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Editor's Note: During forum renovation, because of the way it was written (well!), we chose to keep this lesson set together rather than split it into the workshop specific forums. This set draws upon ideas previously found in this forum.

This first post in the set provides an overview, teacher's notes, and resource listing.



Here is a complete set of lessons for…

The Anointing of David 

Summary of all workshops in this Rotation:

  • Games:  The children will play a game looking at optical illusions and closeups of objects to demonstrate that things and people are not always as they appear. The children will discuss the concepts of God seeing things that we don’t and God judging us by our hearts and not our outward appearance.

  • Art/Creative Writing: The children will reflect on what God saw in David and then write and decorate a poem about what is in their hearts that God sees. They will also do some other activities to help them understand how certain things about us cannot be seen, but can be known by God. 

  • Video/AV: The children will watch a portion of David (TNT Bible Series) and then will consider what it means to have a “heart for God” as they create their own movie scenes. They will have an opportunity to give their hearts to Jesus.

  • Puppetry: During this puppet workshop, the students will hear and discuss the story of David's anointing from 1 Samuel 16. They will use puppetry to retell/interpret the story in their own words. In so doing, they will grow in their understanding of God’s call for everyone, even the least of us. If time permits, they will also explore David’s work as a Psalmist through a choral reading of a Psalm.

Scripture Reference:

1 Samuel 16: 1-13 

Memory Verse: 

The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7b (NIV)

Workshop Objectives — At the end of the Rotation, the students will

  • be able to locate the book of 1 Samuel in the Old Testament and identify it as part of the history of the Israelite nation.
  • be able to retell the story of Samuel anointing David in their own words.
  • learn that the shepherd boy David will become Israel’s greatest king, and, more importantly, an ancestor of the Messiah.
  • appreciate that God is in charge, working steadfastly according to His own plan and timetable.
  • learn that God judges people by what is inside them, not by their looks or talent or age or place in the family.
  • learn that God chooses leaders by their character, so that even ordinary people with great character can be great leaders in God’s Kingdom.
  • be able to repeat the memory verse.


Additional Background Notes
Excepted from “David - Misc Lesson Sets” Anointing of David -Bible Background Notes from “Nancy”

The books of Samuel cover the transformation of ancient Israel from a loosely connected group of tribes to a centralized monarchy (roughly from 1020 to 961 BC). The books originally were one continuous narrative, and were divided when they were translated into Greek. The entire book of Samuel would not have fit on the standard scroll length, thus the division into two books.

The thematic tie in this episode is the word “to see,” (ra’ah). The word carries the added meaning, “ to provide” (16:1b). This is the same unusual word choice that is found in the story of the binding of Isaac in which Abraham answers his son’s question concerning the sacrifice by saying, “God will ‘provide’ a lamb”. There is the sense in which God sees and God provides in a way different from humankind. The narrative in 1 Samuel will contrast the flawed “seeing” of the prophet Samuel, with the “seeing” of God. Verse seven can be translated as the LORD sees “with” or “in” the heart (16:7). Either translation underscores the difference between human judgment and divine wisdom. In the ancient worldview the heart was the seat of understanding or insight. (1) The text uses different verbs to contrast God who “sees” with Samuel who “looks.” (16:7) (2) Samuel sees the handsome firstborn son, Eliab, as a potential king (16:6); but God has rejected that one, just as God has rejected Saul. The connection continues as Saul asks his servants to “’Provide’ for me someone who can play well” (16:17). A servant replies, “Look, I have seen a son of Jesse….” And yet, when David comes to play the lyre for him, Saul cannot see what God has already seen in David. The “seeing” of humans does not compare with the “seeing” of God into the heart.

The lowliness of David is underscored by his late birth, not even the seventh son (an important number), but the eighth son of Jesse. He is so lowly that when Jesse is asked to present his sons, he does not even bother to bring David. In contrast with Saul’s father, David’s family is not prominent or wealthy. (9:1) His great-grandmother was a foreigner, a Moabite not an Israelite. Nothing in David’s background would hint at his future status as the beloved king of Israel.

Books for sharing during Shepherd Time:

Cover of the book 'The Shepherd's Song'There are many picture book versions about available in the public library. There are also a number of books about the Twenty-third Psalm, the Good Shepherd, and Psalms. Ask your librarian for help, or look for:

  • Auld, Mary. David and Goliath. New York: Franklin Watts, 1999.
  • Cohen, Barbara. David. New York: Clarion Books, 1995.
  • de Regniers, Beatrice Schenk. David and Goliath. New York: Orchard Books, 1965, 1996.
  • Eisler, Colin. David’s Songs: His Psalms and Their Story. New York: Dial, 1992.
  • Fisher, Leonard Everett. David and Goliath. New York: Holiday House, 1993.
  • Miner, Julia (illustrator). The Shepherd’s Song: The Twenty-third Psalm. New York: Dial, 1993.
  • Segal, Lore Grosman. The Story of King Saul and King David. New York: Schocken Books, 1991.

 



 

A lesson set written by Amy Crane for River Community Church
Prairieville, LA
Copyright 2004 Amy Crane. Permission granted to freely distribute and use, provided this copyright message is included. 

Printed from https://www.rotation.org

Permission to copy materials granted for non-commercial use, provided credit is given

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.

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  • The cover of the book 'The Shepherd's Song'
Last edited by Luanne Payne
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David Anointed King

Games Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

The children will play a game looking at optical illusions and closeups of objects to demonstrate that things and people are not always as they appear. The children will discuss the concepts of God seeing things that we don’t and God judging us by our hearts and not our outward appearance. 

Scripture:

1 Samuel 16: 1-13

Memory Verse:

1 Samuel 16:7b (NIV)

Objectives for the rotation
(see listing above)

Additional objectives for the Games workshop
At the end of the session, the students will

  • have experienced seeing that things aren’t always what they appear to be.

Teacher preparation in advance:

  • Read the scripture passages and lesson plan and attend the Bible Study, ...
  • Prepare a closing prayer.
  • Learn the memory verse.
  • Confer with the Shepherd on age level adjustments needed each week (those included in the lesson plan and your own). Consider the “Stretchers” you can use, especially with the youngest children.
  • To our teachers at RCC: The design of this workshop is very intentional. The activities and discussion questions for this workshop were designed to meet the goals of the entire rotation and the educational objectives of the Rotation Model (tm) at River Community Church. While we feel it is important to follow the serendipitous leading of the Holy Spirit, please do not change the lesson plan without consulting a Curriculum Planning and Writing Team member.
  • Check out the room before your first Sunday workshop so that you know where everything is located.
  • The bin with supplies is located in the Sunday School room. Purchase or request additional supplies from --by July 10.
  • Collect pictures for use in the game. Books, magazines, newspapers and the Internet are all good sources. Have pictures large enough for display to a group. Write what you are going to ask about the picture on the back or a notecard so you can read the question as you hold the picture up for the class to see. Consider putting together a few optical illusions also (see Doherty, Paul and Don Rathjen: The Cheshire Cat and Other Eye-Popping Experiments on How We See the World.)
    FIELD TEST NOTE: Try out the pictures you want to use with someone sitting as far away from you as the children will be to see if the optical illusion still works and is clear from that distance (especially if you have more than 4 children in a class).


Room set-up:
No special instructions for this workshop. The children can sit in chairs or on the floor.

