Whanaungatanga Stories

Overview

In this lesson, students learn storytelling techniques that show relationships, care, and shared experiences. They begin drafting a story that reflects Whanaungatanga.

Learning intentions

• WALT use simple storytelling techniques to communicate relationships and experiences.
• WALT practise respectful talk, listening, and taking turns when sharing story ideas.
• WALT draft the beginning of a short story about Whanaungatanga using a clear sequence (start, middle, end).

Success criteria

• I can identify the key features of a Whanaungatanga story (relationships, feelings, and shared experience).
• I can use story sequence words (first, then, next, finally) in my draft.
• I can include at least one detail that shows how people care for each other.
• I can give and receive kind feedback using a class prompt.

Curriculum links

• Health and wellbeing: relationships, belonging, and communication in everyday contexts.
• Oral language and communication: listening, speaking clearly, and sharing ideas respectfully.
• Mental wellbeing: recognising feelings and describing supportive actions.
• Developing cultural understanding through stories and shared experiences (including te ao Māori perspectives).

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 5 min — Opening karakia & focus Students settle, then the teacher shares the lesson focus: “Making connections through storytelling.” Brief reminders about respectful listening and turn-taking.

2. 10 min — Story modelling (teacher read-aloud) Teacher reads a short age-appropriate story (with themes of friendship, family/whānau, or community support). Students listen for “connections”: Who is connected? How? What helped?

3. 10 min — Guided discussion: Whanaungatanga moves On chart paper, teacher and students build a shared “Story Moves” list:

• Relationship connection (who is connected to who)
• Feelings (how someone feels and why)
• Support/care action (what someone did to help)
• Key sequence words (first, then, next, finally) Teacher prompts students to use pūrākau- or story-like language structures where appropriate (e.g., “I remember when…” / “This is where…”).

4. 10 min — Story planning using a “connection map” Students complete a quick planning sheet:

• Main character (tamariki/people in their story)
• Connected people (whānau/friends/community)
• One caring action
• One feeling before and after Teacher circulates, checking that students can name a relationship and a supportive action.

5. 15 min — Drafting: story beginnings Students draft the start of their story in notebooks:

• Start: setting and who is connected
• First moment: the problem or experience Provide sentence starters such as:
• “I connected with ___ when…”
• “I felt ___ because…”
• “Next, we…” Students work independently with teacher support for structure.

6. 7 min — Peer share: “Glow and Grow” In pairs, students read just their first paragraph or key beginning sentences. Partners respond using a simple prompt:

• Glow: “One strong connection I noticed…”
• Grow: “One suggestion to make the caring action clearer…”

7. 3 min — Exit reflection Students write one sentence: “My Whanaungatanga story shows care by…” Teacher collects or checks quickly to inform next lesson drafting.

Resources

• Teacher-selected short story (age appropriate) featuring relationships and belonging
• Chart paper and markers for “Story Moves”
• Student planning sheet (“connection map”)
• Notebooks or writing booklets
• Sentence starters strip (for shared use)
• Pair discussion prompts for Glow and Grow
• Dyslexia-friendly reading packs (audio recordings or highlighted text versions)
• Timer and visual agenda card

Assessment

• Observation during connection-map planning (relationship + supportive action identified).
• Review of students’ drafted story beginnings (sequence words and at least one caring detail).
• Peer feedback quality using Glow and Grow prompts.

Differentiation

• Support: provide a partially filled planning template (teacher pre-writes one example connection and sequence words) and offer conferencing prompts (“Who is connected?” “What care action happens?”).
• Support: allow oral drafting first (students tell a 30-second story to the teacher or a partner, then write the beginning together).
• Extension: students add a “turning point” and include dialogue or a stronger cause-and-effect sentence (e.g., “Because we… we… so I felt…”).
• EAL/SEN: use picture cues for feelings and care actions; provide a word bank of simple connection and sequence words; allow extra time for writing and accept first-language oral explanation if needed.
• Dyslexia-friendly options: provide audio read-aloud of the model story, reduce text on the planning sheet, and offer fewer lines per page with clear spacing; allow speech-to-text or teacher scribing for the first paragraph if required.

Dyslexia-friendly reading options (classwide)

• Audio version of the model story and a short highlighted print version with key “story moves” underlined.
• Teacher reads the story again during drafting while students follow with their highlighted copy.