What Is a Leader?

Overview

This lesson introduces Year 0-1 students to the concept of leadership within the New Zealand context, focusing on how leaders help and care for others. Using familiar school-based examples and real-life scenarios, the lesson supports young learners to understand that leaders are people who work together with others for the good of the community.

Duration

30 minutes

Class size

10 students

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Curriculum Alignment

Learning Area: Social Sciences (Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories and community contexts)

• Relevant Achievement Objective:
  • Understand how people participate individually and collectively in communities (The New Zealand Curriculum Refresh: Social Sciences Years 0-1)
• Key Competencies Developed:
  • Relating to others
  • Participating and contributing
  • Using language, symbols, and texts

Principles

• Inclusion: Activities are adaptable to diverse learners
• Treaty of Waitangi: Recognising leadership within whānau, hapū, iwi, and school communities

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will:

• Begin to understand what a leader is and recognise that leaders help and care for others.
• Identify leaders within their school environment through discussion and observation of photos.
• Express ideas about what makes a good leader in simple language.
• Demonstrate respect and appreciation for leaders by listening and participating appropriately.

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Materials

• Printed photos of school leaders (principal, student leaders, teacher aides, etc.) and community leaders (e.g., local police officer, kaumatua)
• Story cards or short visual scenarios illustrating leaders helping others in daily life
• Chart paper and markers
• Simple drawing materials (crayons, paper)

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Lesson Outline

1. Warm-up and Introduction (5 minutes)

• Greet the class warmly and sit in a circle to establish a community feeling.
• Ask: “Do you know what a leader is? What do leaders do?” Accept all answers to spark curiosity.
• Introduce the lesson title: “What Is a Leader?” and explain that today, we will talk about people who help and care for others.
• Show a photo of the school principal and briefly describe the role using simple language ("The principal is a leader who helps everyone at school").

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2. Story and Visual Learning (10 minutes)

• Show photos of various school leaders and community leaders (prepared earlier).
• For each photo, model simple sentences: “This is a leader. Leaders help keep us safe.”
• Use story cards/scenarios, e.g., a student leader helping others line up, or a kaumatua sharing wisdom. Act out or narrate these scenarios with the class.
• Invite 2-3 children to share if they know someone who helps others in the school or home.

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3. Discussion and Personal Connection (7 minutes)

• On chart paper, draw two columns headed “Leaders help by…” and “Leaders care by…”
• Guide children to contribute ideas from what they saw or experienced. Example prompts: “How do leaders help us?” “How do leaders show they care?”
• Affirm children’s contributions respectfully and link back to photos and scenarios.

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4. Creative Activity (5 minutes)

• Invite children to draw a picture of a leader they know or what a leader looks like to them.
• While drawing, circulate and engage with children, encouraging use of words like “help,” “care,” and “team” in their explanations.

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5. Reflection and Closure (3 minutes)

• Bring the group back together.
• Invite a few children to share their drawings briefly.
• Recap key ideas: Leaders help, leaders care, leaders work together.
• Praise the children for their great listening and sharing.
• End with a simple song or chant about working together (optional).

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Assessment

• Informal observation during discussions and activities to check for understanding of leadership concepts.
• Listen for children’s use of vocabulary related to leadership (help, care, work together).
• Use drawings and children’s explanations as evidence of understanding.

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Differentiation and Inclusion

• Allow children to express ideas verbally or through drawings depending on their development.
• Provide sentence starters for children needing language support (e.g., “A leader helps by…”).
• Use Māori language integration when appropriate, e.g., rangatira (leader), whanaungatanga (relationship/working together).
• Use familiar faces and culturally responsive examples to connect with diverse learners.

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Teacher Reflection Notes

• Reflect on children’s engagement and understanding of leadership concepts.
• Note children’s ability to connect leadership to their own experiences.
• Plan to build on this introduction in subsequent lessons with deeper exploration of working together in Aotearoa.

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This lesson aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh by supporting:

• Social Sciences learning through exploration of community roles and participation.
• Development of key competencies — especially relating to others, participating and contributing.
• Oral language skills within the English learning area, appropriate for Years 0-1 .

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If you need the lesson expanded or to integrate digital tools or te reo Māori more explicitly, I can assist further!