TEACHER'S MANUAL
connect Upper Primary B2
A Christian Education curriculum for children aged 10–12 years.
Contents For the teacher What you will find in each lesson Music, drama, PowerPoints and PDFs Curriculum stance Training and support Five circles of learning Connect icons
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Introduction—God keeps his promises Lesson 1 Survivor: Egypt begins Lesson 2 The leader Lesson 3 The challenge Lesson 4 The rescue Lesson 5 The Law Lesson 6 The tabernacle Lesson 7 The exploration Lesson 8 The people’s response Lesson 9 The land Lesson 10 The new covenant
Exodus 1:1—2:10 Exodus 3:1—4:17 Exodus 7:1—10:29 Exodus 11–14 Exodus 19–20 Exodus 25–40 Numbers 13–14 Deuteronomy 4 Joshua 1–6 Various
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Introduction—God’s promise for the world Lesson 11 The gospel: then and now Lesson 12 The need for the gospel Lesson 13 The good news of the gospel Lesson 14 The fruit of the gospel Lesson 15 The goal of the gospel Lesson 16 The hope of the gospel Lesson 17 The body of the gospel Lesson 18 The love of the gospel Lesson 19 The Christmas promise Lesson 20 Miriam
Romans 1:1–17 Romans 1:18—3:26 Romans 3:21—5:21 Romans 6–7 Romans 8:1–13 Romans 8:14–39 Romans 12:1–8 Romans 16:25–27 Matthew 1 1 Timothy 4:12
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Christmas assembly
Matthew 1
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Special lesson
Genesis 1–2; 2 Peter 3:13
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Teaching ideas Help with classroom management Helpful teaching techniques Teaching Memory verses Is your class different? Teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students Understanding the student: the learning theory undergirding Connect Using appropriate language in the (S)RE/RI class What the Bible says about living as God’s friends
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The environment
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B2 UPPER
PRIMARY
L E SS O N
7 LESSON AIM Q To help students to understand that God wants his people to trust and obey him.
LESSON OUTCOMES Students will learn about: Q how God sent his people in to explore the land he was going to give them Q how God’s people didn’t trust him and disobeyed his command to take the land. Students will learn to: Q recognise that the Bible demonstrates that God’s promises are good promises and that he is faithful to them Q recognise that God wants people today to trust and obey God too.
MEMORY VERSE His love for us is wonderful; his faithfulness never ends. Shout praises to the Lord! Psalm 117:2 (CEV)
» Bible background Lessons 1–6 showed that God rescued his people from Egypt with a mighty hand. He made a covenant with Israel and brought them through the desert to the edge of the Promised Land. While God’s people did show some faithful obedience to the instruction of their good and powerful God, Israel’s complaints against God and their disobedience to his word (Numbers 11–21) were clear. Their most blatant rejection of God is recorded in Numbers 13–14.
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The exploration Numbers 13–14
Chapter 13 shows how the people obeyed God’s command to explore the land. Twelve spies were selected, one from each tribe of Israel, to explore the land and bring back a report to Israel. The spies reported that the land was good, ‘flowing with milk and honey’ (Numbers 13:27), the people were strong and the cities large and fortified (Numbers 13:28). Things took a downturn when ten of the spies spread a bad report among the people (Numbers 13:31–33). To take the land would be difficult! They would have to fight these huge people in their strong cities. How quickly the spies had forgotten the mighty God who brought them out of Egypt and would go before them, driving out the nations to give them the land. Only Caleb and Joshua trusted God (Numbers 13:30; 14:6–9). The rest of the people, however, grumbled against God. They rejected Joshua and Caleb and attempted to stone them. As a result, God’s anger burned against his people. Their faithlessness and disobedience was abominable, especially since God was just about to fulfil his promises to them. Initially, God was preparing to wipe out Israel completely and start again with Moses and his family (Numbers 14:11–12). However, Moses was quick to defend God’s honour and reputation and to intercede for Israel (Numbers 14:13–19). God relented, forgiving the people and keeping his promise—but to the next generation. God declared on oath: the grumbling generation would not enter into the Promised Land but would die in the desert as they had asked to do (Numbers 14:20–25). So Israel wandered in the desert for 40 years until everyone over 20 years of age died and their children had grown. This account reveals God to be faithful, gracious and just and able to fulfil his promises, despite the disobedience and faithlessness of his people.