Supply List:

  • Optical illusion pictures or books (see resources)
  • button
  • posterboard with memory verse written on it
  • Memento: “good job!” or other reward/incentive stickers
  • Shepherd Time: no special supplies


Presentation

Opening-Welcome and Lesson Introduction: 
Greet the children and introduce yourself. Wear your name-tag. (Remember, you are interacting with a different group of students each week who may not know you.) Make sure the children are wearing name-tags.

We had an opening prayer during the gathering time, but you may open with prayer if you feel led to do so.

Explain the purpose of this workshop: We will experiment with what our eyes see and what our brains think. We will then think about what God sees and what He knows.

Dig-Main Content and Reflection:

Scripture/Bible Story:
Read the scripture: 1 Samuel 16: 1-13.
[Encourage the children to use their Bibles in looking up verses. Show them how to use the table of contents and the page numbers in the Bible. We restate information about Bible organization in each workshop to be sensitive to visitors and new children in the class who may not have any knowledge of the Bible. We never want a child to feel like they do not belong because they do not know this information before they come to class.]

Younger Children: For classes composed primarily of pre-readers, show the children how to find the passage in the Bible and then have them do it. After everyone has found the passage, have them close their Bibles and listen while you read.

Application:

[adapted from Kirk of Kildaire lesson plan by Catherine]
Tell the children: Samuel couldn’t tell from outward appearances which one of Jesse’s sons God had chosen. Now we’re going to see how good we are at judging from outward appearances. Let’s play “To Tell the Truth!”

Show the kids a variety of pictures and have them guess at what the reality is. Use optical illusions, partial images, magnifications of microscopic objects, and photos of people who don’t fit stereotypical appearances. Ask questions appropriate to each picture and have them “vote” their judgments by moving to a certain part of the room. For example, with an optical illusion: “If you think all the circles are the same size, go to that corner. If you think one circle is bigger than the others, go to the opposite corner.” With partial images and magnifications, ask for suggestions as to what the complete picture is, or give them several choices and let them vote. With photos of people, ask: “Which one of these three people was convicted of robbing a bank?” Vary the voting by having them indicate their choices by hopping, spinning, standing on one foot, singing, or whatever else you can think of to keep them moving.

You might also use auditory illusions (for example, sometimes it’s hard to tell by the sound whether someone is laughing or crying) or have the children try to identify objects by touch, taste, or smell.

Older children: Use the hardest pictures. You want them to miss a lot in order to make your point about judging by appearances. They are likely to catch on pretty quickly that the correct answer is not usually the obvious answer – so when they guess one right, point out that it’s not the answer we would normally expect based on appearances.

Younger Children: Start out with some easy pictures or the Mouse Views book, but be sure that there are some that most kids will miss. Keep them moving.

Reflect:
Pulling it all together (closing discussion):


Talk about some of the pictures where the truth was surprising. Ask: Do you think God has a hard time knowing the truth about those pictures? [No, because God sees and understands things we do not.]

What about some of the people in the pictures? Sometimes it was hard to guess who was the criminal, who was the millionaire, who was the doctor, etc. Do you think God has the same problem we did? [No, God sees our hearts and not our outward appearance.]

In the story, Samuel thought Jesse’s oldest son was the one God had chosen. Why did he think that? [The oldest son was tall and handsome. Samuel was judging him by appearances.]

Extra game, if time permits: King, King, Who is the King? (Adapted from Button, Button, who has the button?)

Younger children:
A child is chosen to be “it” (Samuel) and hides her eyes as a button is given to a child to hide behind his back. “Samuel” then has three chances to guess which child has the button (is the “king. (All children hide their hands behind their backs like they have the button.) The child with the button gets to be Samuel next.

Older children:
Same as above, except the children pass, and pretend to pass, the button as “Samuel” watches and tries to figure out who has the button. Once Samuel guesses the right person, that person gets to be Samuel.

Review the memory verse.
[adapted from The Big Book of Bible Skills]
“Simon Says Verse”
Say, “We’re going to play a game like Simon Says, except our game will use words instead of actions. I’ll say one word at a time from our memory verse. If it is the correct word, repeat it after me; but if it is not the correct word, don’t say anything. Let’s review the memory verse first.” [Hold up a poster with the memory verse and have everyone read it together several times.]

Begin play, saying several correct words, one at a time with the children repeating each correct word. Then say an incorrect word. (For example, THE (the) LORD (lord) DOES (does) NOT (not) RUN ...
If students repeat the incorrect word after you, begin the verse again. Continue this process until you successfully complete the verse together (or run out of time).

At 11:45 a.m. turn the class over to the Shepherd. Suggestion: You may wish to give the children “good job” stickers to wear home as a reminder of the story and activity.

Shepherd Time:
Have you ever had a day when it seems all your good choices were wrong? [It is helpful if at this point the teacher can start the ball rolling with, “I’ve had a day like that. One day...”]

Can we prevent “wrong-choice” days?
What can we do?
(Remember that Samuel was a man of God, who spoke to and for God, yet he almost chose the wrong son – several time!)

This is meant to be a time of reflection and introspection. Talking about faith helps clarify lessons. In addition to the suggested activity, children may draw pictures relating to today’s scripture or memory verse, list highlights of the day’s activities, or rephrase the memory verse.

You may want to provide an extra activity or worksheet for children who finish their journals quickly, such as coloring sheets, crossword puzzles, word searches, games. See the Teachers’ Background Notes and rotation.org for ideas.

Before noon, ask the students to sit quietly for prayer so they can leave when their parents arrive. Allow them to finish the discussion afterwards.

Closing:

Closing prayer:
Did you know that David wrote a number of songs and prayers that can be found in the Bible? They are in the Book of Psalms. Let’s pray using one of David’s prayers: Psalm 139: 1-14, 23-24.
(Older can read it together in unison; younger can listen prayerfully as you read it.)

Tidy and Dismissal:

  • Ask children to help tidy the room. Give any specific instructions for clearing the workshop room.
  • Give everyone the parent take-home flyer the first week of the rotation; give it only to children who were absent and have not yet received it the other weeks of the rotation.

Additional Suggestions:
You will need to decide how best to adjust the lesson for older and younger students. Keep the children active and involved in activity. Do what works for you and the children. Some ideas are included in the lesson plan.


Resources:

  • The Big Book of Bible Skills. Ventura, California: Gospel Light, 1999.
  • Catherine. Optical illusion exercise from Kirk of Kildaire Faith Quest lesson plan http://www.kirkofkildaire.org/...vidTheKingArcade.htm.
  • Optical illusion web sites: (These are just a few – there are LOTS available. These are really good, but printing them out big enough and with good enough quality may be difficult. It will probably be easier to go to the library and get some books.) 
  • Optical Illusion books: (Again, these are just a few. Check the library for more.)
    • Doherty, Paul and Don Rathjen. The Cheshire Cat and Other Eye-Popping Experiments on How We See the World. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1991, 1995. (This book from the Exploratorium science museum has simple instructions on impressive optical illusions you can put together yourself. If possible, take the time to put a few together.)
    • Hoban, Tana. Just Look. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1995. (Especially for younger children.)
    • Jennings, Terry. 101 Amazing Optical Illusions. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 1996.
    • McMillan, Bruce. Mouse Views: What the Class Pet Saw. New York: Holiday House, 1993. (Great close up/“what is it?” views with a bit of a story line attached.)
    • Nurosi, Aki. Colorful Illusions: Tricks to Fool Your Eyes. New York: Sterling Publising Co., Inc., 2000.
    • Simon, Seymour. Now You See It, Now You Don’t: The Amazing World of Optical Illusions. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 1976, 1998.
    • Wick, Walter. Walter Wick’s Optical Tricks. New York: Scholastic, 1998. (An excellent choice with large pictures – however, some really need to be studied up close to figure them out. Try out the pictures you want to use first with a friend sitting several feet away – or more if you have a big class.)
  • Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

 

This lesson was written by Amy Crane for River Community Church
Prairieville, Louisiana. 

