Perfecting the Saints — One Lesson at a Time
Assign students to make a movie about a gospel topic. You may want to have students plan their script so that a Primary child can understand it. My students happen to love anything dramatic, so this is very easy for us. I have a big box of dress up clothes and wigs that they use to make movies. They write short scripts based on gospel topics or they just read…
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Look for ways to help students share those ideas that they have in common. For example, all of your students have had experiences with prayer, church attendance, hurt feelings, etc. EXAMPLE: I asked the students to tell me what they had learned about the benefits of scripture study. Going around the room, each student told the class what they learned about the benefits of scripture study. They came up with…
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Eaton and Beecher sometimes give students five minutes to prepare a 60-second talk on a verse from the day’s reading. Students then present their talks. If student become long-winded, offer a prize for the student who comes the closest to 60-seconds without going over. Nothing helps students lean a principle so well as having to explain it on their feet. Adapted from Becoming a Great Gospel Teacher, Eaton and Beecher…
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When I teach, I try to apply the law of witnesses: “in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established,” (See D&C 6:28, 2 Corinthians 13:1, Deuteronomy 19:15, 2 Nephi 29:8, Matthew 18:16) to my Lesson preparation. The idea is that as teachers, we’re always looking for “witnesses” to the word. When we establish the word with multiple witnesses, or testimonies, we help it sink deeply…
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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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The Student Study guide is full of great definitions for scripture terms and symbols. When you hit a difficult passage, look at the student guide for help. If that doesn’t work, keep a good dictionary nearby that gives the root meaning of words as well as definitions that you can understand. See what this does by looking up words–even common words–and see how the definitions give deeper meaning to the…
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As Nephi taught, we should “liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning” (1 Nephi 19:23). Where could you or a student place your name or situation into the scriptures and make an appropriate application? Could you substitute your name for someone else’s or personalize the situation to make the scripture speak directly to you? Look For: Look for ways to put your name…
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When I present a lesson, I try to direct my lessons so that ANTICIPATED student questions drive the discussion. When I’m reading my lesson text or scripture block, I ask myself some of the following things: – Does this passage have any unusual words or difficult phrasing? – Do I understand the background of this passage? Who is speaking? Why? – How can the footnotes help me understand the background…
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I use the phrase “Today We Learned…” to help establish direction in my lessons. First, I determine a lesson objective. Most of my lesson objectives start with the phrase “Students will …” Here are some I’ve used this week during our study of Luke: Students will understand that friends and relatives of Jesus Christ had valuable characteristics that they can seek to emulate. Copying these characteristics will allow students to…
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You think I’m kidding, but rearranging the seating has a great effect on Classroom management in my experience. Changing up the classroom causes the students to try to figure out what is going on, and they get excited about the lesson. If you normally use tables in Seminary, set up without them. If you normally don’t use tables — set up one Sunday with them and do a drawing or…
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Do your best to stay aware of the things your students are doing as service projects or at school. Find out about the things they are doing right, and ask them to share their experiences during class. Be specific with your instructions, and be prepared to ask the students questions to help them with their presentation. EXAMPLE: When teaching Lamentations, I invited a student who writes poetry to bring in…
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Try to identify patterns in the scriptures that can help your students overcome challenges. Look for words that repeat, phrases that describe a behavior or character trait, or doctrine, principle. EXAMPLE During our discussion of Matthew 4, I had my students explain Jesus’ three temptations to the class. I listed them on the board. Then we wrote under each how Jesus rebuked Satan: “It is written….” The kids were able…
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