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Each lesson includes a brief descriptor of the purpose and scope of the lesson. Most lessons are supported with many digital resources indicated by:

Websites           Videos

The first few lessons in each category are available for immediate FREE download.To access the entire lesson library go to our Subscriptions Section where you can purchase a yearly school subscription or individual teacher supscriptions to the full 3000+ lessons library.

Subcriptions for both overseas teachers and overseas schools are also available. Please email us at: starters@reap.org.nz and we will send you full details.

 

Social Sciences Units

HOME, SCHOOL AND CLASSROOM RULES

• We have rules on our roads, in our communities and at home and at school.

• These rules should have a purpose.

•. Rules are best understood and followed if people feel they understand their purpose and have had a hand in making them.

This social science unit is designed to introduce younger students to the ideas of rules, their purposes and allow them to participate ‘democratically’ in formulating these rules.




ALL ABOUT RULES.pdf : [85 KB]

This unit is designed to get younger students to gain a greater understanding of the concept of rules, their purposes and allow them to participate ‘democratically’ in formulating these rules.

CLASSROOM RULES VIDEOS

WHY WE HAVE CLASSROOM RULES (Very toungue in cheek)

CLASSROOM RULES EXPLAINED

THE RULES OF THE CLASSROOM SONG

AQUACULTURE IN NEW ZEALAND.pdf : [565 KB]

Aquaculture is a young and vibrant industry in New Zealand. In this unit, students conduct research into the divisions that make up our industry and identify its importance to our economic activity. The unit has strong links to health and nutrition and students will identify the nutritional benefits that aquaculture has. The four student research sheet copymasters below are part of this unit.

Aquaculture: New Zealand

Aquaculture NZ Educational Resources

Working on a Mussel Farm

BECOME A WEEDBUSTER.pdf : [1 MB]

BECOME A WEEDBUSTER! SPREAD THE WORD


Multi-level science, social science, environmental and English based classroom activities. Students explore just what weedbusting is all about, identify weeds to bust and plan and carry out their own weedbusting programme. The unit concludes with spreading the weedbusting message to the local community.

BECOME A WEEDBUSTER LINK

BEING A TEAM MEMBER.pdf : [92 KB]

Students are asked to come up with a 'giant' list of sports and recreations that they have taken part in at school and with their families. Students then consider special places and venues for sports, special people who make sports special and possible and the difference between team and individual sports. Students then consider the personal and group advantages of taking part in sports as a team member.

   BEING A TEAM PLAYER WEBSITES

5 WAYS OF BECOMING A TEAM PLAYER

TEAM PLAYER - ACTIVITIES, LESSONS & IDEAS

22 FUN TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITIES AND GAMES FOR KIDS

    BEING A TEAM PLAYER VIDEOS

WORKING TOGETHER AS A TEAM

HOW TO BECOME A TEAM PLAYER

BloodDonors.pdf : Subscription Only Download [589 KB]

BLOOD DONORS

New Zealand Blood Service celebrates World Blood Donor Day on 14 June every year. As the need for blood and blood donors is constant and increasing, this unit explores the major contribution that young students, including those not old enough to give blood, can make in recruiting new donors and the importance of saying ‘a huge’ thank you to present donors – the heroes who are helping save lives.


Mutiple NZ Blood Teaching Resources

NZ Blood Teaching Resources

CELEBRATIONS.pdf : [94 KB]

Celebrations play an important part in everyday life and different cultures and groups have many special celebrations during a year. In this unit, students plan and run a celebration and then consider the purpose of celebrations in a wide context.

CELEBRATING - WEBSITES

 

CELEBRATIONS AND GOOD TIMES THEMATIC UNIT IDEAS

CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS TEACHING IDEAS

CLASSROOM TREE.pdf : Subscription Only Download [76 KB]

Using a classroom tree as a focus for recording regular and special classroom events during the year.

CLEAN UP THE WORLD.pdf : Subscription Only Download [102 KB]

These activities are language/social science related activities suitable for all class levels. They demonstrate that being environmentally friendly is simple, enjoyable and should be part of our everyday lives.

DISCOVERING FLAGS.pdf : Subscription Only Download [104 KB]

What is a flag? Why do we fly them? What is special about the New Zealand flag and why does it look like it does today? What do flags of other countries look like? Students consider the purposes of flags and are challenged to design a new New Zealand flag.

