Students will explore the meaning of Psalm 8 and create a choral reading as an act of worship.
They will be able to recite the first and last verses of the Psalm by memory and tell some of the content of the remaining verses.
PREPARATION
Read Bible background.
Materials List
Bibles Copy machine Crayons, colored pencils, and/or markers Highlighters or yellow markers or crayons for each student Overhead Projector and Screen [Optional] Paper Poster board or easel paper
Advance Preparation
Prepare a large poster board or easel paper sized version of Psalm 8. You may use an overhead projector or screen. Black block printing is fine. You may want colored markers to mark divisions or guidelines for choral reading.
Make copies of Psalm 8 choral reading for each student.
Read the Psalm out loud repeatedly. Make note of rhythms and phrases.
Plan and practice your clapping rhythms.
Make arrangements for taping video or audio if you choose that option.
Speak to pastor or Adult Sunday School leaders if you choose to have your class present choral reading for worship.
PRESENTATION
Open - Introduction
Welcome children to class. Without explanation clap a simple rhythm. (l l ll l 1, 2, 3 &, 4)
Some children might respond immediately by echoing your clap. Clap again and encourage the whole class to echo your clap. Clap 2 or three other simple rhythms, (4-8 beats), having the class repeat. With mid and older elementary you can be more "tricky." Give a more complicated or longer rhythm as a challenge.
Change clapping to two claps on knees or thighs and one clap with hands. (1,2,3,1,2,3)
Begin slowly, have children join you. When children have joined you, add these words while continuing to clap:
“God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.” (one word/beat) Repeat until all children have joined in. Vary speed (tempo) while encouraging the children to follow. Vary volume (dynamics) in the same way. Speak in high voice, low voice (pitch). Tell the children that spoken words can be like music.
The spoken word has:
Rhythm - fast and slow syllables. Tempo - overall rate or speed Pitch - high and low Dynamics - loudness and softness
Write these words on blackboard or easel or have words printed on cards to tape on wall or bulletin board.
Just like in music we use rhythm, tempo, pitch, and dynamics to help express the meaning in the words.
To play with these ideas a little more have each child say his or her name. They may use first and last or full name. Say name -- class repeats. Say name again clapping the rhythm -- class repeats. Say name again -- changing tempo, pitch or dynamics -- class repeats.
With a large class you may divide into two groups. With a younger class you may be the "leader" in this exercise saying each child’s name, clapping its rhythm and changing it some way while whole class echoes.
Dig – Main Content
Pass out Bibles and find today’s Scripture, Psalm 8. Give the children cues to finding the Psalms -- Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), near middle of Bible. Young children or children unused to the Bible will need to see the word or have it spelled out for them. “Though it sounds like an 's' word this word begins with 'p.'”
Explain that this book is a collection of poems or songs that the People of God used in their worship and prayers. If this is not the first Sunday in the rotation the children may be able to tell you what they have already learned about the Psalms or this particular Psalm.
Read Psalm 8 out loud, asking members of the class to read one or two verses. Depending on the age group you may need to explain, define some of the unfamiliar words: sovereign, majestic, bulwark, avenger, dominion.
Point out these main ideas in the Psalm:
---- Opening exclamation of praise
---- Statement of God’s power in using even the smallest to show his power and silence his enemies
----- Psalmist looks at night sky and overcome with awe wonders about the place of human beings in God’s creation
---- Answer comes in God’s creation and giving responsibility for all creation to human beings
---- Closing repeats exclamation.
Read Psalm again -- together. Read slowly so that even slow readers can keep up. If you have a class of non readers, read to them, pointing out phrases on your poster of the psalm.
Choral reading -- Psalm 8
Explain that next we will take the ideas we learned about speech -- rhythm, tempo, pitch, and dynamics-- and use them to create a "choral reading" of the Psalm. Reading the Psalm together in this way is a way we can use this Psalm to help us think of God’s greatness. It can also be used in worship to help others meditate on these words. Begin by reciting slowly the first (and last) verse of the Psalm. Have children repeat after you.
“O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!"
Overemphasis the rhythms of your natural speech pattern. As the children copy your rhythm speed up (change tempo) to approximate regular speech.
Clap the rhythm of the words that you have been speaking and have the children repeat first just the clapping then clapping and words. You may have them make rhythm accompaniment different ways (clapping, stomping feet, snapping fingers, clapping other parts of the body)
When the children have "got" this phrase down, ask them about the feeling of the words. Should these words be loud (confident) or softer (awe struck); fast (excited), slow (wondering); should we sound like a flute or tuba, high or low. Try out different combinations. You may use different colors or markings on the poster size psalm to indicate how the class decides to say the words.
You may want the children to watch you for signs to indicate louder, softer, faster, slower, and for starting and stopping together.
Using this phrase as the response read through the whole Psalm. You may assign those who are confident readers the remaining verses. Encourage them to read the words, thoughtfully, with feeling and the things we talked about -- rhythm, tempo, pitch, and dynamics -- will come naturally.
The class will be ready to put together choral reading when: everyone is comfortable with the recitation and possible rhythm accompaniment of first verse; verses are assigned and readers are comfortable with words and expression; pattern of choral reading is explained especially noting how the whole group response comes with instructions.
Simple choral reading pattern: follow this pattern or create your own!!
