Menu of Learning Options and Related Model Unit Plans
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EARLY CHILDHOOD BAND Menu of 1 Learning Options Bible References LEVEL 1 God created all things God created the world Genesis 1:1—2:4 God made the soil Ezekiel 17:5 God made the water Genesis 2:10 God made the air Matthew 6:26 God made the sun Ecclesiastes 11:7 God made the moon and stars Genesis 1:14-19; Psalm 136:1, 7-9 God made plants and seeds Ecclesiastes 11:6 seeds Matthew 13:1-9 flowers Song of Solomon 2:12 trees Job 14:7 food in Eden Genesis 2:4b-17 God made living creatures Genesis 1:20-25 God made worms Luke 9:58 God made insects and butterflies Matthew 3:4 God made birds, forest animals, backyard animals, Genesis 6:5-22; pets, wild animals, sea animals, dinosaurs Daniel 6; Jonah 1 and 2 LEVEL 2 God takes care of creation God takes care of the earth Psalm 65:9 God gives living water Psalm 104:10-18 God fills the sky with clouds Psalm 147:8, 9 Sparrows are important Matthew 10:29 God feeds the birds Luke 12:24-28 God gives us food Genesis 3:1-24 Manna from heaven Exodus 16:1-21 Elijah and the ravens 1 Kings 17:1-16 Feeding the 5000 Luke 9:11-17 Early Childhood Band 23 Menu of Learning RCWY:Christian Studies Curriculum,GRACEWAYS: Fortress,Augsburg ©2001 Publishers. use. for school be reproduced May Options Cycles in creation Summer and winter Genesis 8:22 The seasons Deuteronomy 11:13-15 The heavens keep telling… Psalm 19:1-6 The sun comes up Ecclesiastes 1:5-7 Weather—Noah Genesis 6:9—9:17 LEVEL 3 God wants people to take care of creation Responsibility to care for creation God gives people charge Genesis 1:26, 28; 2:15, 19-20; 9:2, 3 You let us rule Psalm 8:6-8 God has given the earth to us Psalm 115:16 Praise for creation Sing joyful songs to the Lord Psalm 95:1-7 Praise the Lord, he is good Psalm 136:1-9 Sing praise Psalm 146 Shout praises to the Lord Psalm 148 KEY B IBLE VERSES TO HEAR AND REMEMBER In the beginning God created the heavens Genesis 1:1 and the earth. All people and animals are under your care. Psalm 36:6 Let all things praise the name of the Lord Psalm 148:5 O give thanks to the Lord Psalm 107:1 Early Childhood Band 24 EARLY CHILDHOOD BAND INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITIES Design a unit that will work in your setting by selecting activities from this Menu of Learning Options and related Model Unit plans. 1 LEVEL 1: GOD CREATED ALL THINGS FICTION OR NONFICTION BOOKS Stimulate children’s interest in the world around them by using books which illustrate aspects of the natural environment, such as picture books. Then tell children that you know a story about a time when the world was even more wonderful than the pictures they see in books. WHAT DO YOU NEED? Introduce the story of creation with words like: “People need to use things when they want to make something. I know a story about someone who made something out of nothing.” DISPLAY NATURAL OBJECTS Set aside an area of the classroom and develop a display in any of the following ways: • Take the class for a “creation walk,” carefully observing and collecting objects as you go. (Help children identify those that should only be observed and those that could be collected.) • Invite each student to bring a special object to school, such as a feather, bird’s nest, stone, or shell. Use these as the basis for show and tell. You may make a class book of “creation collections” by having teachers record what children say about their object. The children may draw pictures to go along with their recorded story. • Develop a display around the five senses: Have scented leaves and herbs for smelling; bark, nuts, and stones for touching; shells and/or environmental music for listening; fruit and vegetables for tasting; brightly colored flowers for seeing. LEVEL 2: GOD TAKES CARE OF CREATION OBSERVE A LIVING OBJECT The teacher brings an item such as a plant, bird, or small animal to the classroom. Talk about the needs of living things and how care is provided, either through natural means or by people. OBSERVE THE WORLD OUTDOORS Take children outdoors to enjoy and absorb some elements of creation, such as the warmth of the sun, the smell of leaves, the sound of birds. WHAT’S FOR LUNCH? Use the children’s lunches as an example of the many things God gives. Point to God as the one who cares for us and gives us all we need. SHOW Show a video that introduces children to the wonders of creation, pointing out animals surviving in the wild and the unique features of plants, animals, or insects. Early Childhood