Joshua and the City of Jericho

Drama Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

The children will hear the story of Joshua’s obedience to God and the people’s trust in God as He leads them across the River Jordan and knocks down the walls of Jericho. The children will then have an opportunity to retell the story by creating their own dramas.

Scripture Reference: Joshua 1-6

Memory Verse: “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” Ephesians 6:10 (NIV)

Field Test Note:

This was a fun workshop and the children (even the younger ones) were quite creative. We only had enough children one week to divide into two groups (with 4th and 5th graders) and it was really interesting to see how they took the same things and came up with completely different productions.

Lesson Objectives for the rotation
(see listing above)

Additional objectives for the drama workshop
By the end of the session, the students will

• have had an opportunity to listen to directions and practice obedience.

Teacher preparation in advance:

• Read the scripture passages and lesson plan and attend the Bible Study,...
• Prepare a closing prayer.
• Learn to retell the story in your own words (sample story included in this lesson plan).
• Learn the memory verse.
• Confer with the Shepherd on age level adjustments needed each week (those included in the lesson plan and your own). Consider the “Stretchers” you can use, especially with the youngest children.
• To our teachers at RCC: The design of this workshop is very intentional. The activities and discussion questions for this workshop were designed to meet the goals of the entire rotation and the educational objectives of the Rotation Model (tm) at River Community Church. While we feel it is important to follow the serendipitous leading of the Holy Spirit, please do not change the lesson plan without consulting a Curriculum Planning and Writing Team member.
• Check out the room before your first Sunday workshop so that you know where everything is located.
• Discuss with the Shepherd your action plan for the dramas. Get suggestions for dividing the class into two groups; find out who should not be together. Agree on a signal for when your group is almost done.

Set-up:
You will want to provide the children with lots of space for their dramas. When the children arrive, the chairs should be in one big circle. The two groups can move their chairs into smaller circles at opposite ends of the room (or better yet, see if one group can work in another space outside the classroom so they don’t distract each other).

Supply List

• Two laundry baskets, each with the following things in them (should be close to identical collections): multiple pairs of sunglasses, toy musical instruments, blue towel, white sheet, 12 pieces of newspaper, piece of paper with the Ten Commandments written on it, assortment of hats and scarves, red ribbon, baby’s stacking cups (the graduated sized ones that nest), toilet paper tubes.
• Cardboard blocks or boxes (assorted sizes of boxes are okay; they don't have to be big or neat or plain)
• Kazoos for everyone (ones they can take home so germs don’t need to be shared). Available from a variety of sources, including Oriental Trading: http://www.orientaltrading.com or 800-228-2269.
• Several sets of index cards with the memory verse written on them, one word on each card.
• Memento: the kazoo (see above)
• Shepherd Time: sheet with the memory verse pre-printed on it (sample attached), pencils, markers.

Presentation

Opening-Welcome and Introductions:
Greet the children and introduce yourself. Wear your name-tag. (Remember, you are interacting with a different group of students each week who may not know you.) Make sure the children are wearing name-tags.

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

Explain the purpose of this workshop: Today you will hear the story of Joshua leading God’s people into the Promised Land and then you will have an opportunity to put together a drama of that story. And who knows, if you are obedient and follow instructions, you may get to knock down a wall!

Dig-Main Content and Reflection:

Scripture/Bible Story:

To understand today’s story, you need to know what the Ark of the Covenant is. Does anyone know? [It is a gold box, decorated with angels, which God directed Moses to have made. It was used to carry the tablets with the Ten Commandments and also a jar of manna. It served as a reminder of God’s constant presence and protection.]

Tell the story: “In a moment we will read a small portion of a long story. But first, listen as I retell the story from the Bible.” [Retell the story in your own words, emphasizing that the story comes from the Bible; holding your Bible while you tell is a reminder to the children that they are hearing God’s word. A sample retelling is attached. Make sure your retelling includes: God’s call of Joshua and reassurance, the Ark of the Covenant, stopping of the Jordan River, the Remember stones, the spies, the marching around Jericho, and then the fall of Jericho.]

