5th & 6th Grade Guide Sunday School Edition - hwcdn.nethwcdn.net/d3u9i9g7/cds/tru/SamplesPage/TS_SS_1-2_5thAnd6thd.pdf · 5th & 6th Grade Guide Sunday School Edition Lesson Overview

Sunday School Edition

SCHEDULE

Connect5–10 minutes

Gather20–25 minutes

Respond15–20 minutes

Engage10–15 minutes

Bless5 minutes

© 2012 David C. Cook. TruResources are developed in partnership with ROCKHARBOR Church and a national network of family and children’s ministry leaders. All Rights Reserved.

L E S S O N

date:________________

5th & 6th Grade Guide

God Keeps His

1.2

REMEMBER VERSESpeak up for those who

cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the

poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.

Proverbs 31:8–9 (NLT)

Environment: RESPONSIBILITYIn this lesson, you will see the environment of RESPONSBILITY highlighted in how God entrusted Noah with building the ark and keeping his family safe.

Bible Passage: Genesis 6—9:17(Noah and the Flood)

A Storytelling Video is available for this lesson. see page 8 for details.

2© 2012 David C. Cook

1.2Sunday School Edition5th & 6th Grade Guide

RaeLynn LottTruStory Team

InspireIt was near the end of my senior year of college. After spending nearly four years making friends, building relationships, learning more about myself, and learning more about God than I ever thought possible, it was time to leave—time to look for a job and live in the “real world.” And I was worried.

I had absolutely no clue about what I wanted to do and no clear direction on where God was leading me. I cried and wondered if God had forgotten me. But during this time, my mother reminded me about the truth of who God is and that He had a plan for my life. He had been faithful to me before and would not forget His promises to me in my moment of need. So I waited, prayed, and found reminders in Scripture that God was in control, that He would take care of me, and that He would keep His Word.

The week before I graduated, I found out about an amazing job opportunity that seemed designed just for me. I was overjoyed that God had revealed exactly where He wanted me to go. God reminded me that He keeps His Word and He does not forget His promise to take care of His people.

Today, when I struggle with similar anxieties, I remember how God has always proven Himself faithful. The God who took care of me then is the same God whom I serve today. My God does not forget His word.

N O T E S :

CONNECT | GATHER | RESPOND | ENGAGE | BLESS



EquipGod keeps His word. However, when God told Noah He would soon destroy all life on the earth, it’s easy to imagine Noah hoping that, in this one case, God’s words wouldn’t come to pass! But they did, and God once again proved Himself true to His word.

Afterward, in the wake of that devastation, mankind would have been left with a holy fear of God and the consequences of sin. It’s possible that every time it rained, people thought the flood was starting all over again. But God made an agreement with mankind—a covenant (or contract) with the human race that formalized God’s promise that He would never again destroy all life with a flood.

Understanding this idea of “covenant” is crucial to fully grasping the outworking of the plan of God. It is through the establishment of covenants that God first entered into a relationship with mankind and revealed elements of His plan for dealing with sin.

Through the covenants, God revealed His divine intentions. He set out the parameters of His relationship with mankind. Because God’s holy nature requires punishment for sin, and mankind’s fallen nature ensures a continual fall into sin, mankind would always think there was an imminent danger of receiving the wrath of God. So, in His mercy, God established covenants with mankind—promising (through the covenant with Noah) that He would never again destroy the earth that same way. Then, through the “redemptive covenants,” God promised an ultimate way of salvation from sin.

Because of His covenant promise, people would know what to expect from God. This was the first clear revelation of God’s plan to humanity.


Environment of RESPONSIBILITYThis environment captures the ability to take ownership for one’s life, gifts, and resources before God. A child must be challenged to take responsibility for his or her brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as for those who are spiritually lost. Our hope is that the Holy Spirit will use this environment to allow each child to understand that God has entrusted His world to us.

The 10 Environments guide us in creating a climate that puts God on display. Encourage your families to discover more about creating the environment of RESPONSIBILITY in their homes by checking out HomeFront: A Spiritual Parenting Resource and Spiritual Parenting by Michelle Anthony.

