Sample PreTeen Teacher Guide Fall by My Healthy Church

PreTeen

Sep | Oct | Nov 2020

TEACHER GUIDE

UNITS

1: God the Father 2: Being a Witness

3: Our Bible and Books of Law

PreTeen

Teacher Guide Grades 5 & 6

Volume 85 Number 1 Sep • Oct • Nov 2020

• TEACHING HELPS Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. KJV stands for King James Version. PRETEEN TEACHER GUIDE (ISSN 1524-4687) is published quarterly by The Gospel Publishing House, 1445 N. Boonville Ave., Springfield, MO 65802-1894. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to PRETEEN TEACHER GUIDE, 1445 N. Boonville Ave., Springfield, MO 65802-1894. For information on quality discipleship resources for all ages, visit www.GospelPublishing.com, www.MyHealthyChurch.com, or call toll-free 1-800-641-4310.

The ABCs of Salvation. . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Steps to a Successful Sunday School Class. Age-Level Characteristics. . . . . . . . . . . . Teacher Skill Builders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Feedback Forum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Review Activities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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1 2 6 8 55 94

• LESSONS UNIT 1: GOD THE FATHER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 September 6—God Is Faithful. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 September 13—God Is Living. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 September 20—God Is Love. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

UNIT 2: BEING A WITNESS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 September 27—Witnessing with Our Words. October 4—Witnessing with Our Actions. . . October 11—Witnessing with Our Work. . . . October 18—The Great Commission. . . . . .

. . . .

31 37 43 49

63 1142

UNIT 3: OUR BIBLE AND BOOKS OF LAW. . . . . . . 57

October 25—Everyone Needs the Bible. . . . . . November 1—The Bible Is God’s Inspired Word. . November 8—The Bible Is a Library.. . . . . . . . November 15—The Book of Genesis. . . . . . . . November 22—The Book of Exodus. . . . . . . . November 29—The Books of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. . . . . . . . .

Front cover photo: © Gradyreese/E+/Getty Images

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58 64 70 76 82

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THE

ABCs of SALVATION

Leading a Child to Christ

Evangelism is a privilege. There’s nothing quite so exciting as helping a child accept Jesus as Savior. As you teach, look for opportunities to lead children to Christ. When children respond to a salvation invitation, use this plan to guide them as they accept Jesus as Savior.

Admit you are a sinner. • Read Romans 3:23 (NIV) with the child: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” • Say, “Everyone disobeys God. That is sin.” • Ask, “Do you understand that you have sinned?”

Believe in Jesus. • Read John 3:16 (NIV) with the child: “‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’” • Say, “God hates sin but loves each of us—even though we all sin. He loves us so much that He gave Jesus, His Son, to die and take the punishment for our sins.” • Lead the child in the sinner’s prayer: Dear Jesus, I am a sinner. I have disobeyed You. Please forgive me. Come into my heart and life. Help me love and follow You. Thank You for the gift of salvation. Amen.

Confess that Jesus is your Lord. • Read Romans 10:9 (NIV) with the child: “Confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord.’” • Say, “Asking Jesus into your heart is the start of a new life, a life where Jesus is your Leader, your Lord. He will never leave you alone.” • Ask, “What has happened to you?” and let the child respond. • Encourage the child to tell someone about his or her new life with Jesus. • Tell the child’s guardian the good news of the child’s salvation. Ask if the child would like to be baptized in water as a sign of his or her decision to live for Jesus.

Steps to a Successful Sunday School Class

Start with Curriculum You’ve made the right choice in choosing this curriculum. It provides solid biblical teaching at a level your preteens will enjoy and understand. The lessons are designed for easy preparation, and the activities will keep your preteens interested and reinforce the lesson. As you begin your lesson preparation, use the following checklist to keep track of all the curriculum pieces you will be using:

 PreTeen Teacher Guide —13 easy-to-use lessons, plus helpful hints and tips  PreTeen Resource Packet —lesson helps for your classroom, includes a CD  PreTeen Student Guide —activities that coordinate with your lessons  PreTeen Bible Explorer —lesson-related puzzles  Welcome to Holsom ® Comic —comic book style take-home paper that reinforces the lessons  Bible Fact-Pak ™ (NIV) —576 questions covering biblical people, places, events, and teachings

Think about Your Class Next, consider what you already know about your class.

