Use this tool to solve common problems you'll find in your gospel classroom. Select from the options below to find teaching techniques that will help you solve some of the most common problems in LDS gospel classrooms:
Anciently, making an oath or covenant was the strongest form of commitment one could use. When the Lord swears something to us, this should be very serious to us. Look for such language as "As I the Lord liveth," "I am the Lord," or when the Lord uses a certain Name (ie. "the Lord of Hosts is my name, or "Holy One of Israel," etc), or when he calls someone else by name with a promise: "Thou art Nephi . . ." "Blessed art thou Simon Barjona . . ." Prophets also give promises. When you find an oath or covenant, it is helpful to look for the conditions of the promise and also the consequences/blessings. Sometimes they are stated and other times they are implied.
Look For: Look for the words above that mark off covenant language.
Example: 1 Nephi 1:20 In the middle of the verse, Nephi makes an oath to those who are chosen of the Lord. The covenant language is when he states "I, Nephi." He promises us that the tender mercies of the Lord will deliver us if we are faithful. Thus, Nephi is swearing to us that God will fulfill this promise in our lives as the Lord has in his and his fathers.
The Old Testament is especially full of these examples of oaths and covenants. For example in Leviticus 19:18, the verse ends with the statement "I am the Lord." It may seem strange to us, but the Lord is making an oath to us. If we seek revenge or "bear grudge" against our neighbors, then it is as if we have done it unto Him. If we will love our neighbors as ourselves, then we will be favored by the Lord and He will love us.
(Adapted from Panning for Gold: Various Methods to Understand and Apply the Scriptures to Ourselves by Eric Bacon, Northwest Area Seminaries)
Go to http://lds.org/music/ Click on "Library". Choose a song you want to sing. Click on the play button that will show up as you mouse over the song to hear the MP3, OR, click the title and see the totally awesome music player. It will play your music at the tempo you choose and even transpose the music into a key you can sing. It's FANTASTIC. We use it every day in our Seminary class. I put it up on the TV screen and we all follow along as the words scroll.
This is great resource for when you need to use music in your lesson but don't have access to a pianist.
As Nephi taught, we should "liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning" (1 Nephi 19:23).
Where could you or a student place your name or situation into the scriptures and make an appropriate application? Could you substitute your name for someone else's or personalize the situation to make the scripture speak directly to you?
Look For: Look for ways to put your name or situation into the scriptures.
Example: Alma 48 What if all the things said about Captain Moroni were said about you? How would you act differently? What would it mean to you if "all men had been, and were, and ever would be like unto {YOU}, behold the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men" (v. 16)?
(Adapted from Panning for Gold: Various Methods to Understand and Apply the Scriptures to Ourselves by Eric Bacon, Northwest Area Seminaries)
Great for: Helping students find meaning in the scriptures, Eliciting thoughtful responses, Lesson preparation
Class size: Any class size
Helps Students: SEE a gospel principle in action
Prep Time:
Student Age: Any age
Equipment needed:
The pilcrow symbol can be very helpful in understanding the Bible. It marks off a new paragraph. Use it to identify main themes between "paragraphs" and new trains of thought. Just look for that cute little curly backwards 'P'--¶!
Example: In Jeremiah 21, the man who throws Jeremiah in the stocks asks a question in v. 2. There are three parts to the answer, each part marked with a ¶ and the third one continues into chapter 22 where the next ¶ is. Realizing what these marks indicate helps us understand confusing transitions in the scriptures.
(Adapted from Panning for Gold: Various Methods to Understand and Apply the Scriptures to Ourselves by Eric Bacon, Northwest Area Seminaries)
Don't be afraid to take the your students outside for a field trip to help them learn a lesson.
EXAMPLE: Next I took the kids up the hill to our apple trees. With some small pruners, I pruned off a few branches while explaining to the kids that I had a plan for these trees. I knew that in order for the apple trees to reach their full potential, they must be pruned. It's probably unpleasant for the plant. But I'm the Master Gardner, and I can see the future somewhat and can tell which branches will compete with each other or are sick. We talked about the symbolism of this, too. I told them the famed CS Lewis / George Macdonald story about God building a palace where He can reside, not the cottage you had in mind.
"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself." C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
At what point in the scripture block did the Spirit touch you and whisper to you that something you read was true? Maybe a particular part was something with which you have already had experience. Bear testimony of it during class, and invite students to do the same.
