Rotation.org Writing Team

The Story of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz

A Magnetic Storytelling Workshop Lesson

Summary of Activities

Students will use magnets in a variety of ways as they read and discuss the Story of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz—focusing on what brought them together and bound them to each other. In a closing reflection, they will use their magnets to extract iron from LIFE breakfast cereal as they consider the "ingredients" of faith and commitment found in the Story of Ruth.

Scripture:

The Book of Ruth (NIV)

The lesson uses the Ruth Storybook, a free abbreviated version created by our Writing Team. Based on the NIV and illustrated with John August Swanson's colorful Ruth images (used with permission), it may be projected or printed and shared. Additional Bible background, insights, and questions are included in the storybook.

Memory Verse:
”Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God." Ruth 1:16 NIV

Lesson Objectives

See the Bible Background at Rotation.org for insights on this story and this set's complete list of objectives.

Preparation and Materials

• Read the Bible Background and scripture
• Print the Ruth Storybook PDF, or save its file for viewing on a large screen (simply save the PDF to a flash drive and insert the flash drive into your device for viewing; or see suggestions for how to show web content from your cellphone on a TV).
• Print a copy of the teacher's Instructions for Telling the Story of Ruth with Magnets PDF.
• Practice the magnet activities at home prior to teaching the lesson.
• Small but strong magnets, one per student. One good inexpensive option is round ceramic magnets such as those found in craft and online stores. (These can be glued to a Ruth 1:16 verse reminder card at the end of the lesson and sent home.)
• A box of steel (not aluminum) paperclips; approximately 7 per student. Use a magnet to confirm the paperclips you're going to use are made with iron/steel.
• A piece of paper with "Ruth" written on it for each child.
• If needed, view an example of how to extract iron from cereal by viewing this YouTube instructional video.
• A box of LIFE cereal (or some other iron-fortified cereal).
• A permanent marker to write on the cereal box.
• Sealable gallon-sized plastic bags, one per student.
• Cereal crushing tools:
  • If preparing in advance, use a food processor or blender to pulverize cereal.
  • If students will be crushing: gather various blocks of wood or rounded objects such as a cup to crush cereal in a bag to a powder.
• Pitcher of water (or multiple pitchers of water depending on class size) to mix with crushed cereal.
• Optional: white paper to make the iron particles more visible if your tables are not white.

Lesson Plan

Open and Introduce the Science Project

Welcome the students and explain how today's lesson will unfold and what you hope they will learn.

Remember the Story?

Ask: What do you know or remember about the story of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz?  (Write their responses on the board; fill it in to create a general outline if time permits.)

Telling The Story of Ruth with Magnets

To save space here, the lesson steps below only show you the teaching instructions for the first panel in the Ruth Storybook; this page is the longest because it's first and introduces the magnet storytelling. See the Instructions for Telling the Story of Ruth with Magnets for the rest of the activity.

Students should have color copies of the Ruth Storybook PDF to share, OR  show the storybook on a large screen or project it on a wall.

Telling the Story of Ruth with Magnets

PAGE 1:

1. Distribute a magnet to each student and put a pile of metal paperclips on the table within each student's reach.

2. Let them quickly practice gathering paperclips with their magnets so that the clips line up end to end. If they can't do that, let the clips clump together on the magnet. Return the paperclips to the pile.

3. Read the Page 1 storybook text aloud.

4. Have each student use their magnet to collect one paperclip for each person in Naomi's family when they lived in Bethlehem (4). See if they can make a paperclip chain with the magnet touching only the first paperclip.

5. Then have them pull Naomi's family across the table "from Bethlehem to Moab" and pick up two more family members (paperclips)—Ruth and Orpah. The stronger the magnet, the more likely they will be able to pull all six clips.

6. Have students try to remove three paperclips without using their hands to represent the death of the father and sons.

Ask: How do you think Naomi and Ruth are feeling about the loss of their husbands and family? (Sad, hopeless, angry?)

Ask: Have you ever felt sad or angry about the loss of a friend or grandparent or pet? It’s normal to feel that way sometimes. What helped you feel better, feel comforted? (The love and support of others. Faith. Time.)
**Note: If a student has lost a parent or sibling, be cautious about asking this question. Keep in mind that Naomi and Ruth’s loss is part of what makes the story of their journey together so compelling.

