Rotation.org Writing Team

Psalm 8: "When I look at your heavens"

Bible Skills and Games Workshop 

Summary of Activities

Students will play two Psalm 8 memory games and then participate in a "My Psalm 8 Translation" exercise using the attached handout and copies of Strong's Concordance, a famous Bible study resource.

Note: The Writing Team Psalm 8 "Memory Workshop" lesson in this set has other memory games in it,. That lesson also introduces insights from a word study of Psalm 8. However, the following "Bible Skills" workshop  goes deeper into the word study exercise by actually having the students use Strong's Concordance to create their own translation. Our handout makes it easy. See notes below for various ways to present the handout exercise with different age groups and class sizes.

Scripture for the Lesson

Psalm 8   -All verses, 1-9, for readers. See the adaptation note about only memorizing verses 1, 3-5, and 9 with younger children and those with short class times (skipping 2, 6, 7, 8 for memorization purposes).

Key/Memory Verse:  "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?" (NRSV)

Lesson Objectives

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

Bible Skill Objective:  Become acquainted with Strong's Concordance, a famous and helpful Bible study tool, and become more familiar with the concept of "alternate readings and different translations" of scripture. Appreciate how word studies and different translations help unlock more meaning and insight.

Preparation and Materials

• Read the Bible Background and scripture.
• Bible(s)
• Beanbags (1 per pair of students)
• Whiteboard or Chalkboard (marker/chalk and eraser)
• Pre-write Psalm 8 on Whiteboard.
• Print the handout:  "My Translation of Psalm 8."
• Gather copies of Strong's Concordance. Check with your pastor, church library and local library. You can also freely access Strong's online over a computer or smartphone.
  
  The printable handout has clickable links in it that go straight to an online version of Strong's Concordance. 
  
  

About Strong's Concordance
Strong's Concordance is one of the most valuable and widely used Bible study tools across the denominations. Originally produced in 1890, it functions like a DICTIONARY of the Bible. The user can look up every word in the Bible text, see the original Hebrew or Greek word and its root meaning, and see numerous synonyms for the word, as well as, where else in the Bible the word has been used.

There are many version's of Strong's, including numerous free online versions. Strong's uses the King James Version of scripture, but that should not be a deterrent for those using other translations, as the translation options (synonyms) are the same. One of the easiest online versions of Strong's is found here. (http://www.godrules.net/librar...s/kjvstrongspsa8.htm). The "My Translation" handout has clickable links to the online concordance. The handout also has several of the possible word translations included in it for numerous key words and phrases in the Psalm. 

An example of why it is spiritually fruitful to do word studies and consider synonyms.
In verse 5, the word "crowned" suggests we are given kingly authority or status, whereas, Strong's Concordance say the word "crowned" can be translated as "surrounded." "Surrounded" helps us see the Psalmist's poetic comparison between the way the heavens seem to embrace the earth and surround it, and how God surrounds, embraces us with his glory.  Yay Word Study!  

How the student's will use Strong's Concordance in this lesson
Students will discover synonyms for key words in Psalm 8 that unlock new perspectives on what the Psalmist is saying, and insert them into their own translation and share it with the class. Their word choices are opportunities for discussion.

In addition to print copies, please share the online version with your students, as more and more Bible study is being done on mobile devices, and it teaches your students to use smartphones for godly purposes!

Depending on the number of copies of Strong's you are able to gather, the number of students, their age, and your amount of time, you can have them do their own research to fill out the "My Translation" handout. Or you can "project" a copy of Strong's Online on the wall, discuss various choices, and let each student PICK which synonym/alternate they want to include on their "My Translation" handout. The PDF also has clickable links to the online concordance so you can use the PDF in a classroom on a computer for your presentation if you'd like.

Lesson Plan

Opening Comments

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

Ask the Following Questions:

•  How old is the Bible?
• Why do we still read it today?
• What language was the Old Testament originally written in? (Hebrew)

Share: Translators are people who take words from one language, and figure out how to say them or write them in another language. For example, what's the Spanish translation for the English words "hello and goodbye"?  (Hola, adios).

When translating the Hebrew words of the Old Testament into English, translators sometimes have difficult or interesting choices. If they get the translation wrong, it can make scripture confusing. If they get it right, it can reveal the original meaning of text. 

There are many different English translations of the Old Testament Hebrew because different translators had different ideas about WHICH English words were the best ones. (You may point out several different translations present in your class, such as, a KJV, NIV or NRSV Bible.)

Today, you're going to become a translator of Psalm 8. But first, we're going to work on learning a basic translation of Psalm 8, the one found in our classroom Bible.

Opening Memory Games

Open your Bibles to Psalm 8 and let's read it together before we play two games to see how much of it you remember!  Read Psalm 8 together out loud.

GAME 1:  "How Well Can You Do?"