✔ A CEV Bible marked at Numbers 10:11–13; 14:1–10; John 3:16 ✔ A bandanna of the same colour for each student ✔ Survivor: Egypt challenge chart and sticker for winning tribe (see Introduction to Lessons 1–10) ✔ Visual aids on pages 92–95 of the Lesson 7 Way in challenge, Lesson 7 Bible focus challenge, Exploring the land, Journey to the Promised Land map and God’s provision (see Before you start) ✔ Envelopes ✔ Activity books ✔ Materials for Taking it further (optional) ✔ Journey to the Promised Land map and God’s provision from the Coloured Visual aid pack
Q Photocopy the Visual aid on page 93 of Exploring the land. Have enough copies for one between two students.
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» You will need
Q You will need to photocopy and enlarge the Visual aids on pages 94–95 of the Journey to the Promised Land map and God’s provision.
» Teacher’s prayer Thank God that he is faithful despite the times when his people are unfaithful to him. Repent of the times when you don’t trust and obey God and ask that he will help you to trust and obey him.
OTHER RESOURCES If your lessons are longer than the standard, you may find the following resources useful. Q Trust in the Lord (track 8) on Genie and Troy Nilsson’s Scripture Rock album. Q Generous God (track 8) on Colin Buchanan’s Jesus Rocks the World album.
BEFORE YOU START Q If you intend to use an interactive whiteboard, review the PowerPoint slides for this lesson (see page 6 for details on how to download these). Q Photocopy and cut the Visual aid on page 92 of the Lesson 7 Way in challenge and seal it in an envelope so you can open it in front of the students.
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Q Seal the Lesson 7 Bible focus challenge in an envelope so you can open it in front of the students.
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» Way in Hand out the bandannas to the students and give them a few moments to put them on. Welcome back for another week of Survivor: Egypt. Survivors, please put on your bandannas. I have received your first challenge for today. Open your envelope and read out the Visual aid on page 92 of the Lesson 7 Way in challenge. Give your students a few moments to choose their partner and assume their positions. When they are ready, say ... Survivors, are you ready? Go! Make sure you supervise carefully while the students are participating in the Lesson 7 Way in challenge. If anyone is silly or dangerous they will need to sit down and miss out.
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Once everyone has had a turn of supporting and being supported, congratulate all the students and ask them to take a seat. Choose the most sensible pair to add a sticker to the Survivor: Egypt challenge chart and write their names beside it. Today we were challenged to trust each other and we succeeded. We are going to see that God’s people were challenged to trust God. And we will find out now whether or not they succeeded.
» Bible focus
Q Where did the Israelites set up camp after leaving Sinai? (Accept responses. The Desert of Paran.) Display the Visual aid on page 94 or the Coloured Visual aid of the Journey to the Promised Land map. Trace the path the Israelites travelled as you say the next section. So God rescued his people from Egypt. They travelled out of Egypt, passed through the Red Sea, then headed down to Mount Sinai. They stayed at Mount Sinai for approximately two years before they headed up to Kadesh-Barnea in the Paran Desert. Display the Visual aid on page 95 or the Coloured Visual aid of God’s provision. And God provided for his people the whole time they were in the desert. He provided food for them by sending bread and quail (like chicken) from heaven each day. He provided water for them out of a rock. He even protected them when they were attacked by the Amalekite army. And now, God was about to give them the land he promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To find out what happened, we have our next challenge. Open your envelope and read out the Visual aid on page 92 of the Lesson 7 Bible focus challenge. Once the students are in their groups, give each student a copy of the Visual aid on page 93 of Exploring the land, and say: OK, survivors, are you ready? Go! Stage 1: The answers are below. Q Exploring the Land Sheet
Q What happened last lesson? (Accept responses. God gave his people the directions to build his special tent, the tabernacle. God was going to live with his people. He also gave special instructions for the sacrifices the people had to make.) Well, it had been two years since Israel first came to Mount Sinai and now it was time to move on. Ask a student to read Numbers 10:11–13 from your CEV Bible.
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• What were the instructions for exploring the land? (Moses was to select leaders from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. They were to explore the land from south to north. They were to see what the land was like, how many people were there, how strong they were, what kind of cities they lived in, how fertile the land was and what kind of trees grew there. They were also to bring back some fruit from the land.)
