Scripture: Numbers 20
Learning Objectives:
- Students will review how God provided water for the Israelites in the desert.
- Students will learn the importance of manners when ordering food and the proper expectations associated with restaurants.
- Students will learn basic vocabulary associated with food and drink.
Guiding Questions:
How did God provide for the Israelites in the desert?
How do we order food in restaurants?
What is some basic food vocabulary in English?
Materials: basic pre-made menus or pre-collected kids menus, pictures to represent the vocab words, placemats (optional) pretend food (optional), and tableware (optional)
Procedure: Review how God provided for the needs of the Israelites even in the desert. When Moses asked from God, God gave them water. Discuss how it can feel intimidating or scary to try and order food and drinks from people of another culture/language, but practice helps. When ordering food, it is important to use manners and understand the expectation. Students can role play ordering food and water from a restaurant in English.
Give students pretend menus. Tip: Keep a collection of kids menus from restaurants if they are the disposable paper ones. Otherwise make basic ones with only 3-5 options. Include a basic image with each option to prompt them to remember what they are ordering. Before students role-play, introduce sentence frames: “What would you like to order?” “I would like to order____.” Review the menu choices. Set students in groups with place mats to designate table places. Assign a waiter/waitress. Students use the given sentence frames to practice ordering and take turns being the waiter.
Vocab: water, food, drink, order, breakfast, lunch, dinner, chicken, beef, bread, salad, (or other common foods), waiter, waitress. Show pictures and discuss how the word for an animal sometimes differs from its form as a food. Examples: Beef vs. cow, pig vs. pork, deer vs. venison.
Additional Questions:
- What were the Israelites’ first reactions to the lack of water? Why was their reaction surprising when considering the miracles God had performed thus far?
- How was Moses disrespectful after God told him what to do to get water?
- When and where would this new vocabulary be helpful for you?
Supplemental Activity: Have students research common menus and recipes from another country. Encourage them to find things they have never heard eaten. How is the food different? How is it similar? Learn how to pronounce the entrees and find pictures of the ingredients. Go even further by cooking the recipe and using the correct terminology.