The LEArning Curve

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where everyone around you understood something that you did not?  Perhaps a literary or pop culture reference.  Maybe the melody or lyrics to a song that was familiar to everyone except you.  Playing a game where everyone else knew the rules, and you were working to understand both the objective and the rules of the game.

In our classrooms, have we inadvertently created this experience for our students with regard to the faith?  Perhaps out of excitement to teach something new, we jump ahead by saying, “You all know this story,” or “We all know how to…”  When we accelerate past a review or introduction, we can leave students behind and shut down the opportunity for them to ask questions.  Our students do not have the same prior knowledge about Scripture and faith.  

Bible Stories

Yes, there is a set of Bible stories that are classics in the spheres of Sunday School, VBS, and Lutheran school religion curricula.  Yet, many Lutheran schools are seeing an increased mission field in their classrooms.  The students in Lutheran schools now include many young people who are new to Scripture.  These students are often unfamiliar with these “classic” Bible stories.  

What a privilege it is for Lutheran school educators to introduce students to Scripture where they hear of God’s love for them, including the gifts of forgiveness and eternal life that Christ suffered, died, and rose to provide for the children of God. 

Rather than assuming all of our students know Scriptural stories, how can we review the stories as introductions to new lessons?  When teaching about baptism to third graders, perhaps a review of Noah and the flood can serve as an introduction.  As we walk through the church year, how can we multitask to introduce students to these stories while reviewing them for others?

“But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:31 [ESV]

Catechism

Luther’s Small Catechism is an invaluable resource for teachers and learners in Lutheran schools.  Yet, how often do we pause to explain what a “catechism” is?  Have we taken time to help students know how to traverse the book of questions and answers?  Would students benefit from an activity finding the passages in their own Bibles that are referenced in the Small Catechism?

Hymns and Songs

Whether at chapel services or in your classroom, the hymnals and songbooks we use are full of wonderful texts that summarize scripture, serve as prayers, and voice our thanksgiving to God.  Beyond teaching students to navigate the system of numbers for Psalms, liturgies, hymns, and stanza numbers, how can we connect these worship resources with our classroom lessons?  As a review activity, have students highlight phrases in a selected hymn that summarize the Bible story of the week.  As an introduction to a unit, have students review a hymn and mark the phrases that prompt questions for them.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16 [ESV]

As educators, we are familiar with differentiating our instruction to meet the needs of our students.  Have we paused to consider how we are meeting their diverse spiritual needs?  The lifelong Lutheran sophomore comes to religion class with a different knowledge base than the non-church attending sophomore who transferred to a Lutheran school only a year ago. 

This week, when you pull out your Bible, your catechism, or your hymnal, consider that it may be something old and familiar to you, but it is likely something very new to many of your students.  

Hymn and Songs

Whether at chapel services or in your classroom, the hymnal and songs books we use are full of wonderful texts that summarize scripture, serve as prayers, and voice our thanksgiving to God.  Beyond teaching students to navigate the system of numbers for Psalms, liturgies, hymns, and stanza numbers, how can we connect these worship resources with our classroom lessons?  As a review activity, have students highlight phrases in a selected hymn that summarize the Bible story of the week.  As an introduction to a unit, have students review a hymn and mark the phrases that prompt questions for them.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16 [ESV]

As educators we are familiar with differentiating our instruction to meet the needs of our students.  Have we paused to consider how we are meeting their diverse spiritual needs?  The lifelong Lutheran sophomore comes to religion class with a different knowledge base than the non-church attending sophomore who transferred to a Lutheran school only a year ago. 

This week when you pull out your Bible, your catechism, or your hymnal, consider that it may be something old and familiar to you, but it is likely something very new to many of your students.