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Drama and Photography Lesson Ideas and Lesson Plans for Teaching the Story of Deborah in Sunday School.

Post your Drama and Photography lessons, ideas, activities, and resources for teaching the Story of Deborah in Sunday School. Judges, Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Barak, Sisera, Gideon, Samson, etc. Bible lessons about Deborah -with Drama, puppets, scripts, skits, acting, newsroom, photography, etc.

Supporting Members:

Be sure to see our Writing Team's set of lessons about the Judges (including Deborah). Everyone can see the lesson summaries and Bible Background for that special set. It has a special Drama lesson plan that's really creative.

Last edited by Neil MacQueen
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Drama Idea

 

Palm Tree Court

 

One of the ideas was to hold a "Palm Tree" court and let the Kids take turns settling disputes brought before them.

 


Game Show - This is Your Life (Deborah)

 

Abby Rosser
North Boulevard Church of Christ
Murfreesboro, TN

This is Your Life!
Deborah—Judge and Prophetess

Characters:
Game show host
Deborah
Barak (commander of the army)
Jael (woman with peg and hammer)
Stagehands to hold applause sign and turn on CD for theme music

Props/Costumes:
Bible costumes
2 working microphones
Sword and breastplate
Hammer
Applause sign
Theme music CD

Setting: Deborah comes to the stage thinking that she’s there to be a guest on a talk show, and then it is revealed that her life is the topic for the show This is Your Life. Other guests show up during the show. They stand offstage and read some clues about their identity before joining Deborah onstage.

(Game show host is standing center stage and Deborah is offstage.)

(Play game show theme music.)

Game Show Host: Welcome to This is Your Life! I’m your host, Slick Sideburns!

(Applause)

Game Show Host: Our celebrity guest is waiting backstage and we will see her in just a moment. She thinks that she is here to settle an argument between two shepherds, but she is actually going to meet some people from her past. Should we bring her out, folks?

(Applause.)

Game Show Host: Okay, Deborah, come on out!

(Applause.)

(Deborah enters looking surprised.)

Game Show Host: Deborah, we all know that you have been an excellent leader of the Israelites, and tonight we have a couple of people who’d like to see you. Our first surprise guest comes from Kedesh in Naphtali and he has something to say to you. Go ahead, guest #1!

(Barak is standing offstage with sword and microphone, wearing armor.)

Barak: Deborah, I was your loyal commander of the army. If it hadn’t been for you, I never would have led my army into battle. I even co-wrote a hit song with you!

Game Show Host: What do you think Deborah? Who is our first surprise guest?

Deborah: It must be my old friend, Barak!

(Applause.)

Game Show Host: That’s right, Deborah! Barak, come join us on stage!

(Leaving microphone backstage, Barak walks onstage and salutes Deborah.)

(Applause.)

Game Show Host: Now let’s meet our next surprise guest. She was ready when Barak’s men drove out the Canaanite army and their commander Sisera. She’s the wife of Heber the Kenite and she has something to say to you, Deborah. Go ahead, guest #2!

(Jael is standing offstage with hammer and microphone.)

Jael: Deborah, I come from a family of tent dwellers. Once, I hammered a tent peg into the sleeping Canaanite commander’s head. When Barak came to find him, there he was, captured by a woman!

Game Show Host: What do you think, Deborah? Who is our second surprise guest?

Deborah: I know exactly who that is. That’s Jael!

(Applause.)

Game Show Host: You’re right again, Deborah! Jael, come on out!

(Leaving microphone backstage, Jael walks onstage carrying a hammer and gives Deborah a hug.)

Game Show Host: It looks like we’re out of time, tonight, folks! Deborah and surprise guests, thanks for joining us!

(Start theme music and continue to play over host’s sign-off.)

Game Show Host: This is Slick Sideburns signing off. Join us next time for This is Your Life!

 

 

Volunteer Moderator compiled from site Deborah misc lessons and ideas to one central location.

