Understanding Integrity

Context

Year: Preschool (ages 3-5)
Subject: Social Sciences
Unit: Integrity in Our Community (Lesson 1 of 5)
Class Size: 9 students
Duration: 30 minutes
Setting: Special needs class with students who are mostly autistic and sensory learners

Curriculum Alignment

This lesson aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh, specifically the Social Sciences learning area for early childhood education, focusing on developing students' understanding of values such as integrity, honesty, and community participation.

Key curriculum references:

Social Sciences: Exploring how societies work, how we participate and take responsibility, and developing ethical decision-making and personal values.
Key Competencies:
- Managing Self: Understanding and expressing personal values
- Relating to Others: Respecting others and showing empathy
Values: Integrity (being honest, responsible, accountable, and acting ethically), community participation, respect for self and others .

The lesson supports oral language development as outlined in the early years of the Curriculum Refresh (Te Mātaiaho), through storytelling, role-play, and verbal expression using clear vocabulary and visual scaffolds .

Learning Outcomes

WALT (We Are Learning To)

Understand the meaning of integrity and how it relates to our actions and behaviour.

Success Criteria

Students can explain integrity in their own words (with visual and verbal support).
Students can identify examples of integrity from the story shared during the lesson.

Lesson Breakdown (30 minutes)

Time	Activity Description	Notes and Differentiation Strategies
0-5 min	Welcome & Warm-up: Sensory calming activity (e.g., gentle breathing, soft tactile objects) to prepare students for learning.	Supports sensory needs and transitions.
5-15 min	Storytelling: Read a simplified story about integrity involving relatable preschool scenarios (like sharing, telling the truth, or helping friends). Use a dyslexia-friendly version with clear visuals, large font, and simple sentences.	Use puppets or picture cards to engage sensory learners and support comprehension. Pause frequently to check understanding and invite responses.
15-25 min	Role-play Activity: Students take turns acting out short scenarios from the story that show integrity or lack of it. Scaffold roles with simple sentences and prompts.	Use visual role cards and model facial expressions/body language. Allow flexible participation for sensory comfort (e.g., quieter role or observer role).
25-30 min	Reflection & Personal Integrity Story: Invite students to share one thing they can do to show integrity at home or school. For advanced learners/extension, support them to create a simple personal "Integrity Story" drawing or dictate with teacher scribing.	Provide sentence stems such as "I show integrity when I..." Visual supports for expression. Celebrate each contribution to build confidence.

Resources Needed

Simplified storybook or social story about integrity with visuals
Puppets or character cards for role-play
Visual aids showing key vocabulary: “Honest,” “Kind,” “Fair,” “Trustworthy”
Drawing materials for extension activity
Calming sensory tools (e.g., soft fabrics, stress balls)

Assessment for Learning

Formative assessment through observation during storytelling and role-play: Can students identify honest and kind behaviour?
Oral check: Asking students to explain in their own words what integrity means.
Personal story: Collect drawings or verbal stories as evidence of understanding.

Differentiation Strategies

Use multisensory teaching approaches: visual supports, tactile props, gentle movement.
Provide a dyslexia-friendly story version with simple sentences and supportive images.
Allow alternative communication modes: pointing, gesture, drawing, or verbal responses.
For autistic learners, prepare the environment with minimal distractions and clear structure. Use predictable routines and visual schedules.
Offer roles in role-play that suit sensory preferences and communication levels.

Extension Ideas

Students who grasp the concept well can dictate or draw their own "Integrity Story" describing a real or imagined situation showing integrity.
Introduce a simple "Integrity Chart" for the week, where students or whānau can mark daily acts of integrity at home and school.

Teacher Reflection Prompts

Were the students able to connect the concept of integrity with their own experiences?
Did the visual and sensory supports help maintain engagement and understanding?
How did students respond to role-play? Did it support their comprehension and expression?
What further supports or modifications could enhance learning for this diverse group in future lessons?

This lesson plan is tailored to the age and needs of the students, respecting sensory and communication preferences while embedding key curriculum values of integrity and community participation. Using storytelling and role-play encourages active learning and self-expression in a supportive environment .