Rotation.org Writing Team

JESUS HEALS TEN LEPERS

COMPUTER WORKSHOP

PASSAGE

Story -- Luke 17:11-19

Key/Memory Verses -- Luke 17:15-16; Psalm 136:1

PURPOSE

In this workshop, the children will learn that Jesus expects us to be thankful. God is compassionate and generous with his healing power, but that it is an “attitude of gratitude” that reveals and grows our faith.

PREPARATION

Read the Bible Background.

Materials List

• Bibles
  
• Computers
  
• Software – Let’s Talk
  

Advance Preparation

Install the software on each computer and become familiar with the way it works.

PRESENTATION

Open - Introduction

Opening questions like these prepare your children to recognize certain concepts in the story they are about to read.

Welcome each child and begin with questions:

Have you ever received an award at school for something good that you did? What was it?

How did it feel to be singled out for praise?

When you do something good at home, in what ways do your mother/father show you they are happy with you?

What kind of awards or gifts does God give people?

Does God give gifts and blessings to everyone? [Yes]

Are there some people who don’t deserve God’s gifts?

When you give a gift, what are you hoping for in return?

How does giving a gift and being grateful change the relationship between the gift-giver and gift-receiver?

READ the SCRIPTURE TOGETHER

Assign roles for a group reading of Luke 17:11-19

Narrator
Jesus
9 Lepers
Thankful Leper

For non-readers, assign roles and read to them what they should say. After reading it through one time, go back over some of the words and images, then -- act out the story a second time. The acting out of the story will highlight the response of the one Leper who went away, then turned around and came back to fall at Jesus' feet. It's an important image.

Revisit some of the questions above and point out some of the “curious questions” found in the Addendum to the Bible Background.

Dig – Main Content

Here are several lesson options all of which use Let's Talk CD --a program in which you can build a spoken lesson for later playback, and have the students respond to your questions through animated onscreen characters.

Which option or module you should use will depend on the age of your children, the amount of time you have to spend at the computers, the number of teaching assistants you have to help you, and your familiarity with the program.

OPTION 1
For older children, 20-25 minutes.

Students will be using the Lesson Builder Module in Let’s Talk CD (Sunday Software Inc.) to create their own “Luke Leper Lesson.” Let’s Talk CD allows students to create an onscreen animated character who speaks aloud whatever the students type. They will add story text, 3 questions and 3 open-ended reflection questions which also get spoken aloud. If you’re short on time, or students can’t type well (2nd and 3rd graders), see the OPTION 2 below.

After creating their own presentation in the Lesson Builder, students will swap computers and go through the Luke Leper Lessons created at the other computers. They will answer the quiz questions and create spoken responses to the reflection questions. Teachers work side-by-side with each computer group to assist students in “explaining” the story as they retell it.

Students begin in the Lesson Builder Module retyping the story in their own words –adding “explanatory comments to certain verses to explain the meaning of the verse. These explanatory remarks will likely reflect your Bible study comments and their discussion.

Example of explanatory comment they might add: Instead of typing “they had a skin disease” the students must explain the significance of their condition, such as, “they were sinners who couldn’t live with their families.”

Example: Instead of “Go show yourselves to the priests” the students explain “Go have the priest declare you as clean and acceptable once again.”

OPTION 2
For Younger Children and for classes that are short on time.

If you are short on time, or your students can’t type very fast (2nd and 3rd graders) you might create the lesson yourself in the Lesson Builder. Type in the story text to save time, and then have the students open it up, listen to it, then have them edit/modify your lesson texts with their own explanatory remarks. You could describe it as “you be the editors and add comments that help the story. Younger children can skip the “edit/modify” step and go right into the quiz/reflection part of the lesson you built. Younger children can respond by typing answers if you help them.

OPTION 3

Can be used if you have additional time, or if you don’t want the children to edit the lesson which you created in the Lesson Builder.

After the students hear and respond to the teacher-built “Luke Leper Lesson” in Let’s Talk, open up the “Conversation Now” learning module in the program. This is an “instant messaging” style interface many of your students will recognize. Split your group of students into two groups at each computer. The first group/child at the computer will represent “Jesus” and create an onscreen character in Conversation Now to speak Jesus’ thoughts. Jesus has the hard role, so you might want to make a teaching assistant take on this role. The second group/child at that same computer will take on the role of “the Student who didn’t come back to Church.” They will also create an onscreen animated character to represent them. With a teacher helping, the two groups/students respond to each other’s “instant messages” which they type and “send” to appear on the screen in front of them. They are going to create a dialog which their characters speak aloud. Jesus questions the Lepers, the Lepers makes up excuses why they think they don’t need to come worship God. Use cues from the story. A conversation might sound like this:

Jesus: Why is it so hard for you to come and worship God every Sunday?

Leper: Why should I? The story says I am already healed.

Jesus: You should come and be thankful.

Leper: It’s boring to come to church.

Jesus: It’s only boring if you don’t realize what a great thing it is to have faith and be grateful.

Note: You can also use the TALK NOW module for the above activity.

In Talk Now, each computer “Leper” creates a character onscreen who will respond to the teacher’s questions spoken to the entire group. The teacher poses a question to each “Leper,” such as, “Why didn’t you go back to Jesus to offer your thanks,” and, “What are some of the excuses people make for not coming to praise God?”

ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS

Adaptations – Younger Children

Younger children enjoy typing and hearing the computer speak back their words. They just need more help finding the keys, or someone helping them do the typing. I've used Let's Talk with 4 and 5 year olds. They think the keyboard is great fun. The teacher has to be right there, and patient.

ALTERNATIVE SOFTWARE

The story of the 10 Lepers is not found in other recommended software. You could, however, use Kid Pix 3 with younger children. Have them draw a picture of the “Thankful Leper” and help them type some text –which Kid Pix 3 can speak aloud, of the Leper being thankful.

RESOURCES

See screenshots of the Lesson Builder and Conversation Now modules at Sunday Software, http://www.sundaysoftware.com/lets-talk

View/download a demo of Sunday Software's Let's Talk CD, http://www.sundaysoftware.com/lets-talk/trial.htm

CONTRIBUTOR: Neil MacQueen