The Redemptive Covenants• Abrahamic covenant: Genesis 12; 13; 15; 17; 18; 22• Mosaic covenant: Leviticus 26• Davidic covenant: 2 Samuel 7; 1 Chronicles 17• New covenant: Jeremiah 31:31–37; Ezekiel 36:16–28



SupportThink of a time in your life when someone kept his word to you. Did a friend keep her word to keep quiet about sensitive information you told her? Did a coworker keep his word to speak up on your behalf during a difficult meeting with a boss? How about a husband or wife who kept his or her word to remain faithful to you? In each of these situations, think about how it made you feel to know these people kept their word.

Here are some promises God has made to us:

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. (Deuteronomy 31:8)

I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. (Jeremiah 31:3)

He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

This week, take some time to read these verses and respond to God through them. Ask yourself: How does my heart respond when I ponder the fact that God will keep these promises to me? How does it make me feel to know I serve a God who keeps His word? Praise Him for being a good and gracious God who desires to give His children good gifts—a heavenly Father who faithfully keeps His word.

TruStory Team

JESUS

OUR FUTURE WITH JESUS

YOU & ME

TIM

ELIN

E

NOAHADAM & EVE




Lesson Overview

Experience Time Summary Supplies/Prepare (Master Supply List under Resource Tab)

Connect// 5–10 min.

Kids will develop relationships with their leaders and one another through activities and conversation starters.

My Favorites • Animal Favorites sheet (see Resource Folder)

Gather// 20–25 min.

Kids will experience and learn more about God through communal and personal prayer, a creative telling of the day’s portion of The Big God Story, and an investigation into God’s Word.

Prayer • none

Storytelling• Bibles (1 per child) • paper, pens• optional: calculator, plastic bin, water

Investigate • Discussion Questions

Remember Verse • Remember Verse strips (see Resource Folder)• envelopes• scissors

Respond// 15–20min.

Kids will worship collaboratively and individually through many different media while being mindful of the greater faith community. The “So what? Now what?” component.

Colorful Prayer• paper• colored markers, pens, and/or pencils• photo example of colorful prayer

(see Resource Folder)

Engage// 10–15min.

Kids will engage with one another through various forms of play, including interactive games and activities, engaging projects, and experiments.

Creating Rainbows• cloud photos and facts (see Resource Folder)

BONUS: Clouds and Rain• directions for making a rainbow

(see Resource Folder) • pitcher of water• plastic bin• black paper• scissors• tape

Bless// 5 min. Kids will get the opportunity to take new steps toward living out their part of The Big God Story as they’re blessed by their leader.

• Bible (for the blessing)• HomeFront Weekly (1 per child; see Resource Folder)


• flashlight• full-length mirror• optional: prism

(sciencekit.com), white paper

A Storytelling Video is available for this lesson. See page 9 for details.



Connect// 5–10 min.

Connect encourages kids to develop relationships with their leaders and one another. Within a free-flowing setting that utilizes simple supplies and conversation starters, Connect gives kids and leaders the opportunity to get to know one another better.

When God decided to send a great flood over the whole earth, He kept Noah and his family safe by housing them in a big boat (or ark). He also remembered the animals He had made, saying to Noah in Genesis 6:19, “You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you.” God loves everything He’s created! Today children will have the opportunity to interact with their leaders and one another as they talk about their favorite animals.

CONNECT QUESTION: Welcome and greet the children. Then open your time by asking them: If you could be any animal for the day, what would you be? Why?

My Favorites SUPPLIES• Animal Favorites sheet (see Resource Folder)

SET UPPrint the Animal Favorites sheet found in the Resource Folder.

RELATE When your kids arrive, have them stand up. Tell them you’re going to play a game in which they’ll see whose favorites or opinions will leave the last one standing.

First, tell the children to think of an animal—but not share that animal with anyone. Then read each statement on the Animal Favorites sheet and instruct the kids to either sit down or stay standing according to their opinions or preferences. (Feel free to add statements of your own.) Play until you’ve gone through all of the statements or, preferably, until you have just one child standing. Now have your kids guess the animals their friends chose by thinking about who’s standing and who isn’t.


