TEACHER’S MANUAL
cO nnect Infants A2
REVISED
2017
TEACHER'S MANUAL
connect Infants A2
A Christian Education curriculum for children aged 5 to 7 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 Introduction – Having faith in God Lesson 1 Remember the Lord Lesson 2 Jesus teaches about hearing God’s word Lesson 3 Jesus teaches about real treasure Lesson 4 Jesus teaches about the rich farmer Lesson 5 Jesus teaches about loving God and one another Lesson 6 Jesus teaches about the great party Lesson 7 Lost and found Lesson 8 The rich young man Lesson 9 Jesus teaches about being really great Lesson 10 Jesus teaches that anyone can follow him Introduction – Trusting and following Jesus Lesson 11 A follower learns about faith—Peter Lesson 12 Lesson 13 Lesson 14 Lesson 15 Lesson 16 Lesson 17
A follower tells others about Jesus—Philip Changed by Jesus—Saul Unstoppable—Paul and Barnabas Followers tell the good news—Lydia 'I am with you'—Priscilla and Aquila Proud to be a follower—Timothy
Lesson 18 Lesson 19 Lesson 20
Following Jesus—Philemon and Onesimus Good news for everyone—Christmas The Bible Society
4 6 7 7 8 9
Acts 7 Luke 8:4–15 Matthew 13:45–46 Luke 12:16–20 Luke 10:25–37 Luke 14:15–24 Luke 15:11–32 Luke 18:18–30 Mark 10:35–37, 40–45 Matthew 9:9–13
Matthew 14:22–33; 16:13–17, 26; John 21; Acts 2–5 Acts 6:1–7; 8:26–40 Acts 9:1–31; 13:1–3, 46–47 Acts 14:8–20 Acts 16:11–15 Acts 18; Romans 16:3–4 Acts 16; 1 & 2 Timothy; Philippians 2:19–24 Philemon Luke 2 Various
10 12 24 34 46 54 62 72 78 84 92 102 104 114 124 134 142 152 162 172 180 188
Christmas assembly
Matthew 1:18–20; Luke 1:26–33; 2:8–16
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Special lesson
Various
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208 210 213 216 217 218 220 221 222
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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 Christian Education outcomes
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Dealing with grief
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S A2 INFANT
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Jesus teaches about real treasure
LESSON AIM Q To help students to understand that Christians believe that loving and trusting Jesus is more important than anything else.
LESSON OUTCOMES Students will learn about: Q how Jesus sometimes used stories to explain how to become part of God’s family. Students will learn to: Q understand that Jesus taught people about what it means to have faith in God Q appreciate that the Bible teaches that God wants us to trust Jesus and live as part of his family.
MEMORY VERSE Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind. Luke 10:27a (CEV)
» Bible background The kingdom of God (or kingdom of heaven) is a term which appears mainly in the Gospels. It refers to the reign of God through his King (promised long ago to David in 2 Samuel 7:16). In Mark’s Gospel (1:14–15) Jesus announces that the kingdom is near! Jesus’ message is described as the ‘good news about God’s kingdom’ (Matthew 4:23), while his miracles were a sign that the kingdom was near (Matthew 9:35). The kingdom of God was ushered in with Jesus’ first coming but will be consummated when he returns. Jesus’ kingdom is a present
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Matthew 13:45–46 kingdom where Jesus is ruling and he is king over all. But it will be at his return that his kingdom will be revealed to all. At that time, ‘everyone will bow down … and … everyone will openly agree, “Jesus Christ is Lord!”’ (Philippians 2:10–11). The parables of the kingdom are extended similes where aspects of daily life are compared to life in the kingdom (Matthew 13:24ff). The hidden treasure and the precious pearl (Matthew 13:44–46) are specifically designed to reveal the value of the kingdom and the joy associated with being part of the kingdom. Membership is more valuable than everything we own. To be included in the kingdom, therefore, is an immeasurable joy and privilege and not a burden. Since the kingdom of God is so valuable, it is worth sacrificing everything to gain it. These parables are not an instruction on what you must do to be saved (salvation is a free gift). Rather they highlight the inexplicable value of the kingdom, which is worth more than everything we own. Jesus is not expecting that we will sell everything we have when we become a Christian, but that there should be nothing that stands in the way of us accepting this gracious gift of life in the kingdom. If the demands and priorities of the kingdom threaten the security of our earthly existence, we must be prepared to sacrifice the latter (Luke 19:1–10). Jesus calls both the individual who is diligently searching for spiritual riches (the pearl) and the person who just stumbles on the truth (the treasure) to give up whatever stands between them and the kingdom. The cost of the kingdom is great, but kingdom membership is without equal in value and rewards. This makes the cost of putting it first worthwhile.
