Session
1
The
Stories that Make Up Our lives
Lesson
1 Handouts:
The
purpose of this session is to introduce participants to the concept that
our identity, our sense of self, is largely determined by various stories to
which we relate, most importantly the story of our salvation.
Objectives
-
define
stories as descriptions of real or fictional events that shape our lives
with each other and with God.
-
identify
themselves as being shaped in a particular way by their own family’s and
personal stories.
-
describe
the Bible as a collection of stories, and identify some examples of the
people of God who are in those stories.
-
differentiate
between historical stories and parables.
-
describe
their connections with other people in their communities.
Useful
Texts for Leader Rellection/Preparation
(Scriptural,
Liturgical, Lives of Saints, etc.):
Have
a Bible with the following passages marked: Deuteronomy 5: 6-21, I Samuel
3: 1-10, Psalm 23, Proverbs3: 19-20 and 11: 2, Isaiah 52: 13-15, Matthew 20:
1-16, Luke 10: 30-37, Romans 1: 7-15,
Materials:
Group
A:
-
Display
of sets of diverse kinds of nesting dolls (painted with various kinds of
themes--many parishioners, especially collectors, will have these as do
souvenir stores) and a selected nesting doll to develop the session theme.
-
Personal
photos of students’ families and ancestors, and of themselves as babies.
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Charts
#1 and #2 (attached)
-
Cloth-bound
books (see instructions attached), pencils, pens, erasers for each student
-
“Memory
boxes” (directions and list of specific materials for making box attached)
-
Materials
to create “The Whole Story” block bead necklaces (sources for kits attached)
This will be an extra activity for camps and VCS sessions with long3r time
periods.
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Puzzles
for icebreaker activity (blank puzzles available at craft stores). You will
need one puzzle for each group you are planning on having and name tags
for everyone. The puzzle itself should have large pieces.
-
See
general materials list at beginning of unit.
-
Materials
for Journals (Depending on the size of the group, these journals can be
prepared ahead of time by the teachers, or done by the children during the
session. They can be made with colored paper covers, with several half sheets
of binder paper put into the middle. They can then be bound by the machine,
or stapled together. The children can decorate the cover.
A:
Younger Children
Open
with a prayer.
Icebreaker:
On each of the blank puzzles write the name of one of the groups you plan
on having. Break up the puzzles, put them in a large box, and hand out one
or two pieces (depending on how many people you want in a group) to each participant.
Have them assemble the puzzles and this will facilitate breaking them into
groups.
Once
they are in their group, each person is to draw a symbol representing themselves
on the puzzle explaining to their group why they chose that symbol (hobby,
talent, interest, etc.). You can also make your own puzzles using butcher/construction
paper. See section B below.
Introduction:
Large-group leader extends a warm welcome to the group. Leader talks about
the collections of nesting dolls, telling the “story" of each one. Make
the point that each set of dolls tells a different kind of story.
Tell
students that every life, including each of theirs, could have a nesting doll
to describe it. Just like the dolls we have looked at, each person’s life
fits together in a unique way planned by God, and each one is beautiful and
precious because it was created by God’s love and direction. This is for every
person in your town, our country, and the planet.
Say,
“How does your life story fit together? and take apart the selected nesting
doll. Talk about each one, going from smallest to largest:
-
This
smallest piece is way inside. It is shaped by your parents, family, and
friends. It has a lot to do with who you are, how you act, and how you think.
This is the part of your story that we will talk about today.
-
Think
of this second doll as representing that you are part of the family of Gods
people. You know who God is, you know what it means to worship God as we
do in church, and you try to live the way God wants us to. There is a long,
long story of people who loved God and worshiped Him many years ago right
up to today, and you are part of that long story. Well talk about it more
tomorrow.”
-
“The
third doll reminds us of something very specific. You are a follower of
Jesus Christ. The word we use to describe that is CHRIST-IAN.” (Write the
word on the board divided in this way.) “Not only are you baptized just
as Jesus Christ was, but you take part in His life. You celebrate His birth
at Christmas. Each year you worship during Great Lent and Easter (Pascha.)
In this way you remember Jesus’s crucifixion and rising from the dead. As
you do this, you try more and more to live a good and kind life, as Jesus
Christ showed us how to do.
-
“The
fourth doll reminds us that Jesus called people to be His helpers. Some
of the first ones were the men who worked most closely with Him when He
was on earth. They are the apostles. They went out and told the world the
wonderful stories of what Jesus had done. And we are called to be apostles,
too--to tell others the stories of Jesus’s love and show them by our actions
that we believe what we say.”
-
(Put
the dolls together, into the largest one.) “This last doll is the way most
people see you--with the other dolls hidden away inside. You are whole and
complete, with those stories inside you. A whole and complete person who
worships God as He wants us to is an Orthodox Christian. You, as an Orthodox
Christian, can share the stories of God’s goodness with the whole world!
