LESSON 1

GOD'S CREATION

SCRIPTURE Genesis 1:1-2:4

LESSON FOCUS God was the Creator of all the world.

INTELLIGENCE FOCUS VISUAL/SPATIAL Interpersonal Verbal/Linguistic

MATERIALS

[] children's Bible

[] several sheets of light colored paper

[] pencils

[] scissors

[] light blue cloth cut and edged to fit altar

[] fabric glue

LEARNING AREA

[] space where children can sit inpairs

[] several large areas when children can draw, cut, and paste

LEARNING PROCESS

VISUAL/SPATIAL learning connects with VERBAL/LINGUISTIC learning as children listen to the creation story and "see" it in their imaginations. VISUAL/SPATIAL and INTERPERSONAL learning connect with VERBAL/LINGUISTIC learning as students share their images with their group, create a group image in their small groups, and describe their image to the entire class as they interpret what they see using felt pieces to make a "Creation" altar cloth or banner.

WARM-UP

VISUAL/SPATIAL learning: Invite the children to find a partner and sit side by side. Have them close their eyes and imagine a warm, sunny day. Ask them to imagine themselves walking along a path in a beautiful wooded area with flowers and trees all around them. The sun is shining through the trees and they can hear birds chirping as they walk along the path. Ask them to stop and pick up something from the path in front of them. Ask them to slowly open their eyes and blink three times.

Allow the children to take turns and tell one another what their "woods" looked like. What kinds of things did they see? What did they find on the path? What color was it? Encourage vivid descriptions.

Ask the children how this experience felt. Were they comfortable? Were they able to "see" things? Did they see in color?

LESSON

Explain to the children that you are going to read them a story about how God made the world. Ask them to listen carefully as the story is read, and to picture what they are hearing in their minds. Read the creation story slowly and with emphasis from a descriptive children's Bible. Allow the children time to create visual images of the story.

When you have finished reading, ask the children to again talk with their partner about what they saw. On a chalkboard or a piece of newsprint draw a "TChart" (see page 103) to record what the children saw or heard on each day of the creation story.

Divide the class into seven groups. Have each group select a day of the week, and make paper patterns of the things that were created on that day. Trace the patterns onto pieces of felt. Cut out each felt design. Invite each group, beginning with day 1, to glue their images onto the blue background cloth. As they work have them tell the story of what God created on their particular day. Decide if this creation will become an altar cloth for your church or a banner for your classroom or hallway. Finish the edges of the cloth according to its use.

VARIATIONS

Logical/Mathematical: Have students determine how the sequence that God chose built upon each day's creation. Ask them to create a chart of the daily creations.

Musical/Rhythmic: Have the students finish the rhythmic patterned story of creation that begins:

On the first day, clap, clap, clap, God created, clap, clap, clap, light, day and night and God said, "It is good."

On the second day, clap, clap, clap, God created, clap, clap, clap, a dome called sky and God said, "It is good."

On the third day, clap, clap, clap, God created, clap, clap, clap, earth and sea and all the plants and God said, "It is good."

On the fourth day, clap, clap, clap, God created, clap, clap, clap....

Body/Kinesthetic: Have children act out God's creation for each day. Ask them to become light, day and night, sky, earth and sea, and so on.

Intrapersonal: Ask the students to think about what they might have advised God to add to or subtract from each of the days of creation.

LESSON EVALUATION

See form on page 98.

LESSON 2

NOAH AND THE GREAT FLOOD

SCRIPTURE Genesis 6:1-7:4

LESSON FOCUS God saves the world through Noah, his family, and all God's creatures.

INTELLIGENCE FOCUS VISUAL/SPATIAL Body/Kinesthetic Logical/Mathematical Verbal/Linguistic

MATERIALS

[] several sets of "sequence" pictures (three pictures of a sequence that can be photocopied

[] large sheets of paper (the backs of supermarket bags work well)

[] markers

LEARNING AREA

[] table space for children in draw large pictures

[] large floor space for children to walk through the story

LEARNING PROCESS

VISUAL/SPATIAL learning connects with LOGICAL/MATHEMATICAL learning, BODY/KINESTHETIC learning, and VERBAL/LINGUISTIC learning as children hear the story of Noah and the Great Flood, make drawings depicting several aspects of the story, lay the pictures out in sequence, and walk through the story by explaining the contents of the pictures.

WARM-UP

VISUAL/SPATIAL learning: Invite the children individually, in pairs, or in small groups to put the pictures in sequence and tell a brief story about the pictures.

