Religion - The Prodigal Son

Class: Year Two (Stage One) Date: Thursday 7th of April, 2011 Duration: 60 minutes

Key Learning Area: Religion Lesson Topic: Reconciliation: The Prodigal Son

Recent Prior Experience:

Previously in Year One, students completed Unit 1.6 entitled ‘Love one another’, which exposed students to the concept of forgiveness. Students would have;

listened and responded to Jesus’ teachings on forgiveness

explored the need for forgiveness in relationships

This is the first lesson in the Year Two Unit 2.6: Reconciliation. Students will be exposed to further units relating to reconciliation in the coming weeks as they work their way towards making their first Reconciliation.

Lesson Focus:

This lesson provides an opportunity for students to reflect on the human experience of forgiving others and being forgiven, by means of exploring the parable of the Prodigal Son. Through this story students explore the concept of reconciliation and living together in peace and come to understand God as loving and forgiving.

Syllabus Outcome(s):

S1.5.2: express an understanding of God as loving and forgiving.

Indicators of Learning for this lesson:

By the end of this lesson, the students will be able to:

recount/retell the story of the Prodigal Son

Respond to story by means of answering the ‘I wonder’ questions.

Assessment:

Diagnostic assessment:Questions asked in the introduction section of the lesson will be used as a source of pre-assessment for both the T and Ss. Observations made during this lesson will determine Ss existing knowledge about forgiveness, which will also be considered when planning future learning experiences.

Formative assessment:

T collects the Ss group work sample to assess if they have been successful in retelling pictorially their assigned section of the parable the Prodigal Son.

Observations:

T observes and makes anecdotal records of Ss working in small groups as they work co-operatively to construct a pictorial representation of a section of the parable.

T makes anecdotal notes of how Ss respond to the story during the ‘I wonder’ questions. The Ss answers can be used by the T to assess if they have an understanding of God as loving and forgiving.

T takes particular note of the language the Ss use to describe their picture, to assess if they can successfully recount the story.

Any safety issues to be considered:

The following is a list of safety issues to be considered;

Ss swinging on chairs Ss are using their equipment correctly

and solely for the purpose of completing this lesson.

T and Ss are aware of classroom furniture when roaming the classroom.

T should keep a close eye on the candle when it is lit.

Resources:

The following is a list of resources used in preparing the lesson AND those used in the lesson implementation;

Catholic Education Office, Sydney. (2003). Religious Education Curriculum, Primary, Year Two. Leichardt: Catholic Education Office, Sydney.

To Know Worship and Love (KWL Book 2) class set. T will need at least one book between three Ss.

A candle and a lighter 2D Prodigal Son masters to tell the story with (see appendix 1.1) Wall story sheet for each group (see appendix 1.2) To Know Worship and Love (Book 2) script (see appendix 1.3) S coloured pencils

White board and marker Smart board (see appendix 4 for an example of how the smartboard activity is set out.

Students are required to drag the sentence to match its accompanying picture)

LESSON SEQUENCELesson Content / Indicators of Learning (What is Taught):

Timing(mins)

Teaching Strategies / Learning Experiences:(How it is taught)

Resources and Organisation:

INTRODUCTIONT: “Ears students”Ss: “open miss”

T: “I want you to all finish what you are doing and place it in your tray to finish later. We are now going to do a Religion lesson. I want you to slowly and carefully come and sit down on the floor in a semi-circle in front of the Smart board”.

T: “The Church has a special sacrament for saying ‘you are forgiven. Welcome home’”.Q/ Can someone tell me what this sacrament is called”?A/ Ss answers may vary. T is looking for the answer – Reconciliation.T: Reconciliation is a big word, but it simply means bringing together to make peace.

T: “I remember when I was younger and my sister and I had a fight and we didn’t want to talk to each other anymore. So we could be friends again, we had to sit down and talk until we forgave each other. If you would like to share with the

20 mins T ensures that all Ss are seated at their desk and she has their full attention.

T explains that they will now complete a Religion lesson and directs Ss to the floor area.

T informs Ss about what topic they will be learning about and attempts to find out if the Ss are aware of what ‘Reconciliation’ means.

