Scripture: Acts 2:1-47
Learning Objectives:
- Students will learn the Church began on Pentecost, the holiday that had become a time to celebrate when God gave Moses the Old Law.
- Students will learn the Holy Spirit gave the Apostles the ability to speak in languages they had not studied, so everyone could understand the important message they had to share.
- Students will learn God wants us to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,
- Students will learn how words in English come from other languages.
Guiding Question: How do words in English come from other languages?
Materials: Internet access, paper, pencils
Procedure: Review the story of Pentecost. Explain that the story is about how the Apostles received the Holy Spirit so that they could go and spread God and his message of salvation. The Apostles now also had the ability to speak in different languages in order to share the message with those that spoke different languages. Tell the students that in order to receive the Holy Spirit, we must be baptized for the forgiveness of our sins. Then we receive the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit gives us guidance and direction in our lives.
Introduce the activity. Have students name the words used in English on a regular basis that are actually words from another language (don’t forget food words!). Have the students split into teams and research. Whichever team can list the most words wins! Be sure to compare lists.
Additional Questions: How can students find similarities between words in English and other languages?
Supplemental Activity: Have the students create a list of words of items from around the classroom. Then have the students research what the words are in another language and look for similarities.