Methods of Teaching
Activity Verses

Little children enjoy poems and songs with simple actions. These poems and songs are often referred to as activity verses. You can use activity verses to help children learn gospel principles. You can also use them to help children feel welcome at the beginning of class, get ready to pray, or prepare to participate in a lesson.

It is helpful to have several activity verses ready to use whenever you see a need to change the pace of a lesson or include the children in an activity.

Ideas for activity verses and songs are included in the Children’s Songbook, some Primary lesson manuals, and some issues of the Friend. You can create your own activity verses by adding simple actions to poems and songs.

Example of an Activity Verse

The following activity verse could be used to teach children to be thankful for God’s creations. It is taken from the Primary song “The World Is So Big” (Children’s Songbook, 235).

The world is so big and, oh, so round,

[form a large circle with arms]

And in it God’s creations are found;

Stars shining brightly through all the night,

[straighten and wiggle fingers]

Sun in the day so warm and so bright.

[form a large circle with arms]

The world is so big and, oh, so round.

God loves us all; our blessings abound.

[grasp arms and hug self]

How to Teach an Activity Verse

Before teaching an activity verse, memorize the words and movements yourself. To teach an activity verse:

1. 1.
   Say the words and show the actions to the children. Go slowly, and exaggerate the actions. This will help the children understand the words and actions.
   
2. 2.
   Invite the children to do the activity verse with you.
   
3. 3.
   If the children enjoy the activity verse, repeat it. If they become restless, shorten it. If the activity verse is long, you may want to help the children do the actions while you say the words by yourself.
   

You may occasionally want to use pictures to help present activity verses. Pictures from the Gospel Art Picture Kit, Church-produced lesson manuals, and Church magazines may be helpful. You may want to consider using a Primary Visual Aids Cutouts set (available through the Church Materials Catalog).

Some children may not participate in the activity verse but will enjoy watching others do the actions. They will join in when they are ready.

Application Techniques

As a gospel teacher, one of your most important goals should be to help others apply gospel principles in everyday situations. Application techniques can help learners discover the blessings that come when we live the gospel.

Below are some methods that can help those you teach live the principles you have taught. These and many other methods are described in this section of the book.

• •
  Discuss situations similar to those the learners might experience. Use role plays, panel discussions, buzz sessions, games, work sheets, case studies, or brainstorming to discuss how to make correct choices in those situations.
  
• •
  Prepare specific application questions to discuss with the class.
  
• •
  Share a personal experience about how living a gospel principle has blessed your life. Invite those you teach to briefly share their own experiences.
  
• •
  Encourage those you teach to set one or more goals that can help them live the principle you have taught. For example, in a lesson about prayer, you might encourage them to set a goal that will help them pray in a more meaningful way. You might ask them to share their feelings the next week.
  
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  Share scripture passages that testify of the principle. Have those you teach share their favorite scriptures or scripture stories.
  
• •
  Ask the learners to think of a song that helps them remember the principle. Suggest songs they might use.
  
• •
  Encourage those you teach to share the message of the lesson with their families. For example, they might share an activity, song, work sheet, or scripture used in class. Have them discuss with their families how they can apply the principle.
  
• •
  Have those you teach write a scripture, quotation, poem, or part of a song on a piece of paper that they can take home and have as a reminder of the lesson.
  
• •
  Have children draw a picture of themselves living the principle.
  
• •
  Help them memorize an article of faith that relates to the principle. With children, relate the principle to one of the items in “My Gospel Standards,” on the back of the My Achievement Days booklet.
  
• •
  A month in advance, assign a few learners to study a specific lesson and apply it in their lives. When you teach the lesson, have the assigned persons report on their experiences.
  

Attention Activities (Attention Getters)

Attention activities can be used to create interest and to help learners focus their attention on the subject of the lesson. They should be brief and lead directly into the lesson. They are most often used at the beginning of lessons, but they can also be used to capture learners’ attention during lessons and to make a transition from one part of a lesson to another. Many lessons in Church-produced lesson manuals include suggestions for attention activities.

For suggestions on using and developing attention activities, see “Beginning the Lesson,” page 93, and “Helping Learners Be Attentive,” pages 71–72.

Audiovisual Materials (Videocassettes and Audio Recordings)

You may occasionally use Church-produced videocassettes and audio recordings to help teach gospel principles. Some materials are designed to be used with specific lessons in specific courses of study. Others may be used with a variety of lessons. Refer to the current Church Materials Catalog for a list of available Church-produced audiovisual materials.

In Church settings it is often against copyright laws to use audiovisual materials that are not owned by the Church. For guidelines on copyright laws, see Church Handbook of Instructions, Book 2: Priesthood and Auxiliary Leaders, pages 322–23.

How to Use Audiovisual Materials

1. 1.
   Watch or listen to the presentation before using it in class. Make sure that it reinforces or supports the lesson.
   
2. 2.
   Prepare the presentation so that it will begin in the right place when you need it in the lesson. Generally, you should use only short segments; audiovisual presentations should not consume the entire lesson time.
   
3. 3.
   Set up the equipment before class starts. Ensure that it works properly. Also ensure that all learners will be able to hear the presentation and see it from their seats.
   

When you use the presentation as part of the lesson, ensure that it is a teaching tool rather than entertainment. For example, you could encourage learners to look for specific principles or situations during a video presentation. Or you could have them summarize the message of an audio recording after it is over.