Copyright 2004 Amy Crane. Permission granted to freely distribute and use, provided the copyright message is included.

 

Last edited by Luanne Payne

The Anointing of David

Art Workshop 

Summary of Lesson Activities:

The children will reflect on what God saw in David and then write and decorate a poem about what is in their hearts that God sees. They will also do some other activities to help them understand how certain things about us cannot be seen, but can be known by God.

 

Scripture Reference:

1 Samuel 16: 1-13


Memory Verse:

"The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7b (NIV)

 

 

Objectives for the Rotation:

 

See above.

 

Additional Objectives for the Art/Creative Writing Workshop

At the end of the session, the students will:

  • have considered what it is that God looks for in His people.

 


Teacher preparation in advance:

  • Read the scripture passages and lesson plan and attend the Bible Study.
  • Prepare a closing prayer.
  • Learn the memory verse.
  • Confer with the Shepherd on age level adjustments needed each week (those included in the lesson plan and your own). Consider the “Stretchers” you can use, especially with the youngest children.
  • Prepare memory verse index card sets for the Memory Verse Activity: write the verse with several words on each index card (make several sets of cards). You will need one set for every 3-4 children. (For younger children, number the cards in order.)

Supplies List:

  • Easel; appropriate maker
  • Bibles
  • index cards
  • pencils
  • lined handwriting paper
  • plain paper
  • dictionaries and thesauruses
  • poetry form (see attached sample)
  • Whiteboard or flipchart and markers
  • pens, gel pens and/or markers
  • 2 or 3 blindfolds
  • Memento: heart stickers

 



Presentation

 

Opening – Welcome & Introductions:

Greet the children and introduce yourself. Wear your name-tag. (Remember, you are interacting with a different group of students each week who may not know you.) Make sure the children are wearing name-tags.


We had an opening prayer during the gathering time, but you may open with prayer if you feel led to do so.

Explain the purpose of this workshop: Today we will do some thinking about David and what God saw in his heart and what God sees in our hearts.

 

Dig-Main Content and Reflection:

Scripture/Bible Story:


Give each child an index card.

 

Have each write down something special or interesting about themselves that we can’t see. For example: “I enjoy walking my dog,” OR “I pray at night before I go to sleep."

This should not be something that we can see (for example, do not write “I have brown hair"). 

 

Tell the children these are to be done privately – they are not to discuss with their neighbors and should not try to read what someone else is writing. (Younger children: the Shepherd and Workshop Leader should help them write their responses.) The Shepherd and Workshop Leader also should write a card. Don’t spend much time on this.

After everyone has written something, collect the cards and shuffle them. Pull one out and read it. Everyone tries to guess who wrote the card. After everyone has guessed, have the person whose card it is identify himself.

Thank all the children for sharing those special things about themselves. Tell them that God knows each one of us inside and out and has a special plan for our lives.

Let’s read a Bible story about someone whom God knew very well – He knew the special things about this boy inside and outside. God knew this boy even better than his own father knew him.

[Hand out Bibles.]


Open your Bible to 1 Samuel 16. This is a story that takes place before Jesus was born, so it is in the Old Testament, which is the first part of the Bible. It is in one of the books of history.

Show the children how to use the Table of Contents. We restate information about Bible organization in each workshop to be sensitive to visitors and new children in the class who may not have any knowledge of the Bible. We never want a child to feel like they do not belong because they do not know this information before they come to class.

Read the scripture: 1 Samuel 16: 1-13

Younger children: For classes composed primarily of pre-readers, show the children how to find the passage in the Bible and then have them do it. After everyone has found the passage, have them close their Bibles and listen while you read.


Application:

 

Which boy did God choose?
Did that surprise his brothers? Why?

Let’s do an experiment:
Who do you think has the neatest handwriting? Let’s vote. [Choose one of the students in the class.]

Now everyone write your name using your neatest printing or script. [Give everyone a pencil and a piece of lined handwriting paper.]

Let’s vote again. [Hold up the handwriting samples, one by one.]
Were we right?

FIELD TEST NOTE: we did not do the above handwriting experiment because some felt that children would be embarrassed about having their handwriting compared and looked at so closely.

 

How did this remind you of when David was chosen as the king? [not the person everyone would have chosen, seemed unlikely choice, father had not even asked him to come in from the pasture to be considered.]

Do you think the teacher often knows who is best at things in school?
God is even more special than your teachers, because God knows things that no other human being knows about each of us.

Do you think God knows what we’re best at?
Did you know that God has designed each of us for some special purpose?
Do you wonder what your purpose is?
You can pray to God and ask help to know what His purpose is for you.


Pulling it all together (closing discussion):


Let’s review our memory verse:
The LORD does not look at the things man looks at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7b

What do you think it is that God looked for in David’s heart and that God looks for in our hearts?
Is it secrets, such as “I think Donny Osmond is really cute”?
Is it something that can be measured? “He’s more prayerful than I am, so God likes him better.”

Let’s write an acrostic poem with the word “heart.” An acrostic poem is one where the first letter in each line spells a word. So the first line of our poem will begin with an “h”. Think about something God looks for that begins with “h”. What about “height” or “handsome” or “happy to win the tournament”? It can be a word or phrase. [Take suggestions. Offer dictionaries and thesauruses to older children.]

Let’s put our ideas down on paper. [Instruct the children to write the memory verse on their paper. Then have them write the letters of the word “heart” down the left side of their paper. Instruct them to write a word or a phrase on each line describing something God looks for in our hearts that begins with each letter in “heart” next to the letter. (Ex: H - helpfulness, E - enthusiasm, A - ardor, etc.). If time permits, they may decorate their poetry page.]

(Create a form with the memory verse and the letters "H E A R T" down the side for younger children. If time is short, you may want to use it for older children also. You may want to write a poem as a group with younger children on the whiteboard and then let them copy it down and decorate it.)

Review the memory verse.

adapted from “Listen Up!” in The Big Book of Bible Skills.


Divide the class into groups of 3 or 4 children. Have each team select a person to be blindfolded.

Just as Samuel had to listen carefully so that he knew whom God wanted him to pick, you must listen carefully to your group members in order to get the memory verse together correctly. Each group has a shuffled set of index cards with the memory verse written on them. All you need to do is instruct the blindfolded team member how they should move the cards so that they are in order. [Younger chidlren should use numbered sets of cards.]

Once a group’s cards are in order, the blindfold is removed. Everyone in the group should read the Bible verse together.

If time permits, shuffle the cards again and let a different group member be blindfolded.

 


At 11:45 a.m., turn the class over to the Shepherd.
Suggestion: You may wish to give the children a heart sticker to wear home as a reminder of the story and activities.


Shepherd Time:


In the Bible story, after David is anointed, God helps David get ready to be the king. What does God do to help him? “The Spirit of the LORD took control of David and stayed with him from then on.” (1 Sam 16:13b)
God gives many people his Spirit to help them do God’s work.

Do you know how the Spirit can help you too?
Knowing God’s will helps you obey God, understand right from wrong, helps you pray, teaches you about the Bible and many other things!

