Using CPH Sunday School Material in a Small Sunday School

So your Sunday School has just a few students and, most weeks, just one teacher. How can you use CPH's material, which is created for use in congregations with multiple age-grouped classes?

Here's the approach I would take.

If your group does not include young children (aged 3 through first grade) it is tailor-made for Cross Explorations Explore Level 2 ; you can supplement that 20 minute lesson with and opening from Church Year Connections and a couple of the Express resources (your choice of crafts, skits, music, or activities) and you would have enough for an hour and resources that suit a range of ages.

If you want to use Growing in Christ, what I usually suggest is:

•           Buy the age-appropriate student pack for each student expected, even if they are different. Keep them to review each week before class, don’t distribute them all at once.

•           Buy the teacher guide and teacher tools for the biggest cluster of students. Make notes in the Teacher Guide about activities that don’t apply to all student leaflets (“Shelly won’t have this puzzle; she has a craft activity instead.”)

•           As needed during the lesson give the students time to work individually or in age-level groups to complete leaflet activities.

With just a little bit of adaptation, each child can participate in age-appropriate ways.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

 

What Do You Assume about the Students You Will Teach This Week?

A customer comment this week makes me wonder. The customer challenges our apparent assumption that every student starts from ground zero in every lesson. "Students are capable of so much more!"

I certainly agree. It is not because we who publish Sunday School material think all students are below average that we make very few assumptions about where students will begin regarding the next lesson. It is because we know that some students will be starting at or near zero.

Some students will not have been present last week, or the last time this Bible account was taught in Sunday School, or many of the lessons in between. Some students may have never opened the Bible before. Some will have only a vague recollection of the account, but be fuzzy on the details. Some students may confuse this event with another from Scripture. Some students may have even learned it all wrong for one reason or another.

Even more challenging, any of these conditions might exist for the person who has been enlisted to teach the lesson.

As a result, the Sunday School lesson you get from Concordia Publishing House will, to the best of our ability, reflect the general developmental characteristics that are expected of children within a year or two of the grade for which it is prepared, But we will assume very little Bible background.

That, of course, is where you, the teachers, come in. God willing, you will know your students, or at least know that you don't know them. You can judge whether some of the material in your lesson can be skipped, reviewed lightly, or expanded in order to meet your students where they are in terms of biblical literacy. You create the final edition of the lesson!

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

That Pesky Lesson about Potiphar's Wife!

One of the toughest criticisms I get as a Sunday School editor hinges on the inclusion of "those awkward stories" in the sequence of lessons we create.

It is made more difficult because we have promised our customers a unified curriculum, that is, the same Scripture text is taught at all levels of our material, early childhood through adult.

The stories with violence net us a few messages from customers each year; the stories involving sex generate even more. Joseph's temptation to sexual sin with Potiphar's wife. David's sinful actions resulting from his lust for Bathsheba. Why don't we just skip these awkward lessons and spare the teacher awkward moments in class? There are several reasons.

• They are part of God's Word. They are often integral to the salvation narrative. They teach important lessons about God's plan for us and His love and forgiveness.
• Sensitivity to these lessons varies greatly from place to place and teacher to teacher. We leave it to the local teacher to make adaptations they need to be comfortable teaching the lesson.
• Those issues about which the Church fails to speak are seen as "fair game" by the world and Christians alike. If we fail in Sunday School to teach what God's Word says about sex outside of marriage, homosexual sexual activity, divorce, and other "tough issues," we leave our children to learn their values in these areas from the world.

Wait! Shouldn't those things be taught in the family by the child's parents? Absolutely. So also should all other lessons that are taught in Sunday School. Our role is to support and supplement the Christian education provided by the home.

So what should the Sunday School teacher do? Know your students and their parents. Communicate with the home whenever there may be concerns. Adapt every lesson to local conditions and sensitivities. But, please don't fail to . . .

Teach God's children His Word!

Reaching Every Child

Does your Sunday School class include any children who are not average? CPH has a new resource for you: Reaching Every Child.

A must-read for everyone involved in Sunday School ministry, Reaching Every Child offers practical help for teaching every child in your Sunday School classroom, regardless of ability, about the love of Jesus Christ.

• Learn what has changed and what has stayed the same in the world of special education.
• Understand the basics of teaching children with exceptional learning needs.
• Get practical tips for the diverse Sunday School classroom.
• Learn more about how to teach children with specific disabilities.
• Find resources that can help you in and out of the classroom.
• Rethink your approach to including every child.

The Best Class Ever!

You didn't use the suggested worship. Your students joined several other grades in a joint opening devotion led by the Sunday School director.

You didn't use the opening activity. A local news story had captured the interest of your students, so you allowed them to share their thoughts, offered some comments, and led the discussion into the Bible account for the day.