 T ime—How much class time do you have? Be sure

ars old Nate—boy, 11 ye always getting

to consider total time as well as actual teaching time (after greeting, transitions, etc.). Estimating the time it will take for each activity will help you decide which ones to use.  S etting —What is your classroom setting like? Is your classroom arranged in lecture-style? Do you have a table? Don’t be afraid to get creative in your classroom arrangement. Arrange the chairs in a circle, or bring pillows and have everyone sit on the floor one week. If you have a small space, adapt activities to better fit your needs.  Teachers —How many teachers and helpers do you have? Divide responsibilities among them and choose (or modify) activities accordingly.  S tudents —Who are your regular attendees? How do they learn best? Do you frequently have visitors? It’s a good idea to plan your lesson for the regular attendees, but be prepared in case of visitors.

g. He’s Learns by hearin to g, always the first kin tal in trouble for to ten lis to es and lov answer a question, stories.

years old Michaela—girl, 12 hing. She uc ns by seeing & to

Lear together,” matching always looks “put , has She loves to write from head to toe. s er mb g, and reme beautiful handwritin down. things she writes

ars old Austin—boy, 12 ye letic, enjoys g. He’s ath Learns by movin s ugh—play, rarely sit energetic—even ro down, etc.

ars old Amber—girl, 11 ye ed. She’s

Now consider what you know about your regular attendees. You may want to keep notes (see sample) on each student describing how he/she learns best and his/her attention span.

undecid Learning style is king, and touching! always moving, tal on to remain focused It’s difficult for her e has ADD. the task at hand. Sh

If your regular students cover all the learning styles* (like the sample note), you won’t have to plan other activities for less frequent attendees. If your class has primarily one or two learning styles, you may want to have variations or additional activities ready for visitors. *To learn more about learning styles, see page 5.

PreTeen Teacher Guide

The Teacher Focus will help you become familiar with the lesson and how it relates to your students. “Life Application” and “We Believe” will show you how to apply to students’ lives the doctrine within the lesson.

C. The Living God—Poster 1 Seeing *5 minutes Visual activities will target preteens who learn best by seeing. This particular activity will also reinforce the story and help students apply the lesson to their lives.

A. Music (as students arrive) Seeing & hearing *10 minutes As students arrive and get settled, you may want to take a little extra time to talk to your students about what is going on in their lives as well as reviewing last week’s lesson. Asking questions about last week’s lesson will prepare their minds to focus on this week’s lesson.

Info:

B. Baal Fact Search

D. The Living God—drama

Moving, seeing, & hearing *5 minutes

Hearing & moving *10 minutes Drama is an excellent tool in teaching p reteens. Most preteens love acting; plus, acting out the Bible story helps them learn it better by experiencing it.

An activity that gets students out of their seats and moving at the start of class will boost their e nergy, making them more alert to learn. This s pecific activity will appeal to students who learn by moving, seeing, and hearing. It is a good choice since it covers so many learning preferences.

D C B

Plan Your Lesson At this point, sit down with your PreTeen Teacher Guide and adapt the lesson to fit the needs of your class. Highlight, circle, or mark the activities that your preteens will enjoy and, most importantly, will meet their learning styles.

Fall

Plan Your Lesson cont.

G F

E. Applying God’s Word Do Bonus Option Seeing & touching *5 minutes Using activities from the Bible Explorer will reinforce the lesson for your preteens who learn by seeing and touching. Since there is only one visual/tactual learner in this class, you might opt to provide an alternative activity for the others or choose another activity altogether.

G. Memory Verse Do “The True God” in Student Guide Seeing & touching *5 minutes. Learning the memory verse by using the PreTeen Student Guide activity will help students learn the verse while reinforcing their problem-solving skills.

Have additional activities prepared in case you finish early or need to fill time. Review questions are a great time filler. Make it even more interesting by bringing candy or gum to toss to each student who answers correctly. Also, optional review activity ideas are provided in the back of the Teacher Guide.

F. Living God’s Word Hearing *5 minutes Reading or telling stories and discussing life-application questions will engage your preteens who learn by hearing, plus the discussion will help students learn how to apply the biblical principles to their everyday lives.

PreTeen Teacher Guide

H. Making Christ My Savior If you have students who have not made a commitment to Christ or if you have visitors and you don't know them well, it’s a good idea to present the plan of s alvation. This gives everyone the opportunity to accept Christ. You never know when a student might be ready to make a life-changing decision.

Take a closer look at … HOW YOUR STUDENTS LEARN

Teach the Lesson As you teach the lesson, constantly evaluate: • Your students —What things are you discovering about them and how they learn? • Your lesson —Are the students grasping the concept and objective presented in the lesson? • T he activities —Are they working well? Is the order flowing like you’d hoped? • T he time —Do you have extra activities or games planned? Are you keeping your students’ attention? What fun activities can you do to reinforce the lesson?

Evaluate After each class, evaluate the lesson as a whole using the questions from step four.

Evaluation: nt well. we son les * The s option activity! * Glad I had the bonu the baseball * The students loved tion to get them op y An game. Note: nner! up and moving is a wi

There’s no set formula for a successful Sunday School class, and there’s no guarantee that all your preteens will remember what you teach them and make the life applications. But God promises that His Word will not return void. And by following these five simple steps, you can teach biblical principles so that many of your students will remember and apply them. And that’s what teaching is all about.

