Class
1
HOW
IS A BIBLE LESSON STRUCTURED?
Let me
tell you a story. "Bobby went down the road for a walk. He had
a good time on his own and one hour later came home again." Not
much of a story, is it? It has a beginning, little content and a poor
ending. It lacks any development; there is no interesting content and
has no climax. A story needs
1. Beginning
2. Progression
3. Climax
4. Conclusion
Let
me tell you a better story. Bobby 's walk...berries...into field....cows...bull....bull
angry. Bobby sees bull...runs... bull runs...Bobby runs faster.....bull
charges......gate....breath...jump. what an escape! .....never again
into a field of cows.
Better
still if the beginning was improved. Have
you ever had to run for your life? Improve further by panting as you
say it.
We are
beginning to see a story with all the necessary elements required for
a good story..Our Bible stories should be told in the same way, with
a good beginning, interesting and informative development or progression,
an exciting climax if there is one and a well thought out conclusion.
BEGINNING
Beginnings
should:
1. Get
attention.
"Well
begun is half done". The beginning is the best place to get attention
and the worst place to lose it. If you do not have their attention you
will be unable to teach them anything. Here you are at your most nervous.
Know exactly what you are going to say. Don't waffle. During a lesson
in music appreciation the teacher asked the difference between listening
and hearing. At first there was no response. Finally a hand went up
and a youngster offered this sage solution: "Listening is wanting
to hear." Make your children want to hear.
2. Link
with what follows
The beginning
is a stepping stone to what follows. After getting attention, don't
lose it. e.g. Have you ever sat trembling in a dentist's chair hoping
you needed no fillings? Open wide! Bobby was on his way home from the
dentist when he spotted blackberries in a field at the side of the road.
The beginning
you use must lead naturally into the lesson.
3. Be brief
Do not
allow the beginning to dominate the story. Be particularly careful if
you are seeking answers to a question or if you use a vivid illustration.
4. Move
from the known to the unknown
Begin with
something the child knows. This is a very important teaching principle.
Do not say "Today we are going to learn all about regeneration"
or don't ask "Who can tell me what mercy means?" Chinese
proverb "No matter how far a man travels, he will always start
at his own front door".
Different
ways to begin.
1. Direct
approach
Go straight
into the story action.
- It was
just the garden the king wanted for himself
- Baby
Moses "O he's going to cry. Shhh!"
- Joseph.
"Joseph, Joseph, Joseph, it's always Joseph."
- Saul
"I hate them, I hate them, Ihate them."
- Lost
Silver "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, "
- Onesimus
Tip toes, quiet, darkness,...
CAUTION:
in a familiar story avoid names or facts that may give away the story
right at the beginning.
2. Questions
The questions
should be either related to the beginning of the story or related to
the truth taught through the story.
Story questions:
- Ahab
and Naboth "Is there something you would really like to have?"
listen to answers. "There was something King Ahab wanted very,
very much."
- Zacchaeus
"Have you ever stood in a crowd of grown-ups and been unable
to see?" Take care not to say Zacchaeus in the next sentence.
- David
and Goliath "Have you ever seen a man so tall that every time
he got up he bumped his head on the ceiling?" "
- Birth
of Christ; "Have you ever slept for a night in a smelly, dirty
byre?"
- Naaman
"What is the longest distance you have ever been away on your
own from home?"
Truth questions
- Creation
"Have you ever made something yourself? Kite? what use? Have
you ever made anything out of nothing?"
- Lost
sheep "What would you do if you lost something that you loved
very much?"
CAUTION
Questions are best used in a small group. You must control the answering
or it will go on too long.
3. Use
an exciting part of the story
This can
be very effective but needs to be done with great care.
- Ahab
"He had lots of money, servants, good food, the best house
in the land ..... and he was king. You would expect him to be happy
but look at him. He is lying on his bed sulking and will not come
down for tea. What is wrong? I'll tell you what happened."
- Goliath
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5 stones picked up"
- David
anointed Samuel, head in hands " I'm so unhappy".
- Peter
in prison "Zzzz, zzzz, zzzz, Peter was fast asleep".
- Lost
coin "It's lost. It's lost! What will I do?"
CAUTION
Do not give away too much of the story. e.g. Hinges on the prison doors
creak as it swings open
Do not
over dramatise to the extent that the beginning is more entertaining
than the lesson.
4. Illustration
Use a story
of everyday life with which children can identify. Keep it short and
make sure it links with the bible srory
- Achan
Sharon alone in the classroom at lunch time ... pencil case...covet
it... takes it... hides it.
- Ahab
"Is anybody fair? page 15
- David
sins "God is holy" Trevor's class the boys ase God's
name as a swear word. etc. They mocked christians who went to SU.
Trevor wanted to be popular; he wanted to be on the team but he was
also a christian. Which side should Trevor take?
CAUTION
Keep them brief and less important than the lesson.
Make sure
the illustration is suitable for your culture.
Appeal
to the boys more.
