Unfolding the Bible

This lesson is designed to help students gain a better understanding of the Bible.

Activity I
Create bookmarks ahead of time to hand out. These can be made by printing the following rap onto cardstock. Add a border and a graphic of a rainbow to add some fun. You should be able to get 3-4 per page. For a more professional look, have them laminated. Cut them apart leaving space on the sides top and bottom and walla!...you will have a cool bookmark!
For the activity ask for volunteers to repeat the timeline without goofing up. Time them. The student who can say it the fastest without making a mistake wins.

God made

Adam bit
Noah arked
Abraham split
Joseph ruled
Jacob fooled
Bush talked
Moses balked
Pharaoh plagued
People walked
Sea divided
Tablets guided
Land promised
Saul freaked
David peeked
Prophets warned
Jesus born
God walked
Love talked
Anger crucified
Hope died
Love rose
Spirit flamed
Word spread
God remained


Teaching I

Explain each line with a short history lesson. It can be as simple as the following or you can visit childrenstory.info for simple explanations of the bible stories.

God Made: God made the world in six days and on the seventh day God rested.

Adam Bit: Adam and Eve took a bite of the forbidden fruit.

Noah Arked: God told Noah to build an ark. He filled it with a pair of each animal on earth plus his family. The earth flooded. Noah and his family were saved. God gave us the rainbow as a promise that the world will never flood again.

Abraham Split: God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac by splitting him in half with an axe. Abraham prepared to do so to prove his love for God. God sent a ram to be sacrificed in Isaac’s place.

Joseph Ruled: Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him and sold him into slavery claiming to their father that he was dead. Joseph had visions which he shared with the king who made Joseph a King himself. A famine in the land brought Joseph’s brothers to his kingdom. He forgave them.

Jacob Fooled: Jacob had two sons. The younger brother tricked his blind father into believing he was the older brother and received his father’s blessing and his brother’s birthright.

Bush Talked: God got Moses’ attention and spoke to him through a burning bush.

Moses Baulked: Moses didn’t want to listen to God and ran away. God brought him back to help free the Israelite people.

Pharaoh Plagued: God told Moses to forewarn Pharaoh that he would send plagues if he didn’t release the Israelite people from slavery. Ten plagues had to be sent before Pharaoh finally let the Israelite’s go.

People Walked: The final plague was the death of the Egyptians first born sons. The Israelites were freed and began their journey to the Promised Land.

Sea Divided: God sent a mighty wind which created a dry path through the Red Sea. The Israelites crossed through but when the Egyptians tried to cross, the sea came back together and they all drown.

Tablets Guided: God gave Moses the Ten Commandments to direct the Israelite people.

Land Promised: After 40 years, the Israelites finally entered the Promised Land.

Saul Freaked: Saul was a good king who fell away from God. God then anointed David which made Saul very jealous.

David Peeked: When David became king he saw a beautiful woman bathing. He had her husband killed in battle so that the woman could become one of his wives.

Prophets Warned: God sent prophets to warn the evil kings of the time to believe in the true God.

Jesus Born: Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary.

God Walked: God walked as a man on earth through his Son Jesus.

Love Talked: Jesus’ message was to love our neighbors.

Anger Crucified: Jesus was crucified and died for our sins.

Hope Died: When Jesus died on the cross his followers thought their hope had died as well.

Love Rose: Jesus rose from the dead and became our Savior.

Spirit Flamed: God sent the Holy Spirit to remain within us and guide us.

Word Spread: The Apostles were on fire with the Holy Spirit and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world. We are called to do the same.

God Remained: God is still with us today in Spirit and in the Word.

Activity II

Purchase an end roll of news print from you local newspaper. (It should be very inexpensive)
Roll out the newsprint, give the student’s crayons and have the students draw pictures of the
Bible as a timeline, using the lines and stories from their bookmarks.

Catholic Catechism

CCC #105
God is the author of Sacred Scripture. The divinely revealed realities, which are contained and presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
CCC #121
The Old Testament is an indispensable part of Sacred Scripture. Its books are divinely inspirited and retain a permanent value, for the Old Covenant has never been revoked.
CCC #124
The Word of God, which is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, is set forth and displays its power in most wonderful way in the writings of the New Testament which hand on the ultimate truth of God’s Revelation. Their central object is Jesus Christ, God’s incarnate Son: his acts, teachings, Passion and glorification, and his Church’s beginnings under the Spirit’s guidance.

Songs

“Made to Worship” by Chris Tomlin
“Faith Like That” by Jonah 33
“Remember Me” by Mark Schultz