Mormon Share > Helping students find meaning in the scriptures
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Jennifer Smith
December 31, 2012
Instruct students to look for and circle/highlight words that are especially motivating, inspiring, comforting, thought-provoking, etc. SAY “As you read, be aware of words and phrases that really stand out to you. They may seem powerful, motivating, comforting, though-provoking, etc.” Example: Hebrews 7:25 One night while reading Hebrews I came upon this verse and one word really stuck out to me and caused me to ponder its significance for the…
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Jennifer Smith
December 31, 2012
This exercise requires a good imagination. After reading the verses silently (perhaps a few times), invite your class to close their eyes and take a few minutes trying to visualize the scene depicted in the scriptures in your mind. Try to imagine every detail, see how people walked, talked, and acted. What is the scenery? The elevation? The weather? (Adapted from Panning for Gold: Various Methods to Understand and Apply…
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Jennifer Smith
December 31, 2012
Give the kids a sum of fake money. Students will use the fake money to “buy” a scripture. The teacher auctions off different significant verses in a block of scriptures that students can search for principles and applications. You might even attach different candy to different verses — the “better” the verse (or, the more things to describe in the verse) the better/more candy there is so it is “worth”…
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Jennifer Smith
December 31, 2012
Find a powerful footnote that helps explain, empower, or give insight to a verse in the block where you were reading. Look For: Look for the little letters that precede a word that indicates a footnote. Example: “And then the Lord acleansed the man . . .” (Adapted from Panning for Gold: Various Methods to Understand and Apply the Scriptures to Ourselves by Eric Bacon, Northwest Area Seminaries) Great for: Helping…
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Jennifer Smith
December 31, 2012
Have students come up with a single word that best describes a verse(s) or principle/doctrine. (Adapted from Panning for Gold: Various Methods to Understand and Apply the Scriptures to Ourselves by Eric Bacon, Northwest Area Seminaries) Great for: Eliciting thoughtful responses, Helping students find meaning in the scriptures, Lesson opener Class size: Any class size Helps Students: SEARCH the scriptures or text Prep Time: Student Age: Any age Equipment needed:
Jennifer Smith
December 31, 2012
Assign students a passage or set of several verses to read. Have students imagine they are the prophet who would like to tweet the main idea of this passage or set of verses to his followers. What might he write? What will tell followers the most important information in fewer than 140 characters? After a few moments, share the tweets. Encourage them to write the best tweets in the margin…
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Jennifer Smith
December 31, 2012
Read the same block with different eyes looking for different things, as if you were wearing a new pair of glasses with different lenses. A parent, a bishop, a missionary, a teenager, someone tired and depressed, someone newly married, someone needing repentance, someone who doesn’t get along with their parents, etc. For example, ask the students how this scripture verse might affect a person who has recently experienced a great…
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Jennifer Smith
December 31, 2012
Have kids read a set of scriptures or passage. Pick an Appetizer – verse(s) that tantalize your own spiritual taste buds Beverage – cross-reference that helps wash down the Main Dish Main Dish – verse(s) that give an overall understanding of the entire block or main principle Dessert – short phrase that is spiritual topping to it all This exercise could be done as individuals, as groups, or as a…
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Jennifer Smith
December 31, 2012
What are things in the scripture block that you could actually see, touch, smell, visualize?. Picture these in your mind or better find the actually object and see what it teaches you about the way it is used in the verses you are reading. Look For: Look for objects in the scriptures–things that you could see, hold, touch, etc. Example: Isaiah 5:18 describes people that carry their sins like beasts…
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Jennifer Smith
December 31, 2012
Jigsaw was first developed in the early 1970s by Elliot Aronson and his students at the University of Texas and the University of California. To teach using the Jigsaw method, “divide a topic up into, say, four sub-topics. For example childhood diseases could be divided into mumps, measles, whooping cough and German measles. Alternatively students can be given four different key questions or ‘spectacles’ that require students to analyze the…
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Jennifer Smith
December 31, 2012
While reading a scripture block, what are the things, phrases, allusions, etc that you don’t understand? What questions do you have after reading some scripture verses? ALSO, look for actual questions in the block. Can you answer them? What if you had to answer the question aloud, especially if they were asked by the Lord or His prophets? Example: Alma 5 is full of questions! Going through them asking them…
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Jennifer Smith
December 31, 2012
Our SI rep has been teaching us that when you separate into groups you should assign every member of the group a role. This helps each student participate in the group learning process. No matter the size of your group, you should assign a role to each student. Assignments may be given by the teacher, by a group/zone leader, or randomly. Here are some roles you might use in your…
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