Read the scripture: “Now, let’s read a small portion of our story for this rotation. Open your Bibles to Joshua 3:6, 9-17; 4:1-3, 19-24. (Younger children: Joshua 3:6, 14-17; 4:19-24.)
[Encourage the children to use their Bibles in looking up verses. For example, “Our story about Joshua is in the book of Joshua. It is in the Old Testament and follows the five books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). Our passage is in the third chapter; look for the big bold numbers that indicate chapters. The smaller numbers at the beginning of sentences in the chapters are verse numbers.” We restate information about Bible organization in each workshop to be sensitive to visitors and new children in the class who may not have any knowledge of the Bible. We never want a child to feel like they do not belong because they do not know this information before they come to class.]

Warm-up exercises: (do the first activity; do the others if time permits)

Just as athletes, dancers and musicians warm up before doing their activities, actors need to warm up. Let’s exercise our drama muscles — our imaginations.

• Everyone mime: stepping into the cold River Jordan while carrying the Ark of the Covenant, climbing out of a window and down a rope, blowing trumpets, watching walls come tumbling down.
• A volunteer (or the teacher) is Joshua, and must explain to the Israelites what the “plan of attack” is. The other students are the Israelites and ask questions about the plan and comment on its absurdity and suggest alternatives.
• Have a volunteer be a guard on the Jericho city wall, reporting to the rest of the guards what happened during his watch (Israelites marched around once without attacking). The other students are his coworkers and ask questions about what he saw and speculate about what the reason for this strange action may be.

Application:
Divide the class into two “teams.” Give each drama team a basket of supplies and instruct that EVERYTHING in it must be used to tell the story. How they use it is up to them. The dramas do not need to be long, but they should tell as much of the story that the children just heard as possible.

The Shepherd should work with one group and the Workshop Leader with the other. The adults should keep the process and planning moving along and should help negotiate when there is a difference of opinion. Remind the children if they forget a part of the story, but the kids should plan the drama.

After about 10-15 minutes of planning, have each team put on its story. Remind the other group to watch with the same courtesy they expect when it is their turn to perform.

If time permits:
Stack up the blocks into a wall or tower. Explain the children that anyone who is not obedient or who does not follow instructions will be asked to sit and watch; the blocks are not to be thrown, kicked or stepped upon.

Say, “We have time for you to have another opportunity to get the walls to come down. First of all, with this activity, being obedient and following instructions are critical. Anyone who throws, kicks or steps on one of our blocks will be asked to sit out of the way the rest of the class time. We are going to have a bit of fun walking around the wall of blocks six times quietly — except for the priests blowing their horns.”

Assign one person to be God. He or she will knock the blocks over (this will serve as a reminder that it was NOT the people that knocked down the wall -- God did it). Give everyone a kazoo. Consider turning the lights on and off between circuits to show the passage of time. That is, after each trip around, turn the lights off briefly to remind the children that one day has passed and this process took seven days. Have the students march around seven more times on the seventh “day” before shouting and knocking over the block wall. If you have a big group, a few students can be the residents of Jericho, and laugh at the silent walkers.

If time permits, act out the wall crashing down again.

Reflect:
Pulling it all together (closing discussion):

• What do you think the Israelites shouted before the walls tumbled? (Joshua 6:5, 20) Do you think the walls would have fallen if they had not followed the instructions?
• Have you ever been asked to do something that seemed silly or pointless but turned out to be a good thing to do?
• Are we, as Christians, asked to do some things that don’t make sense to the rest of the world?
• Has anyone ever made fun of you for doing what you thought was the right thing? How did you feel? What did you do?

Review the memory verse.
Make two sets of index cards with one word from the memory verse written on each card. Divide the children back into the two or more groups (there should be no more than five in each group; if necessary, rearrange who is in each group). Give each group a set of index cards. Have the groups race to see who can put the words in the correct order in the shortest amount of time.

At 11:45 a.m. ask the Shepherd to pass out the journal pages and pencils/markers. Suggestion: Remind the children that they can keep their kazoos as a memento — a reminder of the story and activity.

Shepherd Time:
Review the memory verse. Talk about what it means. Then give each child a journal page with the memory verse already written on it. Ask each child to illustrate the verse with a scene from the story or list times God can help him/her be strong (especially older children) or draw a picture of a time he/she was strong with God’s help.