All: O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (with rhythm accompaniment)
Person 1: You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avengers
All: O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (loudly without rhythm accompaniment)
Person 2: When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established;
All: O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (slowly, softly, without rhythm accompaniment)
Person 3: What are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?
All: O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (still slowly a little louder, without rhythm accompaniment)
Person 4: Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor
All: O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (slowly deliberately, loudly, without rhythm accompaniment)
Person 5: You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas
All: O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (slowly deliberately, loudest, without yelling, with rhythm accompaniment)
One time through is practice. Does everyone know where they come in?
Second time through is rehearsal -- everyone standing. If you have the room stand "choir style."
Is everyone following, watching leader?
Third time through is worship. Tell children: “this is our offering of praise to God. Let us together proclaim this Psalm from God’s Word” or something that expresses your own worship style. If you use liturgical phrases in worship to introduce and respond to the reading and proclamation of the word you may want to use them here.
Reflect - Closure
After final time through ask the children to join you in a circle. Ask them to think the words of their response as they breathe in and out. In—O Lord, our Sovereign, Out—How majestic is your name in all the earth.
Pray: Create your own prayer using simple sentences. Pause between each sentence for breathe in, breathe out.
Sample prayer.
O God you are great and awesome Help us to praise you Help us to worship you Thank you for all creation Help us care for all the earth O God you are great and awesome. Amen
ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS
HAVE FUN!! A certain amount of silliness, even controlled chaos at the beginning of the lesson is not detrimental. Experimenting with the voice, sounds, rhythms, should be fun. Let the children know it is okay by exaggerating changes in pitch. Do some really fast or complicated rhythms. Allow space for moving around. We speak and sound differently, with more energy when standing or moving around. Given a choice I would sit on the floor in a circle with the children for the discussion portions rather than table and chairs.
Taping/performing
Have children present choral reading as part of worship service. Perhaps children could visit an adult Sunday School class and present the reading as that group’s closing prayer/meditation.
Videotape "final performance." Let each group watch their own video before leaving. A compilation of all groups could be shown at another time, to parents, to other adult groups or used in worship. Audio tape of the oldest group could be used as background to a collage of still photos or video of all groups.
Audio tape with some video and still photos could be interspersed with other relevant visuals (nature, night sky, words) to create a taped or power point kind of presentation. Perhaps an older group or teenagers or adults would do this as their own learning and study of this Psalm.
Adaptations -Younger Children
Shorten Psalm reading to vss. 1, 3-5, 9
Adaptations – Older Children
When practicing rhythm, tempo, pitch, and dynamics ask them to use these things to express certain feelings. With your voice show fear, anger, awe, happiness, excitement, uncertainty, and so forth. There are no right answers of course. Using just their names and the four variants have them express these and other feelings.
Use the second Choral Reading below.
Divide the class by pairs or small groups. Assign each group a verse, 2-8,(or divide Psalm as you wish). Have each group work out their own expressive reading of their verse. Bring everyone together and do the Psalm as a whole.
If using choral reading for older children you may not want to spend as much time on the rhythm and variations on the first verse of the Psalm.
PSALM 8 CHORAL READING EXAMPLE FOR OLDER CHILDREN
This reading uses two groups (A & B) and individual readers. The individual parts could be assigned to pairs or trios to read as one voice. There are 3 division persons 1, 2, and 3. You may have more by adding more groups or individuals for the repeats. Depending on the size of your class the individual parts or small groups may also be parts of the two main groups (A & B). Tempo and dynamic suggestions are made in italics. Review all these before reading together. Provide the students with highlighters. Walk through the reading, noting who is doing each part, giving students time to mark their script. The echo portions of the reading may overlap. That is, the echo group may begin their echo just a quick beat before the first group finishes. Each succeeding echo is softer than the phrase before it. Repeated echoes should have the effect of sound getting farther and farther away. Echoes ending with … may be repeated for as many groups or individuals that you have.
Begin with strong clear voices, not loud, but sure and confident
GROUP A: O LORD,
GROUP B: O LORD
GROUP A: our Sovereign,
GROUP B: our Sovereign,
ALL: how majestic is your name in all the earth!
PERSON 1: how majestic,
PERSON 2: how majestic,
PERSON 3: how majestic ...
ALL: You have set your glory above the heavens.
PERSON 1: (Continue with clear, confident voice(s); deliberately not fast) Out of the mouths of babes and infants, you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger. (Pause -- count 1,2,3,4)
PERSON 2: (softly, more slowly, with wonder, be sure to make it sound like a question with rising pitch toward the end) When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?
PERSON 3: what are we?
PERSON 1: what are we?
PERSON 2: what are we?...
PERSON 3: (a little louder, still slowly and with wonder) Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor. (Louder in the next section. Could also speed up as long as words can be clearly understood. Keep each phrase deliberate and moving to the next phrase not rushed but connected)
PERSON 1: You have given them dominion over the works of your hands
PERSON 2: you have put all things under their feet,
PERSON 3: all sheep and oxen,
PERSON 1: and also the beasts of the field,
PERSON 2: the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
PERSON 3: whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
ALL: (Build to this loudest point. It may be repeated the second time adding clapping or other rhythm accompaniment. Amen after final repetition) O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
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