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Internet Resources for Sunday School Teaching

 

There is a seemingly endless amount of material on the Internet that is provided for Sunday School use, or usable as background information, by searching sites like www.google.com.  A few include:

Curriculum ideas and background readings:

  • www.textweek.com:  On the left of the page, click on "Index by Scripture" to navigate to the topic for the week you are teaching, and find material for children toward the bottom.

General resources:

Godly Play:

Skits, plays, and puppet shows:

Crafts:

Additional references:

 

 
 

About Godly Play, for Teachers

Godly Play is part of our Children's Ministry program, and we are using it more and more as time goes along.  You may be wondering how it fits with your teaching, and whether you are expected to start doing something you don't know how to do.  Rest assured, your own style and Godly Play can adapt to each other as you start to use its principles.  The following discusses what all of this means.  This description is not intended to replace reading about and getting training in Godly Play, but is meant as a quick introduction to get you started.

Flexibility in presentation is inherent in Godly Play.  As Jerome Berryman states in "The Complete Guide to Godly Play", Volume 1 (p. 9), "Learning the power and richness of the Christian tradition's way of communicating is like learning an art.  You have to use it to learn it.  You will need to practice these lessons, use them with children, reflect on them and do them some before they will be yours."  In terms of learning how to do any other art, like painting, you have to pick up the paintbrush, dip it in just the right color, and let your hands move the brush over the canvas."  In other words, just try what you feel comfortable doing, use what parts work for you while you see how they fit into your own presentations, and don't be afraid to make mistakes.

So, how do you get started?  A concise description is at http://www.natsoc.org.uk/schools/gp/doing.html in an article by The National Society for Promoting Religious Education, which is associated with the Church of England and the Church in Wales:

Doing Godly Play

A typical session of Godly Play lasts around 45 minutes to one hour, although sessions can last longer if sufficient time is available.  Two adults, a storyteller and a doorperson should be present to facilitate the session, which typically proceeds through the following stages:

At the threshold - the children are welcomed by the doorperson and invited to sit in a circle with the storyteller.

Building the circle - the storyteller settles the group in preparation for the story (Berryman, following the Montessori tradition, uses the term 'lesson').

Presenting the lesson - the storyteller focuses on the special materials used to present the story. These are usually three-dimensional figures crafted in natural materials.

Wondering - the children are invited to wonder about the story and explore their connectedness to it. Some wonder aloud; others in silence.

Response - the children decide on their own response to the story, which may be through art work, or learning to retell the story with the original materials, or through games, maps, puzzles or books.

The feast - the work is put away, everyone returns to the circle and the feast is shared (the feast is something to eat and drink).[1]

Saying goodbye - the session ends and each child is spoken to, by the storyteller and by the doorperson, before they leave.

Books by Jerome Berryman and Sonja Stewart describe how their authors present a number of Godly Play lessons, which can be a starting point for how you present your lessons.  But a "starting point" is not necessarily where you end up.  As Jerome Berryman states in "The Complete Guide to Godly Play", Volume 1 (p. 9), "I'm not going to make any universal claims, such as 'Everyone should do Godly Play, and this is exactly how they should do it.'  Godly Play isn't something that everyone can or should do.  It's just what I do.  If I were a painter, I would only tell you how I paint.  That's not the same as telling you how you should paint ..."

In the web page quoted above, it is important to note both what it says and what it does not say.  For example:

  • A Sunday School session "typically" follows this sequence, but the word "typically" allows for exceptions.  Exceptions can happen but should have reasons -- it helps to have a regular sequence of what happens in Sunday School so the students will know what to expect.  Our regular adult church service follows a regular pattern (e.g., "We Gather in Supportive Community", "We Lift Up Our Praises", "We Witness to the Word", and "We Respond with Dedication"), and the sequence of a Godly Play lesson is similar.  (Imagine how confusing adult church would be if the regular sequence of hymns, liturgies, and sermon wasn't there, and instead we'd have only hymns some weeks and others having none, sometimes having no sermon and other times having an hour-long sermon, etc.  Everyone's attention would be on "What's next?  What are we supposed to do?" instead of hearing the message.)
     

