Scripture: Ruth 1
Learning Objectives:
- Students will review the main events of the story of Ruth focusing on the beginning, middle and end.
- Students will illustrate to demonstrate their understanding that a story has a beginning (setting and characters), middle (problem), and end (resolution).
Guiding Questions:
What does the beginning of a story have?/ What are the characters and setting?
What does the middle of the story have?/ What is the problem?
What does the end of the story have/ What is the solution?
Materials: Crayons/ Colored pencils, piece of paper folded into 3 sections.
Procedure: Review the story of Ruth focusing especially on her journey with Naomi to a new home. Emphasize the beginning where the Ruth and Naomi were presented as the characters traveling to the setting in Judah. Explain that there were many details and a lot of information. However, there were some key events and messages that are important to remember. Relate the lesson to packing for a trip just like Ruth and Naomi went on a long trip from Moab.
Explain that when you travel, you do not take everything from your house. You only take the main things that you need. Students can pack up a story to make it “travel sized.” Explain that if you were to retell the story you would only need the main parts: beginning, middle, and end. First be sure to define the key vocab (character, setting, problem, solution) and use examples from familiar stories such as other basic Bible stories, or commonly known cultural folklore.
Give each student a piece of white paper folded in at least three sections. Have students illustrate the beginning, middle and end in each section as the story is reviewed.
Possible beginning, middle and end:
Characters/ Setting: Ruth and Naomi travel to Judah
Middle Problem: They do not have a family there
Solution Ending: Boaz lets them eat from his field and marries Ruth
Next, give students a bag with a picture of a suitcase on it to place their pictures is. Have students find a partner. Students share their travel-sized story from their “suitcase” and verbally retell the story using the pictures.
Note: Remind students that every detail in the Bible serves an important function and should not be disregarded. This activity serves mainly to help them remember stories and find succinct meaning in them.
Additional Questions:
- How did the pictures make it easier to retell the story?
- What was your favorite part of the story?
- How did Boaz show kindness towards Ruth’s problem in the field when they did not have food? (This is a good place to discuss that although the Law of Moses gave Ruth the right to glean as a widow, many landowners would not grant permission.
- What do you think was unusual about the story’s solution? (This is a good place to discuss cultural differences and how uncovering a man’s feet as Ruth did, was a way of asking a man to marry you without actually having to say the words.)
Supplemental Activity: Students can pack an illustrated story suitcase of from another of their favorite Bible stories to share with the group. Have each student do a different story and “travel” around the Bible by having students mix and share the story they “packed.” Set a timer to allow each person to share with their partner for 1-2 minutes. When the timer goes off, the other partner can share. Then they find a new partner to travel to.
Written by: Savannah Negas