Computer Workshop lesson ideas submitted by Neil MacQueen
1. Burying Our Gifts In Our Words
Students type an inverted pyramid of word-excuses that visually appear to "bury" our gifts.
The teacher walks the student through this exercise by first listing on the board a variety of "excuses" people use to avoid doing right, avoid worship, avoid helping others, avoid praying, avoiding giving, avoid getting involved, avoid being honest, etc.
Students then open their wordprocessor, and start typing 15 lines full of excuses.
The top line is the longest. The 2nd line is a little shorter, the third a little shorter than the 2nd, and so on until they get down to the last line which simply says "God's Gifts". PRINT and share.
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God's Gifts
2. The Best Excuse Game
Students Compete to come up with the "Best" Excuse for Not following through on their talents/gifts/commitments.
Students will use Let's Talk software (Sunday Software) to make their computer speak aloud an excuse they will offer in response to the teacher's statement.
"Let's Talk" software program is now free to the supporting members of Rotation.org!
Use the "Talk Now" model in Let's Talk CD. After hearing the teacher's statement, they type a response, then play it back for all to hear when the teacher cues them. Students vote on the best excuse and move on to the next statement. (My software folks will recognize this as the technique I describe in the Let's Talk resource page as "Stand and Deliver".)
Suggested teacher statements:
I walk by a kid being bullied in the hallway at school because....
I don't feel like going to Sunday School this morning because....
God has given me eternal life, but I'm not into praying my thanks every day because....
I could use some help making choices in my life, but I don't read the Bible because.....
I walked by a charity bake sale the other day and didn't support it because....
Even though it says to honor your mother and father, I don't always do that because....
I have someone in my life whom I really need to forgive, but I don't because....
I know God doesn't want me to do some of the things I say and do, but I do and say them because.....
etc.
This is obviously an older kids lesson idea. Very effective. Each "because" and each of their responses is an occasion for great discussion. Some kids will give funny answers instead of serious ones, so I let them do "one funny" then "one serious" and that usually does the trick.
Then... switch up the questions to "positives", such as...
The talent I possess that nobody knows about is.....
The talent I wish I had is .....
If I could ask God to give me ONE GIFT to improve my life, my world, my church, it would be.....
Neil
