Cain and Abel. Teacher Enrichment. Character Stories Lesson 1

Transcription

1 2 nd /3 rd Grade Apr 29 Cain and Abel Bible Verse The Lord was pleased with Abel and his offering, but not with Cain and his offering. This made Cain so angry that he could not hide his feelings (Genesis 4:4-5) Teacher Enrichment This is the first lesson in the Character Stories series which encounters characters from both the Old and New Testament; some very well-known and others you may have never met. Each week will explore the actions, motivations and experiences of a character and determine what that person s story teaches us about how God wants us to live. Cain and Abel were the sons of Adam and Eve. Both sons brought an offering from their labors to God. Abel chose to give the best of his flock while Cain did not. God is pleased with only Abel s offering, Cain is jealous and angry and the stage is set for the world s first murder. Cain and Abel have a lot to teach us about generosity and jealousy. When our hearts are full of generosity, we give our very best; to God and to others. When our hearts are full of jealousy and anger, our actions often result in sin. Cain and Abel also have a lot to teach us about God. God expects us to give Him our very best in everything we do, but when we inevitably fall short, God gives us second chances and the opportunity to repent. God warned Cain not to give into his anger, gave him an opportunity to confess to the murder and even after Cain ignored those chances, God limited Cain s punishment. God gives all of us a chance to change our jealous hearts to generous hearts. This lesson will teach children that God wants us to have a generous heart so we can give our very best to Him and others. Children will explore the emotions of generosity and jealousy and practical ways to handle jealousy.

2 Before Class Begins Place the Sign In sheet and a pen where parents can see it upon arrival. Place the Joy & Concern cards, Time & Talent cards and pens where students can see them upon arrival. Check that you have supplies for this lesson: Arrival Activity, Cain and Abel activity sheet 1 per child Cain & Abel relay game (posters, bowls, printed craft sticks) Blank craft sticks 4 per child Construction paper 1 white sheet, 1 colored sheet per child Bible Character Profile Take-Home sheets 1 per child Place an arrival activity at each place on the table. Welcome SUPPLIES: Sign In sheet, Joy & Concern cards, Time & Talent cards, Attendance chart, stickers, Breakfast on the Beach activity sheet, pencils/pens Greet each child individually as they arrive. Introduce yourself by name. Help children find or add their name on the attendance chart. Provide each child with a sticker to place in today s column on the attendance chart. Encourage children to complete a Joy or Concern card if they have a particular joy or concern they would like to express. Collect completed Joy & Concern cards. Encourage children to complete a Time or Talent offering card if they gave their time to God or used their talents to serve God or others during the previous week. Children should keep their own completed Time and Talent cards. If children bring monetary offering, they should keep it with them. Direct children to complete their Cain & Abel activity sheet. Encourage conversation among the children and with you! Get to know the children in your classroom by asking about their week including school, activities and families. Introduce new children to each other and encourage friendships.

3 Children s Worship SUPPLIES: Sign In sheet, Joy & Concern cards, Time & Talent cards Arrive at Ruth Hall at 9:20 or 11:05. Bring the Sign In sheet and completed Joy & Concern cards to Ruth Hall. Hand the Joy & Concern cards to the Children s Worship leader as you arrive. Have children bring their completed Time & Talent cards and any monetary offering. If additional children arrive while in Ruth Hall, have parents complete the Sign In sheet and remind parents that pickup is in Room 105. Encourage children to participate in Children s Worship and provide re-direction if necessary. Assist the Children s Worship leader as needed. At the conclusion of Children s Worship, have children line up and return to Room 105. The Lesson SUPPLIES: Cain & Abel posters, bowls, printed craft sticks, blank craft sticks, Bible Character Profile take-home sheets (Optional Craft: construction paper, scissors, glue, markers/crayons, Generous Heart quote) SAY: Today we met two brothers, Cain and Abel. We are going to play a game to see how well you learned about Cain and Abel. Divide the class into two teams. Have the teams stand on one side of the room and on the other side of the room, place the sets of Cain and Abel posters with a bowl in front of each (four bowls total). Give each team a set of printed craft sticks. Teams read a stick, decide together if it applies to Cain or Abel and relay to place it in the correct bowl. First team to place all their sticks wins.