T shares with the class a time when they have forgiven or been forgiven. Discuss as a class times when the Ss have been forgiven in the past and how this made them feel.

Ss are seated at their desks.

Ss are seated in a semi-circle on the floor. The T sits at the front of the circle, ensuring that they are seen by all Ss.

To complete this section of the lesson the T and Ss will need;

A candle and a lighter 2D Prodigal Son masters

to tell the story with To Know Worship and

Love (Book 2) script

class a time when you have been forgiven or a time when you have forgiven someone else please put up your hand”.

Q/ How did this make you feel?A/ Ss answers will veryT: “Thank you for sharing your stories with the class. It makes us feel happy to forgive others and also to be forgiven ourselves. This is what God is like. He is loving and forgiving”.

T: “Jesus once told a story about a boy who was away from home for a long time. Jesus told this story to help us understand what God’s love is like”.

T: “The story is about a father who had two sons”.

T: “One day, the younger son asked his father to give him a lot of the family’s money so he could leave home and go far away. The father gave him the money”.

T: “So the younger son packed his things

Ss share their past experiences with their peers.

T tells the story of the Prodigal Son using the 2D masters. T begins by lighting a candle and then reverently retrieves the 2D masters from the box and sets the space up for the story to be told.

Roll out a piece of material (road), place the Father’s house at one end and the pigs off the road at the other end.

Place the father on one side of the house and the two sons on the other side.

Move the younger son next to the father.

Move the younger son a little way along the road. Move

and went away”.

T: “He spent his money on wild parties and having a good time”.

T: “Soon he had spent all the money the father had given him and he had nothing left. Now, he was hungry and poor”.

T: “He got a job feeding pigs. He was hungry he could have eaten the pigs’ food”.

T: “He thought for a long time and made up his mind to go back to his father. He was going to ask his father to take him back, not as a son but as a servant”.

T: “He started the long journey home”.

T: “One day his father saw him in the distance and ran to meet him. He hugged him and kissed him”.

T: “The boy was trying to say sorry, but the father quickly called his servants to get a party ready. All the father wanted to was celebrate and welcome his son home”.

T: “My son was lost, he said, and now he is found. He was dead and has come

the father in front of the house. Move the brother off to the side.

Move the younger son to the end of the road. Put extra characters with the son

Remove extra characters and leave son on his own.

Place son next to the pigs

Move son to the end of the road

Move the son halfway down the road

Move the son close to the house and the father in front of him

Place the extra characters around the father and the son.

Place hand over the father to indicate he is speaking.

back to life. And they began to celebrate”.

Indicator: respond to story by means of answering the ‘I wonder’ questions.

Q/ I wonder how the father might have felt when his son went away.A/ Ss answers will vary. T will listen intently and accept all responses. T will also reflect on So responses where possible.Q/ I wonder how the son felt going back to his father after spending all the money.A/ Ss answers will vary. T will listen intently and accept all responses. T will also reflect on Ss responses where possible.Q/ I wonder how the father felt when he saw the son coming home.A/ Ss answers will vary. T will listen intently and accept all responses. T will also reflect on Ss responses where possible.Q/ I wonder if it is easy to forgive someone who has upset you.A/ Ss answers will vary. T will listen intently and accept all responses. T will also reflect on Ss responses where possible.Q/ I wonder if you would forgive the son if you were the father.

T conducts ‘I wonder’ questions from KWL text, to invite the students to reflect on the story and share their ideas with the class.

A/ Ss answers will vary. T will listen intently and accept all responses. T will also reflect on Ss responses where possible.Q/ I wonder which person in the story is most like God.A/ Ss answers will vary. T will listen intently and accept all responses. T will also reflect on Ss responses where possible.

Indicator: recount/retell the story of the Prodigal Son

T: “We are now going to retell the story of the Prodigal Son, which we just listened to. If I call your name, I want you to come up to the board and drag the sentence into the box which comes next in the story”.

T blows out the candle and then reverently places the 2D masters back into the box.

T presents a storyboard to the Ss on the smart board. Ss are required to if named by the T; identify the next section of the story.T observes Ss and offers suggestions and assistance if needed.

