Skip to main content

Welcome to the "Shepherd and Angels" Lesson Set!
Written by our Rotation.org Writing Team, the set features seven creative and fun lessons for both traditional and Rotation-style Sunday Schools. Each includes age and class-size adaptations, and several have notes about using their activities in intergenerational Advent events.

Lesson Summaries and Bible Background are open to the public. Lesson plans are open to Supporting Members. Join today!

Rotation.org Writing Team

Shepherds and Angels ~ Luke 2

Lesson Summaries

This summary page is open to the public.
Supporting Members can access the Writing Team's lesson plans linked below. Join today!

WT-LUKE2

Welcome to the Shepherds and Angels lesson summary! Our Team has created seven terrific lessons for you about the angel's announcement to the shepherds of the good news of great joy!  In addition to insights and activities that elevate the story, each lesson emphasizes life application, has age adjustments (K-6), is scalable to different class sizes, and several have notes on how to use the lesson activities in an intergenerational event.

Traditional Sunday Schools:  Pick from any of the seven lessons, teach two or three!  Each lesson ("workshop") is so different from the next that kids won't feel like you're repeating the lesson.

Rotation Model Sunday Schools: Pick four to six workshops for your Advent rotation. The Shepherds and Angels set was written to complement our other Writing Team Advent sets.


 

Scripture

Luke 2:1-20 with a primary focus on verses 8-18, the life-changing encounter between the shepherds and angel(s). 

Memory Verse: 
“Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord."
Luke 2:10-11 (NRSV) 

Bible Background and Lesson Objectives ~ Insights and teacher-friendly background notes and questions, designed to shine through this story's "familiarity" and provide your teachers with content they can share right in their lessons.

artprojectrotation.orgArt Workshop ~  In this detailed photo-instruction-assisted lesson plan, students are guided to create a unique light-reflecting fabric painting of "The Night Heaven Arrived on Earth." They'll use special fabric, certain types of glues, glitter, and yarn to create an impression of "that moment"  when the good news of peace (salvation) was delivered on earth -- a moment and a story that is meant to be shared.

Bible Skills and Games Workshop ~ Students play through three "game stations" to learn the story and to explore concrete actions they can take to become messengers of the good news.

kids-cards-link



Cooking Workshop ~ Students bake shepherds' crooks and mix four special "scripture dips," then participate in a tasty scripted activity to remember and discuss important ideas and life applications in Luke's story. Simple quick recipes and great discussion prompts make this a yummy lesson for both student memories and hearts. Good Advent event too!

JesusPeacesDIP

Computer Workshop for single or multiple computer "labs" and using "Fluffy and God's Christmas Adventure" software (being provided as a FREE DOWNLOAD to our Supporting Members). Students enjoy a humorous retelling of the story, take a quiz, explore Bethlehem, and discuss the meaning of the angel's announcement and shepherds' response. For use on one PC or many.

wakingupsheps

Drama Workshop ~ Students use a creative new technique called "Flat Lay" (aka Sideways Scene) to photograph their "poses" of key actions, reactions, and emotions from the story. The detailed technique in this workshop is something you'll enjoy using for many other drama ideas and skits as well.

FlatLayTechnique-sm-Rotation.org

"Bethlehem Live" Music Workshop ~ Students participate in a "live" TV show that features students singing two songs about the story, "Angels We Have Heard on High" and "Go Tell It on the Mountain," then being interviewed about the meaning of the lyrics in the song. This workshop features a fun "Live TV" setup, an "echo" version of the familiar "Angels" hymn, and a "sideways scene" presentation option for the life-applying "Go Tell It On the Mountain."

shep-angels-echo

Video Workshop ~ We reviewed over two dozen videos to find THE BEST one for kids that faithfully tells this story and includes life application. And it's free online! After watching and discussing the animated video, students participate in a special "gifts" reflection activity. This lesson also includes a list of many of the videos we reviewed, including a list of short videos that could be used in children's worship or with other lessons.



Writers for this set:
Pam Bryson, Carol Hulbert, Luanne Payne, Robin Stewart, and Neil MacQueen (Lead Writer).

Team Resource: Jaymie Derden

Lesson Editing and Proofing: Amy Crane

Learn more about our collaborative peer-reviewed process.

A supporting membership is required to access to the Writing Team's lesson plans. Memberships are the major way Rotation.org funds its budget and is able to keep producing creative lessons and resources unlike anything else being published. Become a Supporting Member today.

What's different about Writing Team lessons?

Rotation.org's Writing Team is a group of experienced Christian educators working together to brainstorm and write lessons that go above and beyond in terms of creativity, variety, and level of detail.

  • We write for teachers who WANT to be creative, whether they are using a traditional model or Rotation Model Sunday School. 
  • We are committed to exploring new techniques for today's kids (as this set amply demonstrates).
  • We are committed to including adaptations so that our lessons can scale to different grades, class-sizes, and lengths of lesson time.
  • Writing Team lessons are peer-brainstormed and peer-reviewed! The Writing Team process and content is overseen by our Board of Directors and led by Neil MacQueen.

Learn more and see the Team's lesson menu.

Attachments

Images (7)
  • WT-LUKE2
  • artprojectrotation.org
  • JesusPeacesDIP
  • shep-angels-echo
  • wakingupsheps
  • FlatLayTechnique-sm-Rotation.org
  • kids-cards-link
Last edited by Neil MacQueen
Original Post

Add Reply

Post a New Topic
Lesson or Resource
Rotation.org Inc. is a volunteer-run, 100% member supported, 501(c)3 non-profit Sunday School lesson ministry. You are welcome to borrow and adapt content for non-commercial teaching purposes --as long as both the site and author are referenced. Rotation.org Inc reserves the right to manage, move, condense, delete, and otherwise improve all content posted to the site. Read our Terms of Service. Get a free Registered Membership or become a Supporting Member for full access to all site resources.
Rotation.org is rated 5 stars on Google based on 51 reviews. Serving a global community including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, S. Africa, and more!
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×