Bible Activity - How to Build a Learning Unit for Your Sunday School Class Part 1 - Introduction
"Sometimes I love teaching my class. But there are some Saturday nights when I am desperate for ideas on what to teach the next morning. If only I had a better plan, I wouldn't be always trying to think of what to teach next." Do you sometimes wish for a better plan? You need to try a learning unit. A learning unit (or teaching unit) is a series of related lessons or Sunday school activities that a teacher plans to use over several classes. This may mean that a teacher creates a variety of activities centered on a bible character, a series of related stories, or a biblical theme. Choosing the Theme for a Learning Unit Sunday school teachers in many assemblies of believers are often given complete responsibility to select and teach whatever Biblical topic they like. Such freedom is a both a blessing and a burden. It’s a blessing in that there is no official religious creed to follow. You simply need to teach the whole Word of God. However, it is a difficult task to select something that is interesting, relevant to the students and covers basic Bible doctrines. You may wish to review the 254 page Sunday School Book of Lessons (http://gospelhall.org/downloads/gary-sharps-sunday-school-lessons-book.html ) which gives a brief outline of important points related to nearly all the stories from the Bible. For some teachers, this will be enough material for five years of lesson planning! Teachers who use this lesson guide will consecutively teach most of the Bible’s contents. If you are going to create your own learning units, you should choose a theme that is broad enough to give variety to each lesson, but not so broad that you miss your first priority as a Bible teacher. That is, students should gain a better understanding of God, the scriptures and salvation. Here are some examples of learning units that we will examine in further detail later on. Examples of Learning Unit Themes | Missionaries of the Bible – Jonah, Stephen, Paul, Peter, Two Witnesses, 70 disciples, the Great Commission | Parables of Jesus – Sower, Fisher, Lost Son, Vineyard Tenants, Two Builders etc. | Jerusalem, the key city of the Bible – In Abraham’s Day, David’s Kingdom, the Temple, Calvary - the cross outside the city wall, Historical Battles, Jerusalem in Prophecy | Heaven – Its requirements, features, inhabitants, location, duration, construction etc. |
Continue to page 2 to read the Benefits of Planning a Learning Unit or jump to page 3 of the article if you want to see more examples of themes right away
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