✔ Chalkboard and chalk or large sheet of paper and marker pen ✔ A ‘treasure bag’ (see Before you start) ✔ A note stating ‘SHARE YOUR TREASURE’ ✔ Treasure objects such as toy jewellery or toy coins (see Before you start) ✔ String of pearls (optional) ✔ Visual aids on page 30 of Jesus teaching the crowd and pages 40–45 of String of pearls, Man looking at a pearl, Man selling his belongings, Man counting his money, Man rejoicing after purchasing the pearl and Speech bubble ✔ A CEV Bible marked at Matthew 13:45–46 ✔ Your Revision board ✔ Blu-Tack ✔ Activity books ✔ Materials for Taking it further (optional) ✔ Jesus teaching the crowd from the Coloured Visual aid pack
›› INFANTS LESSON 3
» You will need
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Q You may be able to purchase toy treasure objects such as toy jewellery or toy coins from the local Variety store. Q Photocopy the Visual aid on page 45 of the Speech bubble for revising today’s lesson. Q Take care that the students do not think that eternal life can be bought. Emphasise that this is a gift from God through Jesus.
» Teacher’s prayer Thank God for this term and for the opportunities that will arise throughout the coming semester. Pray that the students will be interested in learning about God and Jesus and will be open to hearing and responding to God’s word.
OTHER RESOURCES If your lessons are longer than the standard, you may find the following resources useful. Q The greatest treasure (track 8) on Colin Buchanan's Practise Being Godly album or (track 5) on Colin's Favourites album.
BEFORE YOU START Q If you intend to use an interactive whiteboard, review the PowerPoint slide(s) for this lesson (see page 6 of this manual).
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Q For the Way in, have a ‘treasure bag’. This can be a simple drawstring bag made from sparkling fabric, or alternatively, a brown paper bag or similar, decorated with gold and silver glitter or pieces of paper. Before the lesson, place the note inside the bag.
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» Way in Show the students the ‘treasure bag’ and tell them that it has a message inside it. Explain that you are going to hide the bag. Choose a student to hunt for the treasure bag, then ask them to close their eyes as you hide the bag. The other students should watch where the bag is hidden. As the ‘searcher’ moves around the room, ask the class to say whether they are getting closer or further away from the hiding place. They could do this by clapping. The closer the hunter gets to the hidden treasure, the louder the students clap. When the student finds the treasure bag, they should open the envelope and read the message aloud. Show the toy treasure (toy jewellery or toy coins). If you found something wonderful, you would want to share the news with everyone, right? We had some fun searching for treasure today, but the Bible tells us about another kind of treasure.
›› INFANTS LESSON 3
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» Bible focus Display the Visual aid on page 30 or Coloured Visual aid of Jesus teaching the crowd. One day, Jesus told the people a story about a rich man who was looking for beautiful pearls to buy. Q What do we know about pearls? (Accept responses. Pearls cost a lot of money and are used to make jewellery.) Display the Visual aid on page 40 of the String of pearls. Alternatively you may choose to show the students some real pearls or costume jewellery. One day, when the man was shopping, he saw a beautiful pearl. The man looked at the pearl. Display the Visual aid on page 41 of the Man looking at a pearl. He looked closely at the pearl.
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He looked very, very closely at the pearl. Q What might the man be thinking? (Accept responses.) The man really wanted this pearl. He wanted this pearl more than anything else he owned. He asked how much the pearl cost. When he found out the price, the man knew he didn’t have enough money to buy it. So he went home and sold some of his things. Display the Visual aid on page 42 showing the Man selling his belongings. But he still didn’t have enough money! He really wanted this beautiful pearl. The man looked around at the other things he owned. He sold even more of his possessions. Did he have enough to buy the pearl now? He counted his money to find out. Display the Visual aid on page 43 showing the Man counting his money. But still he didn’t have enough. He wanted that pearl more than anything else in the whole world. The man looked at the gold ring that he wore everywhere he went. It was the thing he liked the best of everything he owned. Q What do you think the man might do next? (Accept responses.) He wanted the pearl so badly that he sold the gold ring. Now the man went back to the shop and bought the pearl. Q How do you think the man felt after he had bought the pearl? (Accept responses.) He knew he had something that was more important to him than anything else. He was very happy. Display the Visual aid on page 44 showing the Man rejoicing after purchasing the pearl. The pearl was so important to the man that he had given up everything else to buy it.
Ask the students to put up their hand to vote for the answer they think is correct. Q Why did Jesus tell the story about the man who gave up everything to gain the pearl? a) To tell people to buy pearls. b) To tell people to sell everything they own. c) To tell people that being a part of God’s family is more important than anything else. Jesus didn’t want people to sell everything to buy pearls. Jesus told this story because he wanted people to know that loving and trusting God is more important than anything else. He wants us to be a part of his family.
» Connections I have some treasures in my life, like ………….. and …………. and ………….. (name a few things like family, your home, and so on.) Q What are some things that are important to you? (Accept responses.) Q Is it wrong to have things that we treasure? (Accept responses. No.) It’s not wrong to have things that we treasure, but Jesus tells us that we should love him more than any of these things. Take out your Revision board and display. It should have the picture of Jesus displayed in the centre, saying ‘Jesus teaches us about having faith in God’. Alternatively, display the PowerPoint slides that are relevant for today’s lesson.
