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Lesson ten - pages 20/21 Glassblower
Aim for the book
To engage children in a discussion relating the
Christian understanding of God to everyday life.
Learning objectives
- To know that:
- the Bible uses symbols to describe things
that are difficult to understand;
- fire is a common religious symbol;
- Christianity uses fire as a symbol in
distinctive ways.
- To be able to discover that certain
symbols indicate certain things, such as power, hope, guidance
and so on.
- To understand that although the same symbol
is used by different groups of people, it does not necessarily
mean the same thing. For example, the dove is used as a symbol
of peace in western secular society but is used uniquely in Christianity
as a symbol of the Holy Spirit.
Bible references
Job 38 (probably verses 4-38)
Exodus 3.2
Exodus 13.21-22
Isaiah 6.6-7
Jeremiah 23.29
Ezekiel 1.4
John 8.12
Acts 2.3
Background
Just as the elements of water and wind help Christians
to think about the power of God, so fire is often used to represent
God's power and God's presence in the world. Fire symbolizes the
destructive, warming and creative force as examples of the many
different dimensions of God, e.g. the column of fire that the Israelites
followed by night as they escaped from slavery in Egypt or the story
in Daniel (Daniel 3.12-30), where Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are thrown into a
fiery furnace - the power of God protects them from harm. In the
description of Pentecost in Acts, God's Spirit comes upon each of
the disciples as a tongue of fire.
Ways of using the picture
- How is the glassblower using fire in his work?
Explore together how his job requires him to work quickly and
yet with patience and skill. How are the materials transformed
and reshaped?
- Look at the different ways that fire and heat
can change things, e.g. you could find out how glass is made from
sand. You could make links here with your discussion of pages
18-19 when you explore the concepts of change.
- Explore together ideas about the destructive
power of fire. Then read the story of the fiery furnace. What
did the author show about the faith of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
and about the power of God?
Key words
- Spirit
- Light
- Fire
- Dove
- Peace
- Symbol
- Sign
Activity one - symbols
Pictures of road signs, sign language, logos
and other symbols
What are symbols? Investigate road signs, hand
signals used by teachers, sign language, corporate logos and
so on.
Create agreed symbols for instructions such
as stop, go, run, jump and so on.
Discuss with the children whether any of these
symbols are ambiguous. How can we stop them being so? These
can be put on to cards and then used to give instructions to
groups of children moving round the hall, or held up in a kind
of Simon says - or Simon signs - game.
Extend this more abstract ideas, and to creating
symbols for peace, love, care and so on. Discuss what makes
these appropriate symbols.
Introduce the possibility of symbols for God
- is fire a good symbol? What symbols might the children use?
Create a directory of the symbols you have made.
Older children could be introduced to the idea that this book
has some parallels with the Bible in that both of them help us
to understand things around us.
Use the symbols in the classroom.
Activity two - fire dance
Untuned percussion instruments
Means to record music
Writing materials
Discuss fire as being both dangerous and helpful.
What other aspects of creation are both helpful and dangerous?
(Water, wind ...)
Together, think of as many examples of the helpful
aspects of creation as possible: fire for cooking, generating
power, wind for flying kites, generating power, water for drinking,
generating power ...
Likewise for the destructive possibilities:
forest fires, floods, hurricanes ...
Working in groups, create short percussion pieces
which illustrate the benevolent and destructive sides of the
aspects of creation discussed.
There is no way of anticipating how these pieces
will turn out - to do so would be to impose limits on the pupil's
own creative powers. However, you may wish to guide a little
by discussing the timbre of the various instruments and deciding
on appropriate ones for, say, candle flames as opposed to a
furnace. Similar guidance may be appropriate with regard to
rhythms.
Depending on the children's previous experience,
it may be necessary to introduce such terms as loud, soft, quick,
slow, crescendo (getting louder) and diminuendo (getting softer).
Older pupils should be encouraged to think of ways of writing
their pieces down
These pieces can be developed into short dances
by the children. It may be helpful to tape the music for this.
As with the music, give the pupils as much freedom as possible
within the bounds of safety.
If this becomes an extended activity, children
may wish to think about appropriate costumes for their dance,
fire masks perhaps.
Older children might like to create a dance
based on the tale of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
Close with a discussion about how this work helps
Christians to understand both God and our world.
Job 38 (probably verses 4-38) is very helpful
here. Point out that, for Christians, disrespect of God has its
dangers, just as disrespect of the world has dangers, too. We
must be respectful of fire, and sailors soon learn to respect
the wind!
Activity three - fire in the Bible
Bible verses to read
Materials for stained glass art work
This activity can be seen as a progression
from the first activity, but will also stand alone. It is important
that the children realize just how important fire was in ancient
times, as the only controllable source of heat and light. The children
in your class may not immediately think of flame when you mention
light, but ancient children almost certainly would have done, after
the sun and stars, of course.
Read examples of fire in the Bible:
- The burning bush - Exodus 3.2
- The pillar of fire and cloud - Exodus 13.21-22
- The confirmation of a prophet with fire - Isaiah 6.6-7
- God's word as fire - Jeremiah 23.29
- God's appearance heralded by fire - Ezekiel 1.4 (in some translations,
especially the Good News version, 'fire'is rendered as 'lightning',
but the effect is the same)
- 'I am the light of the world' - John 8.12
- Tongues of fire - Acts 2.3
You may wish to discuss with older children
the emphasis that the symbol may carry in these examples, such
as power and majesty (Exodus 3.2, Acts 2.3), guidance and light
(Exodus 13.21 onwards), irresistibility (Jeremiah 23.29).
In this lesson, the stories themselves matter
less than the function of fire. These examples are deliberately
chosen to range across the Bible. Children too often hear only
the same bits again and again.
The children are to create images that illustrate
the function of fire in each case. The most striking way of
doing this - especially with fire pictures - is by using stained
glass effects.
There are several ways of creating stained glass
effects:
- Using tissue paper shapes in black card outlines.
- Using glass paint on perspex or glass.
- Using OHP pens on OHP acetate sheets. This
works but is not very effective.
- Using a computer graphics or DTP application
and printing out onto an acetate (make sure you use the right
type).
Present a son et lumière show, using an
OHP to make projections or simply lighting each from behind with
a torch while the appropriate Bible passage is read. The children
may like to include music or other sounds as part of the presentation.
Activity checklist
Activity one - symbols
Pictures of road signs, sign language, logos and
other symbols
Activity two - fire dance
Untuned percussion instruments
Means to record music
Writing materials
Activity three - fire in the Bible
Bible verses to read
Materials for stained glass art work
Related subjects
Fire is a potent symbol in many cultures and faiths.
Consider looking at examples such as the story of Hannukah, the
punishment of Prometheus for stealing fire, Puja ceremonies in Hindu
devotions, and diva lamps at Diwali.
Web site links
For further information, look
at the links section of this site.
http://simscience.org/crackling/index.html
http://www.pbs.org/testofcourage/
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/kids/
© Robin Sharples
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