SEEING (visual) Miguel likes to “see” his world. He enjoys colors, contrast, bulletin boards, and videos. He gets bored when there are no visuals. HOW TO TEACH MIGUEL: • D isplay posters from the Resource Packet • Do Student Guide, Bible Explorer, and copy master activities • Use object lessons

HEARING (auditory) Alison “hears” her world. She loves to hear stories and listens when you tell her to do something. She becomes bored when she hears information she already knows. HOW TO TEACH ALISON: • Tell Bible and life-application stories • Use listening and sharing activities • Sing songs and listen to skits from the Resource Packet CD

TOUCHING (tactual) Stephanie likes to “feel” and “feel good about” her world. She needs to “get in touch” with new concepts and learns best when she can feel and compare information. HOW TO TEACH STEPHANIE: • Use interactive posters from the Resource Packet • Make lesson-related objects or crafts • Draw and create lesson-related pictures or collages

MOVING (kinesthetic) Zack loves to experience his world through movement. He moves a lot during class and loves p articipating in things like dramas, action songs, and plays. HOW TO TEACH ZACK: • Act out the Bible story • Utilize dramas and skits • Play movement games for review or memory work FallFall 2010

COMMON CHARACTERISTICS

WHAT THIS SAYS TO THE TEACHER

Have a good memory; eager to learn

Provide them with foundational Scripture verses.

Many accept Christ at this age

Provide opportunities to accept Christ. Give doctrinal Âtraining also.

Many receive the Holy Spirit bÂ aptism Provide instruction and opportunity to receive this gift. They seek heroes

I C O S 6

Provide them with stories, books, or videos of Christian heroes.

Aware of their need to please God LetCharacteristic them pray. Encourage New Age-Level spread daily devotions. Explain Bible stories through prayer and Bible reading simply and honestly try to answer questions. Can help others

A class project of helping someone encourages this.

Are influenced by teachers

Be a good example. Live a life consistent with what you teach.

COMMON CHARACTERISTICS

WHAT THIS SAYS TO THE TEACHER

Have a strong sense of justice

Preteens watch how the teacher acts. Be a good example. Teach them that God is faithful and just. Show what the Bible says about these things.

Are influenced by their peer group

Group acceptance is important and should be recognized. Allow times for them to work with others who may not be part of their group.

Ready to discuss simple social problems

They are aware of their world. Discuss ways your class can help in the community.

Keen competitors; will often compete with others to gain recognition

Provide for team competition. Show them the right and wrong ways to compete. Discuss what the Bible says about competition.

S P I R I T U A L

All children grow through similar stages at similar ages. Some characteristics will occur earlier or later in some children. Knowing how children think, feel, and act in general helps you relate to them and plan lessons that will help them in their spiritual growth.

PreTeen Teacher Guide

WHAT THIS SAYS TO THE TEACHER

Are in the healthiest time of life

Expect them to attend Sunday School on a regular basis.

May be restless and tired at times

A physical change is beginning. Provide a variety of activities.

Girls are more developed physically

Girls are typically more mature than boys by about a year. Some girls will be self-conscious. Be sensitive to individual needs.

COMMON CHARACTERISTICS

WHAT THIS SAYS TO THE TEACHER

Are good readers

Provide Christian books to be borrowed and returned.

T A

Like challenge

Stimulate interest through such things as puzzles, contests, quizzes, and codes.

Developed sense of time and distance

Discuss more Bible facts and places. This is a good age to introduce the use of maps when explaining biblical places.

Like to take part in group planning

Allow groups to participate in planning socials and class events.

Respond to visual stimuli

Use posters, charts, and pictures.

Enjoy creating stories, poems, drama, and art

Direct their creativity into drama, songs, art, and other participatory methods. Be sure these relate to the lesson.

COMMON CHARACTERISTICS

WHAT THIS SAYS TO THE TEACHER

Able to make choices

Give them things to do. Offer choices of activities when possible.

Can get absorbed in doing something and won’t hear you talking

Channel their energy into creative things. Let them become absorbed in these. Do not insist on a strict s chedule. Be flexible.

Experience unsteady emotions and may be moody

Accept them. They are undergoing emotional changes and at times cannot help themselves. Your understanding will help.

EMOTIONAL

PHYSICAL

COMMON CHARACTERISTICS

Fall

Teacher Skill Builder

SUNDAY SCHOOL CAN BE A GOOD EXPERIENCE

You reach your classroom on Sunday morning with high hopes for an interesting class where everyone is involved. Your hopes are dashed when your lesson presentation is lost amid classroom chaos. As the last student leaves, you wonder what happened. Did you make a mistake by agreeing to teach? If this sounds familiar, the following tips are for you.

Use variety. An interesting presentation is crucial for maintaining student attention. An interested class has fewer behavior problems. Practice your presentation during the week. Don’t read the entire lesson to the students. If you do, • your students will think you don’t know the material, • you won’t have eye contact, • you won’t see signs of potential misbehavior. As you study your lesson, select activities to provide variety and evoke interest and understanding. Lecture has a place among teaching methods, but any method used all the time becomes monotonous. Students will be more interested in the lesson if variety is used in its presentation.

