At the Threshold

A doorkeeper waits by the door to the Godly Play classroom, warmly welcoming children into a circle. He or she says, “Are you ready to be part of a Godly Play classroom?”

Building the Circle

Children make their way into the classroom and sit in a circle around the storyteller. He or she talks quietly and easily with the children, building a community where each and every participant is warmly welcomed. The storyteller says, “We need to get ready for the story.” The storyteller then shows how by sitting quietly, legs crossed, hands at the ankles. Conversation yields to silence. The storyteller asks the children where we are in the church calendar, rings a bell to begin the story quiet the students.

Presenting the Lesson

The Storyteller goes to get the materials for the day’s presentation –a box, a basket or a tray. Slowly, deliberately, the storyteller brings out the story figures and objects, gently moving and arranging them as he or she tells the story. The children’s eyes focus where the storyteller’s eyes and hands focus, on the small wooden figures, painted plaques or beautifully finished props moving in the circle. The lesson continues, moves forward… and concludes.

The storyteller sits back, but keeps his or her eyes on the figures. “I wonder… I wonder what part of this story you like best?” There is silence for a moment, and then a child answers… and then perhaps another. The storyteller affirms each answer. The storyteller continues, “I wonder what part is the most important?” Children name different parts. Every serious struggle to answer is, again, affirmed. “I wonder where you are in the story or what part of the story is about you?” “I wonder if there is any part of this story we could leave out and still have all the story we need?” The storyteller listens respectfully to every answer, repeating it, never calling one response good or another wrong. It is the child’s effort to speak theologically in a seriously playful way that is being supported.

Response

The wondering sinks into silence. The children watch as the storyteller puts away the lesson. He or she invites them to think about what work they would like to do in response to the lesson. The children have been involved in the story and the wondering. Now that absorbed involvement continues as they, one by one, name what response they choose to make. Some play mindfully with the materials from the presentation or from other presentations. Others want to paint. Still others work with crayons.

Saying goodbye

When the response is finished, the storyteller draws the attention of the group to gather for a reading or song as each child waits to be picked up by his or her parent. When a parent arrives at the entrance of the classroom, the doorkeeper quietly escorts their child to the door, looks into their eyes, smiles, and quietly says, “It was a pleasure to have you here today. Thank you for being with us.”

Helpful Tips for Parents: Following up with your Student

When you pick up your child or teen, keep in mind that young children will not always be able to tell you what they learned, because what they learned was how to learn about the powerful language of the Christian people.

Children will not always be able to show you a physical product for their “work” that day, because some of what they’ve learned cannot be put into words even by adults. We focus on our relationship with God and the depths of relationships in the community.

Locate, Look Back, and Live:

Locate: The Apostles begin class by checking in on their lives. They then situate themselves in the Church’s liturgical calendar and are invited to briefly reflect on the season they are presently in. 

Look Back: This is also an opportunity to review the Gospel story they read the week before. This helps reorient students to how the Gospel they are reading is characterizing Jesus and helps them to remember their practice for the week. 

Live: Students have an opportunity to share with their peers how they lived out a previous Gospel reading since their last class. This gives students a chance to practice talking about how their faith affects their lives, while also helping encourage the imagination of other students for what practicing the faith might look like.

Imagine & Wonder: 

Students are invited to engage their theological imagination by reading a Gospel story in the Lectio Divina Style. Lectio Divina (or "divine reading") is a practice that helps us to listen for God’s voice as we read the Bible. This practice helps us to recognize that the Bible isn’t just an ancient text. Rather, it is a living text where God is still speaking to us through the scriptures here and now. Students listen to the Gospel story twice and are invited to ask questions and share what God might be bringing to their attention in the text. 

