God Speaks- Make a Joyful Noise
Lesson Sketches
Summary:
- Art - make musical instruments
- Games - Charades & Obstacle course
- Computer - drawing or writing about the psalm
- Photography - photograph collage
Scripture Reference:
Psalm 100
Lesson Objectives:
- To locate the Psalm.
- To learn the action words in this Psalm.
- To believe that we are the people of God.
Background:
The Book of Psalms is the Hymnbook of the people of God, through the ages. Other than Psalm 23, Psalm 100 is the most often sung. This is the Psalm that 3rd graders recite when they get their Bibles each year.
The 1st verse of this Psalm is the same as the 4th verse of Psalm 98.
The Psalm is addressed to all the people of God. The subject is Thanksgiving and Praise to God.
There are 7 imperatives in this Psalm are: MAKE, WORSHIP, COME, KNOW, ENTER, GIVE, BLESS.
Why do we do these things? Because we are God’s people, and because The Lord is good and His love and faithfulness are for all time, throughout the ages.
The 7 imperatives above, are also action words…make what? Worship whom? Come where? Know what? Enter where? Give what? Bless whom?
This Psalm tells us about God’s love and faithfulness, and about how we respond as God’s people.
Art Lesson Sketch (grades 1 & 2)
Materials Needed:
- Cardboard tubes
- paint
- colored construction or tissue paper
- scissors
- glue
- rubber bands
- aluminum foil
- metal fasteners
- dried beans or popcorn kernels
- rickrack
Leader Preparation:
- Read the scripture ahead of time.
- Gather the materials.
Presentation
Decorate your tube.
- Put construction or tissue paper on your cardboard tube.
- Help children use a small nail to put holes in the tube.
- Put a tiny drop of glue around each hole and insert a metal fastener in each one cover one end of the tube with aluminum foil and glue it in place.
- Pour in large dried beans and cover the other end with foil and decorate.
- Gently turn the tube on end and listen to the sound of rain as the beans fall against the metal fasteners.
Discussion Questions:
- What types of musical instruments do you think were used in Bible times?
- Do you think people played musical instruments at the same time, similar to a band?
Prayer: Read Psalm 100 aloud.
Art Lesson Sketch (grades 3 - 6)
Materials Needed:
- Lightweight, disposable, aluminum pie plates
- an assortment of craft beads
- jingle bells
- hammers
- nails
- newspaper
- envelops
- metallic thread
- scissors
- tapestry needles (optional)
Leader Preparation:
- Read the scripture ahead of time.
- Gather the materials.
Presentation
- Give each student a pie pan.
- Working on a pile of newspapers, demonstrate how to use a hammer and nail to make six holes around the edge of a pie pan.
- Each child should chose an envelope filled with approximately 30 beads.
- Demonstrate how to slide one or two beads onto a piece of thread and then tie the thread loosely through a hole in the pie plate.
- You may want to let the children thread a tapestry needle and slide the beads onto the needle for easy threading.
- Show the kids how to do this for each hole in their pie pans.
- You may also provide jingle bells for threading.
Discussion Questions:
- What types of musical instruments do you think were used in Bible times?
- Do you think people played musical instruments at the same time, similar to a band?
Prayer: Read Psalm 100 aloud
Games Lesson Sketch
Materials Needed:
- Index cards
- pencils
- timer
- blocks
- mazes (activity sheets)
- five musical instruments for each group.
Advance Preparation Requirements
- Bible verses on some of the index card
- math problems on some of the index cards
Presentation
Game #1 Song Charades
- Divide the children into two groups.
- Give each group eight index cards and pencils.
- Each group should choose eight songs and write the title of each song on the index cards.
- When they are finished, each group will take turns and try to have the other group guess what song they are trying to portray through charades.
Game#2 Obstacle Course
- The obstacle course is centered around the words listed in the Focus.
- These words are MAKE, WORSHIP, COME, KNOW, ENTER, BLESS, and an added word, NOISE.
- Divide the children into two groups. The obstacle course will be timed.
- They must complete each event in the course. The group that completes it in the least amount of time gets a prize.
The Events in the Obstacle Course are:
NOTE: Teacher must explain each event before the obstacle course begins.
