Reply to "DRAMA & PUPPET Workshop Lessons and Ideas for Joseph's Story"

Joseph in Egypt

Drama Stations Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

The children will experience the story of Joseph while traveling from station to station. They will become part of the story in this active, personalized drama. (Adapted from Crazy Clothesline Characters.)

Scripture Reference:

Genesis 40:1 - 47:12

Memory Verse:

Romans 8:28 " We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. He appointed them to be saved in keeping with his purpose. "

Additional objectives for the Drama Workshop
At the end of the session, the students will

encounter one of the many reversal stories of the Bible.

Bible Background is found here.

Teacher preparation in advance:

Read the scripture passages and lesson plan and attend the Bible Study, ....
Print the attached "Teacher's Script" and the attached "Student Dialog Cards".
Become comfortable enough with the script to refer to it minimally as you travel through the stations.
Learn the memory verse.
Check out the room before your first Sunday workshop so that you know how and where to set up the “scenes.”

Room set-up: (check out Luanne's photos in the next post for ideas)
Take a look at your space and the script that follows and then set up stations. Some suggestions:

Station 1: Pasture — spread a green blanket or sheet. This should be in the center of the room so people sitting there can be the audience for things happening at other places. Grass and stars should be handy.
Station 2: Tent — a large piece of fabric draped over something or hung from the ceiling or a curtain rod will do. (It does not have to be big enough for everyone to get inside.) Streamers, tape and robe should be ready in this area.
Station 3: Pit — large paper circle on the floor. Should be next to the pasture (station 1).
Station 4: Egypt — hang a picture of a pyramid, a camel and a palm tree on the wall.
Station 5: Jail — have several chairs or a piece of fencing blocking off a corner of the room.
Station 6: Pharaoh’s palace — cover a chair with a fancy piece of cloth next to “Egypt” (station 4).

Supply List

Bible times costumes
green blanket or sheet
robe or large shirt
several colors of crepe paper streamers
masking tape
stole for Jacob
some sort of tent (a large piece of fabric hung from the ceiling or a curtain rod)
stalk of grass or wheat for each child (fresh or made from posterboard); cardboard stars for each child
large paper circle (big enough for adult to stand in this pit)
bag of “coins” (something that clinks)
several large Egyptian scenery pictures on butcher paper (such as a pyramid, a palm tree, a camel)
broom
fluffy pink boa or fake looking woman’s wig
piece of fencing or lattice or several chairs
chef’s hat
tray with plastic wine glass
small coins or play money
small cups for each child
unpopped popcorn in a large bowl
box with empty lunch bags standing open in it
large colorful piece of cloth or other decorations to make a chair look more like a throne
Egyptian sort of headdresses for Potiphar and Joseph (see Paper Hat Tricks) and a crown and cape for Pharaoh
some sort of hats for magicians
cows: clipart: https://www.coloring.ws/cow.htm
costume jewelry — ring or necklace for Joseph when put in charge of Egypt
fancy cup (plastic)
Scripture/dialog cards (at end of lesson) with parts highlighted
road map
Memento: star stickers
Shepherd Time: paper with memory verse

Lesson

Opening:

Greet the children and introduce yourself.

We had an opening prayer during the gathering time, but open with prayer if you feel led to do so.

Explain the purpose of this workshop: Today, we are going on a journey from Canaan to Egypt with Joseph and also with his brothers. We will review the story from the last rotation and then you will find out what finally happened to Joseph and his family.

Dig into Scripture:

This is a long story, so let’s review the first part from the last rotation. What do you remember about Joseph and his brothers? [Briefly review with the children Joseph’s dreams, the coat from his father, and his brother’s jealousy. Talk about how he was sold into slavery and ended up in Egypt. Prompt them as necessary. If they give details of the second half of the story, that’s okay, but don’t spend too much time on this review.]

Very good! It’s a long and involved story, and we’ll be reviewing the whole thing in more detail in just a moment. But for those of you who have been waiting patiently, I want you to hear how the story ends. Let’s open our Bibles to the book of Genesis. [Help the children to use their Bibles in looking up verses. Remind them that ‘Genesis’ means ‘beginning’ and it is the first book in the Bible and includes the story of Creation, Noah’s Ark, Abraham, his son Isaac, his grandson Jacob and his great-grandson Joseph, about whom we are studying this rotation. It is in the Old Testament.

Read the scripture: Genesis 45: 1-18. [Younger: Genesis 45: 1-11.]

Does it sound like this story ends happily ever after?
Yes, it does. At least for now. Stay tuned, and we’ll talk about that in the next rotation. But on to this rotation’s story!
[NOTE: the next rotation I was referring to was the Israelite's escape from slavery in Egypt.]

Act it out!

[FIELD TEST NOTE: Okay, I admit it. This lesson plan/script is way too long -- even when I talked fast! I suggest you VERY briefly summarize the beginning scenes that are a review of the first Joseph rotation (up through his being sold into Egypt). Then, if you talk fast you should be able to get through the rest of the script. I am leaving the entire script here in case someone wants to use the first half for the Joe Part I drama workshop.]

We are going to travel back in time, so first we need to put on our Bible times clothes. [Help everyone choose and put on a costume.]

Also, you need to remember our important drama workshop rule: use your imagination and pretend! Ready to have fun with the story?

Now we are going to see and relive Joseph’s story. Sometimes you will be the actors and sometimes you will just sit and watch and listen. I will pick you for different parts and we will be trading parts as we go along so that more than one person can be Joseph (but maybe not everyone). You will have more chance of being chosen if you are sitting quietly and attentively.

[Read and act through the following attached script. Movement suggestions are in [brackets]. The class should travel as a group and stay close together. Most often those not actively participating in a scene can sit in the “pasture” and watch.