Band 25 Menu of Learning RCWY:Christian Studies Curriculum,GRACEWAYS: Fortress,Augsburg ©2001 Publishers. use. for school be reproduced May Options LEVEL 3: GOD WANTS PEOPLE TO TAKE CARE OF CREATION A REFLECTION ACTIVITY Establish a reflective atmosphere by asking children to sit with eyes closed. Play music quietly in the background if you wish. Lead children to imagine that they are in a beautiful park, with trees, flowers, a river, animals, and so forth. Then ask children what they would need to do to take care of such a place. CONTRASTING PICTURES Show contrasting pictures of the natural environment: one well cared for and the other spoiled by pollution. Talk about what each picture looks like, what it would feel like to be in each place, what sounds and smells would be there. USE A PUPPET Introduce a puppet to lead the children through activities designed to develop an understanding of care for the environment, for instance, a very messy puppet or one that is very eager to care for environment. WALK AROUND THE SCHOOL Take children either to observe and collect the litter that is left lying around or to observe the efforts that have been made to keep the grounds clean, to recycle, make compost, and so forth. DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES LEVEL 1: GOD CREATED ALL THINGS THE CREATION STORY Choose from the following suggestions to tell the story of creation: • Illustrate the story on an old window blind or a long piece of paper. Unroll as you progressively tell the story. • Use a felt or magnet board and add illustrations of the story as you tell it. • Build up a three-dimensional scene in the sand tray as you tell the story. Cover everything with a black cloth to begin with, use a flashlight to illustrate the light, and add plastic animals and birds to the scene as you go. • Play environmental music softly in the background as you tell the story. • Show a video of the creation story. A BOOK COLLECTION Have a collection of children’s Bibles or Bible storybooks that tell the creation story. Use them for quiet reading in the classroom, and encourage children to take books of an appropriate level home to read. PICTURE CARDS Make cards on which you or the children write, draw, or paste pictures of things that God gives people. Use these for sorting in different ways, such as large, small, living, nonliving, and so forth, and then display them on the wall or stapled and hung on streamers. FACTS ABOUT CREATION Make a nonfiction book about things in creation. Include specific references to God as creator in the text, such as “Did you know God made animals that can change the way they look? A chameleon can …” Early Childhood Band 26 EARLY CHILDHOOD BAND Many of the OBJECTS FROM THE CREATION DISPLAY (See Introductory Activities.) suggestions are Investigate items from a display of natural objects. Choose from the following activities: directly related to 1 Science and • Sort into categories, such as living, nonliving; large, small, and so forth. Environmental • Use magnifying glasses to observe details. Studies. It is • Look for patterns in leaves, shells, flowers. important that • Develop a thank-you prayer or litany around the objects. Use this in class worship, for instance, “God made rocks that shine and sparkle. Thank you, the teacher helps God.” children make links EXPLORE THE CREATION STORY Choose from the following activities to between learning develop children’s understanding of the story: about creation • Make a class “sound scape” of the story. As you tell the story, the children and God the add appropriate sound effects with instruments or voices. Tape the story creator. You can and sound scape and make it available for children to listen to at home. do this in an • Children may work in groups and present the creation story in one of these incidental way by ways: the language you —Drama, dance, or mime use, such as —Use a picture book and present it as readers theater “God’s world is —Make masks or props to use as you tell the story so amazing.” As • Rewrite the text in simplified form, illustrate, and make it into a class book, appropriate, such as a big book, accordion-fold book, flip book, pop-up book, alphabet book. Share your book with another class, the whole school or parents. include prayers STUDY PICTURE BOOKS Have a collection of picture books about the story and songs of of creation. Study the illustrations to see how the artist has depicted the thanks and praise various aspects of creation. for the world LEVEL 2: GOD TAKES CARE OF CREATION God made.