Gingerbread Houses and Scripture Mastery

I hosted my Seminary class at my house this week for an evening class activity.

Thursday was a late start for public school and only 5-6 of my 27 students would 

have been able to attend class that day. 

By holding a class activity on Wednesday evening, 

everyone could attend and join in the fun!

We made my specialty gingerbread houses- something I have enjoyed sharing 

with hundreds of children and adults over the past 30 years!

Scripture Mastery verse, Helaman 5:12 - building on a strong foundation was reinforced.

 My students enjoyed spending time talking with each other and just 

getting to know each other better in a different setting. 

I got to know each of them better and I hope they felt the same about me.

 Every house was unique and turned out great!

We enjoyed a bonfire, roasting marshmallows, making s'mores, and singing 

Christmas carols. 

Scripture Mastery Obstacle Course

I set up an obstacle course for the purpose of reinforcing the key words in 2 Nephi 31:19-20 (this can be used for any Scripture Mastery passage or Article of Faith)
I used the gym, stage, the kitchen, and our classroom.
It was not as complicated as it may sound and it went quickly. We were able to work on more Scripture Mastery and have a short thought from the lesson.
Here is how it worked:

• While we were still in the classroom, I assigned everyone a partner.
• Each student was told to bring their journal and something to write with as they went through the obstacle course.
• I just used what I had at home to come up with each activity. I got some of the ideas from a fellow Seminary teacher, Katie Gurney, and adapted them to fit this activity.
• At the end of each activity, students were to look inside a brown bag to find the new key word (s) and write them in their journal.
• After completing the course and collecting all the key words, students were to return to the classroom, determine which Scripture Mastery verse(s) the key words were from, write the passage in their journals, repeat it to their partner, then go to the kitchen for the final key word (prize) "eternal life" which was a pot with gold foil covered chocolate coins.
  
• Here are the activities on the obstacle course
• Wheelbarrow race through the "strait and narrow" way (I put a long table on it's side up against a wall to create a narrow path)
• Balance a Book of Mormon on your head (Word of Christ)
• Balance grains of wheat on a spoon while walking to next table, then pour into a can (unshaken faith)
• Walk to next station without shoes/feet touching the wood floors-I provided paper plates for them to use however best they felt would accomplish this task (wholly on the merits)
• Lift hand weights on the way to the next station (press forward)
• Jump rope on the way to the next station (steadfastness)
• Use flashlights to go up the stairs to the dark stage and find the next clue (brightness of hope) This was good as I had a black paper pinned to the black stage curtains with the words "Brightness of hope" written in gold. It took some searching and effort to find this clue.
• Write on a small paper heart a kind word or words about someone in the class and glue it in your journal (love of God and all men)

• Using 2 forks (1 per team member), without piercing the orange, balance it on both forks as you walk to the next station (feasting upon the words of Christ) 
• Crawl to next station and do 10 push ups when you get there (endure to the end)
• Instructions at this station: Return to classroom, determine which Scripture Mastery verses contain these key words, write the passage in your journal, repeat out loud to your  partner, go to the kitchen to receive the final key word and ultimate prize (eternal life)

Here are some additional photos

Scripture Mastery Game

My class needed a little kick-start to re-kindle their enthusiasm for Scripture Mastery.
This game sparked that enthusiasm:

Preparation:
I chose all the Scripture Mastery selections that have only 1 verse ( I left out 1 Nephi 3:7 and 2 Nephi 2:25 because most of them know those two scriptures)
Using the Scripture Mastery cards, I wrote the key word/phrases for each scripture on a word strip.
Place the word strip inside a balloon, blow it up, and tie it.
Before class, I scattered the balloons all over the Cultural Hall (my students meet across the hall and did not see this prior to class)

Activity:
Each student was instructed to get a partner and depart for the Cultural Hall
Once there, each partnership could choose 1 balloon.
When I said "GO" they were to pop the balloon using these guidelines:

• No touching the balloon with Hands or Feet
• Both partners must be touching the balloon
• Once the balloon pops, they were to open the strip of paper and read the  key word or phrase 

Once they have the key word or phrase, they were to return to the classroom and determine which scripture reference it matched.

Each person was to write the scripture in their journal and then, with their partner, develop techniques to practice and memorize the scripture.

It was amazing to see how quickly they memorized a scripture and could pass it off to me.

When they passed it off, they marked our classroom Scripture Mastery Chart and got a treat from the Scripture Memorization jar.

Results: 

• Everyone memorized at least 1 scripture today.
• For 2 students, it was the first time they memorized a Scripture Mastery verse.
• About half of the students memorized another scripture once they had gained confidence by memorizing one.
• And the real BONUS? 3-4 students memorized three scriptures.

Of course, the true BONUS is that these scriptures become part of them and as Elder Richard G Scott teaches, to memorize a scripture is to gain a new friend. These are the best friends a person can have, especially a teenager who is faced with so much temptation.

As a follow up, I will call on each partnership at the beginning of class over the next days and ask them to give tips on how they memorized the scripture and any techniques they find helpful

Having them teach is a very effective way to reinforce the scriptures they are learning.

You may adapt this and put the same scripture clue in each balloon.

Happy Teaching!

