferred.	Students describe feelings or thoughts related to connecting with God.
20-30 min	Extension: Story Writing "A Time I Prayed"	Provide a dyslexia-friendly template for students to write or draw a short story about a prayer experience, working individually or with a partner.	Support writers with template and writing help. Allow drawing for those not ready for writing. Extension for eager writers to add details.	Completed stories reflecting understanding of prayer and personal connection.

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Teaching Considerations

• Use explicit modelling of praying and listening language to enhance understanding.
• Teach active listening skills aligned with English curriculum strategies for Year 1 students, e.g., "looking at the speaker," "waiting your turn," and using "quiet voices."
• Reinforce non-verbal communication, such as calm body posture and facial expression during silent listening.
• Implement positive reinforcement—acknowledge students sharing bravely or listening attentively.

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Assessment and Reflection

• Informal formative assessment through observation during discussions and silent listening.
• Use success criteria to guide feedback: student use of vocabulary, ability to describe feelings about prayer and silence.
• Review student stories to check comprehension and emotional engagement with prayer.
• Reflect on group dynamics to ensure equitable participation and adjust future lessons accordingly.

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This lesson plan carefully integrates the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh principles and key competencies (particularly in English oral language development and personal identity), incorporates religious education goals about prayer and spiritual connection, and ensures age-appropriate, inclusive approaches with scaffolds and extensions. It invites students to explore the reciprocal relationship with God through talking and listening in a safe and supportive classroom environment.

If you would like, I can also help create the story-writing template or sentence stems for the lesson!