4 When the game is complete, check one team s sticks and discuss using the table below. After the discussion, quickly check the other team s sticks to see if they were placed correctly. Cain Farmer Older Jealous Angry Killed Brother Did Not Please God Punished by God Abel Shepherd Younger Generous Gave his best to God Died Pleased God Grew crops He was the first child born to Adam and Eve Cain was jealous that Abel s sacrifice pleased God and his did not Cain was angry that God was happy with Abel and not him Even though God warned him not to sin, Cain still let his anger and jealousy get the best of him and he killed his brother Cain was not generous and did not give his best sacrifice to God; God was unhappy Cain kept ignoring God s warnings not to sin. Cain was not sorry and God punished Cain for his sins Had a flock of sheep Abel was the second child born to Adam and Eve Abel gave generously to God Abel gave the best sheep that he had as a sacrifice to God Abel was killed by his brother God was happy that Abel had a generous heart and gave his best SAY: We learned today that Abel had a generous heart and Cain had a jealous heart. What s in our heart affects the way we behave. Abel had a generous heart and gave his

5 best to God. Cain had a jealous heart and killed his brother. Let s think of some things that we do when we have a generous heart and some things that we do when we have a jealous heart. Give each child four blank craft sticks and a marker. Direct children to write two actions of a generous heart and two actions of a jealous heart. If children struggle with ideas, provide suggestions. (Generous: help others, be kind, donate food/money/clothing, make new friend, help with chores; Jealous: yell, call names, ignore a friend or classmate, steal, fight with sibling) Gather children on the carpet near the Cain and Abel bowls. Teacher Tip SAY: Let s share the things we wrote for a jealous heart and then place our sticks in the Cain bowl. Allow children to share their answers. ASK: When we feel jealous, how can we avoid acting these ways? (Pray, stop and think before acting, read the Bible to remember how God wants us to act, take some time by yourself, think of the good things in your own life) SAY: God is always there to help us turn our jealous heart to a generous heart. God tried to help Cain change his heart and He is there to help us too. Let s share the things we wrote for a generous heart and place our sticks in the Abel bowl. Allow children to share their answers. Gathering on the carpet signals to children that it s time to listen and share. It also eliminates the distraction of activity sheets, crayons and other supplies found on the tables. SAY: God wants us to have a generous heart because then we give our very best to God and to others. We <reference things they wrote on sticks> when we have a generous heart. Optional Craft: If time remains, children can complete the Generous Heart craft. This craft is provided ONLY if extra time remains. Do not rush the above game and discussion to fit in the craft. SAY: We are going to make a craft to remind us that we should always try to have a generous heart and give our best to God and others. The hands in this craft represent

6 us giving to God and to others. When we put the two hands together, it creates a heart in the middle! This represents our generous heart. Show children the sample craft. Help children trace their hands on colored construction paper. Direct children to: Cut out their hands shapes Glue hand cut outs on white construction paper, making sure the pointer fingers and thumbs overlap to create a heart shape. Color in the heart shape. Glue Generous Heart quote onto paper. Closing Lead the children in a closing prayer. You may say your own prayer, ask one of the children to say a prayer or use the one below. Dear God, Help us to have a generous heart and give our very best to you and to others. Amen If time remains before parents arrive, encourage children to return to their Cain and Abel activity sheet if they did not complete it. Also encourage conversation between children and with you. This is another opportunity to build relationships with the children in your classroom! Send each child home with a Cain and Abel Bible Character Profile.

7 Cain and Abel Posters Abel Cain

8 A Generous Heart Craft