PreTeen Teacher Guide

Let the students help set behavior boundaries. Have an informal class discussion and let the students suggest what behaviors should or should not be permissible in Sunday School. List their suggestions on the marker board. Some students may try to be funny or shocking in their suggestions, but you will probably get several excellent ideas. Help the students understand that their conduct shows how much they love and respect God. You may be pleasantly sur-

God wants you to be a successful teacher. He wants Sunday School to be a good experience for you and your students. prised at how well the students respond to forming their own guidelines for behavior.

Communicate your own behavior expectations. Tell the students what kind of behavior you expect from them.

Explain, for example, that you want them to read their lesson before class or that you don’t want them to interrupt while you or someone else is talking. Telling them what you expect lets them know if their behavior is acceptable.

Reinforce the positive. A misbehaving student receives attention while the well-behaved students are often ignored. Children like to feel they are noticed and that they are pleasing the people who are important to them. By complimenting positive behavior, such as contributions and attentiveness while others are speaking, you are providing examples of how you want all the students to act.

Make your room cheerful. A bright room filled with interesting items is inviting. Although you may face limitations in decorating as you wish, you can still do things to brighten a room. • Add brightly colored posters. Purchase inexpensive posters or let the students make them to give them a sense of ownership. • Work out arrangements with leaders of groups who share the room. Decorate portions of the walls assigned to you.

Teacher Skill Builder

ESSE NTIALS

Enjoy your students. Children can sense if you want to be their teacher. When they know you want to be with them, misbehavior, apathy, or chaos is diminished and interest and involvement increases. • Like your students for who they are. • Consider the strengths or talents of each student. • What is particularly likable about each student? • Ask God to help you see positive characteristics in difficult students. The more you enjoy your students as people, the more you will enjoy your teaching ministry. Your students will also sense they are accepted for who they are and will begin to relax and enjoy the class—and you.

FOR IMPROVEMENT There will be days when it seems nothing works. Children are naturally more energetic during holidays or drastic changes in weather (the first snowfall, or the first few days of warm weather after winter). It is also impossible to know all the events happening in each student’s personal life. As a teacher who wants to improve, do these things:

Pray Ask God to help you be the teacher He wants you to be. Ask Him to show you ways to improve your teaching ministry. Seek to be open to the Holy Spirit’s direction as He convicts and deals with students in your class. Pray for each student individually. You may not know every need each student has, but God does. Pray in your classroom before the students arrive. Dedicate your class time to God to be used for His glory. God can work through your prayers.

Evaluate progress After every class, evaluate it. • How did the students react to the lesson topic? • Did the students identify how the topic related to them? • Did your presentation keep them interested? • Did you give the students a chance to respond to the lesson topic? • Did you begin to lose control of the students? If so, when? By evaluating each lesson, you will become more aware of which ideas work with your particular students and which ideas don’t. This will give you guidelines for future lessons.

Depend on God’s help You are not alone in your teaching ministry. God wants you to be a successful teacher. He wants Sunday School to be a good experience for you and for your students. Let God help you be the teacher He wants you to be.

Fall

Teacher Skill Builder

GROWING SPIRITUALLY

By Glen Ellard

Daily prayer and Bible study are essential for both you and your students. Daily Bible study and prayer can benefit you as a teacher by • helping your own life to grow spiritually stronger, making you a better role model. • providing spiritual help for your teaching ministry. If you have a hard time developing a consistent pattern of Bible study and prayer, perhaps the following points may help.

1. Make an appointment with God. Develop a habit of having your devotions at the same time every day when you can be alone with God. Remember, God spoke to Elijah in a still, small voice (1 Kings 19:11–13). Hearing God speak is easier if your mind is uncluttered with the day’s activities. If necessary, keep a notepad handy. When something you need to remember comes to mind, jot it down, then return to your devotions. If you begin to have your devotions at the same time each day, this will soon become a normal, yet special, part of your day’s schedule. The day may even seem incomplete if you fail to have your time with God. It is a spiritually uplifting habit.

2. Find a “secret place.” This may be nothing more than sitting beside a certain window or in a favorite chair during your devotions. In your secret place you can shut yourself away from the problems and trials of daily life and spend special moments with God.

3. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Jesus knew we could not understand His Word by using our minds alone. We need His help to understand spiritual truths. The Holy Spirit provides that help. Before you read God’s Word, ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand what it says and how you can apply it to your life. Then be sensitive to the Spirit’s direction.

PreTeen Teacher Guide

4. Come just as you are. Prayer is a privilege God has given us to express our deepest feelings to Him. Talk honestly with God. He knows how you feel. Psalm 139:4 says,“Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord” (NIV). God wants you to come to Him as you are. He understands you because He created you.

5. Incorporate praise. Prayer is also a time to praise God for who He is. God deserves our praise and adoration. God can do great things in and for us as we praise Him. He commanded the army of Jehoshaphat to let the singers lead them into battle. When they obeyed, they found their enemy completely destroyed. There is power in praise (2 Chronicles 20:20–24).

