Rotation.org Writing Team

The Lord's Prayer

Computer or "Gameshow" Quiz Workshop

Summary of Activities

Students will study the Lord's Prayer, play a Lord's Prayer memory verse game using the Cal and Marty's Scripture Memory Game software, and then play a quiz game about the Lord's Prayer using the quiz software "Fall of Jericho."

This lesson also notes for how to do the same verse and quiz activities without a computer.

Note: Cal and Marty & Fall of Jericho software are now free to supporting members! Get them here.

Scripture for the Lesson

Matthew 6:5-13 (NRSV)

Lesson Objectives

See the Bible Background at rotation.org for this set's complete list of objectives.

Preparation and Materials

• Read the Bible Background and scripture.
• Download the attached LordsPrayer.zip file. It contains:
  • a "How-to-install" pdf
  • a Question Set of 25 Questions for use in the Fall of Jericho software game
  • a Verse Set for use in the Cal and Marty Scripture game
  • a printable set of the 25 quiz questions.
• Unzip the LordsPrayer.zip file and read the README text file.
• If you don't already have it, install the Cal and Marty's Scripture Memory Game software to one or more PCs.  Install the attached Lord's Prayer verse set into the Cal and Marty game per the HOW-TO.pdf in the LordsPrayer.zip file. Open the verse set in the game's Verse Editor to adjust the translation if desired.  (Created by Sunday Software and now available FREE to you, our Supporting Members! Works on any Windows PC.)
• If you don't already have it, install the Fall of Jericho quiz game software to one or more PCs. Install the 25 Lord's Prayer Question set in the folder on your PC (described in the HOW-TO.pdf). Open the set of 25 questions with the Jericho Question Editor and make any adjustments you'd like to the questions and answers. (Available FREE to our Supporting Members. Works on any Windows PC.)
• Read the HOW-TO.pdf about downloading and installing the Jericho and Cal & Marty quiz files. (The HOW-TO is included in the attached LordsPrayer.zip file.)
  

Lesson Plan

Notice that the "memory verse" game precedes the quiz game in this lesson plan. The quiz questions tend to focus on "meaning" and the practice of prayer and have some reflection content (which are discussion opportunities). If you won't be using the memory verse game, spend a little extra time reading and discussing the passage before diving into the quiz.

Opening

Welcome your students and explain what they'll be doing and learning today.

Ask for a show of hands "how many of you know the Lord's Prayer?" Starting with the student least likely to be embarrassed, have them recite the Lord's Prayer as well as they can, explaining to everyone ahead of time that when they stumble or skip a word or phrase, it will be up to the person on their right to pick up saying the prayer out loud until they stumble, at which time it moves to the next person on the right until the entire Prayer is completed. (Tip: If the students are doing a great job reciting it, tighten up your "rules" so that recitation passes to the next person if the current student even pauses to think, or says a wrong word and then quickly corrects themselves).

Ask: WHERE do you usually speak the Lord's Prayer? Most will say "in worship." Now read Matthew 6: 5-13 and ask them again WHERE does Jesus think you should pray this prayer!  (in your closet, in private).

• Point out that prayer is a conversation between you and God, and that when we say the Lord's Prayer in a worship service, it functions more like a "prayer of unity" than personal prayer.
• Ask students to point out the differences between the Lord's Prayer as found in their Bibles and the one we began the lesson with. This is a good time to teach them that the version most churches typically say together in worship (or that we have in our memories) is usually a little different than the one found in our Bibles (see the Bible Background for the reason why, if you choose to explain it to them).
• Point out that most Christians around the world say the Lord's Prayer every Sunday.
• Ask them what it means that all of us are saying it together throughout the world.
  
  

Conclude by saying: "Whether we say it together or in our private prayers with God, Jesus told us to 'pray like this,' so today we're going to work on remembering what he taught us to pray for, and play a quiz game about the meaning of some of its keywords. Hint: some of the "meanings" you'll be quizzed about are taught in the opening verse scramble!

Lord's Prayer Scripture Memory Game (15 minutes) with Cal and Marty

The Lord's Prayer Verse Set (found in the attached zip file) only works within the Cal and Marty Game. Do not open or edit it outside of the Cal and Marty Verse Editor. The text file must be copied into the correct folder on your computer for Cal and Marty to find it. (See the HOW-TO.pdf in the attached LordsPrayer.zip file for help doing that.)

The first entries are short sentences from the "closet" section of the passage. The remaining verses cover the Prayer itself. The Verse Set uses the "debts" version. You can change that in the Verse Editor. We did not use the feature in Cal & Marty that allows you to add a 3-question quiz to the verses, but you or older students can add those using the Verse Editor if you like.

So...