›› ›› INFANTS LESSON 3
Read Matthew 13:45–46 from a CEV Bible.
Q Who do you think God invites to be a part of his family? (Accept responses. Point out that God invites everyone to love and trust Jesus so they can become part of his family.) Q Does God want us to be a part of his family? (Accept responses. Yes.) Q How does someone become part of his family? (Accept responses. By trusting in Jesus, who died on the cross so our sins can be forgiven.) At the beginning of our lesson, we found some treasure and the message said to share it with everyone. Jesus loves us and wants us to be part of his family—what great news! Even better than treasure! We should share that great news with everyone! Distribute the Activity books and direct the students to Lesson 3. Ask the students to write on the ‘chalkboard’, copying from the revision board what Jesus has taught us today. Students may then complete all other activities on the page. Give assistance as needed. You may wish to revise the Memory verse in the manner suggested last week. This is how Christians talk to God. If you would like to pray with me please join me. If you don’t then please lower your head so we don’t get distracted while praying this short prayer.
» Concluding prayer Thank you, Jesus, that those who trust in you become part of your family. Help us to trust in you and to remember that loving you is the greatest treasure. Amen.
Q What did Jesus teach us about God today? (Accept responses. God wants us to love him more than anything else.) Add today's Speech bubble to the revision board and read it together with the class:
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God wants us to love him more than anything.
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» Taking it further SINGING
BIBLE EXPLORATION Tell the students that you are going to read a part from the Bible that was written by a man named Paul.
Love God (track 5) on CEP’s A2 Infants Music and Drama CD.
Explain that at one stage of his life, Paul did not love Jesus and actually tried to stop people from following him.
Supplementary songs are also suggested in Other resources at the start of the lesson.
Ask the students to listen to see how Paul’s attitude and belief had changed.
VALUABLE TREASURES Examine the following list of ‘treasures’ with the students and put them in order of value: • • • • • •
a diamond, a house, a car, a million dollars, a computer, (add your own).
Read Philippians 3:7–9 to the students from a CEV Bible, then discuss the following questions. • What does Paul think is the most important or valuable thing? (Knowing Jesus.) • Why did God accept Paul as his friend? (Because Paul trusted that Jesus can forgive his sins by dying on the cross in Paul’s place.)
Discuss why being a member of God’s family is more valuable than any of these things.
›› INFANTS LESSON 3
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PRECIOUS STONES Make a list of precious stones, such as rubies, diamonds, sapphires, and so on. Choose words to describe them and make a table to display your information. Find colour names to go with the stone names, for example ruby = crimson, scarlet; emerald = lime, olive, federation, and so on.
DRAMA Invite the students to act out the events in today’s Bible lesson.
» Teacher reflections Q Were the students able to understand that God invites them to become part of his family?
» For next lesson Q You will need a kilo bag of wheat, rice or similar grain for a demonstration in Way in. Q You will need a tray and three transparent plastic cups. Q You will need to prepare some Visual aids.
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›› INFANTS LESSON 3
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Teaching songs
aching a song the thought of te For many of us, ed below are ite daunting. List qu be n ca ts en g in (S)RE/ to stud help make singin ill w at th s tip al udents. some practic r teachers and st fo e nc rie pe ex RI a rewarding esent the been made to pr s ha pt m te at s A consciou yle to which they s in a musical st ng so ith w ts en out major stud chosen to sing ab ve ha e w o, ls A . er than will relate his people’, rath ith w is od ‘G as themes, such s reinforce the story. The song c ifi ec sp a t ou ab e songs ht. This means th ug ta g in be ts concep h, allowing er words to teac tend to have few with become familiar the students to them quickly.
PRACTICAL TIPS PS FOR SONGS • Ensure you know the song well before attempting to teach it. • Allow the students to listen to the song while they look at the words in the back of the Activity book. • Placing the words on the interactive whiteboard will enable the students’ attention to be focused towards the front of the room. This allows you to maintain eye contact. • The chorus is often the best part of the song to learn first. • Play the song loudly enough so that the students feel comfortable singing along. Often they don’t want to be ‘heard’ while they sing. • Have the students ‘whisper’ sing the song when it is new. • Encourage students to sing but do not force them. • If you sing with enthusiasm it is more likely that the students will too. • Sing a favourite song before starting a new song. • Play the song while the students are working in their Activity books. This will help them become more familiar with the songs. • Vary your approach. Why not have half the class clap while the other sings, and then swap over?
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• And finally, make this an enjoyable time of singing praise to the Lord!
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© 2011 The purchaser of this manual is entitled to photocopy this page for classroom purposes.
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Š 2011 The purchaser of this manual is entitled to photocopy this page for classroom purposes.
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© 2011 The purchaser of this manual is entitled to photocopy this page for classroom purposes.
42 • CONNECT – TEACHER’S MANUAL