6. Include your teaching ministry. As you spend time in prayer, ask God to prepare you for the coming Sunday. Let the Holy Spirit guide you into a deeper understanding of the truths you teach your students. The Holy Spirit may also reveal additional passages of Scripture that will be useful in teaching your class. Then pray for each student in your class. 7. Share your devotions. Tell your students about some new things you have learned from God’s Word or an answer to prayer you have had in your personal devotions. You will set a good example of daily devotions for them to follow. They need to know you practice what you teach. Personal devotions is a time to grow in Christ. Let God speak to you as you in turn speak to Him. Then minister to others through your growing, maturing spiritual life.

God the Father In this unit of study, you will be looking at the nature of God in His relationship with us. His nature is to be true to His word. He will keep His promises to love us, to help us, and to provide a home in heaven for us. We can trust this God above all gods. He has made a way for us to know Him and to become part of His family forever. No other god could do that.

UNIT VERSE KJV: Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. Isaiah 44:6

NIV: “This is what the Lord says— Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.” Isaiah 44:6 The unit memory verse is provided for those teachers who prefer that the students learn one verse each unit rather than a new verse each week. The unit memory verse can be learned over the course of an entire unit.

By the end of this unit, your students should be able to discuss how Noah showed confidence in God’s faithfulness, explain how God showed himself a living God by the sign He gave Israel, and summarize how God’s love for them should affect their relationships with others.

UNIT REVIEW Give each student a copy of the review from Copy Master 1 at the beginning of the quarter to see what they need to learn. Give the review again at the end of the quarter to see what they learned. See below.

CLASS PROJECT IDEA Graffiti Wall You will need a large sheet of paper, markers, and tape.

Post a large sheet of paper on the wall of your classroom. Tell the students this is a graffiti wall where they can jot down things they’ve learned in class, encouraging messages to friends, prayer requests, and praise reports. It gets students involved and encourages interaction and communication. You may even start things out by writing your own encouraging note to the class. Leave the paper up for this unit, allowing the students to add to it each week. At the end of the unit, use the graffiti poster to review the lessons and talk about answered prayers.

The numbers referenced in the lessons refer to the Bible Fact-Pak Question Cards used with Junior Bible Quiz. These questions correlate with the lessons. For more information, visit www.MyHealthyChurch.com.

Fall

Lesson 1 • September 6, 2020

God Is Faithful UNIT 1: GOD THE FATHER

Objective

The students will be able to discuss how Noah showed confidence in God’s faithfulness.

Life Application

Confidence: To encourage the students to name ways they can show confidence in God’s faithfulness

Memory Verse

Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33 (KJV) "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

We Believe

The Bible: We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God and is the revelation of God to humankind, giving us absolute rules of faith and conduct. God: We believe there is one God, existing in three Persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is the creator of heaven and earth.

PreTeen Teacher Guide Lesson 1

Bible Text

Genesis 6:5 to 8:22; Matthew 6:25–34

Teacher Focus Noah faced a big problem. God was sending the Flood and, in order to survive, Noah had to put his trust completely in God. God is faithful to keep His promises. We can have the same confidence Noah had in God’s faithfulness if we seek after Him with all our hearts. We don’t have to worry about the troubles of life. We can trust God’s faithfulness to take care of us. LESSON STEP

Getting Started

ACTIVITY

MATERIALS NEEDED

Animal Shuffle...............

Names of animals on slips of paper

Option: Confidence Drill.........

Sponge ball or beanbag

Learning God’s Word

Noah’s Story..................

PreTeen Student Guide, pages 1 and 2

Applying God’s Word

Noah’s Confidence..........

PreTeen Student Guide, pages 2 and 3

Option: Part One......................

Bible Explorer, page 1

Confidence

None

Living God’s Word

in Action. .....

Closing Activities Memory Verse................. Option: Seek First. ...................

Making Christ My Savior.......................

Student guide covers and stickers PreTeen Student Guide, page 4 Page 1

Review............................

See pages 94–95 for activities.

Bonus Option: Part Two. .........

Bible Explorer, page 2

Sing “Who Is God?” and “Glory to You” (tracks 1/7 and 2/8) on the CD in the resource packet.

Review Last Week’s Lesson ? What are the last three events of the end times? (Satan’s final destruction, the Great White Throne Judgment, and the New Jerusalem) ? What decisions did you make this week based on the fact that the body is mortal (it dies) but the spirit is immortal (lives forever)? (Answers will vary.)

Getting Started

This segment gets your students thinking about the lesson concept.

