You've been handed purchased resources, a class list, and assigned a room space. Where do you start? How can you make a
plan that engages kids in learning rather than just covering the activities in the curriculum you received? This section of
Online Training for Sunday School Teachers helps you design a plan to meet the needs of your class.
You'll learn about:
- A backward design process
- Making a big picture plan
- Planning each day
Backward Design
In the backward design planning process identified in Understanding by Design by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
(Association for Curriculum and Development, Alexandria. VA, 1998) planning occurs in this order:
- Identify desired results (What do you want children to know or be able to do?)
- Determine acceptable evidence (How will you know they have learned?)
- Plan the learning experiences (What will lead to the desired results?)
It can be tempting to begin your planning by thinking about the last step, "What will we do?" rather than the first step,
"What will children learn?"
Although many congregations have not formally identified what they want kids to know at the end of their Sunday school
experience, most Sunday school goals fall into two big picture categories:
- What are the beliefs and practices of my faith?
- What does that mean for how I live my life?
Your focus for the year
It may help you to think of all the years in Sunday school as a 1,000 piece puzzle. When it is complete, each child would
be able to answer the two big picture questions posed above.
How can you know which puzzle piece to use if you can't see the whole picture? How can you decide where to focus your time
and energy? You can begin by using the backward design process.
Choose one section of the puzzle you would like to work on this year. What is it that you hope children in your class will
have a deeper understanding of at the end of your time together? Wiggins and Tighe call these big goals "enduring understandings."
Most printed resources don't have an on-going yearly goal, so you'll need to create a plan to integrate your yearly learning
goals (the one section of the larger puzzle) into each session. Some examples are:
- Young children can focus on a concept as simple as God created everything good. Create an "It Is Good"
wall in your class space. As you place something new on this wall each week you can prompt kids by saying, "And God said,"
and they will answer, "It is good!" Be sure the images that go on the wall come from their ideas. Encourage parents to create
an "It Is Good" space in their home.
- Early elementary children enjoy ritual, especially when they have a hand in creating it. They can learn
the sights and sounds of the changing seasons of the church year. Work together to make a "Church Season Kit" containing a
cloth square of each liturgical color and one symbol of each season. This may take some initial research on your part, but
the kids can help you make the symbols and cut the cloth. Use the cloth and symbol to begin each session by asking a child
to set up the space. When the space is ready, say a prayer the kids have written. At the end of the session, ask someone to
replace the items in the kit.
- Pre-teens can focus on discovering ideas and opportunities for serving with others. Place a poster board
titled "Serving Together" on the wall with three headings (How we serve others. What we know about others. How is this a faith
response?). Invite kids to help you remain alert for ideas that come up in your discussions that can be added to the chart. You'll
need a new chart before long if you remember to record their ideas. You'll never be able to do all the tasks listed, but the
poster will help them to connect their Sunday school responses with faith-filled responses of love in action. Of course, take
time to carry out some of the suggestions!
Planning each day
Your printed resource probably contains more than you can accomplish. You can use the same three-step process to determine
your daily plan in light of your yearly focus.
- Plan your learning goal for the day.
Skim through the plan. What is the one idea you hope kids will walk away with?
Read the Bible story. Write the main idea in your own words on an index card and keep it front of you as you plan and as you
teach. Challenge yourself to do this at the beginning of the week (instead of Saturday night) and you may discover everyday
experiences that fit your learning goal.
- How will you know if kids meet your weekly learning goal?
One idea is a "ticket out the door." At the beginning of
each session, tell children the general topic of a question you will ask at the end of the day. When they are ready to leave,
give them a ticket and a more specific question (based on the main idea for the day). They can write their answer on
the ticket to hand to you (read it before they leave) or hand you the ticket and tell you their answer. This helps kids focus
their mental energy during class time and gives you a chance for a personal conversation at the end of the day. (Example:
At the beginning of class tell them to be think about children. At the end ask them to tell you something that was the same
about children in the Bible story and children today.)
- Decide what the learners will do.
Now look over the plans suggested in your printed resources to choose the activities
that will meet your learning goal. Remember to focus on what the children do, more than what you do. Which activities match
the needs of your learners, your available time, and are possible in your space? What do you want to change? How would you
meet that goal with these children if you had no materials? What situations are occurring in your church or community right
now that apply to this session? What question will you ask kids to answer as their ticket out the door? Enjoy!
You can learn more about the Wiggins and Tighe design plan at http://www.weac.org/News/2000-01/oct00/read.htm