MAKE: build a tall tower using all the blocks.
WORSHIP: fold hands and say a prayer aloud. It can be a prayer you know or make one up.
COME: Look up the following Bible verses and write down the one, which has the word come in it.
KNOW: Complete the following math problems.
ENTER: Complete the maze. Begin the maze where it says enter.
BLESS: someone in the group should sneeze and someone else in the group say, “God Bless You!”
NOISE: Play each musical instrument once.
Discussion Questions:
- What was the hardest part of the obstacle course?
- What was the easiest part.
Prayer: Read Psalm 100 together.
Computer Lesson Sketch (grades 1 - 3)
Kid Pix 4 or the newer "3D" version
There are 7 imperatives in this Psalm are: MAKE, WORSHIP, COME, KNOW, ENTER, GIVE, BLESS.
Why do we do these things? Because we are God’s people, and because The Lord is good and His love and faithfulness are for all time, throughout the ages.
The 7 imperatives above, are also action words…make what? Worship whom? Come where? Know what? Enter where? Give what? Bless whom? This Psalm tells us about God’s love and faithfulness, and about how we respond as God’s people.
- Teacher reads the Psalm verse by verse, and the students repeat the verse. Teacher should put some expression and excitement into the reading.
- Point out the seven imperatives mentioned above. Talk with the students about how they are also action words…make what? Worship whom? Come where? Know what? Enter where? Give what? Bless whom? This Psalm tells us about God’s love and faithfulness, and about how we respond as God’s people.
- Have the students think about colors that might symbolize those words. Assign each of the WORDS to a computer team, [or one student]. Have the team draw a picture (KidWorks or Kid Pix 4) that expresses that WORD. Then share with the class.
- When finished, read Psalm 100 again, as a closing.
Computer Lesson Sketch (grades 4 - 6)
Kid Pix 4 or the newer "3D" version
There are 7 imperatives in this Psalm are: MAKE, WORSHIP, COME, KNOW, ENTER, GIVE, BLESS.
Why do we do these things? Because we are God’s people, and because The Lord is good and His love and faithfulness are for all time, throughout the ages.
The 7 imperatives above, are also action words…make what? Worship whom? Come where? Know what? Enter where? Give what? Bless whom? This Psalm tells us about God’s love and faithfulness, and about how we respond as God’s people.
- Follow steps 1 & 2 above (younger students computer lesson).
- Since there are only 5 verses to this Psalm, assign a verse to a team of students. Have the students re-write the verse, doing a couple of versions. Urge the kids to think about the language from the Bible, and turn it into the language they use today.
- Use word pad in the computers, to write their versions. They might select a color of print that will symbolize the feeling of each verse.
- Share with the class.
- Close by reading one of their editions, and then the Psalm from the Bible, as you did at the beginning.
Photography Lesson Sketch
- Locate the Psalm and read together. Point out the seven imperatives, MAKE, WORSHIP, COME, KNOW, ENTER, GIVE, BLESS. You will need these words printed on large cards.
- This activity will take all the weeks of this rotation. Have each class think about the 7 special words from this Psalm.
- You will need to take the class on a walking tour of the church and grounds, and use the digital camera.
What comes to mind?
Think about something that you can photograph.
Over the weeks each class will take photos which will be selected and put together in the last class of this rotation.
Some suggestions {these are suggestions only}, for the special words are:
- MAKE - organ pipes, handbells, keyboard;
- ENTER - church door, sign in front of the church;
- COME - church's front door, middle aisle of sanctuary;
- WORSHIP - stained glass window, communion table, baptismal font;
- KNOW - open Bible;
- GIVE - offering plate, money, food pantry, tree, flowers;
- BLESS - tree, birds.
Use your imagination!
- The photos will make a picture collage of Psalm 100.
- Each week, following the Sunday's class, we can print out the photos in the computer lab.
- Every class, especially the younger children, might not be able to find 7 different things/places to photograph. That's ok.
It's important to talk with the children as to why they have chosen certain things/places to photograph, and how those are related to the 7 special words from the Psalm.
- The last rotation class has the responsibility of selection of the photos, and mounting them with the special words on the bulletin board in the upstairs hallway.
Written by member wsigurdson, 2003
A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.