Scripture: I Kings 10 and 2 Chronicles 9
Learning Objectives:
- Students will learn the news of what God had done for Solomon had spread to many other countries.
- Students will learn the Queen of Sheba was willing to travel a long way to learn from Solomon’s wisdom and praised God.
- Students will learn when we let others see how God has blessed us and use godly wisdom, others will want to learn more about God.
- Students will learn how to add large numbers within hundreds and thousands.
Guiding Question: How does godly wisdom influence others?
Materials: Base ten blocks, paper, pencil
Procedure: Review the story of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Explain that many people knew about what God had done for Solomon as it had been spread to many countries. This made people interested in God and want to know more about being a Christian. The Queen of Sheba was so interested in Solomon’s godly wisdom that she chose to travel a long way just to hear about God. Have the students share what kind of things in the world today people would travel a long way just to learn about, see, explore, etc. After sharing, explain how news about God is so important for all to hear and be influenced by. The good news is something all people can learn from. One way we can influence others is by giving godly wisdom and spreading the news of God. The more people it is told to, the more it will travel.
Introduce the activity. Explain that Solomon had a lot of “stuff” and he had to add large numbers up to know how much he had. Give students an example addition word problem. (I have 45 cows and 37 sheep. How many animals do I have?). Explain the parts of the problem and key words. Model how to solve using base ten blocks and traditional algorithm). After modeling, give students several addition problems to work with. They can use the blocks or another addition strategy. Allow students to share how they got their answer if time allows
Additional Questions: How can students add up multiple numbers?
Supplemental Activity: Challenge students to add up to 4 numbers at one time. Allow them to use base ten blocks or another addition strategy. After each problem is given, let one person be the teacher and share with the class how they solved the problem.