Template #2 for Relief Society and Elders Quorum lessons – 2023. To use this template, you’ll need your 5 favorite highlights and material from any General Conference talk. If you need highlights first – go to “5 Steps For Creating a Relief Society or Elders’ Quorum Lesson.” This post assumes you have 5 highlights with questions/material prepared.
This simple template below is my most-used, personal go-to plan. It’s a great standby, especially if you have limited time to prepare for Sunday! See also Relief Society & Elders Quorum Template #1 for a class plan with more variety built in.
Template #2 Overview:
35-45 mins. for Whole class discussion ====>
Yes…that’s it.
Whole Class Discussion ====> 35 – 45 minutes
Part 1 Have a class member read your first quote/highlight & use your questions to open up a short discussion on this topic.
Part 1.5 (Optional) If the talk has an intriguing story, have someone read it or paraphrase it yourself. Parts 1 and 1.5 can be switched with each other.
Part 2: Have a class member read the next quote on your list. Ask your prepared questions to encourage a short discussion on this topic.
Part 3: Repeat for quotes 3-5
Part 4: Thank your class for their wonderful participation and how grateful you are for all the wisdom and insight which has been shared today. (Some variation of this and in your own words of course.)
Part 5: End with your best insight, short summary and testimony.
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Want to upgrade your teaching experience? Check out these 9 secrets for memorable teaching:
Thank you for some great suggestions!
We have a large viewing screen in the classroom so I will put key quotes and questions on the screen so that everyone involved can read and see the quotes. I also ask if someone would like to read the quote. I love some of the short church videos and do try to use one if related to the message in the lesson. I will end with a video to kind of sum up the lesson message. I feel a picture/video is worth a thousand words.
Kathleen, you have a great set-up! And it probably fits your group and your style wonderfully. Personally I have found videos, as awesome as they are, stifle the depth and amount of discussion and produce a more passive group. Two things seem to affect the amount and quality of interaction and discussion – assigning quotes ahead of time which gives people time to reflect and offer deeper insights and summing up the lesson and a few discussion points made personally validates people and increases camaraderie and fellowship. In my mission, our mission President said, “put the videos away. People need to talk and more happens when they do.” I was incredulous but he was 100% right. People’s retention rate goes up 72% when they are personally engaged. Let people make the same points the video would. It will increase their sense of fulfillment. Please see “9 secrets for more class participation.” Of course you are called and you are inspired as to what your group needs, but it might not hurt to experiment one time without videos and see what happens.
I was just called as an instructor last week and was directed to this website by someone else. It is brilliant! It is so helpful and hits the nail on the head. I am a teacher by profession but I’ve gotten a little rusty since being home with my little ones, so I love these great reminders and the confidence you inspire in your readers that teaching and sharing and encouraging discussion is very doable.
Julie, you would think teaching is easy once you’ve done it and been successful, but I find that same rusty thing going on too. Just got asked to sub at the last minute for tomorrow and I’ll be reading my own advice. Blessings – hope your lesson goes great.