• The explorers responded in two different ways to what they saw. What were the responses and who responded that way? (1. Caleb and Joshua believed they could take the land. 2. The other ten were frightened and didn’t think they would take the land.) Once all groups have finished, ask them to sit down quietly. Q Who thinks the Israelites will listen to the ten explorers? (Allow time for students to raise their hands.) Q Who thinks the Israelites will listen to Caleb and Joshua? (Allow time for students to raise their hands.) Let’s find out who the Israelites listened to ... Ask a student to read Numbers 14:1–10a from your CEV Bible while the others follow in their Activity books. Q Who did the Israelites listen to? (Accept responses. The other explorers.) Q Who remembers what the Israelites had promised God at Mount Sinai? (Accept responses. They had promised God that they would do everything he commanded—Exodus 19:7–8.) Q Did they keep the promise they had made to God? (Accept responses. No.) They didn’t trust God and were threatening to hurt Moses, Aaron, Caleb and Joshua. But ... Read Numbers 14:10b from your CEV Bible (from ‘But just then ...’).
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• Draw in the box what the explorers saw. (Students draw where they found the fruit, they could draw the land flowing with milk and honey, they are to draw people and walled cities, and where each of the tribes lived.)
Q What do we remember about the sacred tent, or the tabernacle, from last week? (Accept responses. It was the place where God met with Moses, and his people, to talk with them.) Q What do you think God would have to say about this situation? (Accept responses.) God was angry with his people. Q Why do you think God might be angry with them? (Accept responses. They didn’t trust him. They disobeyed him and didn’t keep their promise to him.) Q Did God’s people have any good reasons to trust God? What were they? (Accept responses. Yes! They saw all the amazing things God did in bringing them out of Egypt, he appeared to them at Mount Sinai, he lived with them in the tabernacle and he even protected them and provided for them in the desert.) Q Did any of the explorers trust him? (Accept responses. Yes! Joshua and Caleb trusted that God could give them the land, just as he promised.) God’s people had seen all the things God had done for them. God was a trustworthy God. He always keeps his promises. Q What was one of God’s promises to them? (Accept response. That he would give them the land.) But despite all of this, God’s people still failed to trust him. They grumbled against him and refused to go in and take the land. And because they didn’t trust God, despite all they’d seen him do, they would never get to see the land. God sent his people back out into the desert to wander around for 40 years, until all the adults were gone and all the kids had grown up.
Q Who appeared? (Accept responses. God did.)
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Q How could they tell God was there? (Accept responses. A cloud appeared at the sacred tent.)
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» Connections God is a trustworthy God. He will always keep the promises he has made. And his promises are good! God wants his people to trust him! Q How could God’s people have shown that they trusted him? (Accept responses. By obeying his command to take the land. This would show that they trusted his words and they would be successful.) God’s people needed to trust God and obey him by taking the land. Because they didn’t trust God they missed out on the good things he had promised them—they wouldn’t get to go into the land. But Caleb and Joshua trusted God and he promised them that they would live to enter the land.
I’m going to pray now. If you would like to pray too, please join me. If you would rather not, that’s OK. Please just sit quietly so we don’t get distracted.
» Concluding prayer Dear God, thank you that we learned today that you are trustworthy and always keep your promises. Thank you that you loved the world so much that you sent your Son to bring forgiveness of sins so that your people can live forever with you. Please help your people to trust and obey you. Amen.
And God is the same God today ... He has brought forgiveness and promised his people today good things too. Q How has God rescued (or saved) people from their sin? (Accept responses. He sent Jesus to die in people’s place so that they can be forgiven.)
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Q God promised Israel land. What has God promised Christians today? (Accept responses. He has promised that everyone who believes in Jesus will have life with God forever in heaven.) Ask a student to read John 3:16 from your CEV Bible. God is trustworthy and has promised his people good things. He has promised that everyone who believes in him, who follows Jesus, will have eternal life. But people need to make a decision to trust him. Q How could someone show God that they trust him? (Accept responses. By obeying him.) Q How would someone know what God wants them to do? (Accept responses. By reading the Bible.) Trusting and obeying God isn’t always easy but the Bible says that when people trust him they will get the good things he has promised— eternal life with him! Direct students’ attention to Lesson 7 in their Activity books.
