Joseph in Canaan

Computer Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

The children will learn the story of Joseph through a presentation using Lego characters. They will then use Kid Pix 4 or the newer "3D" version to decorate Joseph’s coat. 4th through 5th grade will also write a poem to remind them of Joseph’s story. Add Romans 8:28 to Cal & Marty software, free to Supporting Members, if time permits.

Scripture Reference: Genesis 37:1-36; 39:1-6b

Memory Verse: Romans 8:28a

Key Concepts and Life Application:
The children will:

1. Identify Genesis as the first book in the Old Testament; locating the story in Genesis
2. Retell the story in their own words – identifying story characters and their feelings.
3. Explain how jealousy erupted in Joseph’s family. Learn how feelings can separate us from family and friends.
4. Learn that each of us is a favorite in the eyes of God.
5. Understand that God loves us and is never separated from us, no matter what happens.

Preparation and Supplies:

• Read the scripture ahead of time.
• Gather the materials.

• Bibles – minimally one for every two children (we used the NIrV).
• Projector. See Arrival Setup.
• The Brick Testament, “Joseph is Ambushed,” Slideshow, installed on classroom PC. See references.
• “Types of Poetry” handout, one for each 4th and 5th grader (see end of lesson).
• Add Joseph’s Cloak to Kid Pix 4 on each PC: To find a Joseph's cloak, use an internet search on "Joseph's Coat Coloring Page". Save it as a JPEG. On each computer, login to Kid Pix 4 using a common username ("student"). Click on Add -> Import Background. Locate the picture. Select Fill Canvas without Shrinking/Stretching. Select Also Add To Library.
• Filler Material Option: Add Romans 8:28 to Cal & Marty software.

Lesson:

Opening

Greet the children and introduce yourself. Distribute Bibles to each child or every two children.
Say:   Today we are learning about Joseph and his coat of many colors.
This week we are going to view the story in a little different way. First I’ve got a slideshow for you from The Brick Testament. This is a website that shows different Bible stories using Legos. Then we will go into our software.
[Turn on the projector and start the slide show. You will need to click to make the slide show progress.]
Say:   Before we view the slideshow, let’s review where the story is found in the Bible.
Ask: Can anyone tell me whether this is in the Old or New Testament? [Old]
What about the book? [Genesis]
Say: Genesis is the first book in the Bible. Let’s turn to Genesis, chapter 37, to see where the story is located.

View Brick Testament Slideshow

Now, let’s watch the slide show while I read selected verses.

Tell the 4th and 5th graders the verse you will be reading and encourage them to find the verse, even though you are reading excerpts of the verses.

Show the Brick Testament version of the story. [This can be downloaded to your computer. I modified it to make it more Biblically correct but that is up to you.  You do need to send a note to the website owner to request usage so he knows it is being used. ]

Kid Pix 4 Software

At this time, the class will use Kid Pix 4 to decorate Joseph’s coat. Walk the class through the following steps and then let them have fun.
Note for 4th and 5th grade: In addition to decorating the coat, have them write a poem about Joseph and add it to their picture. Give them the handout describing four simple poem types so they can be thinking as they decorate (found at end of lesson).

1. Open Kid Pix 4 (double click the icon or right click and select Open)
2. Sign is using the "student" user name. This is the same name used in the "Materials" section. If you don’t use this user name, you will not find the “Joseph’s Coat” background
3. Click on the background icon in “Paint Zone”
4. Select the folder called “My Backgrounds”
5. Select the Joseph’s Coat background image
6. Decorate the coat. If they don’t like it they can start over as many times as they choose.
7. 4th and 5th grade: Once they’ve decorated their coat, have them add a poem about Joseph to the page.

Filler Material Option:

Use Cal & Marty to practice the memory verse, Romans 8:28. (Use the translation of your choice). Rotation editor provided below screenshot of Cal & Marty where they used "The Voice" translation.

Here are also some adaptations by Neil MacQeen, as noted in an above post.
When using "Cal and Marty" software I particularly like the idea of having the students SEARCH FOR KEY VERSES on their own from their Bibles, and then edit them into the Cal game (it has an easy to use verse editor), then playing the verse scramble/unscramble games with their verses.

I also really like the idea of kids INVENTING KEY VERSES of their own! ...a sentence that summarizes an idea in the story.

Closing:

End with a prayer.

References/Sources
The visuals for the Bible story were obtained from:

• The Brick Testament, “Joseph is Ambushed,”  http://www.bricktestament.com/...shed/gn37_02-03.html
• Information on different types of poems for children was obtained from: Poetry for Kids, http://www.kathimitchell.com/poemtypes.html
• Notes on where to purchase Kid Pix 4 or the newer "3D" version software
• Where to purchase Cal & Marty This software is FREE to supporting members! Learn more here.

Types of Poems:

Choose one of the following poem formats and write a poem about Joseph. Add this to your picture of the beautiful coat.

Acrostic:

The first letters of each line are aligned vertically to form a word. Use JOSEPH for your word. An example is below:

Great and powerful
Over all the earth
Doing wonderful things

Cinquain:

Five line poems with the following format with an example below it.
Line 1: Title (noun) - 1 word
Line 2: Description - 2 words
Line 3: Action - 3 words
Line 4: Feeling - 4 words
Line 5: Title - 1 word

God
Loving, forgiving
Listens to me
Makes me feel safe
Father

Haiku:

There are three lines with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second, and five syllables in the third. An example is below:

God is always near
He listens to my prayers
He forgives my sins.

Color:

Pick your favorite color from Joseph’s coat. Write about how that color makes you feel. An example is shown below.

Yellow is the color of the sun on a summer day.
Yellow is the sound of a busy bumblebee
Yellow is the taste of a big glass of lemonade
Yellow is the smell of a daisy
Yellow is the feeling of my puppy’s fur
Yellow is a color of energy!

A lesson written by Ann Wright from: St. Andrews Presbyterian Church.
Raleigh, NC

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.