A student suggested this method based on something they do in her drama class at school. A narrator reads a passage of scripture while students act out their roles. Someone (a teacher or another person) randomly chooses a character to "vote off the island". This selection can be done by tapping an actor on the […]

A narrator reads a passage of scripture while actors dramatize it. When the teacher yells "freeze", the actors freeze and an actor (or actors -- you choose) comes in from the sidelines. They tap an actor on the shoulder and take his or her place in the action. The teacher says "Action!" and the dramatization […]

Write a list of passages or references on the board that have something important in them -- something "worth underlining." Explain to the class that there is something important in each verse and that you will give each student a chance to read their passage and explain to the class what they thought the most […]

I learned this extremely versatile teaching technique from Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemov. Basically, you assign a writing prompt. Everyone writes the answer. Then, as many people as you choose are invited to share. Sometimes I have each person share their written response. Other times, when there's a big group, I assign a […]

Before class, invite a student to prepare a short talk or devotional about a topic or scripture passage. You should give the student clear instructions about what you're looking for in the talk. For example, don't just assign a student to read Moses 7:18 and give a talk on it. Explain to the student that […]

I use this technique when teaching a topic significant to missionary teaching, like the plan of salvation or baptism. AFTER some instruction on a scripture passage or gospel principle, students are assigned into groups of three. Students read the same passage of scripture together as if this was a real missionary lesson. One person is […]

This is the easiest way to engage kids in scripture reading in my opinion. You'll need something soft like a beanbag or small stuffed animal. A wadded up piece of paper could even be used in a pinch. You may need to lay out some ground rules like : - do not aim above the […]

This technique is found in the Come Follow Me manual. It's difficult to have several people teaching a class, and it's also not beneficial for other students to watch just one student teach. Here's how I would do it: Help each student prepare a brief lesson on a gospel principle, while working in pairs. The […]

This popular technique has been misused and abused in gospel classrooms for many years. It is rare that splitting into groups can be used effectively in the gospel classroom.  Read on to find out if you think you can use it in yours: Small groups should not be created from groups larger than 20 people. […]

I use the phrase "Today We Learned..." to help establish direction in my lessons. First, I determine a lesson objective. Most of my lesson objectives start with the phrase "Students will ..." Here are some lesson objectives I've used this week during our study of Luke: Students will understand that friends and relatives of Jesus […]