Developmentally Speaking Fifth and sixth graders love to form their own opinions and tell others about the information they used to form those opinions.



Gather//20–25 min.

PrayerGather your children into a circle. Encourage them to hold their hands in front of them, palms up, as a posture of receiving what God might speak to them today. Then designate a leader (or two) to open and close this time of prayer. Encourage the children to participate in this time of prayer if they’d like. Remind them praying simply means talking to and listening to God, and He always hears us when we pray.

As you pray, leave space between prayers for the children to take the opportunity to pray, in case some may feel apprehensive and need a little more time. Ask God to bless the day’s lesson as you spend time in His Word. Ask Him to speak to the hearts of His children, revealing to them the truth of today’s ponder point: “God Keeps His Word.”

StorytellingStorytelling Techniques: Group Discussion with Questions Related to Personal Experiences, Hands-On Activities

SUPPLIES• Bibles (1 per child) • paper, pens• optional: calculator, plastic bin, water

PREPARE Set out the pens and paper. Optional: Fill the bin with water.

RELATEGather your kids into a circle. Open your Bibles and read Genesis 6:5–9; 7:1–6,17–23; 8:1–5, 13–21; 9:8–17. You can either go around in a circle and have each child read a few verses or choose one or two kids to read longer passages while the others follow along.

After you’re finished reading, give each child a piece of paper and tell him he has two minutes to make a boat out of that paper. Have the kids work together if they would like. Optional: Once they’re done, put the boats in the tub of water or simply have each child hold his/her boat and explain its design.

Ask: How did you decide what shape to make your boat? Do you think it would be hard to build a real boat? Why or why not?

Today we read in the Bible how God gave Noah the plans to build the huge ark (boat) that housed him, his family, and the animals. But before we dive into more

During Gather, kids will experience and learn more about God through communal and personal prayer, a creative storytelling of the day’s portion of The Big God Story, and an investigation into God’s Word, which may include word studies, Scripture cross-referencing, and a look into the context surrounding the passage.

In this section, your children will often act as detectives and investigators—working together to understand the mysteries and truths found in the Bible.




details about that, what did we learn about last week? (Allow the kids to answer.) Right, we learned about how God created everything we see. We also heard how, after the first people sinned, God promised to send the Redeemer who would save the world and, one day, return it to the way it was supposed to be: in perfect harmony with God.

Some of you may have heard the account of Noah before, but for some this may be the first time. Who can tell us the first part of the storyline? (Allow the kids to answer.) Right, God looked down upon the people He created with great sadness and grief. Why? What had people done to make him so sad (Genesis 6:5)? Why do you think God was grieved instead of just sad or disappointed? (Allow them to answer.)

Let’s look again at the next part of the Noah account. (Encourage children to look up and read Genesis 6:7.) God said He would wipe out everything He’d made with a massive flood. But did God actually wipe out everyone and everything He’d made? (Allow kids to answer.) No! We wouldn’t be here if He had! He saved one man—Noah—and his family. Why did God decide to save Noah? (Have kids look up Genesis 6:8–9 and then answer.)

God also saved … what else? (Allow them to answer.) Right: the animals! He told Noah to gather two of every kind, as well as seven of every clean animal, so Noah could make sacrifices on the ark. (Discuss this. Ask questions such as:) How do you think Noah gathered the animals? What do you think it would it be like to live with all of those animals? What’s the difference between “clean” and “unclean” animals? (Have the kids look up Leviticus 11 and discuss.)

God gave Noah specific blueprints for how to build the ark. Have your kids look up Genesis 6:15–16 and see if they can draw a small-scale model using the directions found in Scripture.

So Noah built the ark, gathered the animals God brought to him, and got everyone inside. Then what happened? (Allow the kids to answer.) Right! It rained for 40 days and 40 nights until God sent a wind to blow and stop the rain. What’s the longest time you’ve seen it steadily rain? Did the water do any damage? (Discuss.) It rained so hard and so long that this rainstorm flooded everything—even the mountains.