We will talk about some ways to do that some days from now.” (Students divide
into their small groups.)
Photos
In small groups, have students share the baby pictures and family photos
they have brought. Lay them on a table for all to see, perhaps guessing who
is who in the group. Ask students (those who wish to) to tell about events
surrounding their births--weather, time of day, notable things that happened.
To get them started, have ready some details of your own “story” to share.
Emphasize that each child has a special place in his/her family, and therefore
the details are important and are remembered by other family members.
Now
look together at students’ family photos. Ask to hear any special stories about
the people and events in the photos--special family traditions, the kinds of
work done and places lived in by the people, etc. Emphasize that these stories,
too, were important to family members and so were told over and over at family
gatherings. Make a point of the good things that come from these stories. (For
example, an ancestor who had to work very hard after coming, probably poor and
scared, to this country gave future family members the willingness to work hard
and the courage to try something new. A grandparent who was consistently cheerful
gave others an example of bearing difficulties without complaint.) Try to look
for and express ideas like this from the stories the children tell.
The
Bible
Introduce the Bible as a book of stories about God and His people. Leaf through
it and read briefly some familiar passages, such as the story of David and
Goliath in 1 Samuel 17: 45-49, the birth of Jesus in Luke 2:1-7 and the Resurrection
in Matthew 28: 1-8. Show the class the Book of Acts, which is about the travels
and teaching of the apostles.
Point
out that all these stories are about our ancestors, our families, and us. Why?
Because we are God’s people. And in all these stories we learn about God’s love
for every person--all of us. We are all God’s people. (See Chart #1.)
Talk
about the types of different stories and kinds of writing in the Bible. Use
Chart #2 to help students become familiar with these types of writing:
-
LAWS
(look at Deuteronomy 5: 6-21, and show the class the Ten Commandments as
an example of Laws which God gave to His people long ago.)
-
HISTORY
(read I Samuel 3:1-10 as an example of history--Samuel was called by God
to doHis work, and Samuel became a great leader among the Jewish
people.)
- POETRY
(read Psalm 23--beautiful poetry which may be familiar with some students)
-
WISDOM
(read Proverbs 3: 19-20 and 11: 2 as examples of the wise sayings here.)
-
PROPHETS
(read Isaiah 52: 13-15, and emphasize that it was written many years before
Jesus Christ was born on earth. Yet it tells us about Him, and about God’s
will for Him and us.That is what a prophet does--tells everyone
what God wants them to do. Isaiah is one of the most well-known
prophets.)
In
the New Testament:
-
GOSPELS/STORIES
(read Matthew 20: 1-16 and Luke 10: 30-37 as examples of stories that tell
how Jesus taught people. These have a special name: Parables. They are different
from the stories we looked at before, about Jesus’ birth and resurrection,
because they do not tell us what He did but they tell us what and low He
taught.
-
LETTERS
(read Romans 1: 7-15 as an example of the way Saint Paul taught the new
Christians, and of his love for them.
Mark Chart #2 in 2 different colors, one for the Old Testament
and one for the New.
Diaries
Pass out the cloth-bound books you have prepared. Explain that these books will
be a personal “diary”for each student. Something new will be written
in the books each day from the session. (Plan to helpwith spelling
and getting ideas, but this book is really the child’s. Stress that they will
want to make it a memory collection of the stories they are looking
at during your sessions together.)
Say,
“Today we will write about your story. Put your name on the first page. Turn
to page 2. Think about today and write about the very beginning of your story.
Where and when was that?” (Birth--time and place.)“Add more ideas about your
family, your ancestors, and the people in some of the stories you know about.
Paste in (or attach with paper clips) the pictures you brought. Write about
these, too.” (If students need more pages, be ready to add some.)
Memory
Boxes
Distribute a memory box (see attached instructions) to each child, and
let them decorate the boxes, putting their names on. Tell them that they will
keep things we make throughout the sessions in this, their own box, to take
home at the end. (Tactfully help those who need guidance in making an attractive
box. We want the students to be proud of what they have created.) Store the
cloth-bound books in the boxes and keep the boxes in the “classroom” between
sessions to avoid an mishaps.
Have
materials available to make a block letter necklace that says “The Whole Story.”
Those who finish more quickly can help others who are working more slowly.
(This is an optional activity for groups with less time; it could be done
outside of your sessions together.)
End
the session with a prayer.
B:
Pre-teens
Prepare
ahead:
-
A
large white sheet of butcher paper, cut into puzzle pieces (at least 10”xlO”
size) one for each participant. This activity can be done with up to 20-25
participants as one group. Any more than that, and you may want to make
two puzzles and divide them into two different groups. You can also make
it a friendly competition to see who can complete the puzzle first. Please
“read” the group carefully before you decide this.Hint:
Draw a facsimile of the puzzle, and number the backs of the pieces
to match numbers you give them on the master. Then you can help the participants
if they run into a problem putting the puzzle together.
