Teacher Workshop for Children by Traci Sproule Part 1

April 20, 2024 - Saturday 2:30 MPR 4 Speaker   Speaker:Traci Sproule   Stepping into the Bible Lecture #1: If you can dream it... The Dream Congregation: Palm Beach Lakes church of Christ The congregation has a strong history of children’s Bible classes We desired and talked about writing our own curriculum for years Finally, the dream became more than just a dream  December 2009  -  The Initial Meeting: An Idea Sparked January 2010  -  The Concept Presented: A Curriculum Adopted Mid 2012  -  The Elder Challenge: A Target Set January 2013  -  The Teaching Begins: A Work in Progress August 2019   -  The Curriculum Finished: A Dream Realized The Development: Envision We wanted a curriculum that truly fit our needs A program that would teach the Bible A program that focused on Bible education over entertainment A complete program that was not a collection from various sources A consistent direction, format and appearance throughout A reusable program that would not become outdated over time An engaging program that got the parents involved at home each week We wanted an immersive experience From the moment the kids entered their hallway When they walked into their classrooms We wanted just a few weeks in each classroom to keep them engaged We wanted a complete teaching resource Something that would make it easier for our teachers to prepare Something that would make it easier for our teachers to teach Something that would make it easier for members to agree to teach Something that would guarantee consistency of lessons from teacher to teacher The Development: Evaluate We evaluated our Media Center Loaded with teaching resourced created and developed for over 40 years Space enough for designing and storing room decorations We evaluated our classroom arrangement Classroom space would allow for five teaching rooms, plus one other room Divided our children’s classes (Age 3 thru Grade 5) into five age groups Age 3-4, K, Grade 1, Grades 2-3, Grades 4-5 We evaluated key people First, we developed a curriculum development committee Then, we developed small auxiliary committees (2-3 people on each one) Classroom Decoration Committee Hallway Committee Teaching Resources Committee The Development: Execute The Curriculum Committee – Writing “Stepping into the Bible” We sat down as a group, with open Bibles, and identified Bible lessons to teach We ended up identifying 280 Bible lessons to be part of the curriculum We decided to do away with the 13-week quarter system We wanted the children to rotate classrooms (in Bible scenes) on a frequent basis We decided that each age group would be taught in each classroom for four weeks Each classroom represented a particular division of Biblical narrative Four lessons were grouped together to be taught in each room We called these 4-week teaching rounds, “Sessions” We decided that we would rotate every four weeks through the five classrooms Each age group would have an opportunity to be taught in each classroom The total time for these rotations would be 20 weeks, which we called, “Semesters” Finally, an internal “writing” committee began creating each lesson plan Each lesson plan was intended for all age groups – tailored by the teacher to their specific class Each lesson was written to contain specific and consistent elements: Objective Scripture Reference Memory Verse Lesson Facts Review Questions Narrative Discussion Questions for Older Kids The Classroom Committee – Creating the Environment Design and decorate FIVE classrooms for each semester, with each classroom representing an immersion into one of the 4-lesson sessions Create some kind of picture-based timeline in the room Realized a need for time between semesters to change each classroom Created the 2-week mini-session For two weeks, the children’s hallway was blocked off for the rooms to be changed out All of the children (Age 3 thru Grade 5) met together in our multipurpose room A special team was created to coordinate the 2-week mini-session for the kids The Hallway Committee – Immerse Upon Arrival Transform the entire hallway where our children’s classes meet Bible stories to come alive on the walls, covering every square inch Tell the story of the Bible from one end of the hallway to the other Include some 3-D elements coming out of the walls The Teaching Resources Committee – Reinforcing the Lessons Each classroom to be stocked with visual aids to help enhance teaching the lesson Ample selection of handwork for the children that corresponded to the Bible lesson Songs that would fit and reinforce each lesson Make Wednesday nights special, providing additional lesson reinforcement    Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9beg5Z6iD0 Duration 40:40