Say: Sometimes when tragedy hits, you find out a lot about a person's character and faith. Let's see what we find out about Naomi and Ruth.

See  all the Instructions for telling the Story of Ruth with magnets in the PDF.

LIFE Cereal Ingredients of a Godly Life Reflection

In this reflection, students will use their magnets to discover and collect IRON—the surprise ingredient in LIFE breakfast cereal that is essential for our health. They will relate it to the important "life" ingredients in Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz's story and their own, and write those ingredients on the LIFE cereal box.

* If you cannot get LIFE cereal, compare labels and chose any cereal fortified with high iron content, such as Total, Cornflakes, or Rice Krispies.

1. Show the LIFE cereal box and ask students to tell you what ingredients they think might be in it. Then, read the list of ingredients on the box.

Note that some ingredients are obvious (like oats), while others make LIFE tasty and nutritious. (Yes, we're creating a metaphor here!)

2. Tell them that there is a "secret" ingredient in LIFE cereal that is so important for staying alive that cereal-makers ADD a TINY AMOUNT of it in almost every breakfast cereal.

Ask: Do you know what this special ingredient is?

Hints:

• It's found in the earth, but it is made in the center of STARS when they explode and become supernovas!
• Without it, your red blood cells cannot carry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body.
• You're going to find it in your cereal with your magnet!

Do the Iron-in-the-LIFE-Cereal Experiment

1. Have the students crush the cereal. The finer the better. (If time is short, crush the cereal in advance.)
2. Pour about a half cup of crushed cereal into their individual "ziploc" gallon-size bags.
3. Add water, burp excess air, seal, and mix. You want a liquid slurry, not paste.
4. Lay the sealed and mixed bag on a white surface (use paper if needed) to make the iron particles more visible.
5. Begin lightly sweeping the magnet from one edge of the bag to the other, lifting the magnet at the edge so that the iron particles begin to collect at the edge of the bag. Thin the mixture with more water if needed. How much iron you see and how soon you see it will depend on the strength of your magnet, the consistency of the LIFE cereal slurry, and how well you have brushed and lifted your magnet to deposit the iron into visible clumps along the edge.
   
   
   
   Have everyone show how much iron they collected, then collect the bags and magnets and conclude the lesson with this discussion and cereal box labeling.

Life Cereal Box Discussion

1. Ask your students, "What ingredients made Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz's life turn out good instead of tragic?" (love, friendship, commitment, protector, God, faith)   

2. Write the suggested ingredients on the cereal box in big letters as they are shared, and say a few more things about each one. For example, "We all need committed friends to not only have fun with but to guide and care for us" and, "God is like the life-saving iron in our cereal, you just have to know how to look for God!"

3. Remind everyone of Boaz's Guardian-Redeemer title that was read in the story. Remind them that it means someone who PROTECTS people in need. Write "Guardian-Redeemer" on the LIFE cereal box as a reminder that all of us need Guardians/Protectors in our lives.

4. Ask: Can you name a Guardian-Protector-Redeemer in your life?  (Mom or Dad, a sibling, God!)  What are some ways that you act as a Guardian-Protector for others?

Conclude with a prayer that we may grow to be more like Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz: trustworthy, committed to each other's protection, and willing to help those in need.

Adaptations

For younger students and those with less class time:

• Use pre-crushed cereal already poured and mixed in the gallon bags.
• Summarize and skip pages 4 & 11 in the Ruth Storybook:
  • Page 4 "When they finally arrived in Bethlehem" --just mention they arrived.
  • Page 11  "The very next day, Boaz gathered the elders " --just mention that the other Guardian-Redeemer gave up his claim to Naomi's family land and his right to marry Ruth.

For older students or those with more time:

• Invite students to come up with their own magnet and paperclip actions to represent various ideas and actions they are reading in the Ruth Storybook. For example, how could you represent the idea of "gleaning" using your paperclips and magnets?
• Further discuss "what fortifies us"
  • to make tough choices like Ruth had to
  • to be good in a challenging world
  • to do things like getting out of bed to go to church!

Optional Magnet Reminder Activity:

• Write the Ruth 1:16 memory verse (Where you go...) on half of a small index card and use a piece of transparent tape (or hot glue) to attach the magnet to it for a "go home" verse reminder. Alternately, write the verse with color permanent markers on white "magnet sheets."

Written by Joe Bruce and the Rotation.org Writing Team
Copyright Rotation.org Inc.