DEVELOPMENT

T: “So now that you have heard the story of the Prodigal Son, we are going to as a class create a wall story. You will in groups each illustrate a section of the story and then we will put all the sections together to create the full story and then I will put them on the wall”.

30 mins T introduces the activity. Ss are still seated on the floor in a semi-circle.

(T holds up an example of the worksheet)Q/ So you may get the sentence ‘Here it is. Goodbye my son’. What would you draw to illustrate this section of the story?A/ Students answers will vary. Teacher is looking for answers like;

o The father waving goodbyeo The father handing money to the

son.

T: “I now want you to return to your desks and I will come and hand you the worksheet which you need to illustrate. You need to plan your picture as a group and work together to complete it. You can use the KWL text for ideas if you like”.

T: “I am going to draw up an example on the white board, so you can see what you need to do.

Indicator: recount/retell the story of the Prodigal Son

T breaks the Ss up into groups of three to four and distributes a worksheet and KWL text to each group. Groups are based on where the Ss are seated throughout the day.

T draws up an example on the white board, so Ss understand what is expected of them.

Ss work in groups to illustrate their sentence. T roams the classroom and actively observes and listens to student’s conversations and ensures that Ss are on task.

Ss are now seated at their seats in groups of three to four.To complete this section of the lesson the T and Ss will need;

To Know Worship and Love (KWL Book 2) class set. T will need at least one book between three Ss.

Wall story sheet for each group

S colouring in pencils White board and marker

CLOSURE

Indicator: recount/retell the story of the Prodigal Son

10 mins T asks a representative from each group to come up to the front of the class. One member from each group will

T is standing in front of the white board. Ss are seated at

T: “The group with the first section of the story please come up to the front please”.

Q/ Can you please read out the sentence you needed to illustrate

Q/ Explain what you drew and why you chose to draw that

(repeat for each group)

T: “Thank you. Now I want you all to return to your seats and tidy your desk. The group who has the neatest area will get 20 points for their group”.

need to;o Read out their sentenceo Explain what they drew to illustrate the

sentenceo Explain why they drew what they did

Ss are asked to return to their seats and tidy their area. The cleanest table is rewarded.

T hangs up the wall story for the class to observe.

their desks, unless at the front of the class explaining their section of the story.

Student Teacher’s Evaluation:

Assessment of Learning Outcomes

To what extent did the learners achieve the intended learning outcomes?

Overall, the students successfully achieved the intended learning outcome that related to expressing an understanding of God as loving and

forgiving. Students enthusiastically and successfully responded to the story, the Prodigal Son, by means of answering the ‘I Wonder’ questions

during the introductory activity. Although the majority of students in the class were able to draw on their knowledge obtained from the

introductory activities to successfully complete the collaborative group activity in the development of the lesson, some did struggle. These

students were promoted by the teacher to discuss their ideas with the other members of their group, to assist them with successfully completing

the activity. It was clear that post discussing their ideas, struggling students were able to adequately recount the story of the Prodigal Son.

Describe the evidence you have for this?

Evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of the introductory activity can be found in my colleague teacher’s comments, “all children were

motivated by the introduction on the smartboard…children were engaged and listening actively…children were clearly interested in the story”.

Additional evidence demonstrating the achievement of the intended learning outcome is reflected in the student’s answers to the ‘I Wonder’

questions, as seen in appendix 2. Their [students] answers reflected an understanding of God as loving and forgiving and clearly demonstrated

that they understood that they too must practice forgiving others and asking for forgiveness. Student work samples, which indicate achievement

of the intended learning outcome, have been included in appendix 3. An example from each table group has been provided. All groups were able

to appropriately pictorially represent their assigned section of the story, the Prodigal Son. In the closure of the lesson a representative from each

group was required to recount their section of the story for the class and explain their choices of pictures. Although the majority of the students

in the class were able to confidently do this, a number of students just simply explained what they drew. In these cases, the teacher prompted

another group member to come up and provide additional information which indicated that they had understood the task, thus had achieved

the intended learning outcome.

