This idea came from a Pinterest post by Erin Guinup.  She didn't post a link to a website, but posted a picture of her chalkboard from doing this activity that you can see at right. You can see her pin on my Seminary Pinterest page. Basically, you start with a topic.  Each student is given […]

The purpose of this activity is for kids to learn to pick out what is the most important information in a section of scripture and to summarize it.  This is a valuable skill to learn for preparing talks or lessons. Hand each student a mini post it note.  Have them place the post it note […]

Ah, the dreaded Pop Quiz. There's a reason that this old-style teaching method hasn't been thrown out: it's super effective. This evil-sounding tool can be used by the wise teacher to help cover a lot of material very quickly, review previously studied material, or to determine how well students are understanding material.  Plus, it takes […]

I am teaching the 14-18 yr old youth in Sunday School.  One idea I have used seems to be working: I bought a composition notebook and pen for all the kids.  Every handout (I try to have one every week) is given to them with a piece of sticky Velcro.  They put one piece on […]

During three-step interview, students, in pairs, interview each other, then report what they learn to another pair. This method helps students network with each other and develop communication skills. Step 1: Student A questions Student B Step 2: Student B questions Student A Step 3: Students A and B enter a small group discussion with […]

Students are asked to imagine themselves in a given situation, and are asked questions about the situation. For example Health Studies students being asked to imagine they are a child who has just been admitted to hospital. Students learning mission skills are asked what the investigator would be seeking. (See the document 25 Ways for […]

Form two concentric circles. The smaller, interior group discusses a topic, while the larger outside group observes. Good for larger classes. Hint: Describe how this activity presents students with an opportunity to model or observe group processing behaviors. Reverse roles as needed. Rotate perspectives as an observer. This could be useful for teaching missionary techniques […]

During Think-Pair-Share, group members think about a question/topic individually, then share their thoughts with a partner. Large group summarized sharing also occurs. Hints: The goal of a think/pair/share is to allow participants time to think BEFORE they discuss with a partner. Research shows that when people are given time to contemplate an answer to a […]

When I teach, I try to apply the law of witnesses: "in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established," (See D&C 6:28, 2 Corinthians 13:1, Deuteronomy 19:15, 2 Nephi 29:8, Matthew 18:16) to my Lesson preparation. The idea is that as teachers, we're always looking for "witnesses" to the word. […]

Where are the symbols or figurative language in these verses? What are the symbols trying to teach? Contemplate the symbols and figurative language. Look For: Look for words that are symbols for something or someone. Example: In the book of Revelation, John continually chooses to represent Christ as the conquering hero but symbolically calls him […]