Reflection:

[Hold up a road map.] Who knows what this is? What is it used for? [Allow brief responses.]
When you go on a trip with your parents, do they study the map, especially if it is somewhere none of you have ever been before? What would happen if your family just got in the car for vacation and said, “Let’s start driving. I know Aunt Suzie lives somewhere in Arizona”? It probably wouldn’t work, would it?

We just went on a journey with Joseph. There were some good things on that journey and some bad things. Joseph didn’t know where he was going, but he trusted God to get him safely through it all. God knows all the wonderful things He has planned for our lives. He can see the way he has planned for us to get to where He wants us. He sees all the bumps in the roads — the ones we see after we have bumped over them!

But even though we don’t know exactly where we are going or know how we are going to get there, God has given us a “map” to help us find the way. [Hold up a Bible.]

I pray that this “map” becomes part of your gear as you travel through life, on smooth and bumpy roads. Knowing what the Bible says, including stories such as Joseph’s and verses such as our memory verse, and keeping that knowledge in your heart will help you choose the right “roads” as you journey though life.

Closing:

Prayer:
Gracious Father, Thank you for watching over us and taking everything that happens in our lives, both the good things and the bad things, and working them into something good. Help us to have faith in you as Joseph did, even in the hard times. Amen.

Additional Suggestions:

You will need to decide how best to adjust the lesson for older and younger students. Keep the children active and involved in activity. Do what works for you and the children. Some ideas, in addition to those included in the lesson plan:

Older children:

one of the children can be Joseph, or they can take turns. Prompt them when needed and let them read the dialog cards. Teacher would be the narrator.

Younger Children:

For classes composed primarily of pre-readers, show the children how to find the passage in the Bible and then have them do it. After everyone has found the passage, have them close their Bibles and listen while you read.
The Shepherd should help those chosen for parts read their dialog cards. Plus, the scenes with longer and more complex dialog should be narrated.

If you have Extra Time:

Review the memory verse. The memory verse review was included in the script. If time permits, ask for volunteers to say it by themselves.
Journaling: Lots of things happened to Joseph, didn’t they? Some of them were good, and some were bad. What does our memory verse tell us?
That’s right, that ALL things work together for good. If we made a simple map or timeline of Joseph’s life, it might look like this. [Hold up one of the handouts with a simple timeline for Joseph drawn (born, mother died, present from Jacob, ....]
See how I put smileys next to some of the things on the timeline and frownies next to the others?Why would that be?
Take one of these forms (page with memory verse) and make a map of your own life so far. Include things like when or where you were born, starting school, getting a pet hamster, your dog dying, moving to a new house, winning a ball game, and passing the LEAP test. Put smileys next to the good things and frownies next to the hard things. If you wish you may draw little pictures to illustrate it.

Resources:

Diebel, Anne. Hat Patterns to Help Teach Bible Stories. Paper Hat Tricks, 1994. Print.
Mader, Carol. Crazy Clothesline Characters. Littleton, Colorado: Group Publishing, 2000. Print. (This lesson is adapted from “Joseph: Imagination Stations,” pages 23-27.)
"Live the Adventure: Discovering God Is Everything I Need: Promiseland Summer Event." Willow Creek Association, 1999. Lesson 8: “God Is My Planner.” (Inspiration for reflection and Shepherd time.)

Note: individual Printable PDF's for both the full script and dialog cards are attached to this lesson.

Joseph in Egypt Drama Workshop Script - Sample
(adapted from Crazy Clothesline Characters and Genesis, New Living Translation)

Scene 1: (at Station 1, the pasture):

To start with, I’m Joseph and you are his brothers.
Joseph, his 11 brothers and his father Jacob lived a long time ago — after Abraham but before Moses and well before Jesus. Joseph’s brothers were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher — who were all older than him — and Benjamin, who was younger.
Our father Jacob likes me the best, and everyone knows it. You often grumble about it. [Encourage everyone to grumble.]
One day, when I was seventeen years old, one or more of my brothers did something he should not have done. The Bible doesn’t say what it was. Maybe he killed one of the sheep he was supposed to be watching and roasted it for dinner. Maybe several brothers got in a big fight. Any other suggestions? [Accept all ideas, briefly.] Maybe. The Bible doesn’t say. All it says is that I reported some of the bad things my brothers were doing. So I left my brothers to go to Jacob’s tent.

Scene 2: (at Station 2, Jacob’s tent):

[Ask for a volunteer to be Jacob and another to be Joseph and give them copies of Dialog Card #1 with their parts highlighted. Have ‘Jacob’ stand in the tent. The tent should be nearby, so just Joseph and Jacob go to tent while the “brothers” stay in the pasture and watch this scene.]

Dialog Card #1:
Joseph: Father, Father, I have something to tell you!!
Jacob: Yes Joseph, my dear son, what is it?
Joseph: Guess what my brothers have done, they have done a bad thing! [Whisper in Jacob’s ear.]
Jacob: WHAT! Have those boys come here right this instant!
Joseph: [Turn and wave the “brothers” to come over.] Oh, brothers, come here.
Jacob: [Shake finger at brothers.] You bad boys! Just for that, you will go to bed without dinner.
[Encourage the brothers to whine and grumble again.]

This lesson was written by Amy Crane for
River Community Church, Prairieville, Louisiana.
Copyright 2003 Amy Crane.

Photo courtesy Luanne Payne, Hampton United Church, Hampton, ON, Canada

Permission granted to freely distribute and use, provided the copyright message is included.
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Reply to "DRAMA & PUPPET Workshop Lessons and Ideas for Joseph's Story"

Joseph in Egypt