This is meant to be a time of reflection and introspection. Talking, thinking and writing about faith helps clarify lessons. In addition to the suggested activity, children may draw pictures relating to today’s scripture or memory verse, list highlights of the day’s activities, or rephrase the memory verse. The journal pages will be saved and given to the children at the end of the school year.

You may want to provide an extra activity or worksheet for children who finish their journal pages quickly, such as coloring sheets, crossword puzzles, word searches, games. See the Teachers’ Background Notes and rotation.org for ideas.

Before noon, ask the students to stop journaling for a moment and sit quietly for prayer so they can leave when their parents arrive. Allow them to finish journaling afterwards.

Closing:

In chapter 24, Joshua speaks to the people and urges them to remain faithful to God in all things. Joshua 24:14-16 reminds us that we, too, must decide whom we will serve. Read this from the Bible to the children.
‘But for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.’

Lord, help us to be faithful to you in all things. Give us the strength and wisdom to trust you, even when the way is difficult or unusual. Help us to be mindful of your leadership, of your presence, of your strength that gives us courage to do what is right. Help us to serve you and do your will in all things. Amen.

Tidy and Dismissal:

• Ask children to help tidy the room. Give any specific instructions for clearing the workshop room.
• Collect the journal pages before they leave. Make sure their names and the date are on them.
• Give everyone the parent take-home flyer the first week of the rotation; give it only to children who were absent and have not yet received it the other weeks of the rotation.

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:

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, set them aside, and listen while you read.
• Spend less time on the laundry basket activity and give them more guidance for creating their dramas. Spend more time with the block wall building and knocking down.

Resources

• Idea posted at the rotation.org posted by member EllenK under Joshua Ideas: https://www.rotation.org/topic/...5#383259932531515995
• Crane, Amy. Lesson posted at the rotation.org Ideas and Lesson Exchange: Joshua: Drama Workshop for Palma Ceia Presbyterian.” https://www.rotation.org/topic/...ma-ceia-presbyterian
• Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

Joshua and the Battle of Jericho
Story adapted for retelling by Amy Crane. Copyright 2001 Amy Crane.
Permission granted to freely distribute and use, provided the copyright message is included.
adapted from Joshua 1-6, Today’s English Version

Now, you remember that with God’s help, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, across the Red Sea, and into the wilderness. For forty years the Israelites wandered in the wilderness. Moses grew old, and Joshua, son of Nun, was chosen to be Moses’ successor and lead the Israelites.

After Moses died, the Lord spoke to Joshua, “Get ready now, you and the people of Israel, to cross the River Jordan into the land that I am giving you. Joshua, no one will be able to defeat you as long as you live. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will always be with you.”

Joshua ordered the leaders of the twelve tribes to go through the camp to tell the people: “Get ready, for soon we are going to cross the River Jordan to occupy the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

Then Joshua sent two spies to secretly explore the land of Canaan, especially the city of Jericho. When they came to the city, they went to stay in the house of a prostitute named Rahab. The king of Jericho heard there were Israelite spies in town. He sent word to Rahab: “The men in your house are spies. Send them out!”

She replied, “Some men did come to my house, but I don’t know where they were from. They left before the city gate closed at sundown. If you hurry, maybe you can catch them.” (Now, Rahab had actually hidden the two men on the roof of her house.) The king’s men hurried off to look for the spies.

Rahab went to the spies. “I know that the Lord has given you this land. Everyone in this country is terrified of you. We have heard how the Lord dried up the Red Sea. We were afraid as soon as we heard how you killed other kings east of the Jordan. The Lord your God is God in heaven above and here on earth. Now swear by Him that you will treat my family as kindly as I have treated you. Don’t let us be killed!”

The men said to her, “May God take our lives if we don’t do as we say. We will treat you well.”

Rahab lived in a house built into the city wall, so she let the men down from the window by a rope. The men said to her, “We will keep the promise that you have made us give, as long as you don’t tell anyone what we have been doing. This is what you must do: Get your family together in your house. When we invade your land, tie this red cord to your window. No one in your home will be harmed.”

The spies went into the hills and hid. The king’s men looked all over, but did not find them. After three days, the spies returned to Joshua and reported everything they learned: “We are sure that the Lord has given us the whole country. All the people there are terrified of us!”