You didn't present the Bible account using drama like the guide suggested. Most of your students are not very outgoing, but they like to draw, so you had them line up at the board and have each one illustrate one paragraph of the text.

You didn't use the scripted teacher talk. Instead you phrased questions in your own words and followed up on insights your students shared.

You did remember the key point and general thrust of the lesson from your review earlier in the week, and you kept to that outline, more of less.

You didn't use the suggest application activity, but instead tied the Bible text back to the local event with which you started.

You didn't sing the suggested hymn in closing, but the text was right on target, so you challenged your students to listen carefully as you played the recording.

You didn't use the closing prayer, exactly. Your students are generally willing to pray petitions expressing their spiritual concerns, so you allowed each of them to offer a short prayer and closed with just a couple of phrases from the printed prayer.

You didn't use the leaflet this week, but you passed it out, and you noticed a couple of the students tucked it into their Bibles. Maybe they will use those daily Bible readings this week.

It was one of the best classes you've taught this quarter. The students were engaged. The Gospel was clearly shared. And the lesson material provided just enough structure and substance to get you started and keep you on track. You were the final editor, making choices and adjustments based on local conditions the publisher could never have anticipated.

Thanks! God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Bad Theology Is Still Not Okay

• "We don't like the activities in our publisher's material."
• "We can't afford the printed leaflets."
• "The pictures in the material don't reflect our culture or community."
• "The material is over my students' heads."
• "I share space with two other classes, and we can't make too much noise or move around."
• "I can download lots of free resources from the Internet."

All of these can be accurate, legitimate statements and critiques. But that does not make it okay to use material in your classroom that teaches bad theology. Teaching moralism, decision theology, or works righteousness is still not okay.

Complain to your publisher. Adapt and revise freely. Write your own material. Mix and match from other acceptable materials. But don't use material that contradicts the theological views of your church body. That is not okay!

God's blessings as you teach His children His Word.

Bad Language?

Thanks to my friend, Ed Grube, for this helpful reminder (and clever title) to our colleagues on the Parish Educators Network of the Lutheran Education Association. Ed's weekly tips are available only to LEA members (LEA.org), but his reminder is a good one; it reads in part:

"If you’re using resources from various Christian publishers, you need to look out for bad language. One example is the inclusion of phrases like 'invite Jesus into your heart.' This may reflect 'decision theology,' popular in some circles but definitely not reflective of biblical Lutheran doctrine. . . . Don’t assume volunteer teachers will discern such things; help them to grow."

Bad language has its root in bad theology, at least when viewed from a Lutheran perspective. Decision theology, for example, flows from a flawed understanding of our fall into sin; it rejects the total depravity of mankind (see Romans 7:18). Instead it suggests that we only "fell partway," that we have, in and of ourselves, some ability to contribute to our salvation, to "work our way back toward God." This contradicts our Lutheran convictions of salvation "by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone." It's the child's mantra, "I can do it myself." It rejects our reliance on God.

Is it just a problem of language, though? No! If it were, we could fix a decision theology lesson by editing a few words or adding a couple of Lutheran sentences. The problem is not just with the language, but with the theological basis, with the heart and core of the lesson.

The bad language is a warning that the central premise and the resulting Bible discussion and lesson activities come from a unLutheran unstanding of Scripture. A little clean-up or even minor surgery may not be enough to save this lesson; major surgery or a whole-body transplant is required.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word.

Sunday School and Sexuality

In my role as senior editor for Sunday School materials at Concordia Publishing House, I get a bit of mail. Today brought an anonymous letter from a concerned retired teacher. Her concern is that Sunday School not teaching sufficiently what the Bible says on the issue of homosexuality.

We more often get correspondence on the other side of this issue, from teachers who are uncomfortable with teaching lessons that touch on sexuality issues (David's sin with Bathsheba, for example, or Joseph fleeing the advances of Potiphar's wife).

What age is an appropriate time for Sunday School lessons that include discussion of things things? I suspect it might be different for different topics: adultery, homosexuality, dating and marriage, and others. I also suspect that there might be some regional a differences, congregations more comfortable teaching such things at different ages.

What would your teachers be comfortable with?

I will confess that to considerable caution. The best place for these discussions is in the Christian home. A child's parents have a responsibility, as well as the most natural opportunities, to teach these things.

At most any age, the Church can teach about sin, including sins of a sexual nature, in the most general way: these are reasons that each of us needs a Savior, and sins for which Christ died. Beyond that, I'd be willing to stay out of the sexuality subjects completely.

This is another area where teachers will need to be the final editor. You know what your students need to know, and you know what their parents will expect of you in your role as the Sunday School teacher for their children. A curriculum's inclusion of such topics, or their omission, does not intend to force you into uncomfortable discussions.

God's blessings as you teach His children His Word!