Do you know how to ask God to give you the Holy Spirit?
Tell God you know that you need His help, that God is responsible for the good you do, that you want to serve God. God will give you the Holy Spirit to do God’s work.


This is meant to be a time of reflection and introspection. Talking and thinking about faith helps clarify lessons. In addition to the suggested activity, children may draw pictures relating to today’s scripture or memory verse, list highlights of the day’s activities, or rephrase the memory verse.

You may want to provide an extra activity or worksheet for children, such as coloring sheets, crossword puzzles, word searches, games. See the Teachers’ Background Notes and rotation.org for ideas.

Before noon, ask the students to sit quietly for prayer so they can leave when their parents arrive.


Closing:


Did you know that David wrote a number of songs and prayers that can be found in the Bible? They are in the Book of Psalms. Let’s pray using one of David’s prayers: Psalm 63: 1-8. (Older can read it together in unison; younger can listen prayerfully as you read it.)


Tidy and Dismissal:


• Ask children to help tidy the room.
• Make sure they take their poems/artwork.

 


Additional Suggestions:

 

You will need to decide how best to adjust the lesson for older and younger students. Keep the children active and involved in activity. Do what works for you and the children. Some ideas are included in the lesson plan.

 

 


Sources:

 

 

 



A lesson written by Amy Crane for River Community Church
Prairieville, LA

 

Copyright 2004 Amy Crane. Permission granted to freely distribute and use, provided this copyright message is included.

 

Printed from https://www.rotation.org

Permission to copy materials granted for non-commercial use, provided credit is given 

 

 

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.

 

 

 

 

Last edited by Rotation.org Lesson Forma-teer

David Anointed King

Movie Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

The children will watch a portion of David (TNT Bible Collection) and then will consider what it means to have a “heart for God” as they create their own movie scenes. They will have an opportunity to give their hearts to Jesus.

Scripture Reference:

1 Samuel 16: 1-13

Memory Verse:

1 Samuel 16:7b (NIV)

Objectives for the rotation
(see listing above)


Teacher preparation in advance:

  • Read the scripture passages and lesson plan and attend the Bible Study, ...
  • Preview the video. Be familiar with the places where the video should be stopped for discussion. From Neil MacQueen’s “Two Most Important SHOWING TIPS: 1.) Use the PAUSE button. It’s your most powerful ‘video’ teaching tool. 2.) Don’t be afraid to view an important scene a second time. Kids (and adults) watch movies over and over all the time.”
  • Have the video cued to the proper starting place.
  • Prepare a closing prayer.
  • Learn the memory verse and sign language to go with it (attached).
  • Confer with the Shepherd on age level adjustments needed each week (those included in the lesson plan and your own). Consider the “Stretchers” you can use, especially with the youngest children.
  • Before class prepare 2 bags or boxes: Fill a pretty gift bag or box with a few small rocks or pebbles and some scraps of newspaper. Close it at the top so the children can’t see what’s inside. Put the snack item for the day into a plain, wrinkled paper lunch bag and staple it shut or put it into an ugly unwrapped box.

Room set-up:

  • Students will sit in seats or on the floor facing the television/projection screen.
  • They will need tables to do the filmstrip project, or have pieces of stiff cardboard they can use as lap “desks.”

Supply List

  • Video: David. (TNT Bible Collection), Vision Videos.
    NOTE from the Writing Team Lesson Plan: “This movie comes from the TNT Bible Collection. David is an adult feature-length film that contains graphic violent scenes (which are not gratuitous, but true to the Bible). However, the short clip that pertains to David’s anointing is appropriate for children.
  • Newsprint or poster board and appropriate markers
  • For snack: popcorn in baggies in an unattractive box or bag (see Advance Preparation) plus some rocks in an attractive bag or box.
  • wet wipes, cups, water
  • papers with “filmstrip boxes” printed on them (attached)
  • markers and pens
  • posterboard with memory verse
  • Memento: heart stickers
  • Shepherd Time: no special supplies


Presentation

Opening-Welcome and Introductions:
Greet the children and introduce yourself. Wear your name-tag. (Remember, you are interacting with a different group of students each week who may not know you.) Make sure the children are wearing name-tags.

We had an opening prayer during the gathering time, but you may open with prayer if you feel led to do so.

Explain the purpose of this workshop: After we read our scripture, we are going to see the story come to life in a video. Then you will have an opportunity to make your own “mini-movie” that demonstrates how God looks at our hearts, not our outsides.

But first, we need to choose a snack for today. Which bag/box would you like to get your snack from? [After they pick, show them what’s inside each bag and tell them that just like in today’s story, we can’t tell by looking at the outside what’s really inside. Tell them we will have the snack after we read from the Bibles so we don’t get them sticky/salty.]

Dig-Main Content and Reflection:

Scripture/Bible Story:
Ask the kids who David was and what he did. See how much they know. Write some of these things on a large piece of paper.

Introduce the movie to them and set up the scene. You might also write on the large piece of paper a TIMELINE of where the anointing of David takes place in Biblical history (after Adam and Eve, Joseph, Exodus, Joshua, Ruth and before the prophets and Jesus; about 1000 BC).

Write on the big sheet the Bible passage citation for the story: 1 Samuel 16: 1-13.

Distribute Bibles and ask the students to find the passage in the book of 1 Samuel. Read it with them. [Encourage the children to use their Bibles in looking up verses. “The stories about David are in the books of Samuel (there are two). Samuel was the prophet who anointed David. 1 and 2 Samuel come after Ruth; her story was during the time of the Judges and so the book of Ruth follows the book of Judges, which follows Joshua, who followed Moses. And you remember the first five books of the Bible are the books of (written by) Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. – or you can use the table of contents!” We restate information about Bible organization in each workshop to be sensitive to visitors and new children in the class who may not have any knowledge of the Bible. We never want a child to feel like they do not belong because they do not know this information before they come to class.]

Younger children: For classes composed primarily of pre-readers, show the children how to find the passage in the Bible and then have them do it. After everyone has found the passage, have them close their Bibles and listen while you read.

Application:

Tell about some of the characters in the video:

  • Samuel, a prophet, is the old man who was sent by God to go to see Jesse. He anoints David.
  • King Saul is the first King of the Israelites. God is not pleased with Saul. God wants David to unite the scattered tribes of Israel into one united nation.
  • Jesse (David’s father) is the son of Obed and the grandson of Boaz and Ruth. Rahab is his great-grandmother.

Note for teacher (excerpt taken from the Writing Team Lesson Plan):

The clip should begin about twenty-five minutes into the film, after Samuel expresses the Lord’s disappointment to Saul. Start when the Lord’s voice says (against the backdrop of a cloud-studded sky), “Samuel, fill your horn with oil and set out for Bethlehem. There you will find a man named Jesse. Among his sons, there is a king.” The clip is short -- approximately nine minutes. Samuel does indeed travel to Bethlehem, where he meets Jesse and his sons. He finds David in the field, and realizes that he is God’s chosen one. Samuel then anoints David and the clip should end there. This brief segment is appropriate for all age groups, though the children may snicker at the very end because Samuel kisses David three times -- once on each cheek and briefly on the lips as they embrace.”


While you’re watching the video, think about:
[write the following sentences on a large piece of paper posted in the room. After viewing the clip, pass out markers and have the kids post their answers to the questions.]
Question #1 - Why did God choose David to be King?
Question #2 - How did some of the people react to David being chosen?