Embody & Live: 

Students then put on costumes and put themselves into the Gospel by acting out the Gospel story. During this time, students get to embody the stories of the faith and solidify their understanding of the story. While acting, they are invited to think about how they will live the truth they find in it this week (have them be as specific as possible) and share their plan with the group. After sharing how they want to live out their story, students get a thematic sticker as a reminder during the week to embody the Gospel Story

Helpful Tips for Parents: Following up with your Student

After an Apostles class, you may not get students in these grades to elaborate on the details of the story they read or a deep dive into their reflections, but that doesn't mean they aren't learning! 

Consider the following ways of following up after class:

1) Encourage them to keep their handout (or find it below in our curriculum repository and print it yourself) and put it on the family fridge as a reminder of the story during the week. If you want to find this week's lesson, view the "What your student is learning this week" menu below.

3) Ask them what character they played during class time. Many times, even when a student can't tell you everything about what they took away from the story in a given week, they remember their costumes, their lines, or something silly that happened while they were embodying the story. These moments that stuck out to them can be a great opportunity to hear about something they took from their class time that they wouldn't otherwise think to tell you.

3) Ask them how they're planning to live out the story they heard this week. As they share their plan, consider one way you can enable them to live out that practice in a spirit of grace, curiosity, and encouragement. Part of the process of learning in the Apostles is discovering what actually works for them. Not completing their plan is not a failure, it is an opportunity for them to learn! 

Prayer & Background

Each week, Saints & Martyrs starts out with a brief check-in question and framing prayer to help them get centered  before class.

Students then take time to read through background on the passages the students will read, placing them in their historical, textual, and theological contexts in words the students can understand. The purpose of the background is to help frame stories whose words and authors can feel confusing or culturally opaque. During this reading, students may connect the context of the passage to other stories they've read, look at a map, define terms, or challenge their assumptions.

Lectio Divina

Saints & Martyrs typically reads at least 2 biblical passages: one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament. The passages read during class time are connected by central themes in the metanarrative of Scripture. These  

Students are invited to engage their theological imagination by reading a Gospel story in the Lectio Divina Style. Lectio Divina (or "divine reading") is a practice that helps us to listen for God’s voice as we read the Bible. This practice helps us to recognize that the Bible isn’t just an ancient text. Rather, it is a living text where God is still speaking to us through the scriptures here and now. Students listen to each passage and are invited to share a word or a phrase that stands out to them and to reflect on what God might be bringing to their attention in the text. 

God Questions

After reading through the biblical texts, students engage in an open-ended discussion on what they heard and how the verses may or may not be relevant to their lives. Each week, students are invited to reflect on "God Questions", including but not limited to the following:

1. What do these passages tell us about God? 

2. What do these passages tell us about people?

3. What does this passage tell us about God’s relationship with God’s people?

As students reflect on the passages, the class time is dedicated to exploring what in the passage is most interesting and relevant to the students. Each class ends with reading a Psalm and a closing prayer. 

Helpful Tips for Parents: Following up with your Student

Our hope is that students in Saints & Martyrs can articulate what was discussed during class time, but sometimes they may need specific prompting to start the conversation. At this age, collaborating with them in their theological education and learning alongside them can be a great tool for their learning and for your relationship with them

Consider the following ways of following up after class:

1) Ask your student one question they still have from the passage and wonder about it together. Try to come up with some ideas before looking at outside resources for an answer. The practice of wondering can help connect the overarching themes in the biblical narrative and can help them exercise their theological imaginations.

2) Each week, students get 2 memory verses that they can memorize for a prize. Consider checking below in our curriculum repository for what those verses are and memorize them alongside your child. You can talk through what you think they mean, how one might apply to their life, or incorporate it into another family rhythm. Memory verses can be a great way to collaborate with them on their formation

3) Ask your student about one thing they learned during Sunday School and allow them to share everything they remember. You may be surprised at the sorts of things they can recall about the Babylonian exile, the covenants, or the prophets. If they mention something that you don't know anything about, let your child teach you! Admitting you don't know something can be a powerful thing, and letting your student teach can be an amazing tool for them to solidify their learning from class