October Storyline Teacher Guide

Monthly Overview

Oct. 7 - Storyline Chapel - Obedient - Noah

Oct. 14 - Connection Groups

Oct 21- Classroom Storyline TK-4; Tables 5-8

Oct 28 - TK-8 Praise and Worship

October Storyline Song

Storyline Chapel Opening Song

Storyline Chapel Closing Song

Connection Groups

Begin by reviewing how God used the ordinary, but obedient man Noah to do extraordinary work for God's kingdom. As we seek to be obedient, listening to God's voice is essential. Listening and following Jesus isn't easy and often can seem confusing, but we serve a faithful God, and know that by trusting and obeying, God will guide us and be with us even when life doesn't make sense. Students will practice listening and obeying by playing the Lego block game.

Game Instructions:

Put students into groups of 2-6, and within each group divide into two teams. Each group needs two sets of identical legos (one set per team). The students will need to separate the two sets of identical legos from the bag provided.
Both teams turn their backs to each other. One team member builds a structure with one set of legos without letting the other team see it. The building team then describes their structure, and without looking the second team has to try to build an identical tower with their legos by listening to the first team’s instructions/description…no peeking!
When the team is done describing the structure, and the second team has built their structure, turn around and compare. How close did they get?
Try it again, with the second team doing the building and giving instructions and the first team following the directions.
The teams can repeat the game as time allows.
I will provide the legos. Each Connection Group will be given 18 bags. Each bag will have 12 legos (two sets of six identical legos). They will be in the mailbox of the class with the younger students. If you are doing groups of more that two, you can give each group an extra bag for more lego choices.
After the activity gather as a group and talk about the activity. Was it easy or hard to listen and follow the directions? Were there times when you felt confused?
End with a time of prayer for classmates, our school, our community and the world.

Storyline Deepening Resources

Read the Noah story in the Bible - Genesis 6-9
Commands for Life - a podcast from the Bible project - grades 5-8. An excellent podcast with great questions in the show notes. It is an hour long, but is divided into three "chapters." It could easily be divided into smaller chunks and used for devotions over a number of days.
Another Bible Project video on Genesis chapters 1-11. Grades 5-8. This puts the story in the context of creation, fall and redemption.
One more video called The Law which shows how our lack of obedience led to redeption and God's plan for saving the world. Grades 5-8.
Important facts about the ark from the Ark Encounter website
Story recap game ....instead of having students "wear" the words on their forehead, someone can tape their item/person/animal on a piece of paper to the back of their shirt. - Grades 3-8.
"A New Beginning" - The Jesus Storybook Bible - TK-4
The Biggest Story - "Rain, Rain, Go Away" TK-4
Personal Response Reflection Sheet for grades 5-8
Rainbow thank you prayers - TK-4
Coloring page connected to the Noah skit
Veggie Tales - The Tale of Noah's Ark
Hand motions for remembering the 10 commandments TK-8
My favorite Noah's Ark book is the one by Peter Spier. Here is youtube reading of the book.
Kid's Corner - story of Noah - TK-4th

Reflection Questions

Early Elementary

God gave Noah very specific instructions on how to build the ark. Why is it important to listen carefully when parents, teachers, or God ask us to do something?
Building a giant boat on dry land might have seemed silly to other people. Have you ever been asked to do something that didn’t make sense at first, but turned out to be the right thing?
God made a promise to Noah and put a rainbow in the sky as a reminder. When we see a rainbow what should we remember?

Upper Elementary

Genesis 6:22 says Noah did everything just as God commanded him—he didn't skip any steps or take shortcuts. What is the difference between obeying halfway and obeying completely?
Noah chose to obey God even when everyone else around him was making bad choices. Is it hard to do the right thing when your friends or classmates are doing something different? What gives you the courage to do what is right?
The ark kept Noah’s family safe from the storm. How do rules from God, parents, and teachers serve as a "boat" that protects us from getting hurt?

Middle School

Noah lived in a culture that rejected God's ways, yet he maintained his integrity. How can you stay true to your beliefs when popular culture or peer pressure pushes you in the opposite direction?
Noah couldn't control the weather, the water levels, or when the flood would end—he could only controlled his response to God's directions and commands. Have you ever had a situation in your life that felt out of your control? Maybe a time where you need to practice trust?
Noah’s obedience didn't just affect him; it saved his entire family and preserved life on earth. How does your choice to obey or disobey impact the people around you (your family, team, or friends)?

Chapel Songs

It is always helpful for the students to have listened to the chapel songs ahead of time. Besides the song for this month, here is a youtube playlist with all of the songs we will be learning this year. Please have your students listen to these songs in your classroom when it is appropriate. For those of you who would like the sheet music, follow this link for a pdf of the music for this year.