Scripture: 1 Samuel 18-19
Learning Objectives:
- Students will learn jealousy and envy will cause us to sin.
- Students will learn true friends will help protect us from evil.
- Students will learn bad things can happen even to people who obey God, but that does not mean God is not with them.
- Students will learn about basic fractions through sheet music.
Guiding Question: Why does God want us to stay away from envy?
Materials: Sheet music
Procedure: Review the story of Saul and David from the scriptures above. Highlight that jealousy and envy will lead to sin and turning away from God/how He wants us to treat others. Explain that Saul got caught up in greed and envy and gave himself over to sinful ways. God knows acting like Saul can lead down a bad path which is why He wants us to be content and show gratefulness. Being content and grateful can show God to others and help you live a more godly life. God gives us all special talents that are unique in serving God and His Kingdom. It is better to spend time working on your talent and serving God with it than comparing yourself to others and becoming greedy.
Introduce the activity. Remind students that David loved music and making music. One way that people learn music today is by reading sheet music. Explain the different components of sheet music. Introduce basic fractions needed in sheet music – whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, etc. Explain to students how they fit in a bar of music in 3/4 time, 4/4 time etc. Give students sheet music examples to identify fractions with.
Additional Questions: How can students practice using fractions?
Supplemental Activity: Have students draw pictures of food that can be divided into fractions (pizza, cake, brownie, etc.). Have students divide the pictures of food into halves, thirds, and fourths. Have students practice shading in parts of their picture and writing the fraction that represents it.