FLAGS OF THE WORLD - PICTURES10 TEACHING ACTIVITIES WITH FLAGS

                   Flags of the World Video

earthquake.pdf : [299 KB]

LEARN MORE ABOUT EARTHQUAKES WITH WHAT'S THE PLAN,STAN?

New Zealand experiences thousands of earthquakes every year. Most are either very deep or centred well offshore, causing little damage or injury. However, a severe earthquake can occur at any time with devastating effects. The Kaikoura 7.8M earthquake is yet another reminder of our need to be prepared.

Use this single page live-linked pdf of essential resources at school with students; school leaders; boards of trustees and for your local community and parents.

Make it available by downloading the pdf and placing it on your school/class website and/or facebook pages. It can also be printed out and sent home with school newsletters. More information and relevant links can also be found at:

www.whatstheplanstan.govt.nz

What's the Plan, Stan is linked to the curriculum areas of Health & PE; Social Sciences; Science and English.

EXPLORING FRIENDSHIP.pdf : Subscription Only Download [96 KB]

Friendship plays a major part in how our society works – that is social organisation. Young students explore friendship through literature and personal experiences.

FINDING OUR WAY.pdf : Subscription Only Download [96 KB]

A basic introduction to mapping and why being able to read a map can be very important. Students will map their school and discover why we use symbols and colour codes on maps.

FOCUS ON RULES.pdf : Subscription Only Download [78 KB]

A simple introduction to the concept of rules for younger students in a home and school context.

Why We Have Rules and Laws Teaching Ideas

                  Classroom Rules Posters

GRANDPARENTS AND OLDER FRIENDS.pdf : Subscription Only Download [102 KB]

Just what was it like when our parents and grandparents went to school? What is a family? Who makes up our family? Who helped us when we were small? What songs and games were played in the 'olden days'? How have things changed? What technology was available? Tons of investigations and activities on a social sciences theme.

Digital Resource: Olden Days at School Video

GROWING UP.pdf : Subscription Only Download [92 KB]

Students start to consider how their lives have changed and how their lives will change again in the future. As part of the investigation they ask 'growing bigger and older' questions of those (grandparents …) who have, and discover the changes that can take place.

HOLIDAYS.pdf : Subscription Only Download [89 KB]

Students consider the place of holidays in their everyday lives and the reasons our society schedules holidays into the working year.

HOME SCHOOL AND CLASSROOM RULES.pdf : [257 KB]

HOME SCHOOL ANDS CLASSROOM RULES

• We have rules on our roads, in our communities and at home and at school. 

• These rules should have a purpose.

Rules are best understood and followed if people feel they understand their purpose and have had a hand in making them. The following activities are designed to introduce younger students to the ideas of rules, their purposes and allow them to participate ‘democratically’ in formulating these rules.

 

HOUSES.pdf : Subscription Only Download [89 KB]

Why do people live in houses? Do houses have things in common? How are they the same and how are they different? What happens in each room of the house? Who else shares our houses? Fun investigations on a 'places have a special significance to people' theme.

I LIKE.pdf : Subscription Only Download [94 KB]

Students are introduced to the idea that we all have likes and dislikes and they can be very different from person to person. Student then consider the advantages and disadvantages of all liking the same thing. The unit concludes with students inviting visitors to the classroom to talk about their favourite things.

NoToGraffiti.pdf : [513 KB]

No To Graffiti – Yes to Community Art

Social Sciences: Students will gain an understanding that the relationship between people and the environment they live in can be badly harmed by the vandalism of graffiti tagging. They will also learn that communities can band together and take positive actions to overcome these problems and restore community pride. 

Health & PhysEd: In the context of removal and prevention of graffiti, students will gain an understanding of how participating in communal events enhances the well-being of a community. Students will also understand how planning and implementing a programme of community art will enhance their school and local environment. 

Visual Arts: By exploring the process of making a mural, supported by the study of other artists’ works, students will take an appropriate, artistic imaginative, and creative response to creating community art.

 

EDUCATING & INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION OF TIDY KIWIS: INSPIRATIONAL PROGRAMMES FROM KEEP NEW ZEALAND BEAUTIFUL

NZ ShakeOut.pdf : [213 KB]

FREE DOWNLOAD

In this major multi-level Health/Social Sciences based unit we:

Identify the risks posed by earthquakes and other hazards. 

Research and  put safe practices into action to manage these risks.