Pass out wipes, popcorn and drinks. Start the video about twenty-five minutes into the film, after Samuel expresses the Lord’s disappointment to Saul. Start when the Lord’s voice says (against the backdrop of a cloud-studded sky), “Samuel, fill your horn with oil and set out for Bethlehem. There you will find a man named Jesse. Among his sons, there is a king.” (You might want to identify characters as they appear.)

Stop the video after David is anointed.
Any questions or comments about the video?

Allow some time for the children to answer the 2 questions on the flipchart. (Have them answer based on what they think and know, not just on the movie clip. The older children may write their own answers; younger children may dictate their answers, or just discuss them without writing them.)

Additional discussion questions:

  • God did not choose the older brothers. What did Samuel think when he first saw the young David? Do you think he was too young? What do you think David’s brothers thought about God’s choice? [he’s too young, why did God choose him?]
  • Read the memory verse. Did you hear it in the movie? I wonder what God saw in David’s heart that others couldn’t see by looking at him? [accept all answers; suggestions: David’s love for God, the Holy Spirit in him]
  • What does God see in your heart? What does God know about you that others do not?


Please note that even though David was chosen by God and anointed, he did not become king until many years later.

Reflect:
Pulling it all together (closing discussion):


Older Children:
[adapted from Writing Team lesson plan by Neil MacQueen]
Talk about what it means to have a “heart for God.” Circle the particularly good or relevant ideas on the big sheet of paper (post-movie discussion) and add your own suggestions.

Invite the students to create a “film” about God choosing them because they have “hearts for God.”

Distribute film strip pages and markers and pens and pencils. Guide the group as they create their “movies.” The movies can be several panels long. They can include a title for their movie, opening scenes of God saying, “I choose you _____ because you’re __________.” Help them define in their movie what a “heart for God is all about.” They should include words, phrases, symbols and so forth. (Those can be written on the white space around the edge of the film boxes.) Stick figure artwork is fine!

Share the films with each other.

Younger Children:
Talk about what it means to have a “heart for God.” Circle the particularly good or relevant ideas on the big sheet of paper (post-movie discussion) and add your own suggestions.

Invite the students to create a “film” about God choosing David because he had a “heart for God.” Encourage them to recap the Bible story. Help them write key dialog around the edges of the film boxes. Have them copy the memory verse onto their pages. (Have a poster with the memory verse posted.)

Share the films with each other.

Review the memory verse.
Teach the children the memory verse using American Sign language (see attached instructions).

At 11:45 a.m. turn the class over to the Shepherd. Suggestion: You may wish to give the children a heart sticker to wear home as a reminder of the story.

Shepherd Time:
It is good to have a Heart for God.
It is good to have Jesus in your heart. You can choose to invite Jesus into your hearts.

God loves us so very much that He gave us His only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for us. Jesus died and rose again so we could be forgiven for all the wrong things we do. If we ask him, Jesus will come into our lives. He will always be with us and help us to make the right choices. If we believe in Jesus, that he is God’s son and that he died for us, then someday we will live forever with him in Heaven.

I invite you to pray and tell Jesus that you are sorry for the wrong things you have done. Tell him you are sorry. Tell him that you are putting your trust in him alone and that you want to follow him. If you want to pray this, I will be happy to pray with you. If you pray this, let me or your parents or Mr. Garnett know. It is an exciting thing to ask Jesus into your heart!

This is meant to be a time of reflection and introspection. Talking and thinking about faith helps clarify lessons. Answer any questions the children may have, and let them know that you are available after class also. Be sure to share news of the children’s spiritual development with their parents.

You may want to provide an extra activity or worksheet for children, such as coloring sheets, crossword puzzles, word searches, games. See the Teachers’ Background Notes and rotation.org for ideas.

Before noon, ask the students to sit quietly for prayer so they can leave when their parents arrive.

Closing: 
Thank God for seeing inside each of our hearts. Pray that the children will find hearts for God which they can invite Jesus into.

Tidy and Dismissal:

  • Ask children to help tidy the room. Give any specific instructions for clearing the workshop room.
  • Make sure they take their “movies” home with them.
  • Give everyone the parent take-home flyer the first week of the rotation; give it only to children who were absent and have not yet received it the other weeks of the rotation.

Additional Suggestions:
You will need to decide how best to adjust the lesson for older and younger students. Keep the children active and involved in activity. Do what works for you and the children. Some ideas are included in the lesson plan.


Resources:

  • American Sign Language Browser: http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/browser.htm
  • Catherine. FAITH QUEST. “David: God’s Chosen King.” Holywood Lesson plan.
  • Lawler, Linda. Educational patterns for Children’s Ministry Lesson 18: David the shepherd boy is chosen to be king. (Source for opening wrapped gift activity.)
  • MacQueen, Neil. "A Manual for the Video - A/V Workshop. https://www.rotation.org/topic...-video--a-v-workshop
  • MacQueen, Neil and Debbie Fisher. Posting at rotation.org’s Lessons and Ideas Exchange: Rotation.org's Writing Team Lesson Set on Samuel, Saul, Anointing of David: Cinema/Video Workshop. https://www.rotation.org/topic...chosen-king---cinema
  • Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society. 

 


David is Anointed

Memory Verse Sign Language

The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7b

LORD The sign KING is made with a L handshape. (Move your hand from the chest to the waist while crossing the body. The movement indicates the location of the royal sash worn by kings.)

(NOT) LOOK AT The sign V handshape represents the eyes and it is moved forward to indicate that the eyes are looking at something. (Shake head as you do the sign to indicate “not.

THINGS The palm is facing upward and the hand bounces to the side to indicate different items (things).

MAN (PEOPLE) The P handshapes move in alternating circles. The circular movement can be forward or backward

LOOKS AT The sign V handshape represents the eyes and it is moved forward to indicate that the eyes are looking at something.

MAN (PEOPLE) The P handshapes move in alternating circles. The circular movement can be forward or backward

LOOKS AT The sign V handshape represents the eyes and it is moved forward to indicate that the eyes are looking at something.

OUTWARD (OUTSIDE) The sign OUT is repeated. (OUT: One hand comes out from a hole made by the other hand.)

APPEARANCE The same as the sign for face. (FACE: The forefinger circles the face.)

LORD The sign KING is made with a L handshape. (Move your hand from the chest to the waist while crossing the body. The movement indicates the location of the royal sash worn by kings.)

LOOKS AT The sign V handshape represents the eyes and it is moved forward to indicate that the eyes are looking at something.

HEART The middle finger taps the chest over the area of the heart.

These signs are from the American Sign Language Browser: http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/browser.htm. You can see the signs demonstrated there.


 

This lesson was written by Amy Crane for River Community Church
Prairieville, Louisiana. 

 Copyright 2004 Amy Crane. Permission granted to freely distribute and use, provided the copyright message is included.

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.

Last edited by Luanne Payne

David Anointed King

Puppet Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

During this puppet workshop, the students will hear and discuss the story of David's anointing from 1 Samuel 16. They will use puppetry to retell/interpret the story in their own words. In so doing, they will grow in their understanding of God’s call for everyone, even the least of us. If time permits, they will also explore David’s work as a Psalmist through a choral reading of a Psalm. 

