Teaching Relief Society & Priesthood

The Activity: 1.      Choose a number of quotes from the talk that seem especially pertinent to the members of your class/group/quorum.   I am thinking 6 or so. 2.      Arrange the seats in the room in 2 rows facing each other—close enough to be able to easily speak to the person directly across from you, but far enough apart that movement between the rows is not impeded. 3.      Have people sit in the chairs so that everyone is facing someone else.   If there is an odd number, you get to be part of the activity as well. 4.      Give instructions outlining what is going to happen (as per the directions that follow). 5.      Read one of the quotes from the talk. 6.      Give the group 2 minutes to talk about the quote.   They might discuss . . . a.       What the quote is telling us b.      How they could apply the counsel given c.       What scriptures or experiences does this remind them of d.      How could they help their family members do this more

The Activity: 1.      Ask class members to look in their Topical Guides at the entries for “hope,” “joy,” and/or “peace.” 2.      Give them about five minutes to find a verse of scripture that seems to them to be especially pertinent to Bishop Waddell’s message and their own experiences. 3.      Ask class members to form small groups (4-5 people) 4.      Have them share their scriptures in their small groups and explain why they chose that scripture 5.      Discuss as a class, what was shared and discussed in the groups. Using the Activity: This is an activity that I think could easily and profitably be modified to use with any of the conference talks.   For me, making connections between the scriptures and conference talks is a powerful way for me to remember and better understand both scripture and general conference talks.   Science tells us that the more things we can connect to a piece of knowledge, the easier it is to recall when we need it.   So, the

The Activity: 1.      Before class, ask the class members to review their Patriarchal Blessings and spend time in prayer pondering what mission(s) Heavenly Father has for them. 2.      After discussing the talk (near the end of class), give everyone a piece of paper and something to write with.   3.      Ask the class members to answer the following questions, one at a time (assure them that they will not need to share whatever they write down): a.       What is a mission that Father has for you? b.      How will focusing on others help you fulfill this mission? c.       What spiritual gifts do you need to fulfill this mission?   How can you develop those gifts? (This is where the Patriarchal Blessing comes in). d.      How might adversity help you fulfill this mission? e.      In what ways do you need to rely on God to fulfill this mission? 4.      After answering the questions, have them take a moment and look at all of the answers together.   Ponder th

The Activity: Prior to class 1.      Prepare a handout for each student.   The handout should be a piece of paper divided into thirds. 2.      Label the sections of the paper as follows: a.       God calls Prophets to lead and guide us b.      The knowledge of the true nature of God c.       Jesus Christ is our Savior During class 1.      Pass out the handouts 2.      Ask the class members to write in each section of the paper, specific blessings we receive because we know each of those things that are in the headings. 3.      Ask the class members, after a few moments, to write a couple of sentences that explain why knowing each of those things is important. 4.      Have class members stand and move about the room. 5.      Class members are to find someone not sitting by them to share one thing from any one of the sections they have written on their papers with a partner.   They are also to listen to their partner’s item and discuss what was sha

The Activity: 1.      Type up five or so quotes from this talk that impress you and that you feel would be meaningful and important to your class members.   Be sure to use a large font size. 2.      Tape these quotes spread out on the chalkboard.   Make sure there are multiple pieces of chalk. 3.      Invite the class members to join you at the board. 4.      Explain that this is an activity that is completely silent. 5.      Class members read and think about the quotes for a few moments.   You could do this before asking students to come to the board. 6.      Then, as impressed, class members write what the quote makes them think of.   This could be: a.       Scriptures b.      People c.       Experiences d.      Implications e.      Applications f.        Words of Church leaders—local and/or general g.       Etc. 7.      Class members can also draw lines or other shapes to show relationships between items on the board.   For example, if

  The Activity: 1.      Have class members make a list of people that surround them every day.   These could include family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, people they see in the store, etc. 2.      After a few moments of making the list, ask class members to think about how they might serve each person on their list.   Stress that these ideas need not be “ambitious ways to change the world.”   They should, instead, be simple ideas that can be done from the heart.   3.      Ask them to jot down an idea or two for each person on their list. 4.      Ask them to take a second and look over their list for the best idea or two on their lists. 5.      Have them share their best ideas in small groups (3-4 people each). 6.      If they want to at this point, they can “steal” one of the ideas someone else shared and add it to their list. 7.      Ask them now to identify three things from their list that they can do this week. 8.      Challenge them to do these three

The Activity: 1.      On the board draw a Venn diagram (2 circles that partially overlap).   Label the first circle “Earning Heavenly Father’s trust” and the second circle “Earning your family’s trust.” 2.      Create a number of strips of paper.   On each strip of paper write one of the following four questions: a.       How do we earn Heavenly Father’s trust? b.      How do we earn the trust of our family? c.       What is a blessing or earning Heavenly Father’s trust? d.      What is a blessing of earning our family’s trust? 3.      Put the slips of paper in a hat or bag. 4.      Ask each class member to choose a slip of paper. 5.      Have them write a single answer to the question on the back of strip of paper.   They can get this answer from their own lives or from the talk. 6.      Have class members come up to the board and tape the slip of paper where it goes on the Venn diagram. 7.      Discuss the answers given 8.      At the end, ask