Understand how a major disaster could affect all families and the local community and that preparedness and co-operation will be needed to minimise its impact.

Understand the importance of co-operatively making a household emergency plan, what it includes, and the reasons for the inclusion of specific items and actions.

Understand why and how people take actions to minimise risk in their relationship with the environment.

PEOPLE WHO HELP US.pdf : Subscription Only Download [85 KB]

Students consider and investigate who and why people help us using the school as a well-known and understandable context.

SCHOOL POSTAL SYSTEM.pdf : Subscription Only Download [93 KB]

Set up your own class and school postal system to:
- encourage regular writing
- encourage and stimulate reading
- improve spelling
- develop communication skills
- involve the whole school
- and have a lot of fun!

School-Wide Mail delivery System

Journey of A Letter Video/NZ Post Edu Activities

NZ Post Kidzone/Stamps

SustainabilityCalendar2019.pdf : [1 MB]

Sustainability Calendar 2019

Education for sustainability (EFS) challenges and engages students to think and act in ways that shows respect for and safeguards our precious environment. EFS encourages students to learn about: the total environment, the interactions between human activities and the natural environment; the consequences of these nteractions and discovering the many choices we can make to prevent and reduce activities that have an adverse environmental effect. EFS lessons and topics can cover all curriculum areas and support the attitudes and values of the NZ Curriculum. 

The web-links to each event or theme will provide you with ideas for lesson plans and classroom activities for each event including: pre-prepared lesson plans; video; information and websites for student research; student activities; images and ideas and suggestions for taking class, school and community actions in projects and actions to sustain and improve the sustainability of our environment. 

Keep dates flexible so activities can be carried out to fit in with your class programme or if the event falls during holidays or over a weekend.

TELLING THE TIME.pdf : Subscription Only Download [85 KB]

The clock is a human invention that helps us plan and keep track of things during the day. The following activities are designed to explore the concept of time using the happenings during a school day as the context.

TELLING THE TIME GAME FOR KIDS

THE OLDEN DAYS.pdf : Subscription Only Download [109 KB]

Lots of fun activities where students learn the society always changes by focusing on finding out from parents and grandparents about: music they listened to; food they eat; clothes they wore etc.

THE OTHER SIDE.pdf : Subscription Only Download [92 KB]

How many students have crossed Cook Strait? What would you see on the way? What would you find when you get to the other island? Where would you go on holiday? What would you do? Lots of investigations and activities on a fun topic.

Interisland Ferry Crossing

TIME CAPSULE.pdf : Subscription Only Download [81 KB]

What is a time capsule? As well as being a stimulating activity, students explore the concept of why we have time capsules and what we would place inside them to help record our history for future generations.

HOW TO MAKE A TIME CAPSULE WITH KIDS

TIME CAPSULE CRAFT IDEAS FOR KIDS

TRANSPORT HELPS US.pdf : Subscription Only Download [92 KB]

An exploration of the different types of transport we use in our everyday lives, why we use them and some important forms of transport such as fire engines and ambulances that make a large difference to the way our society keeps itself safe.

USING A GLOBE.pdf : Subscription Only Download [86 KB]

Introducing students to the concept that our Earth can be represented as a globe and how this is done.

WHAT IS A GLOBE?

USING OUR PARKS.pdf : Subscription Only Download [92 KB]

Parks ands recreational areas are very important to the well-being of a community. In this unit we explore local parks and identify how communities use them and develop the idea of community importance of special environments.

WHAT IS OLYMPISM?.pdf : Subscription Only Download [151 KB]

The following activities are designed to enable junior students to explore two of the principles of Olympism – trying our best in a fair way and friendship and respect for others.

WHAT IS WASTE.pdf : Subscription Only Download [113 KB]

An environmental cross curriculum unit for junior & lower middle school introducing students to the concepts of waste materials, waste collection & disposal, the problems waste causes and the responsibilities we have to recycle waste.

 

10 Recyling Videos

NZ RECYCLING AND LESSON IDEAS

WHO AM I?.pdf : Subscription Only Download [76 KB]

Family and their relationships to each other can be a hard concept for young students to grasp. The following fun activities will help students understand 'who they are' and where they fit in to the family.

WHY WE HAVE RULES.pdf : Subscription Only Download [88 KB]

As part of the identity, culture and organisation learning area, we get our students to begin thinking about why society makes rules. The context for this are rules around the home and at school.