Encounter Christianity: In Words lesson plan 1

Lesson one - pages 2/3 Children looking into a mirror

AIM for the book

To bring to life the story of Jesus by exploring the way we use our senses.

Learning objectives

To know that names can have meanings.
To be able to give the meaning of their own name, if it has one.
To understand that there isn't just one name for God.

Background

Names are very powerful. If we know a person's name we have some power over them; they become a person to us. In biblical literature names have that power too, and often a meaning. 'Jesus', for example, means 'Saviour'. In the book of Exodus, Moses asks for God's name and is given a reply that is often translated in Christian Bibles as 'I am that I am'. This is a cryptic response, for if humans knew God's name then they might feel they had power over God.

Bible references

Genesis 2.19-20
Exodus 3.13-14

Ways of using the picture

Look up the meanings of some biblical names, e.g. Sarah, David and Ruth.
Ask the children if they know the meaning of their name. Can they find out how their name was chosen?
In the book of Genesis, Adam names the animals. How do the children choose names for their pets?

Key words

Jesus
Name
Meaning

Activity one - names and meanings

You will need
A book of babies' names and their meanings. (You may also need to research the meanings of some non-English names.)
Pieces of card (folded).
Crayons.
Coloured pens.

Start
Play a name game together. Set up a rhythm - clapping hands twice, slapping knees twice - and then say your own name, point at a child and say his or her name. That child then has to say their own name, point to someone else and say their name (within an agreed time). Continue until everyone has had several goes. Then play the same game, but give everyone a number to use instead of his or her name.

Develop
Ask the children whether they found it easier to play the game using names or numbers. Why? Names help us to remember people. Some names have meanings that might describe what the person is like, or what they might like to be like! Ask if the children know whether their name has a meaning. Look them up in the book. If the child's name does not appear to have a meaning, ask what they would like it to mean. Would any of the children like to have a different name?

End
Help the children to create name cards. On the outside, they should write their name - as decoratively as they like. Inside, write 'My name means...' or 'I would like my name to mean...' if you have been unable to discover its meaning.

Activity two - name poems

You will need
A book of babies' names and their meanings.
Paper.
Coloured pens or crayons.

Start
If you have done Activity One, recap on names and meanings. Otherwise, start by explaining that some names have meanings. Ask if any of the children know what their name means. Look up names in the name book.

Develop
Develop by giving each child a piece of paper. Have them write their name down the left-hand side of the paper in order to write an acrostic poem, with the first word of each line beginning with a letter from the name. The poem should say something about the child and finish with the line 'xxxx is my name'.
For example:
Ready to help
Always cheerful
Jumping when excited
Usually kind to animals
Raju is my name.

End
The children read their poems out to each other. You could vary the activity by having the children write poems about each other rather than themselves.

Activity three - What is God's name?

You will need
A lidded box containing Duplo (or similar).
A figure to represent Moses.
One or two toy sheep.
A green cloth.
A small green plant to represent a bush.
Thin strips of red paper to represent flames.
Modelling clay.
Art materials.

Start
Tell the story of Moses and the burning bush, using the items from the box to help you. Use the following outline:
Take out the cloth. As you smooth it out on the table, say that this story happened in biblical times, in a land called Midian.
Place the figure on the cloth. This is Moses. He was a shepherd.
Take out the sheep and move it and Moses across the cloth. One day Moses led the sheep to a mountain called Sinai. When he got there, he saw a bush. (Take it out and place it on the cloth.)
There was something strange about the bush. (Place the red strips of paper on it.) It looked as though it was on fire - but it wasn't burning up.
Then Moses heard a voice. It said 'I am God.'
Moses listened. Then he said, 'When I tell people God has spoken to me, they will ask me what is your name. What shall I say?'
God said, 'Tell them my name is I am.'
Finish the story at this point - resist the temptation to say any more.

Develop
Ask the following questions:
- I wonder what Moses thought when he saw the bush?
- I wonder how he felt when he heard the voice?
- I wonder what you think God's name is?
Allow time for the children to think before they answer.

End
Encourage the children to retell the story using the box and its items. Allow them to use the clay or paints to model or draw their answer to what God's name might be.

Activity checklist

Activity one - names and meanings

A book of babies' names and their meanings. (You may also need to research the meanings of some non-English names.)
Pieces of card (folded).
Crayons.
Coloured pens.

Activity two - name poems

A book of babies' names and their meanings.
Paper.
Coloured pens or crayons.

Activity three - What's is God's name?

A lidded box containing Duplo (or similar).
A figure to represent Moses.
One or two toy sheep.
A green cloth.
A small green plant to represent a bush.
Thin strips of red paper to represent flames.
Modelling clay.
Art materials.

Web site links

http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/4626/?tqskip=1
Are you searching for the meaning of first names, or looking for the most popular last names, names in the news or pet names? This site has list upon list of top names.

http://www.mandarintools.com/chinesename.html
Get your own Chinese name based on your English name and find out your sign in the Chinese zodiac! Simply type in your first and last name, select what kind of characteristics you want to be expressed in the name, select your gender, enter your date of birth and press 'Get a Name!'.