1. You have installed the attached Lord's Prayer Verse Set into the Cal and Marty's Scripture Memory Game software.
2. You have edited the verse set using the Cal and Marty Verse Editor to make it match your preferred translation.
3. Now you're ready for students to enter the Cal and Marty game and work their way through the verses unscrambling them. The time clock runs "up" so students can take as long as they need to unscramble each verse. They can also click "hints" to get help.
4. Ideally, 2 or 3 students per computer will work together. If you have fewer computers and more students, have them take turns (watching each other is great memory work) and trying to beat each other's time on each unscramble. Assist them as needed to keep things moving along.
5. Remind them that the "blue notes" seen after they've unscrambled a verse, contain information that will answer some of the questions in the coming quiz.
6. See the "younger children" adaptation notes at the end of this lesson.

Screenshot showing the Lord's Prayer verse set in the Cal and Marty software.
Cal and Marty is a "verse scramble" game with a verse editor making it usable with any scripture or translation. It's easy enough to be used by older kids if they have the time.

Lord's Prayer Quiz Game (20 minutes) ... a Race to Jericho!

You have installed the 25 Lord's Prayer Questions (found in the attached zip file) into the Fall of Jericho's game folder. When you start up the software, select "File" and your question set. At this time you should also click "options" on the menu and select the "short game" option. Also on the "options" menu, select the option to allow other teams to answer if one team gets the wrong answer.  This makes everyone pay attention to every question and answer. Ideally, you'll have just two or three teams playing at the computer to keep things moving along. Offer "phone a friend" hints if they are struggling. Older children will want to read the questions and answers aloud. The teacher can read if needed, to simplify or explain.

"Fall of Jericho" is an onscreen race to Jericho in which you only move forward when you answer a question correctly. One to four players/teams. Short or long game options. Works on any Windows PC.

Keep in mind that each question and the notes that follow each question are opportunities for teaching comments and discussion. They think they're playing a game, but they're really having a discussion. Use the info on your printed copy of the questions to help them understand "why" they may have gotten a wrong answer to a question.
Make note of any questions you might want to spend extra time discussing.

  If you need to speed up the gameplay or use it with younger students, you can tell them one or two wrong answers to exclude.

Adaptations

For Younger Students:   

Both pieces of software allow you to edit their content. Grades 1 and 2 (non/early readers) can use Cal and Marty's Scripture Memory Game to unscramble the verses of the Lord's Prayer IF you are right there helping them (speaking the words out loud and asking them what comes next, then pointing them to it on the screen so they can move it with their mouse).  Give hints and do fewer verses in the set if needed.

Early readers can have Fall of Jericho onscreen questions and answers read to them, and you can narrow down the possible answers to two instead of four to help move them along. If desired, you can open up the questions in the Editor and delete one or two of the wrong answers by replacing the text with an *asterisk*.

Fall of Jericho "Game Show" Option for those with 1 PC:

If you have just one PC and a whole group of kids, you can use Fall of Jericho to create a game show in the following way:

1. Start the Fall of Jericho game, select your question file to play, and then select the ONE PLAYER option.
2. Now arrange your students into two or three groups and give each group four sheets of paper marked A, B, C, D. These letters correspond to the possible four answers they will see with each question on the Fall of Jericho game screen.
3. Start the One Player game on Fall of Jericho, and when the first question pops up, give each team 10 seconds to decide on the correct answer and slide either A, B, C, or D forward as their answer, with the letter not shown.
4. Now say "reveal your answer" and have each team turn over their answer sheet simultaneously. Once they have presented their answer choice, click the correct answer on the game screen.
5. Award 5 points for each correct answer and move to the next question in the Fall of Jericho game.  (Comment on the answers and "notes" that appear after the answer as you wish.)

Adaptations for those not using a computer:

Scripture Memory Game:
Write out the phrases and verses of the Lord's Prayer on 8.5 x 11" sheets of paper and scramble them on the table. Time students/groups of students to see how fast they can assemble the pages in the correct order. After unscrambling it, slide one or two sheets to various students/groups and ask them to "explain to the rest of the class" what that phrase or verse means. Do as many of these as you like.

Quiz Game:
Print the list of questions found in the post below this one at rotation.org! Edit on the fly as you host your own quiz show. Split into no more than three teams and arrange them around your podium like a game show. Explain the rules, invite someone to keep score on the board, and begin asking the quiz questions, one team at a time. Since you are reading the questions, reduce the number of possible answers you share down to just two or three instead of four. This will make for less confusion since they are only hearing the questions.  Award 3 points for the correct answer. If they give you the wrong answer, ask the next team for the correct answer and award 1 point for getting it right. Adjust rules and gameplay to suit age and time.

Those with more time: 

Have students add their own "3 question quiz" to some of the verses in the Cal and Marty Lord's Prayer Verse Set. To do so, have them open it in the "Verse Editor" and click "add quiz question."

Notes and Sources

See the HOW-TO.pdf in the attached zip file for how to copy and paste the verse set and question set into the special program folder on your computer so that they can be opened up, edited, and played within the Cal and Marty's Scripture Memory Game software and the Fall of Jericho quiz software.

Written by Neil MacQueen and the Rotation.org Writing Team

Copyright Rotation.org Inc.