IMPORTANT
THOUGHTS
- Write
out your beginning ... learn it off.
- Don't
give away your story at the beginning.
- Don't
say "Have you ever heard the story of.....?"
- Don't
say "Right now, fold your arms etc. I will not start until
you are all quiet."
- Don't
say "I'm sure you have heard this story before but...."
- Don't
always begin the same way.
See some
Bible beginnings:
- 2Kin
5:1 Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was
a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because
through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier,
but he had leprosy.
- 2Kin
20:1 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death.
The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, "This is
what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going
to die; you will not recover."
- Matt
13:3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold,
a sower went forth to sow;
Beginnings
for Cain and Abel
- Direct:
There was a lot of laughing among the bushes. Two little boys could
sometimes be seen chasing each other. Mum and Dad sat in the sun and
watched their children. How nice children were.
- Question:
What would you do if your brother would not play with you?
- Flashback:
"What a wonderful melon! I'll bring it and those oranges and
that pineapple. God will be pleased with them."
- Illustration:
Bobby was always falling out with his brother Mike. They could
never play together for long. Bobby was always making rules and Mike
was always breaking rules. They would argue and fight and then separate.
Bobby would go off on his bike to Barry's house and Mike would go
next door to play with Stephen. What would they have done if they
had no school chums like Barry and Stephen? What if no other boys
lived near them? What if there were no other children in all the world?
PROGRESSION
OF EVENTS
This is
the main body of the lesson. It is not a list of unrelated happenings
but a progression: one event leading to the next, held together by the
thread of the story.
Make a
list of the main events in the order in which they will be taught and
summarise them into simple phrases. (show ohp5 and ohp6)
Avoid long
descriptive detail or unrelated incidents.
1. Action
Children's
minds demand action. If things are not happening they will not pretend
to listen.
2. Expression
How you
express the words is important. If something sad is happening, sound
sad. If there is excitement in the story, sound excited. Have variety
in your voice.
3. Information
Avoid long
unnecessary detail but include good interesting detail. This latter
point will be very helpful in teaching a well-known story. If you can
find some background information that helps to make the story live,
use it but keep it short.
4. Imagination
Use your
imagination but be sure it is sanctified imagination. Don't get carried
away. e.g David and the lion.
Distinguish
between fact and imagination.
5. Dialogue
You can
make characters come alive if you have them talk to each other.
e.g. David
and Eliab.
This technique
is not perfected overnight. Begin small; make one man talk and build
on that.
Build up
your lesson until you reach the climax.
CLIMAX
This is
the point of the story to which everything has been leading up; the
victory is won, the mystery ends, the lost is found, the problem is
solved.
1. Exciting
This is
where interest is most intense if you have told the story well up to
now. This is where the action ends . Work to make your climax as exciting
as the story allows.
2. Only
one
If there
are several climaxes in the stort it is usually best to choose one.
Choose the one which best pinpoints the truth you are trying toi teach.
3. Near
the end
If you
do not keep your climax to near the end, you will be left with an anticlimax
with resulting loss of interest and attention. .
Bobby and
the Bull: "On the way home he met Seamus. "wait until you
hear what happened ....." ...tells what happened...shared his berries
...went back for the scarf he left in the dentist's waitingroom"
- Ahab
and Naboth Elijah warns Naboth "Where Naboth died, you will die."
- Goliath
"stone flies...eyes..stagger...dead."
- Abraham
old man tied son... only son...laid on wood...slowly lifted his knife.......voice
CONCLUSION
This
should immediately follow the climax. Sometimes it is more difficult
to stop than to start. "Has the minister finished yet? Aye, but
he can't get stopped."
1. Round
off the narrative. Use just a few sentences to tie together any loose
ends. Keep it brief. Write down exactly how you plan to finish. Learn
it off.
2. Don't
attempt to teach anything new at this point. This is not the place to
say "Now we learn from this lesson that.........."
3. Do not
review again all you have taught. If you have been teaching truth all
through the lesson, you will at this point bring
4. Final
challenge to do what God has said through the lesson. Use words that
challenge their minds; words like "now", "today",
"right there where you sit" etc.
Sample
conclusion
Saul anointed
king
Climax:
"Long live the king God save the king"
Conclusion:
"That night it seems everyone went home happy. But Samuel must
have been most unhappy to see God's people turn to their own ways. They
were now trusting in a king who was only a man when they should have
been trusting in God."
"Has
God shown you today how you sometimes want your own way.? You are saved
but you still do wrong. God's way for you is far, far better. Don't
be like the Israelites. Right now, quietly in your heart, ask God to
forgive you. He says to Christians like you and me "that if we
confessour sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins".
Ask God to help you to always want to go His way."
"If
you are not saved, you are still going your own sinful way. That way
leads to punishment for ever. You need to trust the One who took the
sinners' place when He died on the cross. He will forgive you and change
your life to live it God's way. Will you leave your sinful way today
and turn to God? Ask Him right now to save you."
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