We know it rained for 40 days and 40 nights. But how long did Noah, his family, and the animals have to stay in the boat? (Have the kids read Genesis 7:24—8:13 and add up how many days Noah and his family were on water.) After all of that time, the boat rested near Mt. Ararat. There, after sending out a test dove that didn’t return, everyone could finally get out!

Clean and Unclean AnimalsAlthough we often refer to the animals in the ark as “pairs,” in Genesis 7:2, God tells Noah to bring with him “seven of every kind of clean animal.” In Noah’s day, God differentiated between clean animals and unclean animals (Leviticus 11). In the Old Testament, priests were required to be ritually clean (in Hebrew, tahor). From the way they dressed to the food they ate to the actions they performed before the sacrifice, God required priests to purify themselves from all forms of uncleanliness before approaching Him in worship.

Later, God also required His people to eat clean animals instead of unclean animals. Reasons for this included sanitation and animal connections with the worship or traditions of pagan tribes. God required Noah to bring more types of clean (tahor) animals on the ark perhaps so he and his family could have them as a food source or so they could make ritually clean sacrifices to God.

SOURCES:

http://bible.org/seriespage/clean-and-unclean%E2%80%94part-i-leviticus-11

http://jerusalemcouncil.org/articles/commentaries/peters-vision-clean-unclean/




What’s the first thing Noah did when he stepped onto dry land? (If the kids don’t know, have them look up Genesis 8:20.) Right: Noah sacrificed to God in praise and thanksgiving for keeping him and his family safe. How did God respond to this? (Have someone look up and read Genesis 8:21–22 to the group. Ask the kids:) What does this mean? (Allow them to answer.) Right: It means that God made a promise to never again destroy the world and mankind through a flood.

This promise was very important because it was a covenant. What’s a “covenant”? (Allow the kids to answer.) Right, a covenant is an everlasting promise. When God makes a covenant, He is giving His word. God made many covenants throughout Scripture, but this is the first one we read about in Scripture. In fact, this covenant is so important that God gave a sign of His promise. What was it? (Allow the kids to answer.) Right: a rainbow! Rainbows are pretty awesome, right? When was the last time you saw a rainbow? How are the colors arranged in a rainbow? Does anyone know why a rainbow has the spectrum of colors the way it does? (Discuss.)

This part of The Big God Story is amazing, isn’t it? It’s about flash floods, wild animals, and magnificent wonders in creation, like the rainbow. It’s also wonderful because it’s all about how God keeps His word. What are some ways God kept His word throughout this portion of Scripture? (Allow the kids to answer and even make a list if desired.) Right: He kept His word to send the flood and to save Noah and his family. He also has kept His promise ever since to never destroy the world again through a flood. What other promises has God made to us in Scripture? (Allow kids to answer.) Right: to send the Redeemer, to send the Holy Spirit, to never leave us or forsake us. Has He kept those promises? You’re right … yes, He has!

Because God continues to keep His word, we can rely on Him. We can trust that when we take responsibility for our faith (like Noah did), God will give us the strength to rely on Him because He keeps His word. (This would be a good time to tell a story of how God has kept His word in your life or the life of someone you know. Ask:) How will it change the way you live your life this week to know God keeps His word? What circumstances in your life right now depend upon God keeping His word?

Allow children to share, and then close in prayer together.

N O T E S :


Resource Tip A Storytelling Video is available for this lesson. Premium, Unlimited, and Combo users may access this resource on the My Lessons page > Extras > Storytelling Videos.



InvestigateDiscussion Questions• What do you think it must have felt like to see a flood of that magnitude?• If you had been Noah, how would you have felt to have heard God’s plans to

destroy His creation and start over?• Why did God choose to save Noah and his family?• What was God’s promise to Noah?• Why do you think God used the rainbow as a symbol of His promise?• How does God’s promise to Noah relate to God’s promises throughout Scripture?

PART 1: God’s Covenant with Noah and the RedeemerEven though people completely turned their back on God, God provided a way out. He showed His grace and mercy by keeping the promise He made in the garden of Eden—to redeem people back to Himself through Jesus.

