Last Supper- VINE AND BRANCHES
A Creative Movement Workshop
Summary of Lesson Activities
Students will interpret what Jesus is saying in John 15:17 kinesthetically, in this creative movement workshop, using body sox and/or scarves.
John's Gospel has a number of "speeches" that Jesus delivered at the Last Supper. The "Vine and Branches" is one of them. It is Jesus saying, "stay with me, keep yourself connected to me and to each other. Do not fall or run away."
I wrote this lesson for our summer camp. This photo is of the kids performating the script you see below. We used scarves. Body sox are a bit more fun and I would encourage you to consider them.
~Amy
Scripture Reference:
John 15: 1-17
This lesson is most appropriate for elementary-school aged children.
Lesson Objectives:
At the end of the session, the students will
- Be able to identify John as one of the four Gospels and be able to find it in the New Testament.
- Know the key verse by heart: John 15: 12: "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." (NRSV)
- Understand that we are all connected by Christ.
- Understand that we can only grow into what God wants us to be by staying connected with Jesus.
- Understand that we are called to serve God and one another in love.
Materials List:
- Carpeted open space will allow for the best movement
- A large wall mirror is helpful
- Optional: BodySox and/or colorful, flowing scarves (can be made from chiffon from fabric store)
- Vines (either living, cut branches, or silk ones from a hobby store).
Lesson Plan
Opening
Greet the children, introduce yourself, and explain what they'll be doing and learning today.
Bringing the story to life
Explain that today's scripture is not a story but a "saying" that Jesus taught his disciples to explain how they were connected with him and how we can grow in faith and love. To learn it, we will be exploring the Bible passages kinesthetically -- by moving -- talking with our bodies instead of our voices.
Warm-up exercises:
1. Encourage the students to experiment with the body sox and/or scarves. Ask them to make "shapes" with their bodies, pretend to be objects, and work with others to see what sorts of "effects" they can achieve. Some movement and imagination starters: "Can you feel yourself moving like:" a butterfly, a bird, a tree with a bird family living in a nest in your branches, a mother holding a [crying/sleeping/smiling] baby. Walk sadly; jump thoughtfully; tiptoe angrily. You may want to write these and other ideas on slips of paper and have students take turns drawing one and experimenting with it. There are no right or wrong ways to do these things; each person's response will be as different as the person himself/herself.
Explain that the only rules are:
*move safely so you and others don't get hurt and
*no talking (use your face and body to show the object/feeling/experience).
2. Have the class divide into pairs and use their imaginations and move their bodies to interpret (give each pair one or two words/concepts):
vine
branch
gardener
fruit
clean
plants withering/wilting/drying up
fire
love
commandment(s)
friend
Moving As We Read the Passage
Read through the Creative Movement script below and allow the students to experiment with movements that express the thoughts and feelings in the passages.
- Read slowly and thoughtfully and with meaning.
- Stop frequently to allow students to further explore and try different ways to express the passage.
- If you have a large class (more than eight people), you may want to divide into two groups and let them take turns interpreting the passages.
- Allow individual students to decide if they want to enhance their movements with scarves or BodySox (if available). See the script and the attached notes for additional hints and guidelines.
The Script ~ The Vine and the Branches
John 15: 1-17
Leader's Script for Creative Movement
(Adapted from Today's English Version and New Revised Standard Version)
Following their last supper together, Jesus said to his friends, the disciples:
I am the true vine,
and my Father is the gardener.
He removes every branch in me that does not bear fruit. {1}
He prunes every branch that does bear fruit,
so that it will bear more fruit. {2}
You have already been made clean by the teaching I have given you.
Live in me,
and I will live in you.
A branch cannot bear fruit by itself;
it can bear fruit only if it remains in the vine.
In the same way you cannot bear fruit unless you remain in me.
I am the vine,
and you are the branches.
Whoever lives in me, and I in him, will bear much fruit;
for without me you can do nothing.
Whoever does not live in me is thrown out like a branch and dries up;
such branches are gathered,
thrown into the fire, and burned.
If you live in me and my words live in you,
ask for whatever you wish,
and you shall have it.
My Father's glory is shown by your bearing much fruit;
and in this way you become my disciples.
As the Father has loved me,
so I have loved you;
live in my love.
If you obey my commandments,
you will live in my love,
just as I have obeyed my Father's commandments
and live in His love.
I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you
and that your joy may be complete.
This is my commandment:
that you love one another
as I have loved you.
The greatest love a person can have for his friends
is to give his life for them.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I do not call you servants any longer, {3}
because a servant does not know what his master is doing.
Instead, I call you friends,
because I have told you everything I learned from my Father.
You did not choose me;
I chose you and appointed you
to go and bear much fruit,
the kind of fruit that lasts.
And so the Father will give you whatever you ask of him in my name.
This then is what I command you:
LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
The word of God for the people of God.
Thanks be to God.
Amen.
Closing Discussion
- On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most, how connected do you feel to our church? To our class? To Jesus?
- Does NOT feeling very connected mean God doesn't like you? Or you are a bad Christian?
- How does it feel to know that Jesus CHOSE you?
- Did he choose perfect or imperfect disciples, you?
- What does it mean to "bear good fruit"?
- When you do good things, how does that help you feel more connected to Jesus?
Closing Movement Prayer:
Pose the following phrases:
"thankfulness to God," for "forgiving us our sins."
"Jesus connect with us,: and "help us to grow in you." Amen
Resources
Exiner, Johanna and Phyllis Lloyd. Teaching Creative Movement. Boston: Plays, Inc., 1974.
Griss, Susan. "Creative Movement: A Language for Learning." Educational Leadership, 51: 5 (February 1994), pages 78-81.
Some thoughts on using creative movement
Creative movement is a way of moving our bodies to show feelings. The goal is not a polished performance, but a visual expression of our understanding of God's word. There are no right or wrong movements. We were created as individuals, each of us different, and we create as individuals.
"For teachers who may feel intimidated or overwhelmed by the idea of using movement and creative improvisation as a teaching tool, remember that you do not have to do the movement yourselves. The children will supply all the physicality needed for a successful lesson. Your job is to supply the direction, the guided imagery, the permission to be physical, and an encouraging gleam in your eye. The idea is not to have the children imitate your movements, but to discover their own physical language." (Griss.)
Outcomes of kinesthetic learning include "increased comprehension. Interpreting a concept through physical means ... helps children - especially those at the elementary age level -- to grasp, internalize, and maintain abstract information." (Griss)
Creative movement is
improvisational
not permanent, not perfect
spontaneous, changing, always seeking to express more
heart to head, brain to body, thought to action
experimental
Notes for leading creative movement script:
Read the script several times slowly and thoughtfully, section by section, line by line, with expression. During the first reading of each section, allow the listeners to think about and experiment with movements. After they have a feeling for and understanding of that section, move on to the next. Finally, read the entire script from beginning to end, allowing selected students to "perform" their movements for the rest of the group.
The script is written so that each line is a movement/image/thought. Discourage attempts to interpret every word.
Some sections are more appropriately dramatized by several students working as a team, others call for solos.
Read section by section and analyze the meaning before attempting an interpretation. The following are some notes to get you started. (Note that not all commentaries are in 100% agreement on the meaning and interpretation of the Bible . Trust your students' insight.)
1 - TEV translates removes as "breaks off," which is less accurate from a gardening point of view, but more meaningful for movement.
2 - The same Greek word refers to pruning and cleansing.
3 - The word used in Greek for servant means "slave."
Scripture taken from the Good News Bible in Today's English Version - Second Edition, Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.
A lesson written by Amy Crane for Camp Feliciana in Norwood, LA
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