Perfecting the Saints — One Lesson at a Time
Here’s my version of the theme “Be Strong and of a Good Courage” from Joshua 1:9. This item is free for you to use on print materials that you will not use for profit. You may not use it on any item you will sell. Don’t mess with my website’s name on this image, please.
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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Oftentimes the Lord makes a list of attributes or qualities that are worth noting and titling in our margins. Have students “mark a list’ of items in their scriptures. Look for items set off by commas, or lists of things to get a certain result. The items may be contained in more than one verse. EXAMPLE: While teaching Amos 4, I asked students to mark in their scriptures the ways…
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Paradoxes are two seemingly different things that are put together in a way that teaches a lesson or truth. Look For: Look for a statement or joining of two things that teach a truth but seem to differ from each other. Example: Matt. 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.. (Sometimes the paradox is implied and…
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How does connecting different parts of the story in the same or other chapters help make one scene more powerful and meaningful. Look For: Put parts of a story or teaching together (don’t forget previous and future chapters!) and “look for” connections. Examples >1 Samuel 1 –2 Hannah’s sacrifice of giving up her firstborn Samuel when you connect it with the suffering she went through (v. 6-7). It also makes…
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Using the chalkboard or an easel to show a brief lesson outline can help you cover material efficiently and effectively. You’ll find that writing verses on the board will help students follow and anticipate the direction of your lesson, resulting in better discussion. It will also help you stay on task and more easily cover material. EXAMPLE: When teaching the second coming from Isaiah 26, I had written on the…
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Think of ways to group your text to help you cover material effectively. Then WRITE VERSES ON THE BOARD to help students get through the material efficiently during your lesson. EXAMPLE: On the easel I wrote the following for Deuteronomy 8: Blessings of REMEMBERING v 2 v3 v4 v5 Dangers of FORGETTING v11 vv12-14 v17 v19 Here’s what I had in my notes to help us find answers: Blessings of…
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Ask students to find a scripture reference that answers a certain question. EXAMPLE: During a discussion on the word of wisdom in Daniel 1, I asked students to find a scripture reference to prove THAT God gives blessings to the obedient or WHY He does so, or HOW he blesses the obedient. They all found such great scripture references for this. I was shocked. Only a few came up with…
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A literary foil is someone who highlights another character’s trait, usually by contrast. The scriptures are full of these character foils. Examples include God/Christ v Satan, Cain v Abel, or Nephi and Sam v Laman and Lemuel. Often times a chapter or story will highlight events in two different people or groups of people. This is done on purpose and oftentimes there are direct differences that were meant to be…
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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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Invite a guest to come share an experience with a gospel topic with the class. Listen during sacrament meeting, Sunday School, and other times to find people who have experiences or testimony that is valuable to share with your students. I’ve had great success doing this, especially when I take the time to explain the purpose of my lesson to the guest. “We’re having a lesson on missionary work; would…
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My students love group drawing. It’s good for covering material that is easy to imagine visually. I have also used it to cover distressing topics — like the events preceding the second coming — because these events seem less frightening when sketched for some reason. I have done group drawing a couple of ways. One is to divide the class into small groups and have the whole group drawing at…
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