Animal Shuffle Write on slips of paper the names of several different animals (e.g., cow, parrot, horse, cat, whale, fish, snake, lizard, jellyfish, dog, deer, bear, lion, hippo, squirrel). Seat the students in a circle. There should be one less chair than the number of students. Instruct a student to stand in the center of the circle. Have each student draw an animal name. The person standing in the center of the circle must name an animal characteristic. (Examples: I am a mammal; I can fly; I swim in the ocean; I lay eggs; I am covered in scales; I eat plants; I have horns; I eat meat; I have fur.) All the students whose animals have that characteristic must get up and find a new chair. The student in the center tries to find a chair as well. Then the student left in the center must name another characteristic. Continue playing until several students have been in the middle of the circle. Then ask the following: ? What man from long ago had to put many animals in a small space? Hint: He built an ark. (Noah) ? What do you know about Noah and his story? (Possible answers include these: He built an ark, survived the Flood, gathered all the animals; it rained for forty days and nights; he had three sons; God sent a flood.) Write the words confidence and faithfulness on the board. Can you tell me what these words mean? You may need to help students formulate their definitions. Definitions are provided in the sidebar. In today’s lesson we will discover how Noah showed confidence in God’s faithfulness.

Definitions Faithfulness—being reliable or trustworthy; a person who is faithful does what he says he is going to do. Confidence—assurance, being certain, having faith or believing that you or another person will act in a right, proper, or effective way.

These Bible Fact-Pak Question Cards are relevant to this lesson: 33–37, 530, 539

September 6

Teacher Tip Activities that allow the students to move around rather than sit appeal to preteen students. They also respond well to lessons that are broken into short segments of teaching in different styles, such as interactive, lecturing, and discussion groups. This change of activity also helps the student who has a hard time staying focused for long periods of time.

Note to Teacher: Students may have many worries in their lives, and they have probably been let down at times by people they trusted. Whatever their circumstances, students need to know they can trust God to take care of them. He supplies our physical needs, and He provides for our emotional, social, and spiritual needs as well. God doesn’t promise to keep us from trouble, but He does promise to help us through it.

PreTeen Teacher Guide Lesson 1

Confidence Drill An alternative way to introduce the lesson topic is to give a small sponge ball or beanbag to a student. When you get this, you must name something or someone in whom you have confidence. Confidence means “being certain, having faith or believing that you or another person will act in a right, proper, or effective way.” Each of you will pass or toss the ball to another student who then must name something in which he is confident, such as the sunrise, a teacher, a parent, a light switch, or a chair. Continue this until all the students have shared. ? How do you show your confidence in the things or people mentioned? (Answers may include these: Confidence in athletic ability is shown by playing a sport with gusto or walking around with pride; confidence in a parent's love is shown by asking for their help or by giving them a hug.) ? When is it important to have confidence? (Answers may include these: When you have to rely on someone else, when you have to perform to a certain degree of excellence.) Confidence helps us achieve goals, put our trust in others, and affects our relationship with God. Today’s lesson is about how Noah showed confidence in God’s faithfulness.

Learning God’s Word

This segment presents students with the Bible lesson.

Noah’s Story Genesis 6:5 to 8:22; Matthew 6:25–34

Have students take turns reading aloud the story, taken from Genesis 6:5 to 8:22 and Matthew 6:25–34, on pages 1 and 2 of the student guide. As one student reads, the rest are to listen for ways Noah showed confidence in God’s faithfulness. • God’s heart was filled with pain. The people He had created had turned their hearts away from Him. They were doing wicked things. God was sorry He had made humankind because of their wickedness. He decided to send a flood to wipe out all the wicked people. But one man, Noah, was a righteous man. He loved and obeyed God. • God wanted to save Noah and his family from the Flood. God told Noah He was going to destroy people because of their evil. He gave Noah detailed instructions on how to build a boat that would save his family and many animals. Noah believed God would be faithful. He did everything just as God commanded.

• When finished, the ark was 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. (That’s about one and a half football fields long, as wide as the length of a basketball court, and as tall as a four-story building.) The ark Noah built was huge. It took a lot of hard work and about 100 years to build. But Noah had confidence in God, so Noah obeyed. • Then God told Noah to take into the ark two of every kind of animal and seven of those that were good to eat. Noah believed and obeyed God. Then God told Noah to go into the ark with his family and the animals. Noah had confidence that God would be faithful. He did all that God had commanded. • Then God shut the door and it rained for forty days and forty nights. The land was completely flooded just as God had promised. Everything was destroyed. But Noah, his family, and the animals were safe on the ark. God had been faithful to His promise to take care of them. • Noah, his family, and the animals lived on the ark for over a year as they waited for the water to dry up. When the water was gone, God told Noah to come out of the ark with his family and animals. Noah obeyed. He showed his thankfulness for God’s faithfulness by building an altar to the Lord. • Noah didn’t worry about his needs or even his life. He knew God would take care of him. In the New Testament, Jesus says to us, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear” (Matthew 6:25, NIV). God took care of Noah’s needs and He will take care of our needs too. Our Heavenly Father knows what we need. He will provide for us. He will be faithful. • When we seek God’s kingdom and concentrate on the things that matter to Him, we will become more aware of God’s faithfulness. We can have confidence that He will do what He has promised. Ask the students the following discussion questions, then read the “Noah’s Ark” facts from the sidebar (right). ? What are some ways Noah showed his confidence in God? (Every time he did what God commanded, he was showing his trust that God would do what He said.) ? If you were Noah, what might have shaken your confidence? (Building the ark was a big job; people probably criticized Noah for believing there would be a flood, etc.) ? What was Noah’s response to the challenges? (Read Genesis 6:22; 7:5.) ? What challenges might we face that take a lot of confidence? (Answers will vary.)