Is This Material Age Appropriate?

That's an important question, both for the curriculum writer/publisher and for those who teach the material.

Several things deserve to be considered.

• Age-appropriateness is a sliding scale; material that is too simple for some kids among its target group may be too advanced for others.
• This scale will slide even within a class of 4 students.
• Age-appropriateness can be physical (reading level, eye-hand coordination), social, or even cultural. (At what age, for example might a teacher feel comfortable teaching students about David's sin with Bathsheba? For some teachers and classes, the answer might be "never.")
• It can create as many problems for the teacher for material to be to simple as may arise when material is too difficult for the students. Discipline problems increase when students are bored rather than challenged.
• The publisher, by necessity, is shooting for a hypothetical average class; that class quite simply does not exist. Each teacher has a very specific set of students (as well as a specific room, and access to other specific resources) about the publisher has no knowledge.

What does this mean?
The teacher is in the driver's seat. He or she is going to be the final editor of the lesson. That will mean decisions about necessary adaptation of every aspect of the lesson.

Sure, you can shop around for a curriculum in which the theology is exactly what your denomination teaches, the material always bright and cheery (or thoughtfully somber) as you desire, the activities always doable in your classroom and building, the supplies required always just what you have on hand, and the level of difficulty always spot on for all of your students. And, you should know, that we editors here at Concordia Publishing House do our best to make this happen for you each week; we really do! But, in my heart, I know that you will have to make some choices and revisions.

So what can you do?

• Be thoughtful in your lesson planning. Note the alternatives offered by the publisher. Think back to what has worked for your students in the past. Be alert for the ways you can revise your lesson.
• If your class is consistently frustrated by "too hard" or bored with "too simple," consider moving down or up a level in the curriculum.
• Don't sacrifice theology, the very reason you are teaching Sunday School classes in the first place, in a chase for the "perfect lesson."

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Simple Truth, the Gospel Is Not Simple

Preparing lessons with clear proclamation of the Gospel heart and core is not an easy task. There are many ways in which things can fall short.

If a lesson has been written without clear proclamation of the Gospel, teaching it in a way that adds God's grace back in is even harder.

The Gospel needs to be the starting place not the optional accessory to the lesson.

Just saying.

God bless you as you teach God's Word of Gospel to His children.

Teacher, Resist the Temptation

Resist the temptation to cover everything in the teacher guide, lest you cover everything including the intended key point.

The publisher has probably delivered more than enough material to you, so that you have enough for that extended hour or small class that rips through the lesson in record time. This is good news! It gives you options.

But you are the one who decides. Keep the key point in mind, that kernel of Law and Gospel that will deliver the Good News of Jesus' love to your students. Choose the parts of the lesson that make the most sense for communicating that Gospel to the specific students you have in that specific classroom on Sunday. Adapt, review, invent, re-weave. Make the lesson your own. But don't try to teach it all! Teach the main thing in an engaging way.

Next week your students will be back to hear more!

God bless you as you teach God's children His Word!

You Are in the Customer Service Business

It struck me this morning, as I pondered a superintendent's comment that her teachers preferred "grab-and-go" lessons over ones that took "preparation." Our Sunday Schools---and their directors and teachers---are in the customer service business.

Each child who attends, and by extension their parents and families, are customers who come with definite expectations about the quality of the service they will receive.

That raises some questions.

• What are you doing to make sure that these customers are "repeat customers," loyal, and engaged?
• Are you taking the time to prepare lessons that are adapted for the educational needs and interest of your students?
• Are you ensuring that the Gospel is presented front and center rather than the moralistic junk that so many publishers provide?
• Are you treating your students as customers, being polite, pleasant, and engaging?

Make no mistake, customers notice quality and make choices about where and how often they "shop."

How do you make each Sunday School customer's visit "first class"?

God bless you as you teach your customers His Word!

How to Prioritize

A Sunday School teacher recently asked a question I often hear: "Why do you provide two hours of materials for a one-hour Sunday School lesson, when I have only thirty minutes in which to teach it?" (Okay, truth, this is not a direct quote, but the gist is there; believe me.)

Some teachers, it seems, feel guilty if they do not cover everything in the lesson. My goal is always to absolve that teacher of guilt.

If your class is small, your students quiet and shy, or your Sunday School "hour" really seventy-five minutes long, you may be looking for that extra material. Or if you can't play that CD, or involve your students in that biblical drama, or risk disturbing nearby classes with that exuberant game, you may be forced to omit several minutes of the original outline. You see the dilemma: the publisher is under pressure to include more than enough material, rather than not enough material, for the broadest possible range of circumstances.

The result? The teacher becomes the final editor. You will have to adapt. And that's a good thing!

I suggest though that you prioritize your lesson choices in a thoughtful manner.

