Lesson 2: Preparation

Full transcript and related links below

Truth 78's preschool curriculum builds a foundation for young children to know and love God through a chronological overview of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.

• Children are introduced to the key people, places, events, and themes of Scripture.
• Most importantly, they learn that God is the Author and main character.
• The Bible is one continuous, interconnected story that instills faith by revealing the character of God. In every Bible story we tell, the main question to answer is what does this say about God? By doing so, children will amass a systematic theology of God, who God is, what He is like, the wonders He has done, and how He relates to His people. 

He Established a Testimony, the Old Testament curriculum, introduces the greatness of God. 

He Has Spoken by His Son, the New Testament curriculum, emphasizes God's grace to redeem a people for Himself through Jesus. 

In this training, we aim to equip you to teach in a manner that highlights the biblical themes and exalts God's character. Psalm 145:4 provides an important reminder as we seek to communicate these truths to children. "One generation shall praise your works to another." Teaching God's works to the next generation should be an overflow of praise from a mind that has been instructed by the Word of God and a heart that has embraced it.

Storytelling is the mode of communication used with our preschool curriculum. Storytelling is not reading a book or scripted lesson, but communicating the story in a compelling way that engages the attention of young children. Each lesson in our curriculum provides needed components for the teacher to tell the story effectively. 

Let's take a look together to identify the components in a lesson. 

• The gray box contains the Scripture reference that includes the story. 
• Next are the Key Theme options. You will choose one or two for your story's focus. 
• Curriculum Resources and Supplies that you might choose to use are listed. 
• The Main Storyline section provides important details from the passage. It is not meant to be read to the children, but used as a reference to craft presentation. You will notice the inclusion of stories that aren't often seen in story book bibles. Rather than dismiss a whole story because of mature or violent content, the main storyline section will provide ways to present important pieces of such stories in a tactful and understandable way for children. 
• Next, you will see the Teacher Preparation section that includes the preparation process. We'll go over that in detail in just a bit.
• Hook options are listed. Each lesson has at least one hook idea for introducing the story. Its main purpose is to lead into the lesson by grabbing and focusing a child's attention. Feel free to think of a different hook if you prefer. 
• Look options are listed, including a story visual. The series of questions in this section aim to probe the heart. Oftentimes, this section is used for small groups. The questions encourage the children to consider how the story applies to them.
• A coloring sheet that matches the coloring book visual allows the children to color as their small group leader engages them in this conversation.
• You will find the Foundation Memory Verse for the week here. Scripture memory in the preschool curriculum is optional. The verses are not always connected to the story but come from a collection of verses chosen for young children. The Foundation Verses collection provides a firm scriptural foundation of basic biblical truth. Young children have a unique ability to memorize, so we strongly recommend this memory verse collection.
• Finally, parent resources are listed in the send home section to support the church to home connection.

Here are the steps we recommend for lesson preparation. 

• Read the Scripture passage. Prayerfully study the passage for yourself. When the Bible is taught from an engaged heart and communion with God, it is contagious. Studying the lessons passage for the sake of your own edification allows you to teach from an overflow of affection for God. 
• Next, read the lesson. Note the key themes, the look visual, and questions in the look section.
• Reread the passage and choose one or two key themes. The chosen theme or themes will be repeated and woven throughout the storytelling. 
• Determine how you will present the story and what props you’ll use.

The most powerful storytelling aid is a teacher who communicates a passion for God with the face, voice, hands, and body. God created these means of expression for the purpose of bringing Him glory as we declare His mighty works. Some simple storytelling strategies include the following:

• Vary the pitch of your voice to represent different characters in the story.
• Vary the pace of your speech for emphasis, slow to fast.
• Vary the volume of your speech, quiet to loud.
• Include sounds. For example, when telling about Jonah's boat, you can make the sounds of crashing waves and the creek of the boat.
• Include facial expressions to demonstrate the emotion of the character or the emotion that we as hearers should have in response to the story.
• Include body movements to communicate an idea.
• Encourage the children to participate with you in telling the story, such as repeating the key theme after you or making a movement together.

Engage the senses while telling the story.

• Young children are concrete thinkers and in this pre-reading stage, engaging their senses is a key to memory and understanding.
• Use props or include an illustration that they can hear, see, smell, taste, or touch.
• Some illustration ideas are included as hook options in the lesson. You might also think of your own illustration that engages their senses to demonstrate an idea or part of the story.

One approach we recommend is using felt visuals with a flannel board.

A source for felt that many of our churches use is Betty Lukens. Free or low cost images are also available. You can contact our customer care team for those sources.

• Using felt pieces and felt backgrounds, the Bible's historical characters can be introduced in a setting, helping children to visualize the context for the story.
• Felt visuals help children to understand the unfamiliar. For example, showing a figure of Abram on a camel in a caravan will help them to understand the unusual mode of transportation and the barren conditions of the slow journey Abram faced.
• Felt can show movement in the story as pieces are changed and repositioned as the story progresses.
• Children can easily participate during the lesson by placing pieces on the flannel board. They can even retell the story using the felt pieces. 

Next, in your preparation…fill out the preparation sheet.

[He Established a Testimony Preparation sheets and sample completed sheet | He Has Spoken By His Son Preparation sheets and sample completed sheet] 

• Jot down the chosen theme or themes.
• Write the verse or verses from the passage that you will read directly from the Bible. Choose verses that teach a key concept or contain the words that God speaks.
• Include any supplies you'll need. 
• Write down the hook of your choice, either from the curriculum lesson or your own. 
• Fill in the story details section. A group of small children may only have an attention span of about 10 minutes, so be concise in your planning. Include notes that will support your presentation method. 
• Jot down what you plan to say based on the God-focused key theme or themes you have chosen.
• Teachers might include story details in simple language, understandable definitions of important words, questions, and where the chosen key themes will be mentioned.
• Some sort of simple reference should be made to the previous lesson. That connection can happen briefly in the hook or at the beginning of the story. One idea is starting the lesson by showing the look visual from the previous lesson and asking a question that leads into the current story as you decide which story details to include.
• Keep in mind that whole chapters can be summarized in a sentence or two. For example, rather than tell all the details of Laben's and Jacob's agreements about Jacob's wages and the speckled and unspeckled sheep, it is sufficient to say that Laban wasn't fair to Jacob.
• Although intended for preschoolers, these curricula can be used with lower elementary age children as well. If this is your situation, you can adapt vocabulary and explanations to the age group you are teaching. 
• Fill in the ending section. This is a summary statement to reinforce the theme or themes. You can also include a song or prayer to end your teaching time. 
• Fill in the look section. Show the look visual during the ending summary or to transition to the application time. The look section should include your plan to reach the heart. Will it be all together or in a small group? 
• Jot down your application questions or choose questions from the curriculum lesson that will encourage a discussion with the children. Many small groups allow the children to color the coloring page while discussing the story's application because it is helpful for little ones to have their hands busy while having the conversation. 
• Finally, practice telling the story using the teacher preparation sheet as a reference. Some teachers find it helpful to practice in front of a mirror or in front of someone else.