Outline the follow-up to this lesson for the learners?

Immediately following the lesson, students were required to complete a page in their ‘Reconciliation’ books. The activity required them to write

about a past experience where they have either forgiven or had been forgiven themselves and then to draw an accompanying picture. This

activity was deliberately scheduled after my own lesson so that the students could be given the opportunity to discuss their past experiences of

forgiving and being forgiven as a class, prior to having them write about their experiences independently. The classroom teacher stated in her

reflective comments that the lesson was “a very good introduction to the entire unit on reconciliation, in particular the proceeding lesson”.

Having the students complete a page in their ‘Reconciliation’ books immediately following the completion of this lesson was a good follow-up

activity as it allowed the classroom teacher to not only determine if the students were able to apply what they had learnt about the concept of

forgiveness to their own writing but to also provide each student with an equal opportunity to succeed in the unit.

Evaluation of Teaching

Identify the teaching strategies/learning experiences that were most effective?

The learning experience that seemed to be most effective was the whole class introductory activity involving the smartboard. Incorporating an

interactive smartboard into classroom lessons has many advantages and some of these have been noted in the small study conducted by Julie

Cogill. She found that the classroom behaviour exhibited by students had a vast improvement as children were more engaged in both the

teaching and learning experiences; that there was an increase in cooperative/collaborative learning among children and finally that the

interactive nature of a smartboard allowed the teacher to examine and assess the thought processes of children (Cogill, 2002). All of Cogill’s

findings were evident during the introductory activity as the interactive nature of the smartboard helped capture the student’s attention, which

essentially engaged them into the content of the lesson thus encouraging students to be more attentive (McBurney-Fry, 2005). All students

eagerly wanted to answer the questions so that they could have a turn at using the smartboard.

Another aspect of the learning experience which was particularly effective was the telling of the story, the Prodigal Son. As stated by my

colleague teacher, the “children listened attentively and were clearly interested in the story”. The ‘I Wonder’ questions which immediately

followed engaged the students with the story, invited reflection and elicited the children’s ideas and thoughts (Catholic Education Office, 2003).

Identify the teaching strategies/learning experiences that were least effective?

The collaborative small group work activity that students were required to complete was the least effective learning experience for students in

this lesson. The purpose of the small group activity was for students to collaborate and discuss their assigned section of the parable the Prodigal

Son, and then as a group create a pictorial representation of the sentence so that they could share their section of the story board with the rest

of the class at the completion of the activity. The reason the activity was in my opinion ineffective was because a number of the students spent

the majority of the assigned time arguing over what they should draw and complaining that one or two members of the group were either not

contributing or not sharing the provided resources. This created a lot of noise and confusion in the classroom . As stated by Brady, “students do

not automatically engage in effective cooperative groups” (2006, p.128). Although groups are great forums for teaching skills such as “listening,

sharing, assisting others, accepting responsibility and compromising” (Brady, 2006, p.128), students must be taught these skills ahead of placing

them in groups in order to give them the opportunity to practice how to use them effectively. Perhaps this activity was ineffective as the

students are still practising how to use the various skills associated with collaborative group work effectively.

How appropriate was the timing throughout the various sections of the lesson?

The timing of activities that was recorded on the lesson plan was not followed once the lesson began. Due to the fact that this was only the

second lesson that I had ever delivered to the class it was difficult to determine the amount of time to allocate for each activity as the age,

abilities, prior knowledge, interests and motivators of each child in the class are still unknown and according to McBurney-Fry, teacher

knowledge of these aspects are crucial and help to determine the amount of time that needs to be allocated for each activity (2005). For

example; due to the overwhelming enthusiasm shown by all students in the class during the introduction, the activity exceeded the allocated

time. On the other hand during the collaborative small group activity the timing was appropriate for some groups while insufficient for others.

Once knowledge of each of the student’s abilities becomes more evident, timing should become more accurate and appropriate.

Describe how the selection and use of resources supported learning in the lesson?