Scripture Reference:

1 Samuel 16: 1-13

Memory Verse:

1 Samuel 16:7b (NIV)

Objectives for the rotation
(see listing above)

Additional objectives for the puppet workshop
At the end of the session, the students will

  • have an insight into the feelings of Samuel and David regarding the anointing of Jesse’s youngest son.
  • be familiar with David’s role as a Psalmist and one or two of his Psalms. [Optional] 

Teacher preparation in advance:

  • Read the scripture passages and lesson plan and attend the Bible Study, ....
  • Prepare a closing prayer.
  • Learn the memory verse.
  • Confer with the Shepherd on age level adjustments needed each week (those included in the lesson plan and your own). Consider the “Stretchers” you can use, especially with the youngest children.

Room set-up:

  • Puppet stage at one side.
  • Large clear area or chairs where children can sit for hearing the story and discusscion.

Supply List:

  • Bible times puppets
  • Puppet stage or long table covered with a tablecloth or piece of fabric
  • posterboard with memory verse
  • eight brothers’ descriptions in sealed envelopes (secretly mark David’s so you can tell which one it is – see lesson plan for details)
  • Narrator’s script
  • Optional: Copies of Psalm Choral Readings (if time permits), tape recorder and blank tape so the older students can record the Psalm Choral Reading for younger students to listen to.
  •  Memento: star stickers
  • Shepherd Time: copies of page with memory verse (sample included in lesson plan) and pencils or markers


Presentation

Opening-Welcome and Introductions:
Greet the children and introduce yourself. Wear your name-tag. (Remember, you are interacting with a different group of students each week who may not know you.) Make sure the children are wearing name-tags.

We had an opening prayer during the gathering time, but you may open with prayer if you feel led to do so.

Discuss: Do you have brothers or sisters (or cousins)? Older or younger? How does the oldest treat the youngest? If you were playing a game and needed a team captain or leader, would you pick this youngest brother/sister/cousin? How would you react if someone else selected him/her to be the leader?
Today we will look at a Bible story where the youngest was unexpectedly picked for a big job.

Dig-Main Content and Reflection:

Scripture/Bible Story:
Introduce the story, briefly telling that Samuel was a prophet who shared God’s word with His people and that Saul was the king of Israel (the first king); God was not satisfied with the work Saul was doing.

Read the Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:1-13.
[Encourage the children to use their Bibles in looking up verses. For example, “The stories about David are in the books of Samuel (there are two). Samuel was the prophet who anointed David. 1 and 2 Samuel come after Ruth; her story was during the time of the Judges and so the book of Ruth follows the book of Judges, which follows Joshua, who followed Moses. And you remember the first five books of the Bible are the books of (written by) Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. – or you can use the table of contents!” We restate information about Bible organization in each workshop to be sensitive to visitors and new children in the class who may not have any knowledge of the Bible. We never want a child to feel like they do not belong because they do not know this information before they come to class.]

Review the characters: Samuel, God, Jesse, and Jesse's 8 sons: Eliab, Abinadab, Shammah ... David.

Review the setting: Bethlehem (and sheep pasturing hills around town). Talk about the place of shepherds in society (outside the city walls, dirty from working -- and sleeping -- out-of- doors).

Review/outline the highlights of the story. (Help students remember the story; try to prompt them rather than telling them the answers.) The key events they should remember are:

  1. God tells Samuel to stop grieving over Saul and to go to Bethlehem.
  2. Jesse and his sons arrive with other city leaders for the sacrifice to the Lord.
  3. Samuel looks over Jesse’s sons, but none is the right one.
  4. Samuel asks if there are any more sons; Jesse admits the youngest is with the sheep. They send for him.
  5. At last, the right boy! David is anointed, and the Spirit of the Lord is with him from that day. 

Application:
“Today we will recreate what may have happened when God sent Samuel to Bethlehem and when Samuel anointed David. There is not much dialog in the Scripture we read, so you will need to think about what Samuel, Jesse, David and his brothers said and thought.”

Warm up exercises. “Line up in height order. Which people in this class do you think would be the best basketball players? Why? How do those of you at the shorter end of the line feel about this assumption? Save those thoughts and ideas for when Samuel does not select the tall, dark and handsome brother. What might the big brothers have said when the little brother was selected? (Remember, there are no right or wrong answers.)”

Practice reciting the memory verse together. Have it on a poster or slip of paper for those who have not yet learned it.

Introduce the puppets, puppet care, and puppet skills (they are an investment and must be treated with respect):

  • Treat puppets gently; they are fragile.
  • Do not leave puppets lying on the floor where people can step on them.
  • Do not bite anything with the mouth of a talking-mouth puppet - that will break the cardboard stiffener. Make sure the children understand that there will be no warnings. If they “bite” something with their puppet, the puppet will be taken away from them (for the warm-up time or for the first performance). [BE FIRM AND CONSISTENT.]
  • Do not bang the puppets together. There should be no contact between puppets. Respect personal space. [Again, be firm on this one.]

Puppet technique review:

  • Do not turn your puppet’s back to the audience unless the story line requires it.
  • Exiting and entering the stage - do not pop the puppet straight up. It should move onto the stage as if it were climbing stairs, and exit by turning and going down the stairs.
  • Hold puppet high enough so that it can be seen, but not so high that your arm shows. (Depending on the stage and the height of the performers, a bench or chairs or stools may be necessary behind the stage.)
  • Only the puppet that is talking should be moving. Others should be listening politely (or behaving as appropriate in the story).
  • If you are using moving mouth puppets, review mouth manipulation techniques. Open the mouth for each syllable, and close the mouth when the puppet is not saying anything. The mouth does not always open all the way (whispers are partly open, yawns and shouts are full open). When the puppets are not talking, their mouths should be closed.
  • With mouth puppets, your extra hand moves one of the puppet’s hands.
  • Movement should be exaggerated so it can be interpreted by the audience. But the movement should not be so exaggerated so much that it detracts from the story.
  • Warm up/manipulation practice: play “Simon Says:” jump, shake and nod head, hug, cry, look happy or surprised, sleep, get sick, climb stairs, pray, run . . .
  • Special care is needed when introducing puppet activities to older children; they sometimes feel puppets are for babies. Consider inviting a Preschool or Kindergarten class to see the performance at the end of the session. (They will enjoy it, even if it is a rough performance -- particularly if they are studying the same story.)
  • Because this is not intended to be a polished performance, it is okay if the puppeteers’ heads show. We are more concerned with conveying the Bible story than having a “pretty” presentation.

Puppet warmup. All can participate at the same time; this is fun in front of a mirror so students can see how puppets look. If there are enough puppets, let each child have a puppet (any puppet) to practice manipulation. If there are not enough puppets, have everyone practice with “invisible puppets” (hand held like a puppet). Do this around the puppet stage/table. Demonstrate how to move the puppets. Have all the puppets jump, nod, shake their head, act happy, act sad, act afraid, act mad, pray, preach, look surprised, anoint, herd sheep, say ‘hello!’, etc. If desired, this can be done in a “Simon Says” game format.

Assign parts (Samuel, God, Jesse). Don’t assign sons’ names or designate one as David; instead give each son a sealed envelope; inside the envelope have a son’s name and a brief description. For example: “My name is Shammah and I am honest/shy/hardworking etc. I enjoy working with my hands and I am especially good at building. My favorite food is olives.” (See suggestions at the end of lesson plan.) Include a description of David in one envelope.

When selecting parts give each son an envelope but tell them not to open it until it is time to do that in the play. Make sure to give David’s envelope to one child even if all the son envelopes are not distributed.

Have the children create movement and dialog as the scripture/narration is read. (See the script that follows or create your own.) Encourage creative dialog. Remember, there are no right or wrong answers.

