Mormon Share > Giving every person a turn
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Jennifer Smith
December 31, 2012
You can do this as a group activity or as an individual activity. I generally do it as a group activity. Assign students a passage to read. Have students imagine they are newspaper reporters who are going to write a headline for this passage. What will they write? What headline will tell your readers the most important information in the fewest words? Give students a few seconds (I usually do…
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Jennifer Smith
December 31, 2012
You already know how to play Scriptionary — one student draws a picture of a gospel story or item and the other students try to guess it. But in Seminary Scriptionary, I tell my students that they are going to draw a list of items that have to do with a certain gospel topic, like patriarchal blessings. Then I provide students a list of words, like – Liahona – scriptures…
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Jennifer Smith
December 31, 2012
Students open their notebooks and write two things: one question they had about the reading and one thing they learned anew or that they had forgotten. We spent probably 40 minutes covering the things they wrote. Great discussion and opportunity for sharing. Great for: Reviewing a scripture story, Giving every person a turn, Eliciting thoughtful responses, Reading a serious passage, Helping students find meaning in the scriptures Class size: Any class size…
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Jennifer Smith
December 31, 2012
This is the easiest way to engage kids in scripture reading in my opinion. You’ll need something soft like a beanbag or small stuffed animal. A wadded up piece of paper could even be used in a pinch. You may need to lay out some ground rules like : – do not aim above the shoulders – no overhand tosses – no repeats After you make your reading assignment and…
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Jennifer Smith
December 31, 2012
Write a list of passages or references on the board that have something important in them — something “worth underlining.” Explain to the class that there is something important in each verse and that you will give each student a chance to read their passage and explain to the class what they thought the most important thing was in the verse(s). Give them a few minutes to look over their…
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Jennifer Smith
December 31, 2012
Teachers can randomly assign students to read randomly by calling them by name. The key is the order of the direction and the assignment. Here’s how: “Turn in your Bible to Isaiah chapter 1. [pause] Everyone look at your scriptures. We’ll be reading verses 1-15 aloud one at a time and discussing each individually. Verse one …[pause]… John?” The important thing is to direct everyone to the verse, pause, and…
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Jennifer Smith
December 31, 2012
I encourage discussion in my classroom, and there are times when everybody is talking at once. Instead of scolding kids, focus in on one comment, and in a louder than usual voice say, “Hey! That was awesome! Did everybody hear that?” When I do this, I’m generally leaning toward the student to hear what they say. Then I straighten up and point toward the student when I say “hey” to…
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Jennifer Smith
February 10, 2012
One of the most boring things we do in class is go around the circle or down the row — in order — with every person reading a single verse of scripture aloud. Here are some very simple ideas you can use to keep students engaged while reading scripture passages aloud. Randomized Scripture Reading The following methods are ways to engage students by making assigned passages randomized. Hey there, Delilah!…
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Jennifer Smith
March 13, 2011
Here’s a great example of using drama to help gospel students learn from Seminary Mom: One of my number one desires as a seminary teacher is to have my students fall in love with the scriptures. I want them to know these individuals we read about who really lived a long time ago. I want the students to feel the truthfulness of what they are reading and to care so…
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