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» Taking it further SPY REPORT Ask the students to imagine they were one of the spies who explored the land. Students then write a report to give to Moses including the things they saw and whether or not they recommend entering and living there.
TRUSTING GOD In small groups: ask the students to discuss the following questions. Why did the people of Israel find it hard to trust God? What reasons did they have to trust God?
If you have time, head outside so the students can participate in further trust exercises. Depending on the number of children in your group, divide the students into pairs or trios to carry out the following exercises. For child protection reasons, the teacher should not participate in these activities with the children. In pairs: • Children sit back-to-back with arms by sides, the children try to get into an upright position together, then sit down again. Ask them which was more difficult—sitting down or standing up.
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TRUST EXERCISES
» Teacher reflections Q Can all students see the Visual aids from where they are sitting? Q Do students know you are able and willing to assist them in their lesson and Activity book tasks?
» For next lesson Q There are some Visual aids to prepare.
In trios: • One child stiffens their body and is rocked back and forth between the other two.
EXPLORING ISRAEL Ask the students to spend some time doing some research on what the land of Israel is like now. What is the landscape like? What are the fruit and trees like? What kinds of things grow well in the land?
TRUST GOD Ask the students to read Proverbs 3:1–12. Q How does the writer of Proverbs encourage his son to express his trust in God? (By not forgetting God’s word and keeping his commands.)
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Q What is he to think about himself? (He is never to think that he is wise enough— always needs to trust in God’s wisdom and his word.)
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Way in challenge
Bible focus challenge
Your first challenge today will be done in pairs and is a challenge that requires trust.
Your second challenge today will be completed in groups of four or five. You will be given a sheet with a Bible passage and questions to answer.
Face your partner, standing about one arm’s length apart (you could demonstrate by putting your arms out in front of you) and put the palms of your hands together—your arms should be bent. You then need to rock forward one at a time, trusting that your partner will catch you and hold you up.
You will also be required to draw a small image. In the box on your handout, draw what the explorers saw. Students might draw fruit, land with cows and beehives, or the people who were living in that land at the time.
The aim of the challenge is for everyone in the room to trust their partner.
Lesson 7 © 2012 The purchaser of this manual is entitled to photocopy this page for classroom purposes.
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Exploring the land Numbers 13 (CEV) 1
The Lord said to Moses, 2’Choose a leader from each tribe and send them into Canaan to explore the land I am giving you’. 3
So Moses sent 12 tribal leaders from Israel’s camp in the Paran Desert 4–16with orders to explore the land of Canaan ...
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Before Moses sent them into Canaan, he said: After you go through the Southern Desert of Canaan, continue north into the hill country and find out what those regions are like. Be sure to remember how many people live there, how strong they are, 19–20and if they live in open towns or walled cities. See if the land is good for growing crops and find out what kinds of trees grow there. It’s time for grapes to ripen, so try to bring back some of the fruit that grows there. 18
21 The 12 men left to explore Canaan from the Zin Desert in the south all the way to the town of Rehob near Lebo-Hamath in the north ...
25After exploring the land of Canaan for 40 days, 26the 12 men returned to Kadesh in the Paran Desert and told Moses, Aaron, and the people what they had seen. They showed them the fruit 27and said: Look at this fruit! The land we explored is rich with milk and honey. 28But the people who live there are strong, and their cities are large and walled. We even saw the three Anakim clans. 29Besides that, the Amalekites live in the Southern Desert; the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites are in the hill country; and the Canaanites live along the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. 30
Caleb calmed down the crowd and said, ‘Let’s go and take the land. I know we can do it!’
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But the other men replied, ‘Those people are much too strong for us’. 32Then they started spreading rumours and saying, ‘We won’t be able to grow anything in that soil. And the people are like giants. 33In fact, we saw the Nephilim who are the ancestors of the Anakim. They were so big that we felt as small as grasshoppers’. • What were the instructions for exploring the land?
• In the box beside, draw what the explorers saw. • The explorers responded in two different ways to what they saw. What were the responses and who responded each way?
© 2012 The purchaser of this manual is entitled to photocopy this page for classroom purposes.
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© 2012 The purchaser of this manual is entitled to photocopy this page for classroom purposes.
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Š 2012 The purchaser of this manual is entitled to photocopy this page for classroom purposes.
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