LESSON

Ask the children to tell you how they knew the sequence of the story from the pictures. Explain that you will now tell them a story of a time when God was angry with the world. Begin by asking the students to listen carefully to the story. When the story is finished, they will have an opportunity to do their own creating by making a large picture book of the story of Noah and the Great Flood.

Begin the story as follows: "After God rested from creating the earth and all that was in it, the human beings that were so lovingly created began to behave in ways that were not pleasing to God. God decided to punish all the people on the earth by causing a great flood that would destroy everything on the earth. But God wanted to save some parts of creation, so God searched and searched and finally found a man who was good and faithful. His name was Noah (picture #1). God called out to Noah (picture #2) and told him to build a boat called an ark (picture #3). While all his neighbors laughed, Noah and his family built a huge ark (picture #4). God told Noah to gather pairs of each kind of animal and bird and take them onto the ark (picture #5). Then it began to rain, and it rained for forty days and forty nights (picture #6). Soon Noah, all his family, and the animals on the ark were the only living people and animals remaining on earth. Everything and everyone else drowned in the water (picture #7)."

Adjust the telling of the story to the age level of your students. Older elementary students can read or listen to the story being read from the Bible.

Assign one child, or several children depending on your class size, to draw one of the seven pictures from the Noah story. Allow time to complete each picture.

Have the children arrange the pictures on the floor in the correct order/sequence of the story. Invite the children one at a time to walk through the story and tell it aloud from the pictures. If your class is large, have the children walk through the story in pairs or small groups and tell one another the story from the pictures. Tell the children you will keep the pictures and review the story because in the next lesson they will discover what happens to Noah and everyone on the ark.

VARIATIONS

Musical/Rhythmic: Sing "God's Friend Noah" to the tune of "Old MacDonald" (see page 105).

Older children can sing "Rise and Shine." Most children know this song, especially if they have ever been to camp. The song can be shortened by beginning with the chorus. Sing several verses and then add the chorus. The entire story of Noah is told in this song.

Interpersonal: Have children discuss in a small group an animal that may not have made it onto the ark. As a group they can design this animal (perhaps each child can draw a specific part such as the head, body, or legs). They can name and label this animal and display it in the classroom.

Intrapersonal: Have children contemplate what items they would take with them if they were chosen by God to be saved from the destruction of the earth. What are their most valuable possessions?

LESSON EVALUATION

See form on page 98.

LESSON 3

NOAH AND THE COVENANT

SCRIPTURE Genesis 8-9:17

LESSON FOCUS God keeps promises.

INTELLIGENCE FOCUS INTRAPERSONAL

MATERIALS

[] paper

[] pencils

LEARNING AREA

[] table for discussing and writing

LEARNING PROCESS

INTRAPERSONAL learning combines with INTERPERSONAL learning as students recall covenants (promises) they have made and relate these to the covenant that God made with Noah. As they continue to think about interview questions for Noah and develop their own answers based on information from the biblical text and their own imaginations, they will be preparing for the culminating activities of the Noah study in Lesson 4.

WARM-UP

INTRAPERSONAL and INTERPERSONAL learning: Ask the children what it means to "promise" something. Ask them to reflect on a time when they have made a promise or when someone has made a promise to them. Invite them to share their promise story with a partner or small group.

LESSON

Gather students together and tell them the story (in age-appropriate language) of the raven and the dove that Noah sent out to look for dry land (Gen. 8:6-12).God made a promise, called a covenant, with Noah after the floodwaters had subsided. Read (or tell in age-appropriate words) the covenant story from Genesis 9:8-17. Ask the children to compare what they know about promises they have made and God's promise to Noah.

Ask the children to think about and write questions they might ask Noah about his adventure from the time that God told him to build an ark, until the time that he, his family, and all the animals lived on solid ground again. Then in pairs or small groups discuss the questions, and come up with answers that Noah might have given. Invite the use of imagination as well as the information the children may remember from the story or biblical text.

Tell the students that in the next class everything they have learned about Noah and God's promise will be combined into a written and/or spoken presentation. Invite parents to attend the last ten minutes of the next class for the presentation.

VARIATIONS

Verbal/Linguistic: Have older students make journal entries about Noah's days on the ark.

Logical/Mathematical: Have older students calculate the number of days from the start of the rain to the landing of the ark and everyone arriving on dry land.

Visual/Spatial: Have students create additional pictures for the ending of their big book of the Noah story.