 

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

 

Last edited by Rotation.org Lesson Forma-teer

Deborah

Drama/Photography Workshop  

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Use still shots (tableaux) of story scenes to retell the story of how God sends Deborah to help the Israelites. Allow children to plan for each shot based on provided story info. [A list of potential shots is included at the end of this lesson as an attachment. Also included are some suggestions for the leader, to help them guide the children.

 

Scripture Reference:  

Judges 4:3-16, 5:1-12


 

Leader Preparation:

  • Read the scripture for this lesson.
  • Read and reflect on the overview material provided for this lesson.
  • Gather the materials.

Supplies List:

How to find the attachment

  • a copy of the photo shoot page (download the attachment to this post; go to the bottom of this post & click on the underlined words "Deborah Drama.doc")
  • camera (can be a phone camera or a ditital camera)
  • costumes
  • appropriate props
  • optional: a means of displaying the photos on a TV or a computer

 



Presentation

 

Opening – Welcome & Lesson Introduction:

 

'Trailguides" (AKA Shepherds") will begin by gathering children in the circle, do some introductions, and a short ice breaker activity.

 

Once the Trailguide is finished, say: "Today we’re going to be talking about one of the strong, wise characters of the Old Testament and how God worked through her. 

 

Ask: Now…who knows the difference between the Old and New Testament?” (answers may vary, but emphasize those that talk about stories of the Jewish or Hebrew people, stories about God before Jesus, the earliest stories of our faith.

 

Ask: What does it mean to be strong? 

Can someone who’s really small still be strong? 

How about wise?”

 

Ask: Would you all join me in prayer?”

 

After a moment of silence to let everyone calm down, say: “God, we admire people who are wise and strong.  Thank you for your stories of people of faith who have gone before us.  Help us learn more about wisdom and strength from them so that we, too, can grow wiser and stronger.  Amen.”

 

 

Dig - Main Content & Reflection:

 

Explain that this story takes place after the Hebrew people had settled in the Promised Land.  After the death of Moses, the people lived in Canaan, the Promised Land, and didn’t have kings yet.  Instead, they had judges who helped them make decisions and live justly.  This is a story of one of Israel’s judges.  

 

Ask:  What is a judge?

Say:  Her name was Deborah. 

 

Explain that, instead of reading the story to them, you’re going to have them figure out the story as you go along: the goal is to do a photo shoot at different locations in and around the church.  You’re going to give the kids a list of shots that need to be taken—just like they might get if they were on a movie set—and they will need to figure out how and where to make each one happen. 

 

Do the Photo Shoot:

  • Pass out the list of shots. (Refer to attachment at the end of this lesson.)
  • Have one or several of the kids read the information about the first shot (which tells the story of Deborah at the same time). Help the younger children with the reading.
  • Then have everyone figure out who will be which character in the scene and where a good location for that shot would be (can be outside or inside).  What props/costumes are needed?  Go to the location and take the shot.
  • Do the same with the next shots until you’ve completed the whole story.
  • Optional: Retell the story by playing back the shots on a computer or a TV screen.

 

Closing:

 

Ask the kids how Deborah was wise and strong (this is important because it connects the lesson to the opening).  Ask for any prayer requests.  Then pray for wisdom and strength and close by having everyone say this prayer together: “God, make me your hands, your feet, and your heart to love others in the world.    Amen.


 

Resources:

 

I should also note that, in the attachment I posted with the photo shoot storyboard, I used a mixture of the Deborah story from the Spark Storybible (Sparkhouse Publishing, affiliate of Augsburg Fortress) and the Deborah Story from Ralph Milton's The Family Story Bible (Westminster John Knox Press)...as well as some of my own words.  Both stories are good simplifications for kids, and both have slightly different language/angles on the story--merging them felt the most complete to me.



A lesson written by folks from Plymouth Congregational Church

Ft. Collins, CO, USA, 
 

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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