Encourage them to hold their puppets tall and to speak loudly and clearly, but remind them that this is not expected to be a polished performance. If the children’s heads are showing behind the puppet stage or table, that is okay.

If there are more children than puppets, some can watch while the others do the puppet show. (The audience is a very important job!) Then, reassign parts and do it again. (Let those who watched the first time have first choice on parts for the second performance. If more than one child wants a part, draw names.)

If time permits, do the puppet show several times, allowing the children to create different dialog each time. (Sons may be assigned rather than drawing envelopes.)

Reflect:
Pulling it all together (closing discussion):

  • Why do you think I didn’t assign Jesse’s sons specific parts but left it as a surprise? [accept answers] Good answers, one reason is to show how we don’t always know God’s plan in advance. We can’t control everything that happens to us. God’s plans for us may come suddenly or as a surprise. God chooses unlikely people to do His work.
  • Do you think Jesse and his sons knew why Samuel was looking them over?
  • Would it have made a difference in the story if they knew he was looking for a king?
  • Would it have made a difference in how they behaved?
  • I wonder what Samuel was thinking as he went down the row of sons and with each less likely choice, God said, “Nope, not him.”? All those good choices Samuel had, and none were right in God's eyes!
  • Think about this: I wonder what God could see that was special in a little boy like David? [do not take answers, just turn it over to the Shepherd now]

Review the memory verse.
Done in preparation for the puppet show. If time permits, ask for volunteers to say it alone, or practice more using the echo method. (Have the children echo the verse as you say it, phrase by phrase. After they seem familiar with it, have them say the entire verse in unison.)

At 11:45 a.m. ask the Shepherd to pass out the journal pages and pencils/markers. Suggestion: You may wish to give the children a star sticker to wear home as a reminder of the story.

Shepherd Time:
I wonder what God could see that was special in a little boy like David?

What does God see special in you? Make a list on a page with the memory verse (sample attached). (Or draw a self-portrait.)

This is meant to be a time of reflection and introspection. Writing about faith helps clarify lessons. In addition to the suggested activity, children may draw pictures relating to today’s scripture or memory verse, list highlights of the day’s activities, or rephrase the memory verse.

You may want to provide an extra activity or worksheet for children who finish their journaling quickly, such as coloring sheets, crossword puzzles, word searches, games. See the Teachers’ Background Notes and rotation.org for ideas.

Before noon, ask the students to stop journaling for a moment and sit quietly for prayer so they can leave when their parents arrive. Allow them to finish journaling afterwards.

Closing: 
Close with one of David’s Psalms (such as Psalm 34: 1-10), or sing one of the many hymns based on Psalms such as “All People That on Earth Do Dwell.”
Older children can read it in unison.
Younger children can listen prayerfully as you read.

Tidy and Dismissal:

  • Ask children to help tidy the room. Give any specific instructions for clearing the workshop room.
  • Remind the children to take the journal pages when they leave. Make sure their names and the date are on them.
  • Give everyone the parent take-home flyer the first week of the rotation; give it only to children who were absent and have not yet received it the other weeks of the rotation.

Additional Suggestions:
You will need to decide how best to adjust the lesson for older and younger students. Keep the children active and involved in activity. Do what works for you and the children. Some ideas in addition to those in the lesson plan:

Older Children

  • Ask for volunteers to read the Scripture, one paragraph at a time.
  • Allow one of the students to read the narrator’s part and possibly do the side coaching.
  • Sometimes older children think that puppets are babyish. If time permits, consider inviting a preschool class to see their “performance” (warn their teacher that it will NOT be a polished performance).
  • Record the Psalm Choral Reading for younger children (not yet fluent readers) to listen to.
  • Additional Closing Discussion Question for older children: Reflect on two verses, 1 Samuel 16:13 b and Philippians 4:13. What do they have in common? Do you honestly feel like you can do all things with God's help? What can we do/where can we turn when we feel helpless? 1 Samuel 16:13b: “...and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.” Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, 4:13: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (NRSV)

Younger Children

  • Ask if any volunteers want to help read the Scripture (one verse at a time). Teacher reads the rest of the story while the students follow along. Shepherds/other leaders in the class should help the students use the table of contents to find 1 Samuel and turn to the passage. For the youngest, have them find the passage and then close their Bibles and listen while you read.
  • Work on learning just the last sentence of the memory verse.
  • Listen to a tape recording of older students doing the Psalm Choral Reading.
  • The teacher reads each line/phrase of the Psalm 23 Choral Reading and the children echo it back.
  • Consider not using the envelopes with the brothers’ introductions. Let the children create their own introductions or just have the sons bow to Samuel as they are introduced.

Extra time:
If time permits/additional warm-up activity/early arrival activity/concluding activity: Talk about David the Psalmist: “The Book of Psalms is a book of hymns and prayers in the Bible. David is said to have written many of them. Remember that he is often shown playing a lyre to his sheep or to King Saul.” Then do a Choral Reading of one or two Psalms. Scripts for Psalm 8 and Psalm 23 are included.

Smaller group:
If there are less than eleven children in the class, assign the key named roles first: Samuel, David, God, Jesse. The remaining students can be the seven older brothers (some puppets can be introduced to Samuel several times with different names, or amend the script to say something like, “And so it was for seven brothers.


Resources:

  • Catherine. Posting at rotation.org. Faith Quest Drama lesson plan link.
  • Crane, Amy. Writing Team David drama lesson plan at rotation.org. https://www.rotation.org/topic...-s-chosen-king-drama
  • Cohen, Barbara. David: A Biography. New York: Clarion Books, 1995. (Fills in details using Midrash, archaeology, history, psychology, Bible study, and so forth)
  • Eisler, Colin. David’s Songs: His Psalms and Their Story. New York: Dial, 1992.
  • Mark, Jan. God’s Story: How God Made Mankind. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Candlewick, 1998.
  • Williams, Michael E. The Storyteller’s Companion to the Bible: Judges - Kings. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1992.
  • For additional information on using puppets and drama to bring Bible stories to life, see Amy Crane’s Puppet and Drama Workshop Instructions in the Workshop Design and Teaching Resources section of the IDEA AND LESSON EXCHANGE: https://www.rotation.org/topic...uctions-by-amy-crane
  • Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
  • The Scripture quotations contained herein marked (NRSV) are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

 


David Anointed King

Narrator's Script - The Anointing of David (1 Samuel 16:1-13)
(Narrated by the Prophet Samuel)

Scripture taken from the Good News Bible in Today's English Version - Second Edition, Copyright ©1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.
Adapted by Amy Crane. Copyright 2003 Amy Crane. Permission granted to freely distribute and use, provided the copyright message is included.

[Suggested actions and responses are in brackets. Pause in the narration and encourage the students to use their imagination to expand upon the little bit of detail in the Bible. Note that there should be a student portraying Samuel in the puppet show as well as someone reading as Samuel the narrator. “God” can be a voice from “off stage” or a student “on stage.”]

Good morning. My name is Samuel. I am a prophet and a priest, called by God to serve Him. I could tell you many stories -- about Saul, the first King of Israel; about his son Jonathan; about a giant named Goliath; and about a great king named David. I don’t have time to tell all the stories today, but I do want to tell you a story about David. Did you know that he was not always a great king? It all started like this ...

I was unhappy with the way Saul, chosen by the people of Israel to be their first king, was behaving. He was not following God’s way. One day, God talked to me about it.

