Context

• Year 2 students in an Independent School in Christchurch, New Zealand.
• Class size: 25 students, with about 1/3 ESOL learners.
• Unit: "The Journey of Moses", Lesson 4 of 4.
• Duration: 60 minutes.
• Focus on New Zealand Curriculum Refresh for Religious Education (or Social Sciences integration), aligned with literacy and science exploration.
• Emphasise New Zealand geography and history connections where possible.
• Integrate reading, writing, and speaking skills accommodating ESOL learners.

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Learning Objectives (Aligned with New Zealand Curriculum Refresh)

Religious Education / Social Sciences

• Understand that in the story of Moses, the plagues showed God's power as signs for people to obey (Understand the big ideas of stories and human experiences in a religious and historical context).
• Recognise the frogs, flies, and hail as specific plagues and their significance in the story of Moses.
• Identify how God’s messages ask for obedience and respect.
• Reflect on how we can respond to messages or signs in our lives today (Recognising values, human behaviour, and responses).

Literacy (English)

• Develop listening skills through interactive storytelling.
• Use new vocabulary related to the story (e.g., "plagues", "obedience", "power", "signs").
• Express ideas and responses verbally and through drawing or simple writing .
• Support ESOL learners with visual and oral cues.

Science (Cross-curricular connection)

• Observe effects of ice and water (experiment simulating hail).
• Understand simple cause and effect (hail damages plants) linking the science with the story.

Key Competencies Addressed

• Managing self: following instructions in the experiment.
• Relating to others: listening, sharing ideas in group discussion.
• Using language, symbols, and texts: understanding story and communicating ideas.

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Lesson Plan Breakdown (60 minutes)

Time	Activity	Description	Resources	Differentiation Tips
5 min	Welcome and Warm-Up	Briefly recap previous lessons on Moses and the plagues that came before frogs, flies, hail.	Visual reminder pictures from previous lessons	Use pictures and simple sentences for ESOL.
15 min	Interactive Storytelling	Tell the story focusing on the three plagues: frogs, flies, and hail. Use expressive voice and actions.	Storybook or teacher storyboard illustrations	Pause to check comprehension; use question prompts.
10 min	Group Discussion	Guided talk: What do these plagues show about God's power? Why do you think God sent them? How should we behave when we see signs or messages?	Whiteboard to record ideas	Use sentence starters for ESOL, e.g., "God shows power by...", "We can listen by..."
15 min	Science Experiment: Hail Simulation	Demonstrate ice melting and discuss hail effects on plants. Children can touch ice cubes and water, observe changes. Connect to hail plague.	Ice cubes, small plants/leaves or pictures of crops	Scaffold language, provide sentence frames: "The ice is...", "Hail can..."
10 min	Creative Response: Drawing/ Writing	Children draw one plague they remember or write a sentence about what the plagues show (God’s power or obeying). ESOL learners may draw and label words.	Paper, crayons, word wall with key vocabulary	Provide word cards, support sentence writing for ESOL.
5 min	Reflection and Closing circle	Share drawings or sentences. Reflect on how we respond to messages in life and why obedience is important.	Circle time seating	Encourage all children to share; celebrate effort.

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Assessment Opportunities

• Observe participation in storytelling and discussion.
• Review drawings and sentences for understanding of the plagues and key concepts.
• Listen for use of vocabulary, understanding of God’s power and obedience.
• Monitor engagement and ability to follow experiment instructions.

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Additional Notes

• The lesson supports Phase 1 learning focus (Years 0–3) of thriving in literacy-rich environments, oral language development, comprehension, and forming positive relationships with stories and meanings .
• Use structured literacy approach with oral storytelling and visuals to support ESOL students.
• Connect the plagues story to students' own experiences: e.g., signs at school, messages from adults, caring for the environment.
• The science experiment links to Science learning area: observing and describing natural phenomena (hail/water/ice) and its effects.
• Emphasise key competencies such as managing self and relating to others throughout discussions and hands-on activities.
• Teacher to model respectful listening and turn-taking to develop social skills.

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Summary

This lesson uses storytelling, discussion, and hands-on science to engage Year 2 students in a deep, age-appropriate exploration of the final plagues in the Moses story. It’s grounded in the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh guidance for literacy, social sciences, and science learning, including key competencies and values. The approach supports ESOL learners and aligns with teaching practices suitable for a Christchurch independent school setting.

Please let me know if you want supplementary resources like story scripts or vocabulary lists!