Late Students

Something that sets the tone for the entire Seminary morning is my early arrival. It is something I am committed to and I can count on one hand how many times I have arrived in the parking lot and had students or parents waiting for me. This is such a tender mercy for me as I have struggled with not being a "morning person" for most of my life. My class starts at 6am and my goal is to be there by 5:40am. I know it is the Lord who is making this possible and, most of the time, waking up at 4:45 is easy (not always- but most of the time) It makes such a difference in the spirit when I arrive early and set up details for the lesson without rushing or pushing. As my students arrive, I like everything to be ready and waiting for them-no rushing around on lesson set-up. When the classroom and lesson are ready for the students in advance, it provides me with the opportunity to greet them and let them know I am happy to see them. I like to get a feel for their spirit, tone, mood, etc. Many times I will see one of them and know exactly which part of the lesson I need to spend the most time on.

Most of my students arrive early and are in their seats ready to start at 6am. The students who are on time are rewarded with a treat from the "on-time" jar,  however, there are still a few who push the late arrival limits on a regular basis. My class is so large the room set up has the students facing the entrance doors that any late arrivals is very disruptive. 

I don't like giving attention to this situation, but at the same time, the students who make the effort to arrive on time are affected by the interruption of late arrivals. The spirit leaves and it it difficult to get back on the flow of our lesson when students are trickling in and trying to get settled.

Right now,  when the students arrive excessively late (much after 10 minutes), I send them to the Bishop who is in the building each morning. They get to sit with him and read and discuss scriptures. It has been very effective and the late arrivals stop for a few weeks and then the same students start slipping back to their old habits. The Bishop is very supportive and he makes sure to speak with their parents and discuss how to get their children to Seminary on time.

It is painful for me to send these students to the "Bishops class" because I want them with us, yet it is the right thing to do for our situation.  I am grateful for his support.

Other than the sending them to their Bishop, I am not sure of an effective way to address late students without giving it too much attention.

Ideas? Thoughts?

What has worked or not for your class?

Scattering and Gathering

This was an effective way to teach Scattering and Gathering of Israel:

We went in to the Cultural Hall and I asked them to gather in the center for an important message.
I gave them a few lines from a quote in our lesson ( you can use any message from Prophets and apostles)
then I instructed each student to get as far away as possible from each other and from me without leaving the room/overflow/stage areas . (scatter)
Once they were scattered, I continued with the quote in a low voice. I purposely did not adjust my volume to match the distance of most of my students.
I stopped and asked who could hear me.
Of course very few could hear me.
Some could pick out a few words but no one could tell me what the message was.

Then I asked them to gather back in and I read the quote.
Once they were re-gathered, we discussed their  scattering and gathering  and compared it to the scattering and gathering of Israel and how it is happening right now. They brought up the new buzz words, "hastening" and "hasten the work".
This created some effective discussion and provided a change of pace, something that is difficult to get with my large class size.

The lesson did not call for this, but I used Article of Faith #10.

After class, one of my students said,
"I finally understand scattering and gathering. I will always remember this."

Liahona

You know you are a Seminary teacher when you are walking through Michael's Arts & Craft store for a completely different purpose and you spot an intricately carved metal pumpkin that would make a great liahona...
Immediately, your mind goes in to high gear trying to turn that pumpkin in to a liahona.
And that is what I did.
That very afternoon.
I bought the pumpkin and used supplies I already had.
My first obstacle was getting this thick metal stem off. Finally it would not budge, hence, I used the styrofoam cone to cover it up. I would have preferred to not use that tall of a cone, but in the end, it was ok.

The Pumpkin before painting and removing the leaves...

 The styrofoam cone covered with newspaper. I know that if I had applied spray paint directly to the cone, it would have disintegrated 

(voice of experience after my son spent days carving a pyramid out of styrofoam 

only to have it dissolve right before his eyes as he sprayed spray paint on it)

 My daughter followed me outside with the camera 

(she is well-trained, glad she thought to snap a few pics of the paint stage)

 More paint layers

 The 2 Spindles

 More ...

 Jewels attached and the liahona is ready to be found outside 

the door of our "tent" aka classroom

 Lots of pictures...

 And More...

And that is a typical afternoon in the life of an early morning Seminary teacher. 

When the day started, 

I was thinking about copying a picture of a liahona rendering from the internet.

By late afternoon, I was painting, gluing, and planning how to have my students

find the liahona outside our "tent" aka classroom door.

If you are a Seminary teacher, you understand.

General Conference Preparation

This is one of my favorite weeks of the year!
LDS General Conference preparation.
I was in the LDS Conference Center on Saturday evening for the General Relief Society Broadcast and it elevated my already high level of excitement for LDS General Conference.
Now I am back home and the preparation is in high gear.

In recent years, there are so many ideas about LDS General Conference preparation all over blogs, Facebook, Pinterest, etc. Too often the ideas are fun, but not necessarily focused on the most important preparations, those of the heart, spirit, and mind. I am the first person to say that I like the fun as long as it is not the main focus.

For LDS General Conference preparation in April 2013, I showed this message from Elder Jeffrey R Holland,
  "An Ensign To The Nations"
I made a copy for each of my students and asked them to follow along as we watched. I encouraged them to underline, mark, highlight, and make notes as they watched and read along. After this, I suggested that they place their highlighted, marked copy of this message in their General Conference packet.  I will be doing the same this week.
As for the fun, I will make "Pull Aparts", something we enjoy on General Conference Weekend.

Please share some of your LDS General Conference preparation ideas.

Happy Teaching.