Noah’s Ark For a wooden vessel, the ark was enormous. By modern standards it is comparable to a small cargo ship. The ark was constructed with three stories, or decks, of “rooms” or separate compartments. It had an opening for light and a door in its side. Ship builders today still use the dimensions God gave Noah to build the ark. It is the ideal size and shape for a large vessel to withstand a rough sea. The ark could have held some 7,000 kinds of animals. (Adapted from Full Life Study Bible, Zondervan)

September 6

Preteen Problem Keira’s friends have stopped sitting with her at lunch and have stopped inviting her for their weekend sleepovers. Keira doesn’t understand why they don’t want to be her friend anymore. Maybe they are doing things she wouldn’t approve of. Keira’s tired of doing things by herself, waiting for them to come around. • What do you think Keira should do? • How can she show confidence in God’s faithfulness in this situation?

Applying God’s Word

This segment helps the students connect the Bible to their lives.

Noah’s Confidence Matthew 6:25–34

Ask the students to complete “Noah’s Confidence” on pages 2 and 3 of the student guide to see how well the students understood the point of the story. (Answer: Page 2—A. Noah and his family got in the ark before the Flood; C. Noah took two of every kind of animal and seven of the kind he ate onto the ark; E. Noah built a very large ark; H. Noah built an altar to God; Page 3—1. God promises to take care of our needs; 2. God takes care of the birds and the grass. He will take care of us. We need to have faith. Don’t worry; 3. Seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness; 4. All the things we need.) ? How do we know that God will be faithful to us and meet our needs as He did Noah’s? (Jesus promised that He would. See Matthew 6:25–34.) ? How did Jesus say we could show our confidence in God’s faithfulness? (By not worrying and by doing things that are important to God.) We can put our confidence in God’s faithfulness because He has always been true to His word. God keeps His promises. We can have faith that He will take care of us.

Part One If time allows, have the students complete Part One on page 1 of the Bible Explorer to help the students review what Jesus said we can do to show our confidence in God. (Answer: Don’t worry, seek God.)

Bible Explorer, page 1

Living God’s Word

This segment helps students use God’s Word in daily living.

Confidence in Action Divide the students into small groups. Have each group act out a scene in which one of the students shows he or she has confidence in God’s

PreTeen Teacher Guide Lesson 1

faithfulness. Discuss the importance of attitude when it comes to showing confidence in God. (Some suggested situations are these: Family has no money for food; Dad has lost his job; person wants to be baptized in the Holy Spirit; preteen needs new shoes to play soccer; grandmother is in the hospital; preteen has a big test the next day) You may read the Preteen Problem in the sidebar on page 16 and discuss the questions.

Closing Activities Memory Verse Divide the class into three groups and divide the verse into three phrases. Assign each group a different phrase. Have the first group say the first phrase, the second group say the second phrase, and the third group say the third phrase and reference. Do this several times until the class can do it smoothly and quickly. KJV: Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33 NIV: Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

Seek First An alternative way to study the memory verse is to have the students complete “Seek First” on page 4 of the student guide. (Answer is shown—NIV.)

Review Questions 1. Why was God’s heart filled with pain? Because of the people’s great wickedness 2. What did God plan to do because of the people’s great wickedness? Send the Flood 3. How was Noah described? He was righteous. 4. What does it mean to be faithful? To do what you say 5. What is confidence? Being certain about something 6. What is one thing Noah did to show he had confidence in God’s faithfulness? He obeyed and built the ark; he took in the animals; he stayed on the ark during the Flood; he built an altar of thanks to God. 7. What did Jesus say to us about worry? Don’t worry; God will be faithful to meet your needs. 8. What should we seek? Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Making Christ My Savior When we try to go through life without God, we have no one to go to with our worries. We all need God’s forgiveness and help. Pray with any who desire to accept Christ into their lives. See “The ABCs of Salvation” on page 1 for further guidance.

Hand out Welcome to Holsom® issue 13.

Review See activities on pages 94–95 to use with the questions in the sidebar.

Part Two If time permits, have the students complete Part Two on page 2 of the Bible Explorer to review the lesson and find out what kind of man Noah was. (Answer: 1. door, 2. pitch, 3. eight, 4. high, 5. forty, 6. wide, 7. long, 8. hundred, 9. cypress; RIGHTEOUS)

Hand out

Welcome to Holsom Self-Evaluation • Didcomic the students explain how ICON here, Noah showed confidence in David God’s faithfulness? • Can they say what they will do this week to show confidence in God’s faithfulness?