Divide the class into pairs. Designate one as a "leader" and the other as "partner." Explain that pairs of students will play catch with a beanbag as they say and repeat verse phrases until they have worked their way through the Psalm.  Demonstrate it with someone. The leader may look at the Psalm, the partner may not. Write the Psalm on the board and have the partners facing away from it. (You may write as many verses as you want them to memorize.)

Leader: “O LORD”  (then tossed the bean bag to partner)
Partner" Catches it and tosses it back repeating "O LORD"

Round 1:
Work your way through all the phrases of Psalm 8, with the leader saying them as they toss the bean bag and the partner repeating them as they toss the bean bag back to the leader. "RULES:" If they drop the bag, they must start over. If the partner forgets or messes up the repeating, the Leader must repeat the phrase and toss the bean bag back to the partner who must repeat it perfectly.

Round 2:  
Have the partners do it again as fast as they can. If they drop the bag or mess up the wording, make them start at the beginning. (Skip Round 2 if you have a short class time.)

Round 3: 
Switch roles. The Leader now becomes the partner with their back to the written verses. Play round 1 again.

GAME 2: "How Much Can You Remember?"

This game only focuses on verses 1, 3, 4 and 5 which you still have written on the board.

After everyone has read through it, ERASE the second half of each line (the text in green as shown below).

Have each pair come forward, one pair at a time and face the half completed Psalm.

The teacher then starts off Game 2 by saying the first half of each line.  The pair must say out loud the correct next word or phrase that completes that line.  If they get it wrong (which they are likely to do on occasion), give them the FIRST word of the phrase to jog their memory. Then the second word. If they are still stumped, ask the rest of the students to say the correct phrase (if they know it,) and then the teacher confirms-speaks the correct answer, then the pair tries to answer the second verse.  (This game is designed for later pairs to do better because they will have seen the correct answer several times.)

1 O Lord  / our Sovereign,
how majestic / is your name in all the earth
You have set your / glory  
above the / heavens.

3 When I look / at your heavens,
the work / of your fingers,
the moon and the stars / that you have established;
4 what are / human beings

that you are / mindful of them,
mortals /  that you care for them?

5 Yet you have made them / a little lower than God,
and crowned them / with glory and honor.

 (NRSV)

Options: If students find this hard, the teacher could give "hints" about the next word, beginning to sound it out, for example. If you have time or as a competitive option, have someone keep score. Give the pair a point for each correct next word or phrase they correctly say. Keep it positive and encouraging so that everyone wins.  If you have extra time, do Game 2 again, but this time, KEEP the words in green and erase the first part of each line and see if they can remember the first part.

Note: It will help their memory to see the written words. Invite them to read the words out loud too, as this will trigger their memory.

Creating "My Translation" with Strong's Concordance

Give each study a copy of the "My Translation" handout attached to this lesson.

Show them how Strong's Concordance works (depending on which book version/website you are using.)

Younger Readers: Do this activity together.  

Older Students: Let them do their translation independently. See the handout for suggestions about assigning verses. 

Alternately:  Using your laptop and an LCD projector, to display the PDF, and click its links which connect to the easy-to-use "Godrules.net" version of Strong's for Psalm 8. After examining the translation options,  students decide which they want to write on their "My Translation" handout.  See the Teacher's Notes on the handout for shareable insights.

Share "My Translation"

Have each student read their "My Translation" to the class. Offer positive reinforcements, and conclude with a prayer that each of us would remember to "look at God's heavens" as a sign of God's loving embrace.

Adaptations

For Younger Students or those wishing to concentrate on the more "key" verses:  Shorten the Psalm 1, 3-6, and 9 and skip verses 2, 7 and 8.

If you have time and can access it online from your classroom, after the Memory Game, share the Music Video Meditation found at the end of this lesson set's Bible Background, and here on YouTube.

Written by the Rotation.org Writing Team
Copyright 2017, Rotation.org Inc.

Why Memorize and Do a Word Study of Psalm 8?

♥ Psalm 8  concisely and poetically speaks to a universal human experience and question: "When I look into the nighttime sky, I wonder about it's vastness, its origin, and my place in it all." 

♥ Psalm 8 teaches us two powerful words that describe both God's essential nature and our own: "Majestic" and "honored." They summarize the two great commandments about God and neighbor.  "Honored" is the basis for our treatment of others.

♥ Psalm 8 answers the "existential" question children and star-gazers have asked for millennia: "Who am I?  ...I am made and honored by God."   Children especially need to hear this message, as they are sometimes overlooked and undervalued, or worse. The feeling of worthlessness and the devaluing of others is at the root of many problems they will encounter throughout their life.

♥ The word choices translators have to play with in Psalm 8 reveal more of the psalm's poetic and visual majesty and meaning.

For more insights and information, read the Bible Background.