Early the next morning Joshua and all the people of Israel left their camp, and went to the bank of the River Jordan. There they camped, waiting for the command to cross the river into the Promised Land.

The Lord spoke to Joshua: “Tell the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant that when they reach the river, they must wade in and stand near the bank.”

The Israelites packed their tents and their belongings. They gathered their children and herds. The priests went ahead of them, carrying the Ark of the Covenant. The priests stepped into the cold water of the River Jordan.

The Israelite nation, gathered on the bank of the River Jordan, watched as the water stopped! There was no water coming down the River Jordan. It began to pile up; some say it was piled three hundred miles high! The people were in awe. Now they knew for certain that God was with Joshua as He had been with Moses.

And so the people walked across the River Jordan on dry ground. No mud! The priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant stood on dry ground in the middle of the river while the entire nation crossed over the River Jordan.

The Lord said to Joshua: “Call twelve men, one from each tribe. Command them to take twelve stones out of the River Jordan, from the very place where the priests are standing with the Ark of the Covenant. Tell them to carry the stones with them and to put them down where you camp tonight. These stones will always remind the people of Israel of what happened here.”

The twelve men did as Joshua ordered. Each took up a stone from the riverbed near the feet of the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant. Those stones were carried to the camping place, and arranged there. That place was named Gilgal, which means “circle of stones.”

When all the people were across the river, the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant followed them out of the river. When the priests’ feet touched the riverbank, there was a great roar as the water began flowing once more.

Now, you must realize that although the Israelites were safely across the River Jordan and in the Promised Land, they were not able to call it home yet. The first obstacle loomed above them there on the banks of the Jordan: the great walled city of Jericho.

One day, while they were camped at Gilgal, Joshua saw a man standing in front of him, holding a sword. “Are you one of our soldiers, or the enemy?”

“Neither,” the man answered. “I am here as the commander of the Lord’s army.”

Joshua threw himself on the ground in worship and said, “I am your servant, sir. What do you want me to do?”

“Take your sandals off. You are standing on holy ground.” Joshua did as he was told. “I am putting Jericho into your hands. You and your soldiers are to march around the city once a day for six days. Seven priests, each sounding a trumpet, are to go in front of the Ark of the Covenant. On the seventh day you and your soldiers are to march around the city seven times while the priests blow the trumpets. Then they are to sound one long note. As soon as you hear it, all the men are to give a loud shout, and the city walls will collapse. Then the whole army will go straight into the city.”

So Joshua called the priests and told them to carry the Ark of the Covenant around the city. And he ordered the soldiers to march quietly in front of and behind the Ark. They did this one time and then returned to camp.

Early the next morning, they did the same thing. They did this for six days. On the seventh day, they marched around the city the same way, seven times. After the seventh time around, Joshua gave the command and the men shouted and the walls collapsed. The soldiers captured the city and spared Rahab and her family.

So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread though the whole country.

Tips for telling Joshua and the Battle of Jericho:

• Read the story in several translations of the Bible and Bible storybooks to see other ways to tell it. Try to visualize the action, and then describe what you see in your own words. Make sure your retelling includes: God’s call of Joshua and reassurance, the Ark of the Covenant, stopping of the Jordan River, the Remember stones, the spies, the marching around Jericho, and then the fall of Jericho.
• This is an exciting and dramatic adventure story. Tell it with amazement and excitement. (The part about the spies can be quiet and confidential.)
• Bring the story to life with your movements and emotions as well as the words. Carry the Ark, step in the cold river, lift the stones for Gilgal, march, blow a trumpet, watch in amazement as the walls fall.
• If you cannot learn this story by heart (to tell it in your own words), read and reread it until you are very comfortable with it. Then you will be able to look up and make eye contact and interact with your listeners, which will help bring the story to life for them. (Consider making your “cheat sheet” copy of the script into a scroll.)
• For additional information on retelling Bible Stories, see Amy Crane's manual on Biblical Storytelling in the rotation.org IDEA AND LESSON EXCHANGE in the Workshop Design and Teaching Resources section under “Storytelling”  https://www.rotation.org/topic/biblical-storytelling

A lesson written by Amy Crane from: River Community Church
Prairieville, LA

.Copyright 2004 Amy Crane. Permission granted to freely distribute and use, provided the copyright message is included.

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