Scripture: Exodus 17
Learning Objectives:
- Students review the story of Moses raising his hands so that God would bring victory to the Israelites over the Amalekites.
- Students will play a gross motor game to help them practice using English words for different body parts.
Guiding Question: How do you say the different parts of the body in English?
Materials: balloon or beach ball ( or typical playground bouncy ball that is soft enough to hit with body parts and about the size of a volley ball)
Procedure: Review the story of the Israelites fighting the Amalekites. Focus on how Moses had to keep His hands raised as God instructed so that the people would continue to win. Discuss the English word for different parts of the body: hands, feet, shoulders, head, knees, elbows. Have students point to the body part with you as you say them. Teach each vocab term to them and have them repeat it back.
Once the vocab and pronunciation is established, introduce the game.
Have students spread out in a confined area with personal space to move around. The goal of the game is to keep the ball in the air without it touching the ground. A point is earned for each person it touches without it touching the ground. A new round starts if it does touch the ground. Then add the challenge: Students can only touch the ball with the body part that the teacher calls out. Allow several students to touch the ball with the body part you call before changing. To add more challenge, change the body part more frequently.
Additional Questions:
- What are other body parts in English that were not mentioned in the game?
- How do you know that the victory over the Amalekites was from God and not by man’s doing?
Supplemental Activity:
Here is another variation: Have students stand in a circle. For this version, the ball can hit the ground. They have to hit the ball to another player with the body part that the sender tells them to. For example: A sender would say “feet” and the receiver has to kick it with their feet. Then as it is going to the next person, the new sender would say what the new receiver must hit it with such as “hands.” For more advanced students combine the body part with the appropriate verb. For example: Say, “Hands catch” or “Feet kick” “Elbow hit” etc. Teach which verbs are appropriate when paired with which body part. This version requires students to use the terms while the original version only requires them to listen and recognize them.
Written by: Savannah Negas