Have kids look up Genesis 3:14–15. Let the kids know this is a prophecy. Prophecies are full of mysterious wording. This prophecy describes how the coming Redeemer (the woman’s offspring) would destroy sin (crush the head of the snake). We know now that the Redeemer is Jesus.

• What do you think about this prophecy? Are you surprised? Amazed? • What does this prophecy tell you about God or Scripture?

From His promise in the garden to bring a Redeemer to Jesus’ promise to return to earth one day, God has kept (and will keep) every promise He’s made. He has and will keep His word. In fact, because He’s kept His word before, we can know for certain He will keep His word in the future.

• How is God’s covenant with Noah connected to His promise to bring Jesus?

Have kids read Genesis 9:8–16—the part in Scripture in which God gives Noah His everlasting promise to never again destroy the earth through a flood. Other writers in the Bible such as Isaiah reference God’s covenant to Noah as an example of a time when God kept His word (encourage the kids to look up Isaiah 54:9–10). They do this to show those for whom they’re writing that God will keep His word in the future.

• How does it make you feel to know that even other writers of Scripture have been encouraged by God’s promise to Noah?

• How can we be encouraged by God’s promise to Noah?• What does God’s promise to Noah have to do with our daily lives?

Colors of the RainbowThe colors of the rainbow result from light refracting (or changing direction) when it hits water. When sunlight shines through a raindrop, the light is reflected off of the back of the drop, then reflected again in another direction. Interestingly, light refracts at different angles. Blue light comes out of a droplet at a smaller angle than red light. That’s why the color blue lines the bottom of the rainbow and red lines the top of the rainbow. Each color of the rainbow is created by water reflecting at a different angle.

Developmentally Speaking Fifth and sixth graders can analyze a text in detail and enjoy the challenge of doing so. Because they’re at a very social stage in their development, they can engage in a range of discussions and enjoy in-depth discussions with their peers and mentors.




Have the kids look up Genesis 6:5 as well as Jeremiah 17:9–10 and Romans 1:18–23—verses that describe mankind’s sinfulness and need for a Redeemer.

• Why do you think God cared about starting over with Noah and his family?• What does God’s decision to destroy His creation say about sin and

humankind’s need for a Redeemer?

PART 2: God’s PromisesHelp kids look up some promises of God, such as Hebrews 13:5–6 and Isaiah 43:2.

• What are some promises God has given us?• How does it make you feel to know God keeps His word?• How will you live your life differently knowing our God keeps His word?

Remember VerseEach week children will spend time memorizing a portion of Scripture together. Remember Verses are chosen according to the 10 Environments. The environment of RESPONSIBILITY says, “God has entrusted me with the things and people He created around me.”

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice. Proverbs 31:8–9 (NLT)

Game: Verse in an EnvelopeSUPPLIES• Remember Verse strips (see Resource Folder) • envelopes • scissors

PREPAREPrint the Remember Verse strips, cut apart each word, and put the words in an envelope (one envelope per group of three to four kids).

RELATEForm the kids into groups of about three or four, and give each group an envelope. Then read through the verse several times with the children. Once you think they have it, on your signal, let the groups loose to race and see who can put together their verse the fastest.

N O T E S :




Respond// 15–20 min.

Colorful PrayerSUPPLIES• paper• colored markers, pens, and/or pencils• photo example of colorful prayer (see Resource Folder)

SET UP Set out the supplies. Print and set out the photo example.

RELATE We serve a God who keeps His word. The Bible is full of God’s promises to us, telling us who He is and what He promises to do in our lives. We know God always does what He says He will do! Knowing this gives us the strength to carry out our responsibility to play our part in The Big God Story. (Ask the kids to sit quietly and listen as you read the following Scriptures. Optional: Play quiet worship music as you read.)

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. Jeremiah 31:3Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17He is the Lord our God. His laws are for all the world. He will keep his agreement forever; he will keep his promises always. Psalm 105:7–8 (NCV)

CREATEHelp your kids take responsibility for what they’ve learned by creating a colorful prayer for those who might need to know that God keeps His word.

