Lesson three - pages 6/7 The Annunciation

AIM for the book

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

Learning objectives

• To know the story of the Annunciation.
• To be able to reflect on angels being messengers.
• To understand that Mary was a very special person, chosen by God.

Background

The story of the Annunciation is a moving one: a young girl becoming pregnant, being told by an angel what she is to call her son. The story is often used by Christians to indicate the enormous faith, trust, strength and obedience of Mary; they try to follow her example. The reason why Mary has such an elevated status among many Christian groups is because of her readiness to accept the awesome responsibility of being the mother of Jesus.

Bible reference

Luke 1.31-2

Ways of using the picture

• Look together at the way the artist has drawn Mary in this picture. Look closely at her face. What might Mary be thinking?
• In this picture, the angel is shown to be God's messenger. Explore with the children how we send and receive messages.
• How do the children feel when they receive good news? If they received an exciting message, who would be the first person they would want to tell?

Key words

• Mary
• Angel
• Messenger
• Good news
• Baby
• Jesus

Activity one - act it out

• You will need
  Chair.
  Head-dress for Mary.
  Wings for angel.

• Start
  How does good news make them feel?
  How would a message from God make them feel?
  Let's see what happened to Mary.

• Develop
  Use a children's Bible such as The Children's Bible Story Book by Jennifer Rees Larcombe. The teacher or a good reader narrates, with one child being Mary and another child being the angel. The rest of the class can make a square shape representing Mary's home around the two acting out the story in the centre.
  Read the story and act it out.

• End
  Gather the children together.
  How did Mary feel?
  How did the angel feel?
  What sort of a person do you think Mary was? (She must have been special to hear God speaking to her.)

• Assessment opportunities
  Give them a quiz on the story.
  Look to see how the children have responded in their thoughts and reflections.

Activity two - send a message

• You will need
  A computer.
  E-mail address of another school, and/or this one:
  hamish.bruce@c-of-e.org.uk
  Optional - tape-recorder or dictaphone

• Start
  Explain that the word 'angel' means 'messenger'.
  A very quick way of sending a message today is by e-mail.

• Develop
  Send an e-mail to another school.
  Tell them about your class, your favourite books and the work you are doing at the moment.
  Send an e- mail to Hamish Bruce at Church House Publishing (hamish.bruce@c-of-e.org.uk).

• End
  How long will it take for a reply?
  How will you feel when you get a message back?
  Did you expect that answer?

• Assessment opportunities
  Get the children to give examples of good and bad news they have received and how they felt. Reflect on the answers they give. (Use a tape recorder or dictaphone to play them back later.)

Activity three - what is an angel?

• You will need
  Old Christmas cards showing different portrayals of angels.
  Art materials.
  Optional - writing or modelling materials.

• Start
  Look through a variety of Christmas cards that depict angels.
  What is the same/different? For example, some carry flowers or musical instruments.

• Develop
  Look at the picture on pages 6-7 of the book. How do the children respond? Is this how they imagine angels to be? If not, what should angels look like?
  Have them discuss or paint their own versions of the story of Mary and the angel. Maybe they could write a collaborative poem about angels. Perhaps they could put these together in a zigzag book. Alternatively, make a model angel.

• End
  Gather together to share thoughts. Have any of our ideas about angels changed?
  What three new things have they learnt about angels as a result of their work?
  You could divide the class into three and get the three groups to share their thoughts and ideas with the rest of the class at the end of the lesson.

Activity checklist

Activity one - act it out

Chair.
Head-dress for Mary.
Wings for angel.

Activity two - send a message

A computer.
e-mail address of another school, and/or this one:
hamish.bruce@c-of-e.org.uk
Optional - tape-recorder or dictaphone.

Activity three - what is an angel?

Old Christmas cards showing different portrayals of angels.
Art materials.
Optional - writing or modelling materials.

Web site links

http://www.artchive.com
Find out more about the artist Fra Angelico from this web site and download the painting that appears in the book In Words at:
http://www.christusrex.org

Further versions of the Annunciation by Fra Angelico can be viewed at:
http://www.artchive.com
and
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/F/fra_angelico/

© Lizzie McWhirter

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