Article February 16, 1963 Issue

This Class Likes Lesson Assignments

The Manual of The Mother Church by Mary Baker Eddy (Art. XX, Sect. 2) requires that "the Sabbath School children shall be taught the Scriptures, and they shall be instructed according to their understanding or ability to grasp the simpler meanings of the divine Principle that they are taught." To follow this directive, one teacher gave home assignments to her class of thirteen-year-olds. She asked them to memorize each week a statement from the Lesson-Sermon. Also she asked what kind of assignment they would prefer. They wanted questions on each section of the lesson as well as some additional reading from the Bible.

The purpose of the assignments was to direct the pupil to the books as the source and basis of study; to bring out those thoughts in the Lesson-Sermon, outlined in the Christian Science Quarterly, that pertained to the particular needs of the class; to ensure familiarity with the study of the Lesson-Sermon. The assignment at no time became a stereotyped form of teaching but served to prepare the thought to understand the ideas brought out in the class.

The teaching period consisted of a discussion of the assignments, and questions and answers pointing out how the truths in the Lesson-Sermon could be used in their home, school, and social relationships. The pupils were shown how to detect and challenge false attractions. They learned that the Sunday School teaching was practical and would help them in their daily lives.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

WORDS OF CURRENT INTEREST