Musical/Rhythmic: Have children make a tape of as many of the animal sounds as they can think of that might have been on the ark. If someone has an ocean tape to play in the background (you will need two tape players), record animal sounds over the ocean sound. Use this tape for the presentation for next week.

or

Teach the class "God's Friend Noah."

Verbal/Linguistic and Body/Kinesthetic: Have children create a drama about the animals getting restless from being on the ark too long. Act out the story.

LESSON EVALUATION

See form on page 98.

LESSON 4

THE NOAH ADVENTURE

SCRIPTURE Genesis 18:1-15; 21:1-3

LESSON FOCUS God keeps God's promises.

INTELLIGENCE FOCUS INTERPERSONAL

Body/Kinesthetic Verbal/Linguistic

MATERIALS

[] baby naming book

[] pencils

[] paper

[] simple costumes

[] sheet for a tent

[] baby doll

LEARNING AREA

[] large space for acting out the story

[] table for writing

LEARNING PROCESS

Students will have the opportunity to select the intelligence they wish to work on to prepare a culminating presentation on what they have learned about the story of Noah.

WARM-UP

Review the story by walking through the big storybook and verbally telling the story.

LESSON

Have the children select one of the following activities to illustrate what they have learned from the previous lessons on Noah.

1. Select one person to be Noah and another to be a reporter from the evening news. Do an interview based on the questions asked in Lesson 3. Record the interview on an audio- or videocassette. (If you are using a video, simple costumes and props add to the excitement.)

2. Write several articles for a newspaper that cover the story of Noah, (e.g., headlines, editorials, personal columns, sports, advertising). Put the articles in a newspaper format and distribute copies to parents and/or the congregation.

3. Write a song, using a familiar tune or a rap, which tells the story of Noah. Include the song/rap in the audio/video presentation. Include the ocean tape with animal sounds on the presentation, or sing "God's Friend Noah."

4. Write a cinquain poem (see sample on page 99) about Noah's adventure with God. Include the poem in the newspaper or in the audio or video presentation.

5. Determine the number of days that passed from the time that God first spoke to Noah until the ark landed on solid ground. Report this information in the newspaper or in the audio/video presentation.

6. Include any journal entries in the newspaper or in the audio/video presentation.

Present the storybook walk-through, the newspaper, and the audio or video account of Noah's adventure with God to parents and or the congregation.

LESSON EVALUATION

See form on page 98.

LESSON 5

THE BIRTH OF ISAAC

SCRIPTURE Genesis 18:1-15; 21:1-3

LESSON FOCUS God keeps God's promise.

INTELLIGENCE FOCUS INTERPERSONAL Body/Kinesthetic Verbal/Linguistic

MATERIALS

[] baby naming book

[] pencils

[] paper

[] simple costumes

[] sheet for a tent

[] baby doll

LEARNING AREA

[] large space for acting out the story

[] table for writing

LEARNING PROCESS

INTERPERSONAL learning connects with BODY/KINESTHETIC learning andVERBAL/LINGUISTIC learning as children make connections about what their names mean, and how God chooses names for special people that God has called into service. God kept the promise that was made to Abraham.

WARM-UP

INTERPERSONAL learning: Ask each child to tell the class something about his or her name. Tell each child what the name means from a book of names. Tell them what Jesus' name means.

LESSON

Tell the children that long before Jesus was born, there was a child born whose name was Isaac, which means laughter. Ask the children to listen to the story and try to figure out why Abraham and Sarah named their son Isaac (laughter). Give some background information: Abraham was ninety-nine years old and Sarah was ninety years old. God had promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. But Abraham and Sarah waited for years and years without a sign of a child. Now read or tell the story of the visit of the three strangers and of Sarah's reaction to the news that she would be pregnant. Make sure to include the fact that God's promise was kept to Abraham.

For younger children ask them to act out the story with three children being the angels, one old man being Abraham and one old woman being Sarah.

Older children can work together to write a newspaper article about the story: "Ninety-year-old Woman Gives Birth to Son." Some of the children could write a medical report from the hospital. Present the report findings to the class.

VARIATIONS

Musical/Rhythmic learning can be enhanced by a choral reading using voice inflection and sound effects, or a litany of the scripture with a possible response being, "God keeps promises."

Intrapersonal learning can be encouraged as older children write a journal entry from the perspective of Abraham or Sarah about the birth of Isaac.

Logical/Mathematical learning for older children will be increased by comparing what they know about Isaac's birth and Jesus' birth in a Venn diagram (page 100).

Visual/Spatial learning will be enhanced by the children acting out the story in costume.

LESSON EVALUATION

See form on page 98.