Elder Richard G. Scott taught, "Never, and I mean never, give a lecture where there is no student participation. A 'talking head' is the weakest form of classroom instruction." (Address to CES Religious Educators, February 4, 2005) Lecture has its place in teaching, but teacher presentation or lecture should not be your entire lesson. It […]

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 […]

Eaton and Beecher sometimes give students five minutes to prepare a 60-second talk on a verse from the day's reading. Students then present their talks. If student become long-winded, offer a prize for the student who comes the closest to 60-seconds without going over. Nothing helps students lean a principle so well as having to […]

The Student Study guide is full of great definitions for scripture terms and symbols. When you hit a difficult passage, look at the student guide for help. If that doesn't work, keep a good dictionary nearby that gives the root meaning of words as well as definitions that you can understand. See what this does […]

Find a powerful footnote that helps explain, empower, or give insight to a verse in the block where you were reading. Look For: Look for the little letters that precede a word that indicates a footnote. Example: Doctrine and Covenants 50:28-29 28 But no man is possessor of aall things except he be bpurified and ccleansed from all sin. (Adapted from Panning […]

While reading a scripture block, what are the things, phrases, allusions, etc that you don't understand? What questions do you have after reading some scripture verses? ALSO, look for actual questions in the block. Can you answer them? What if you had to answer the question aloud, especially if they were asked by the Lord […]

Jigsaw was first developed in the early 1970s by Elliot Aronson and his students at the University of Texas and the University of California. To teach using the Jigsaw method, “divide a topic up into, say, four sub-topics. For example childhood diseases could be divided into mumps, measles, whooping cough and German measles. Alternatively students […]

Think of ways to group your text to help you cover material effectively. Then WRITE VERSES ON THE BOARD to help students get through the material efficiently during your lesson. EXAMPLE: On the easel I wrote the following for Deuteronomy 8: Blessings of REMEMBERING v 2 v3 v4 v5 Dangers of FORGETTING v11 vv12-14 v17 […]

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 […]

Each student has a Styrofoam plate, a wet wipe, and a regular water cleanup (not permanent) marker. Ask students questions that can be answered in a few short phrases. They write their answers and flip over their plates. After a few moments, ask everybody to display their plates. I have used this as a lesson […]