This resource provides support for social studies teachers to incorporate learning related to understanding our constitution into their social studies programmes. The materials use fact sheets produced for the ‘Constitution Conversation’. It is envisaged that the teaching and learning can be integrated into current classroom programmes.
Download a PDF version of this resource:
Understanding the constitution L5 Social Studies (PDF, 1 MB)
A list of teaching resources and information about New Zealand's Constitution:
When planning consider:
These aspects of planning are integral and reciprocal. They naturally overlap, so learning tasks and activities incorporate all three aspects.
What skills and knowledge do the students (and their whānau/ family, hapū, and iwi) bring to the learning?
What support will the students need to fully express their social sciences understandings?
Suggested key conceptual understandings:
Social studies – level 5:
Our Constitution external links
Understand how formal and informal groups make decisions that impact on communities.
Initially, assess each student’s understanding of the key ideas in order to track their ongoing progress and to modify your teaching.
What they might do:
Students could display their current understanding of concepts related to the exploration of the constitution, by creating a concept map. (See Building Conceptual Understandings in Social Sciences – BCUSS.)
To develop knowledge and understanding of the purpose of the constitution, students could view video clips that describe the constitution from different perspectives, and write down key words that help communicate the messages of the individuals. After a period of learning, students could make their own video clips to explain how they see the purpose of a constitution, and then compare clips with classmates, exploring the similarities and differences and the reasons for these.
To link ideas about the constitution to their own lives, students could make connections between their knowledge of the development of rules and protocols at their school, local marae, or sports or community group, and the development of constitutional rules.
To develop knowledge and understanding of specific elements of the constitution, students (in groups) could explore the Constitution Act 1986, New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, the Treaty of Waitangi, and Constitutional principles, and then present to the class three key ideas from the resources and ideas that relate to their own lives.
New Zealand Constitution:
“A constitution is the set of rules that determines how a country is governed and how its people live together.”
“New Zealand has a constitution – it’s just not all written down in a single document.”
Constitution principles include:
To enable students to consider the connections between the elements of the constitution in different settings, they could view the cartoon, and then make up their own cartoons showing how they view aspects of the constitution working. To explore how the concept of democracy is linked with the constitution in different settings, students could draw two concept arrows (See BCUSS); one for New Zealand and one for another country.
To develop an understanding of the links between the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), students could create a Venn diagram to show the similarities and differences between the two. It may be useful to use the Human Rights Commission information.
To gain a greater understanding of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, students could place decision making cards (made from the Act), onto three pieces of paper entitled: always, most, some. Students could decide whether people should be able to have the right to these aspects (such as freedom of expression) always, mostly, or some of the time. To relate the Act to their own lives, students could look at the example of students being searched at school. If a school decides to undertake a search, the school needs to refer to the Act. Students could consider a scenario; such as the school suspects a student is concealing a dangerous weapon. How does this situation limit the student’s other rights? Is this acceptable? Students may wish to write or video a submission for their school, to outline concerns, considerations, and solutions to this issue.
Teacher actions related to the social inquiry process:
Introduce the learning by establishing the students’ prior knowledge and understanding of concepts, and/ or show the Getting the Constitution Conversation started video clip.
Ask questions to make links between personal experiences of protocols, rules, and constitutional rules.
Prompt students to consider the ways in which having a constitution affects them, their families, hapū, and iwi.
New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990:
“The New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 (the Act) confirms fundamental rights and freedoms that the state must respect.”
“Legislation may limit rights. Not all rights are absolute. Sometimes limits on rights can be justified.”
Prompt students to explore perspectives on what should make up our constitution.
Ask questions to prompt thinking about the relevance of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 to students’ lives.
Prompt students to consider the value of engaging with this learning by asking questions, such as:
Direct students to consider if there is anything they would like to change (since they have engaged in the learning).
Give feedback, evaluating students’ understanding of the conceptual understanding, so that the next learning steps can be co-constructed.
Appropriate activities (such as creating concept maps, walls, and concept circles) can help to draw on students’ understandings and build upon these, make connections between contexts, and transfer understandings from one context to another. Further explanation of these activities can be found in the approaches to building conceptual understandings resource.
Interpretation of these words can vary within learning areas, so exposing students to questions associated with command words will help their understanding.
Co-construct meanings with students, and within learning areas with teachers, to develop a holistic view of these words.
For example:
You may wish to teach this in response to students learning about how our system of government operates compared with other systems. Parliamentary service provides resources that may help with the teaching of this.
The focus of this learning can support the development of:
Participating and contributing – through developing an understanding of what it means for the students themselves to contribute to conversations around political issues.
Thinking – by reflecting on how and why people vary in their viewpoints.
Relating to others – by listening actively, recognising different points of view, and sharing ideas.
Using language symbols and text – through the analysis of visual representations of our constitution.
With the focus of this instructional guide being on the development of understanding of the constitution, use the ideas to help students:
(Use the plus sign to expand the resource category)
Published on: 03 Oct 2013