The Activity: 1.      Make sure that every class member has an index card, access to a copy of the talk (either in digital format or in hard copy), and something to write with. 2.      Ask the class members to review the talk and to identify one quote that they feel is especially pertinent to living in the world today and write it on their index card. 3.      Have the class members stand up and find someone who is not sitting near them.   They spend a moment with that person sharing their quotes and talking briefly about how the ideas in the quotes are connected. 4.      After just a moment with that person, they move on to speak with someone else. 5.      Give the class enough time so that everyone gets the chance to speak with four or five other people.   You can join in this activity and act as a participant. 6.      Come back and ask the class members to share insights they gained as they did this activity. Using the Activity: This activity has a lot

The Activity: 1.      After discussing the talk for a bit, divide the class members into small groups (3-5 people in each group). 2.      Give each group a copy of the talk (or make sure they have access to one via a device or some other way). 3.      Ask the groups to review the discussion so far and to skim over the talk for any points that were missed in the class discussion. 4.      Have each group write a commandment (Thou shalt/ Thou shalt not) based on Elder Koch’s talk. 5.      Ask each group to share their commandment and why they felt it was significant. Using the Activity: I imagine that this is an activity that would be done towards the end of the class period (perhaps as the last thing).   The value here is that it asks students to review and consider all of the points discussed one more time and to try and distill those points into a single, actionable item.   Mentally, this type of review (not a passive review where someone recounts things, bu

The Activity: Worth vs. Worthiness 1.      Hold up something (or a picture of something) that is worth a fairly large sum of money, e.g. a piece of art, an expensive watch, etc. 2.      Explain that this item is worth a lot and ask why it is worth so much? 3.      Answers should include things such as the quality of work, the materials used to make it, the uniqueness of the piece, the identity of who made/ produced it, etc. 4.      List these on the board 5.      Next, ask if the value is damaged by where it is located at or who uses it. 6.      Now, open up the discussion and draw parallels between what made the item worth so much and what makes us worth so much and what we are worth and what makes us worth so much. 7.      Illustrate the points with quotes from Sis. Jones’s talk and make sure to emphasize that just as there is nothing that can be done with the object to reduce its value (along the lines of its intended purpose), there is nothing we can do

The Activity: 1.      Give every class member a sheet of paper with these questions on it? a.       What is a miracle? b.      When do (have) miracles happen(ed) (in our ward)? c.       Why do miracles happen (or not happen)? d.      Who receives miracles? e.      How are miracles brought about? 2.      Give class members time to consider these questions quietly.   You may ask them to jot down some notes about each question. 3.      Have the class members stand up and find someone to talk about the first question with.   They are to spend just a few moments with any one person before finding someone new to talk with.   With their partners, they are to look for connections, new insights, and deeper understandings. 4.      Repeat this step for each question.   Some of the questions may need more time to talk before moving on. 5.      Come back together and ask them to report on what they learned about each question. 6.      As they share what they lea

Elder Haleck speaks of the widow’s heart (from the New Testament story) and gives several characteristics of it.   Including the following: ·       “a heart that softens when the warmth and light of the truth is revealed” (Para. 14). ·       “the widow’s heart . . . [can] see with the eye of faith the great crowning blessings in store for” them (Para. 17). ·       “a heart that will give all by making sacrifices (Para. 18—this paragraph has a number of characteristics listed in it). The Activity: 1.      Pass out a sheet of paper with three or four of these characteristics typed out.   Make sure there is plenty of white space around each quote. 2.      Ask the class members to read over the quotes and pick the one that most touches them. 3.      Have class members form group around their chosen quotes. 4.      Have the groups talk about their quotes.   You might provide them with questions such as: a.       When have you seen/known someone with this type

The Activity: 1.      Ask the class members to remember when they received their testimonies of the Book of Mormon.   As you feel so impressed, you may want to ask them to record their memories.   This could be done on nicer paper so as to create a keepsake for themselves or others.   You may also choose to ask one or two people to share their memories (this invitation could be made in advance). 2.      Tell the class that you are going to talk about how to maintain our testimonies vibrant over the course of our lives, especially when we face difficult questions.   Do NOT dwell on potential questions. 3.      Explain that Elder Evans gives us a pattern to follow when we are having trouble feeling our testimonies and review the pattern with them.   It is this: a.       Step 1:   search, read, and pray for the answer (Paragraph 3:   “I often discussed . . .”) b.      Step 2:   repentance, with a determination to keep the commandments (Paragraph 12:   “To know the truth