-
A
large white sheet of butcher paper the same size as the puzzle board. This
will be used later to put the cut pieces down, and to act as a border, and
frame for the puzzle.
Begin
the session with a prayer.
The”People
Puzzle”:
Each participant gets a piece of the puzzle. Somewhere on the piece they
will write their name in large, bright letters. Each participant will
color or draw symbols on the puzzle piece to represent hobbies, interests,
favorite subjects at school, favorite food, home state, how many people in
their family, etc. Give directions for the children to make them bright
and colorful.
When
everyone is done, have them brainstorm in groups, ways to put the puzzle together.
After a few minutes, start writing down suggestions on a sheet of butcher paper.
Remember, in brainstorming, every answer is a good one!After a short
discussion on which method to try, let them organize themselves, and give it
a try. (they usually suggest things like, start with the corners, put all the
straight edged pieces on the outside etc.) Have them place the puzzle pieces
on the piece of butcher paper already cut to the right size. When the task of
putting the puzzle together is complete, get back into one group to discuss
how it went. The teacher will explain and encourage discussion for the following
ideas:
-
We
are all as different as each puzzle piece.
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We
have different lives, hobbies, interests, families, etc.
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We
look as different as each puzzle piece.
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The
puzzle pieces, though different, all fit together to form one perfect picture.
We will also ‘fit together when we come to appreciate our differences, and
the things that make us the same.
-
The
importance of each piece of the puzzle. If we remove or change one piece
the whole picture changes.
-
Our
common Orthodox Christianity will be the strongest, most common sharing
we have.
-
Once the discussion is over, have the participants brainstorm
a name for their group. A banner or sign can be made to hang over the
puzzle when it is glued together and hung on the wall for the week. If
you use masking tape to temporarily hang each puzzle piece, you can easily
remove them and hand them back to the children before the end of the week.
Customs
and Traditions
This is a time to think about customs and traditions. Some suggested books
are listed below, but be free to choose anything else that you feel would be
appropriate.
-
Uncle
Vova’s Tree- Patricia Polacco-Putnam and Grosset Pub.1 989 - A sweet story about Russian Orthodox Christmas and Epiphany
-
Lily
and the Wooden Bowl- Alan Schroeder- Bantan Doubleday Bell Pub. 1994 - A book about Japanese customs, and the loyalty
the young Lily feels toward her grandmother.
-
Frida
Maria-Deborah Nourse Lattimore-Harcourt Brace Pub. 1994 -
A story about a young girl living in the Southwest, and the customs
surrounding Fiesta.
-
Ragtime
Tumpie- Alan Schroeder-Little Brown and Company Pub. 1989 - A book that presents a slice of American life in an urban black
community. It is the story of Josephine Baker as a young girl.
-
Smoky
Mountain Rose- Alan Schroeder-Penguin Books Pub. 1997 - This is an wonderful take off of the Cinderella
story, all done in the Appalachian dialect. It shows many customs and ways
of the people living in the Smoky Mountains.
-
The
Rough-Face Girl- Rate Martin-G.P. Putnam’s Sons Pub. 1992- Another take
on the Cinderella story, but focuses on the customs and traditions of the
Algonquin Indians.
Depending
on the size of the group, and the time allowed, you can read these stories over
the course of the week, or they can be read by small groups, and then the stories
can be shared. Children love to explain stories, and may even act out parts
if the time allows. Regardless of how the stories are read, or shared, the important
part of the lesson, is the sharing of the different customs and traditions.
This will be a good lead in for the sharing of their own traditions, stories
and customs. These can be both about traditions at home for feast days, and
the way that these feast days are celebrated in their own churches.
After
the sharing and the discussions are over, and everyone has gotten the idea
of traditions, they may each use a white paper square or piece of muslin to
create a section for a group quilt. They may put any symbols, pictures, creative
art work (they can also use old magazines
to cut out pictures of foods, etc.) done in the form of a collage if they
so choose. When all the squares are completed, they may help to attach them
to the length of butcher paper, and put it in a complimentary design. This
can be taken apart, or left with the camp, youth department, classroom etc.
for a beautiful wall decoration.
Sharing
or role playing with a partner before the quilt, may help some children think
of ideas to include on their square. They may discuss the traditions such
as dancing, foods, Holy Week and Pascha customs etc.
When
everything is done and all is cleaned up, the participants may write in their
journals about the most memorable parts of this lesson. Maybe it was the recalling
of their own traditions, the discovery of someone else’s traditions, or understanding
that even though the traditions may be different, the understandings are the same.
Teachers
should collect the journals to respond before the last session.
End
with a prayer.