Look For: Be aware of your feelings as you read. What verses touch you? Look for phrases that speak to you.
Example: There are a lot of great verses in the New Testament, not to mention the specific book of James. But look how Joseph Smith reacted when he read James 1:5. (JSH 1:12-13). WOW! The Spirit really hit him with that one verse. What verse or phrases really "hit" you when you read? Does anything stand out to you, even though it's just a seemingly normal scripture (but really the Spirit knows it's for you)? Once before my mission, a few days before I entered the MTC, I had been set apart but had not entered the MTC yet. I was studying my scriptures one morning and a passage struck me with such force. I was wondering if I was truly worthy to be a missionary and represent Jesus Christ. And a verse in Alma 22 verse 15. I felt just like the king and wanted every wicked part "rooted out of my breast" and I too was willing to "give up all that I possess" to serve him. There spirit testified to me and I knew the scriptures were truly the Lord's word. When have the scriptures touched you? Can you become more aware of when the Spirit of God touches your heart and speaks with you through the words of scripture?
(Adapted from Panning for Gold: Various Methods to Understand and Apply the Scriptures to Ourselves by Eric Bacon, Northwest Area Seminaries)
Great for: Helping students find meaning in the scriptures, Eliciting thoughtful responses, Lesson preparation
Class size: Any class size
Helps Students: SEARCH the scriptures or text
Prep Time:
Student Age: Any age
Equipment needed:
How does connecting different parts of the story in the same or other chapters help make one scene more powerful and meaningful.
Look For: Put parts of a story or teaching together (don't forget previous and future chapters!) and "look for" connections.
Examples >1 Samuel 1 --2 Hannah's sacrifice of giving up her firstborn Samuel when you connect it with the suffering she went through (v. 6-7). It also makes her song (ch. 2) much more meaningful. How often do we get blessings from the Lord after much suffering and then forget to thank him? Are our thanks a simple one or worthy of being its own song like Hannah's?
(Adapted from Panning for Gold: Various Methods to Understand and Apply the Scriptures to Ourselves by Eric Bacon, Northwest Area Seminaries)
Use a respected adult to help you teach the class. Separate into groups and have the other adult teach one group while you teach another. Give the students a few minutes at the end of class to share what they learned.
EXAMPLE: When teaching Ruth, I asked my husband to take the boys while I took the girls. We wrote down the qualities that Ruth and Boaz had that would make them good spouses. The boys analyzed Boaz, and the girls took Ruth. I had written down some points from my reading to help us guide the discussion with our respective groups. During the discussion, as the kids would raise a point, I would point them to these verses (as did my husband). The kids were impressed enough with these two Bible personalities to mark several verses without being prompted. Yes! The objective was to identify positive characteristics in Ruth and Boaz the students want to include in their lives or find in a spouse.
When a weasel finds an egg, he punctures it and sucks the life out of the shell. In a similar way, some words in the scriptures suck the life out of a story or verse.
Look For: Look for words that seem to deflate everything that was said before or after.
Example: Jeremiah 6:14 "They (the priests) have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly . . ." What good is it to only be healed slightly? That's like trying to kiss someone's broken leg to make it better.
Jeremiah 2:3 "Israel was holiness to the LORD . . ." This word just sucks the life out of the statement. It should be "is" or "will," but "was" makes the statement sad.
(Adapted from Panning for Gold: Various Methods to Understand and Apply the Scriptures to Ourselves by Eric Bacon, Northwest Area Seminaries)
Great for: Helping students find meaning in the scriptures, Lesson preparation
Class size: Any class size
Helps Students: SEARCH the scriptures or text
Prep Time:
Student Age: Any age
Equipment needed:
Many scriptures make promises and conditions by putting them in a formula, usually stated as a "If [this happens], then [that will happen]."
Look For: Watch for the words like "If..." and "then..." CAUTION: many times the "then" part is implied and the word "then" word is left out.
Example: 1 Nephi 2:20 "Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, (there is no "THEN" but it is implied!) ye shall prosper." This promise to Nephi is a central promise in the book of Mormon and is still maintained for those who continue to inhabit the Promise Land (Ether 2:8-10).
Many If ... Then statements are "principles with promise." Help you students identify principles and promises as they read the scriptures.
(Adapted from Panning for Gold: Various Methods to Understand and Apply the Scriptures to Ourselves by Eric Bacon, Northwest Area Seminaries)
