|
Lesson eight - pages
16/17
The shepherd and his sheep
Aim for the
book
To give children the opportunity to explore
what Christians believe about the nature of both God and humans,
by studying hands.
Learning objectives
- To know that
animals need skilled care.
- To be able to discuss the work people
do with their hands with animals.
- To understand that animals need to
be treated with care and respect.
Bible references
Psalm 23.1
John 10.11
Background
The shepherd cares for the sheep. This shepherd carries a lamb,
and he also carries binoculars to look out for his flock. In the
Bible the caring role of the shepherd is a major symbol of God's
love; Psalm 23 begins, 'The Lord is my Shepherd'. The shepherd is
committed to his sheep — they provide him with a livelihood.
They are important to him, known to him and he protects them. In
John's Gospel, Jesus says of himself, 'I am the good shepherd',
and he used the shepherd and his sheep to illustrate his stories.
Key words
- Kind
- Caring
- Support
- Love
- Strength
- Help
- Rescue
- Hands
- Work
- Toil
- Struggle
- Weather
- Harsh
- Determined
- Courage
- Hope
- Belief
Activity one - working with animals
- You will need
To invite a shepherd, animal farm worker,
vet, vet's assistant or animal rescue worker into school to
talk to the children about their work, specifically their work
with their hands.
A camera to record the lesson.
Prepared questions for the children to ask.
Ask the person if it is possible for them
to bring some apparatus or equipment to show the children.
Drawing paper.
A variety of coloured pens, pencils, crayons
or pastels.
- Start
Have the children seated on the floor and
tell them the purpose of the lesson.
Ask the visitor to sit in front of
the class. Introduce the children to the visitor.
Encourage the visitor to talk about
their work and all that they do with their hands. While the
visitor is speaking, record what he or she says on a white/black
board that is visible to the children. This list will
help the children recall later what the visitor's hands are
used for. Encourage the children to ask the visitor their questions
and listen to the answers carefully. Take photographs or a video
of the visitor with the children.
- Develop
When the questions and discussions are over,
encourage the visitor to walk about the room speaking with smaller
groups of children. Tell the children that they are going to
draw a picture of the visitor and write one or two sentences
that they feel best describe the visitor's special talents
and the special things they do with their hands. For example:
'This person's hand's are special because...'
- End
Bring the children together again to share
their ideas and read out their special sentences. Get the children
to say thank you.
- Assessment opportunities
Can each child discuss what special thing
the visitor did so well and how he/she used their hands in their
work?
Activity two - the lost sheep
- You will need
If possible, a shepherd to bring a lamb
into school to show the children. If not, books and pictures
about shepherds and their work.
Ask if you may have some wool for art work.
Camera or video.
A suitable version of the Story of the Lost
Sheep to read to the children
Wool - enough to make 100 small sheep.
Card.
Glue to secure the wool.
Scissors.
- Start
Share the purpose of the lesson with the children
and introduce the shepherd and the lamb. Talk with the shepherd
about his or her work with lambs and how they use their hands
when looking after the sheep and lambs. Take photographs of the
shepherd and the lamb with the children.
Read the children the Story of the Lost sheep.
Talk about the parable with the children. Ask the children to
make as many small sheep as they possibly can because you'll need
one hundred! When these are made, either display them on a large display
board or place the sheep around the room in a sheep number line.
Ask the children to write the numbers to go with each sheep.
Discuss the importance of the story and ask
the shepherd: would he or she go and search for one sheep? (They
usually say they would!) Before the shepherd leaves, take photographs
of his or her hands. Talk to the children about lanolin from the
sheep's coat and see how soft the shepherd's hands are because of
the lanolin. Say thank you and goodbye to the shepherd.
Can each child say what is special about the
work of a shepherd? Can they discuss a special part or the part
they most enjoyed of the Story of the Lost Sheep?
Activity three - play and learn
Share the purpose of the lesson with the children
and discuss how important it is to look after and care for animals
using our hands. Ask a group of children to organise a vet's surgery
or pet shop in the role-play area.
Encourage the children to take on different
roles in the pet shop or vet's surgery. Encourage them to make
a list of all the things that must be considered when looking
after animals. Make a list of their needs, both physical and psychological,
to ensure that the animals are well cared for. Share all the ideas
with the rest of the class.
- End
Bring the children together and discuss
their thoughts about keeping animals.
Depending on the school's policy, you could
organise a real animal to visit for the day or a visit to the
local zoo/animal welfare sanctuary/vet/animal farm/pet shop.
- Assessment opportunities
Can each child discuss how to treat animals
kindly and sensitively, especially when using our hands?
Activity checklist
Activity one - working with animals
To invite a shepherd, animal farm worker, vet,
vet's assistant or animal rescue worker into school to talk to the
children about their work, specifically their work with their hands.
A camera to record the lesson.
Prepared questions for the children to
ask.
Ask the person if it is possible for them
to bring some apparatus or equipment to show the children.
Drawing paper.
A variety of coloured pens, pencils, crayons
or pastels.
Activity two - the lost sheep
If possible, a shepherd to bring a lamb into
school to show the children. If not, books and pictures about shepherds
and their work.
Ask if you may have some wool for
art work.
Camera or video.
A suitable version of the Story of the
Lost Sheep to read to the children.
Wool - enough to make 100 small sheep.
Card.
Glue to secure the wool.
Scissors.
Activity three - play and learn
To organise a pet shop or vet's surgery in the
role-play area of the classroom using children's toy animals from
home.
Web site links
For further information, look at the links
section of this site.
http://kotn.ntu.ac.uk/peace/index.htm
http://www.rspca.org.uk
©
Trudie Bateman
|