[God -- either a puppet “on stage” or a disembodied voice from “off stage” -- tells Samuel to stop feeling bad about Saul and to go to Bethlehem and anoint one of Jesse’s sons. Samuel argues, then goes.]

So, I packed my bag and was off to Bethlehem for an anointing and a sacrifice to the Lord. The town leaders were a bit concerned when I showed up, but I told them it was a peaceful visit. Ever since I chopped up that villain King Agag, people have been a bit nervous around me! Everyone got cleaned up and gathered for the sacrifice, including Jesse and his seven sons. Such handsome young men!

[Jesse and his seven oldest sons arrive “on stage” and greet Samuel.]

Well, I could tell it wouldn't be a problem finding a king in that crowd of fine young men!

[One by one, Samuel goes up to each of Jesse’s sons and shakes his hand. The son introduces himself (using the description in the envelope). Samuel talks to God. God tells Samuel no, using the memory verse (I Samuel 16:7) each time. If there are any extra students in the audience, they can help God recite the memory verse. Sons react to being next in line and then being passed over. Jesse reacts to the whole scene.]

Well, I knew something was wrong. And I didn’t think it was the Lord. I had met all seven of Jesse’s sons, and not one of them was the one God wanted. There had to be another son.

[Samuel asks Jesse about additional sons. “Well, there is the youngest ....” Someone goes to fetch David, and explains to him what is going on -- as best he can. David returns with his brother and introduces himself using the introduction in the envelope.]

When the youngest son arrived, David was his name, I could see he was young. He had been tending the sheep and had been in the pasture for who knows how long, so he wasn't particularly clean. But I could see he was a handsome, healthy young man. How his eyes sparkled when he came into the room! And the Lord spoke to me again.

[God tells Samuel this is the right one. Samuel anoints David. Can we see the Spirit of the Lord taking control?]

Well, my job was done. I made the sacrifice to the Lord and returned to Ramah, alone. I could see the Spirit of the Lord was with David. David would be okay there in Bethlehem until it was time for him to serve the Lord and His people.


A Note about Creative Dramatics

Children/puppets act out the story using their own words. The teacher may prompt or ask questions to move the action along: “What do you think Samuel said to God when God told him to find a new king? Do you think he went happily?” “Then Samuel saw seven of Jesse’s sons and knew which one must be the right one.” “David, how do you feel after being anointed?” (This is called “side coaching.

These are informal productions. Props and scenery elements mentioned in the story will not be used. Encourage the students to use their imaginations and think of ways to help the audience to see these things.

If more than one person volunteers for a part, let the others know that if everyone cooperates, there will be time to do it more than once. Try to remember who was promised a part for the second run-through. Or draw names, or reward students who were sitting attentively by selecting them for choice parts (and let the others know why you selected the polite listeners).

Everyone must participate in some way. Not everyone has “lines” to speak: David’s brothers do not have to say anything (but some may want to speak). The audience is an important part, too, both for interaction and reaction during the performance and feedback afterwards.

Review with the children where on stage each scene takes place. For example, show them where Jesse’s house is and where David’s sheep field is.

Encourage the students to think about why a character did or said something.

The action should follow the Bible story, but everyone should use his own words.


Psalm Choral Readings
Adapted by Amy Crane

Psalm 8

Scripture adapted from the Good News Bible in Today's English Version - Second Edition, Copyright (c) 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.

Parts: All; Boys; Girls; Teachers; Voice 1; Voice 2

All: O Lord, our Lord,

Boys: Your greatness is seen in all the world!

Girls: Your praise reaches up to the heavens;

Boys: it is sung by children

Girls: and babies.

Voice 1: You are safe and secure from all your enemies;

Voice 2: you stop anyone who opposes you.

All: When we look at the sky, which you have made,

Girls: at the moon

Boys: and the stars,

All: which you set in their places –

Boys: what is man, that you think of him;

Girls: what is woman, that you think of her;

All: what are human beings, that you think of them;

Teachers: mere mortals, that you care for them?

Boys: Yet you made them --

Girls: us
All: Yet you made us inferior only to yourself; you crowned us with glory and honor.

Girls: You appointed us ruler over everything you made;

Boys: you placed us over all creation:

Teachers: sheep

Girls: baaaaa

Teachers: and cattle

Boys: mooo

Teachers: and the wild animals too;

Girls: the birds

Boys: and the fish

Teachers: and the creatures in the seas.

All: O Lord, our Lord, Your greatness is seen in all the world! Amen!


Psalm 23

Scripture quotations taken from/adapted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright (c) 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Parts: Divide the class into two parts - indicated here as left and right.

Left: The Lord is my shepherd,

Right: I shall not want.

Left: He makes me lie down in green pastures;

Right: he leads me beside still waters;

All: he restores my soul.

Right: He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.

Left: Even though I walk through the darkest valley,

All: I fear no evil;

Right: I fear no evil;

Left: I fear no evil;

Right: for you are with me;

Left: your rod and your staff –

Right: they comfort me.

Left: You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

Right: you anoint my head with oil;

Left: my cup overflows.

Right: my cup overflows.

All: my cup overflows!

Left: Surely

Right: Surely

Left: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

Right: all the days of my life,

Left: and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

Right: and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

All: and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long!

A Note about Choral Reading

  • Choral reading is similar to Readers’ Theater. Groups and individuals read from a script. Choral readings are usually less plot directed than Readers’ Theater; for example, poetry and catechism work well. A choral reading is almost musical in its weaving of voices.
  • Readers should read clearly with plenty of expression.
  • Review the script and decide which parts should be loud, slow, fast, quiet, excited, sad, and so forth. Experiment and have fun! 

 


Descriptions of David’s Brothers
[from Catherine. Posting at rotation.org. Faith Quest Drama link

Eliab: I am the oldest son of Jesse. I have always been the boss and when I get older I will inherit all my father’s land. I’m good at math and I especially like counting money. Oh, did I mention that I am considered very handsome?!

Abinadab: I’m the second oldest. I’m also quite good looking but I’m jealous of my brother because he gets all the attention and land because he is the oldest.

Shammah: I’m the third oldest. I’m kind of shy. I like to read a lot, I’m good at drawing and I love animals. My favorite food is olives. I love to go to church to worship with my family.

David: I’m the youngest of eight boys. My chore is taking care of the sheep each day. I try to do a good job for my father because he has given me a big responsibility. I hope he is proud of me. When I take care of the sheep at night I like to look at the stars and write poetry.

________ (Son #4): I’m right in the middle. To get attention I like to pick on my little brothers and fight with my older brothers. I am really very smart but sort of lazy. My favorite food is pita bread with honey.

_________ (Son #5): I love to work as a messenger because I enjoy running to bring messages to different people. I don’t like sitting still. My favorite food is dates. I keep a handful in my pocket for quick energy.

__________ (Son #6): I am studying to be a carpenter because I enjoy building and using my hands. I’m glad I don’t have David’s job taking care of the sheep. I used to have to watch the sheep before David was old enough to do it. Shepherd is the worst job! But I love David; he is a great kid.

________ (Son #7): No one ever pays attention to me because I’m not the youngest but I’m not near of the big kids, either. I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. Maybe a farmer.

Note: if the children wish, they may give names to the unnamed sons.


 

This lesson was written by Amy Crane for River Community Church in Prairieville, Louisiana. 

Copyright 2004 Amy Crane. Permission granted to freely distribute and use, provided the copyright message is included.

 A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.

 

Last edited by Luanne Payne

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