September 6

Review Activities Candy Collection Review You will need review questions and a bowl of individually wrapped candies. Divide the class into groups of two or three. When a team answers a question correctly, each team member may choose a piece of candy. When an incorrect answer is given, each team member forfeits a piece of candy. Ask the missed question again later.

Review Bee You will need a list of review questions. Line up the students along a wall. If a student answers correctly, he remains standing. If he answers incorrectly, he sits down. The last one standing wins.

Bible Baseball You will need a scorekeeper, a baseball diamond, and a list of questions marked for levels of difficulty. Divide the group in half. Let the first team member select a single question (easy), double (harder), triple (very hard), or home run (nearly impossible). If the person gets the answer right, she moves to the appropriate base. If wrong, she is out. Three outs and the next team comes to bat.

Drop the Clothespin You will need clothespins, two widemouthed jars, and tape.

PreTeen Teacher Guide

Divide the class into teams. Each team gets its own jar. When a member from a team answers a review question correctly, he can try to drop a clothespin into the jar. When a member answers incorrectly, a strip of tape is placed across the mouth of the jar. The more incorrect answers given, the harder it becomes for that team to get a clothespin into the jar. See how many clothespins they can get into their jars.

Domino Review You will need review questions and a set of double nine or double six dominoes. Divide the class into two

teams. Hand out three to five dominoes to the students, depending on the number of students in your class and how many dominoes you have. Have the student with the double nine or double six start first. She must answer a review question. If she answers correctly, her team gets the number of points on the domino she put down. If she answers incorrectly, the other team gets a chance to answer the question for the number of points on the domino. If no one answers correctly, the points go to neither team. Allow the teams to take turns putting down dominoes that match end to end. Make sure all the team members from each team get a chance to answer a review question. Play until a team runs out of dominoes or you run out of review questions. See how many points each team can get.

Happy/Sad You will need markers and a marker board. Draw two circles on the board representing a smiley face and a sad face. If the class answers a review question

Review Activities correctly, add an eye or a smile to the smiley face. When the smiley face is complete (two eyes and a smiley mouth), give the class praise. If the class misses a question, add an eye or a frown to the sad face. If the sad face is completed (two eyes and a frowning mouth), add a tear to the smiley face. To erase the tear and complete the smiley face, they must answer an extra review question.

Candy Toss

Penny Toss

You will need numbers written on pieces of individually wrapped candy. Toss the candy toward the students, and let them try to catch a piece. Each student must correctly answer the review question that corresponds with the number on her piece of candy before she can eat it.

You will need a bucket of water, a glass measuring cup, several pennies, paper, pencils, and a list of review questions. Before class, fill the bucket with water and put the glass cup in the bottom of the bucket. Divide the class into two or three teams. Allow students from each team to take turns answering a review question. If the student answers correctly, he may have three tries to drop a penny from waist level into the cup at the bottom of the bucket. If he answers incorrectly, he gets one try. Give each team a point for every penny they get into the cup. See how many points each team can get.

Pyramid Knock Down You will need ten (or more) disposable foam cups and a rolled-up sock. Stack the cups to form a pyramid (4-3-2-1) on a table or desk against a wall. Write point values on each cup. Divide the class into teams. When a team answers a review question correctly, one of their team members gets to throw a rolled-up sock at the pyramid. His team gets the number of points written on the cups he knocks down. If the team misses the question, the other team gets a chance to answer the question. See how many points each team can get.

Matching Game You will need two sets of review question cards, one question per card. Mix the two sets of cards together and lay them facedown on a table. Let students take turns picking a card and reading it out loud. No answers may be given until the matching card has been read. When the matching card has been read, those two students may confer, then answer. If the question is correctly answered, the cards are removed from the game. If answered incorrectly, both cards are put back on the table facedown. Continue until all the questions have been answered. Fall 2020

Notes

Coming Winter 2020 –21 Unit 1:

n God the So 6 r be em dec of Jesus' Prophecies Birth 13 december nces the God Annou g Son's Comin 20 r be decem Is Born God's Son 27 r be decem ing Seeking A k

PreTeen Teacher Guide

Unit 2:

My Church and Me January 3 The Old Nature January 10 The New Creation January 17 The Place to Grow January 24 The Church's Ordinances

Unit 3:

Books of History January 31 Joshua—Taking the Promised land February 7 Judges—Israel's Ups and Downs February 14 Ruth—A Gentile Ancestor February 21 Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles—the Kings February 28 Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther—the Exiles

What What’ ’ s What’s

Ahead

Scope & Sequence

Winter 2020–21

Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3

God the Son My Church and Me Books of History

Spring 2021

Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3

Pictures of Jesus Books of Poetry Life in God

Summer 2021 Unit 1 God the Holy Spirit Unit 2 The Armor of God Unit 3 Books of Major Prophets Unit titles may be changed.

Sample PreTeen Teacher Guide Fall

Articles inside

The ABCs of Salvation

September 13—God Is Living

Age-Level Characteristics

Teacher Skill Builders