As opposed to simply reading the story of the Prodigal Son to the students from a purchased book, I chose to create concrete/visual materials

and both orally and visually tell the story to the students. These self-made resources assisted with supporting the learning needs of all students

in the class as they were age appropriate, interesting and simplistic in nature (McBurney- Fry, 2005). This is in line with a view expressed by my

colleague teacher who stated, “excellent use of resources”. The language used to tell the story according to my colleague teacher was clear and

age-appropriate as was the language utilised in each of the sentences the students were required to pictorially represent.

Identify what motivated the students?

Extrinsic motivators:

To motivate students to work productively and as a group, students who were working beautifully were rewarded with a sticker to place on the

sticker chart or points for their group table. This seemed to motivate the children to work harder, but also acted as a source of motivation for

those children who were exhibiting problematic behavior, as they attempted to correct their own behavior to also receive a reward. This

approach was suggested by the classroom teacher as it is an approach that the students are familiar with and one in which they respond well to.

Intrinsic motivators:

The introductory smartboard activity could be classified as an intrinsic motivator in itself. The students were eager to participate and did not

want it to end.

Identify the classroom management strategies that were most effective?

Besides the sticker chart and table points system mentioned previously, one other effective management strategy was used in order to gain the

attention of the students while they were working. When I wanted to gain the attention of students in the class I said “ears students” and raised

my hand. I explained at the beginning of the lesson that when they saw me do this, they were to respond by saying “open miss” and by also

raising their hand. I further explained to them that once their hand went up in the air their mouths needed to close so that they could listen to

the next instructions. In my opinion one of the most essential aspects of a lesson is to ensure that all students are paying attention, and I can

honestly say post conducting this lesson that this form of attention seeking is very effective. It is a far more effective strategy to use them

clapping for example as clapping builds up adrenaline in the students and gets them excited which may result in them failing to pay attention

(McBurney-Fry, 2005). In addition to this, clapping creates more noise in the classroom. Bearing in mind that you are trying to minimise the noise

level in the classroom, raising your hand is a nice alternative to clapping which works just as well.

What was the most satisfying about the lesson?

The most satisfying aspect of the lesson was the overwhelming enthusiasm of the students to complete the activities, especially the introductory

activity involving the interactive whiteboard. In addition to this, the children were also excited to share their pictorial representations of their

assigned section of the parable with the rest of the class during the lesson closure. It was extremely rewarding to see the students feel a sense of

achievement as they took on the role of the teacher in order to inform the rest of the class. Most students were so confident in themselves

which was extremely satisfying as it showed that they really understood the content presented to them during the lesson.

Based on these reflections, outline the steps you should take to improve your teaching in future lessons?

One obvious step that needs to be taken to improve teaching for future lessons is to observe students in order to gain knowledge of their age,

abilities, prior knowledge, interests and motivators so that effective timing strategies can be implemented to the lesson plan (McBurney-Fry,

2005). Another step that should be taken is to find other ways of maintaining student’s motivation for completing tasks that does not involve the

use of token reinforcement (stickers). This is extremely important as students should want to complete their work because they have a genuine

interest in it and not only because if they do they will receive some type of reward (McBurney-Fry, 2005). Designing interesting activities relating

to students interests may achieve this.

Colleague teacher’s comments

Excellent lesson plan based on a sound knowledge of the curriculum.

Good introduction – Children were all engaged and listening actively. Children shared own experiences of forgiveness really well. All

children were motivated by the smartboard activity – eagerly wanting to answer your questions.

Development – The retelling of the parable, “The Prodigal Son” was very clear and in the children’s language. Excellent use of resources.

Children listened attentively and were clearly interested in the story. Keep on working on projecting your voice, ensuring all children can

hear you.

Clear instructions given to the “illustration” part of the lesson.

Good to see you reminding children of keeping noise down to a “working noise level” and suggesting strategies of how they can work as a

team within their groups. Perhaps set a time limit – get children to look at the clock example; “you have until the big hand reaches…” Set

parameters so children aren’t wasting time.

Good conclusion to the lesson – getting children to explain their part of the story. Ensure all other children are listening (looking at the

children sharing their work; not playing with rulers etc.).

Overall the lesson was a very good introduction to the entire unit on reconciliation, in particular the proceeding lesson.