Before the kids jump into this response, ask them to talk to God about people they know who need the assurance that God keeps His word. Once they have a name in mind, encourage them to create a colorful prayer for that person by writing his or her name and coloring a beautiful picture around the name (see photo example). As they write and draw, encourage them to continually bring the person to God in prayer.


During Respond, kids will have the opportunity to process what the Holy Spirit has been teaching them.

They will be encouraged to demonstrate their response to God in a time of hands-on worship, to express themselves individually through the use of many media, and to worship collaboratively with a mindset focused on the greater community.



Clouds and RainSUPPLIES• cloud photos and facts (see Resource Folder)

SET UPPrint out the photos and facts.

RELATE Walk outside with your kids and observe the weather. If it’s raining, make sure the kids put on raincoats and bring umbrellas. If it’s sunny, have them bring their cloud photos and facts sheets (see Resource Folder). If you can’t walk outside, simply look out the window.

Ask the kids: What types of clouds do you see? Have them decipher the types of clouds they see outside by consulting their cloud photos and facts. If any of those clouds turned into shapes or animals, what would they be? Have any of you ever been in an airplane above the clouds? What was it like?

If it’s rainy outside, have your kids place a cup on the ground to collect water. As they watch the weather, ask them: What types of clouds do you see? Have them decipher the types of clouds they see outside by consulting their cloud photos and facts. When was the last time you saw a huge storm? What was it like? When you’re done, collect the cup and observe how much rain has fallen.

After the kids have had a chance to observe the weather, sit in a circle and tell stories. If it’s raining, tell stories about rainstorms. If it’s sunny, tell stories about beautiful days spent at the park, beach, or with their families. If it’s sunny, tell stories while sitting outside.

SEE BONUS OPTION ON NEXT PAGE

The Engage section gives kids time to play, laugh, and explore together through interactive games and activities, engaging projects, experiments, and more.

Engage// 10–15 min.

N O T E S :


Resource Tip “Minute To Win It” activities are available for this lesson. Premium, Unlimited, and Combo users may access this resource on the My Lessons page > Extras > Small Group Enhancements.



N O T E S : BONUS: Clouds and RainSUPPLIES• directions for making a rainbow (see Resource Folder)• full-length mirror• pitcher of water• plastic bin• black paper• scissors• tape• flashlight• optional: prism (sciencekit.com), white paper

SET UP Print out the directions for making a rainbow. Set out the rest of the supplies.

RELATEHand the directions to the children and tell them they’re going to work together to create a rainbow using the supplies you’ve provided.

Optional: Allow each child to hold the prism up to the light (outside) and see the rainbow reflected in the prism as well as on a white surface.




Bless// 5 min.

Before you bless the children in your group, pray about the blessing God would have you give to them.

Gather the children together and read the blessing from Psalm 105:7–8 (NCV) over each one of them individually: [Child’s name], God’s Word says in Psalm 105:7–8 that “He is the Lord our God. His laws are for all the world. He will keep his agreement forever; he will keep his promises always.”

Another option: Ask the children to stay seated in a circle as you walk around and bless each one of them. Touch each child on the head or shoulder and speak a blessing over her, saying, “[Child’s name], God always keeps His word.”

As followers of Christ, we’ve been blessed to be a blessing to others. This Bless time will allow children to take new steps toward living out their part of The Big God Story.

This time will lead kids to go out into the community and respond to what they’ve learned and received from God by sharing and giving away their knowledge and blessings to others.

HomeFront Weekly: Be sure to send home the HomeFront Weekly for next week’s lesson! This PRETEACHING tool for parents encourages families to spend time in God’s Word together BEFORE children arrive at church.

HomeFront: A Spiritual Parenting Resource: Each month we highlight one of the 10 environments. This resource gives families ideas for how to live in the environment while creating fun, spiritually forming times in their homes—setting aside a sacred space for family in the midst of their active, everyday lives!


Documents

5th & 6th Grade Guide Sunday School Edition - hwcdn.nethwcdn.net/d3u9i9g7/cds/tru/SamplesPage/TS_SS_1-2_5thAnd6thd.pdf · 5th & 6th Grade Guide Sunday School Edition Lesson Overview