  • Two adults should be present:  the "storyteller" (traditionally, the "teacher") and the "greeter" or "doorperson" (traditionally, the "assistant").  The storyteller leads the lesson (settling the group, presenting the story, leading the "wondering" questions, etc.).  The greeter does more than watching the door and welcoming students:  he or she manages transitions, from entering the room and helping students get ready for the story, to getting out art work and supplies, helping students clean up and care for the room, and saying goodbye.[2]
     

  • The class listens to the lesson in a circle, but this doesn't say whether the circle sits on the floor or in chairs.  Maybe the circle is an oval.  But the storyteller and greeter promote everyone's understanding that the classroom is respected as the children's worship center.
     

  • The teacher "settles the group", but this doesn't specify whether this happens by saying certain words, singing a song, sharing news and events from the students' weeks, etc.  These are all possibilities.
     

  • The storyteller (i.e., the teacher) presents a story, but this doesn't mean following a specific script.  (Jerome Berryman says, in "The Complete Guide to Godly Play" (Volume 1, p. 24), "The objects themselves brought to mind the events of your life that you wanted to share.  When I tell a Godly Play story, I don't read the story, and I don't even memorize it.  I tell it, from my heart.  I enter into the story with all the presence and attention I can bring, knowing that each time I tell this story I will discover something new.")
     

  • The quote doesn't require using a specific tone of voice.  Some stories ask to be told with serenity, and for some teachers a tone of serenity is their natural style.  But John Wesley was an exciting speaker, and if a story leads you to capture Wesley's excitement within the overall framework (e.g., "settling the group"), then that can be the way to present it.  It is best to just use a tone of voice that is natural for you.
     

Key parts of Godly Play are to lead the students in wondering about what the story means and how it relates to their experiences, and then to allow the students to respond in their own way to the story.  Examples of "wondering" questions are:  "I wonder what part of the story you like best?  I wonder what this object really is, and what Jesus meant when he told this story?  I wonder where you are in this story, or what part of the story is about you?"  The "wondering" questions that a teacher asks are intended to draw the students into the story's meaning, but there is no right or wrong answer, and silence can be a sign of deep thinking.  There may be materials available (including the materials used to tell the story) that are specific to your weekly lesson, but the students can find their own way to respond to it.  The students' responses aren't expected to be complete within a set period of time, and a student may want to continue working on something that started previously.  The students are respected as members of the community, who have the ability to make good choices.  The teacher must avoid expecting the students to respond only in a way that the teacher says should happen, because then the students could be prevented from "getting" the message of the story.  If a student is being disruptive, it can be fair to say something like "please settle down, because someone might be talking to God."

The style of presenting lessons can vary with the age of the students.  For example, as children reach the ages of 9 to 12, they are ready for more participation and different responses than younger children, and can understand more complex stories.  They can begin creating materials for their study of new stories.  As children mature, they can take on some of the responsibilities of the classroom, including checking attendance, leading prayers, reading scripture, etc.  These older children can also focus more on community building.[3]

As you start to use Godly Play, you will want to get better at it.  Experience comes from trying something, not being afraid to make mistakes, and then looking back on how it went.  We will be looking for opportunities to work with other Northern California churches on training of teachers and sharing of experiences.  The simplest training, though, is to assist another teacher (who is the storyteller) by being the greeter, observing what the storyteller does, and asking about anything that is new to you.


 

[1]     Having food at the "feast" is optional at FUMC, since a family time for donuts or other food immediately follows Sunday School.  Returning to the circle remains important, though, as a time to wrap up the lesson.  If the story has paraphrased the scripture passage for the lesson, returning to the circle can include a time to read the actual scripture passage.

[2]     There are a number of reasons why both a teacher and assistant should be present, including making sure one can keep the class functioning if the other needs to deal with a problem, and church policies of keeping the Sunday School setting safe for children.  But if an assistant cannot be found, the teacher needs to cover the roles of both storyteller and greeter.

[3]     See Jerome Berryman, "The Complete Guide to Godly Play", Volume 1, chapter 4, p. 71.  Chapter 4 in general is Berryman's description of "the nuts and bolts of Godly Play."  Godly Play has developed from the Montessori tradition of education.  The basis in Montessori principles is explained in most of the books about Godly Play.  For the oldest children, being aware of other traditions can add to the presentations.  Sources including Jerome Berryman, "The Complete Guide to Godly Play", Volume 1, pp. 19 and 21 compare Godly Play to a child-accessible version of the millennia-old contemplative practice of "lectio divina".  While lectio divina may be too focused even for high school students, teachers of this age group can find descriptions on search web site like Google.com.

 

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