Priority One
Teach the Bible account and key point. Make sure your lesson includes an engaging presentation of the Scripture text. Use the Bible. Help the students find Jesus in the lesson (yes, even in the Old Testament lessons).

Priority Two
It bears repeating: engage the students. Edit the lesson to maximize the students' enjoyment of the Sunday School experience. It is a sin to bore children.

Priority Three
Guide the student to see themselves in the lesson. Luther reminds us that the "Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith." Help the Gospel reach into the lives of each of your students each Sunday.

How long is your Sunday School lesson time?

What are your favorite ways to shorten the lesson outline?

How could your material be more helpful when it comes to adapting the lesson?

God bless you as you teach God's children His Word!

Teaching a Class of One

You've heard about "an army of one." How about a class of one?

In many Sunday Schools, especially as summer takes its toll, a class of a single student is a common experience. How do you teach a class of one? Let me start the list of things to consider.

• Leave the door open. This is an invitation for others to join, including late-arrivers or students who might be shy. It also is an alternative to the best practice of staffing two-deep. (One child and one teacher in a closed room will run counter to most child-safety policies.)
• Don't fret. Give your class of one the clear impression that it is "business as usual"; don't make your one student feel bad or odd for having come to hear God's Word.
• Make conversation, Part 1. You've talked to children one-on-one before (your own, a niece or nephew, the child of a visiting friend, and many others). Take the opportunity you've been given to get to know this child as a friend. Ask the student about his or her week, family, pets, favorite activities, plans for later in the day.
• Make conversation, Part 2. Work to make your class discussion an extension of this conversation. "I like to start each Sunday School lesson with prayer. Will you pray with me? Do you have anything we can pray about?" "This is the leaflet that goes with today's Bible lesson. What event from the Bible do you think this picture is capturing?"
• Watch for opportunities to extend the lesson. The lesson will fly with only one student to teach. Discussion will be brief; sharing will take place quickly. You will have extra time. Plan ways to use the extra time profitably.
• Take a field trip. Visit the sanctuary to see the baptismal font up close. Talk about the vocation of pastor and visit the church office area (where many students never get to go). Be sure to let your Sunday School director know where you and the child are going. Don't leave the building without a parent's permission.
• Don't ignore opportunities to use music. If you or your student are shy about singing, you will be tempted to skip using the songs or hymns that are associated with the lesson. Don't. Use the recordings as listening opportunities. Read the words together. Listen to the music as you do written activities.
• Solicit feedback. If your "class of one" is a talker, you have a tremendous boost. He or she will likely answer your questions willingly and perhaps even volunteer contributions to the conversation. If he or she is more reticent, find other ways to learn whether the student is assimilating the information you are sharing. Watch for non-verbal cues: nods, puzzled expressions, the light of understanding. Utilize non-verbal methods for feedback. "Point to the words in the Bible text/lesson leaflet that tell us why Jesus did this." "Let's draw a picture of how this event in Jesus' life ended."

What tips do you have for teaching a class of one?

God will bless your efforts to teach even just one of His children His Word!

Yes, You Can, and Should, Adapt Your Lessons

Last week's post bears a little follow up. I can simply not emphasize it enough: teachers can, should, and will adapt each week's lesson to best teach God's Word to the children He sends them.

You Can
Just in case your were waiting for permission, now you have it. You can change the lesson plan printed in your teacher guide to accommodate the resources you have available, the room in which you teach, the abilities of the students you will have in class, and your own teaching preferences.

You Should
Not only can you do this, but it is a good thing. The editor does not you or your situation and cannot accommodate for those things. I offer our customers a great starting place, but I rely on the teacher to make the final adjustments based on local preferences and needs.

You Will
And though I take time to emphasize these things, the reality is that you certainly already adapt your lessons on the fly, probably every week. If time grows short, you cut to the end. If you appear to be finishing early, you extend things a bit. If the language in the guide seems awkward, you reword. If you think an activity is dumb, you skip it. If you could find the object suggested, you wing it. That's what teaching is all about!

Please Don't . . .
So, you can, should, and will adapt your lessons as you prepare and teach them. But, please! Don't revise the theology! One of the strengths of Growing in Christ Sunday School materials, is that they have been carefully written, edited, and reviewed by folks chosen for their ability to teach God's Word in accordance with Lutheran theology, that is to say, what the Bible really teaches. If you believe something has been misstated, your pastor is a ready resource for verifying what is true and should be taught. Though we strive at CPH be be consistently faithful and error-free, our systems occasionally skip a beat. Don't hesitate to let us know, if you think that has happened.


We earnestly desire that God's Word be taught to His children correctly.


What do you find yourself revising most frequently in the lessons you teach?



Which do you think is easier: revising a bogus activity or revising the theological basis for a lesson?