Lesson Planning for Church Education

     Are you looking for a good way to get ready to teach your class?

         Do you want to find a process that works for you?

There are many valuable approaches for preparing to teach. In this post, I describe one of the most effective processes for lesson preparation. The approach suggested here has stood the test of time.

It was developed by Dr. Lawrence O. Richards (1931-2016), a teacher and author of more than 200 books on education, leadership, and Bible studies. Richards called it the Hook, Book, Look, Took method in his text, Creative Bible Teaching (1970).

Here are the four steps of lesson preparation.

·        Get the attention of class members (Hook).

·        Identify what you want to teach and the activities for doing it (Book).

·        Apply the lesson to life (Look and Took).

Following is a description of each step and a sample lesson planning worksheet.

A good “Hook” is a question or statement or activity that snags the attention of group members. It is one of the first things to do during class time. Hooking involves:

·        Connecting with the life interests of learners.

·        Cultivating curiosity.

The “Book” step refers to the content and process of class time. This is where a Bible passage is read and discussed, Bible stories are told, videos are watched, presentations are made, or learners are involved in other learning experiences. “Book” takes the majority of class time and includes:

·        Information and activities related to the lesson topic,

·        Initial hints about the relationship between the information and the lives of the learners.

“Look” begins lesson application. During the look step the teacher is interested in:

·        Ideas in the lesson that seem most relevant for meeting the needs of learners,

·        Involvement by participants to define for themselves ways of applying the lesson.

“Took” asks, What should learners take away from class? How does the lesson impact the attitudes, behaviors, and commitments of group members? This step addresses:

·        Attitudes: In what ways might learners be encouraged to think and feel differently?

·        Behaviors: What could participants be asked to do as a result of the lesson?

·        Commitments: What life decisions could learners consider making?

LESSON PLAN WORKSHEET

Date______________

Lesson Title/Theme___________________

 

Hook: words and activities to engage learners.

____________________________________________________________

 

Book: content and activities for information, attitudes, and/or skills to be presented and experienced.

Content_____________________________________________________

Activities____________________________________________________

 

Look: Ideas most relevant to the learners.

___________________________________________________________

Took: Attitudes, behaviors, and commitments to take-away.

___________________________________________________________

 

Name of person leading the lesson:_________________

 

Post meeting notes:__________________________________________

This has been an overview of lesson planning. It is based on the book Creative Bible Teaching. You are invited to further pursue this approach. The original text by Lawrence O. Richards is out of print and has been replaced with an even-more-comprehensive revised edition that includes the same four steps.

For purchase information about the book, click here.

To watch a YouTube video related to this topic, click here