The Rotation.org Writing Team

Daniel's Exile ~ A "Journey Stations" Workshop

Summary of Activities

Students will journey alongside Daniel and his friends, stopping at various "location stations" to explore the Exile story, participate in activities, decipher the memory verse, and learn to write their name in "Cuneiform" (the ancient Babylonian writing script). Along the way they will enjoy a video and photos of these places, using "QR codes" embedded in the journey map that they can take home and share with their families.

View this video summary and "Teacher's Perspective" on the Daniel's Journey Stations Workshop!

NOTES:
This lesson is best experienced AFTER you have taught your students at least one of the other lessons from Daniel 3 or 6 in this lesson set. This lesson focuses on the "Babylonian Exile," a period in Israel's history that was foundational to their self-understanding, theology, and the development of scripture. Station 3 does include a short video on the story of the Fiery Furnace.

We are once again pleased to have Samantha Corcoran, the "Geo-Logos" lady, as a lesson writer on our Writing Team. Sam brings to the team a wealth of biblical, historical, and geographical knowledge, as well as experience teaching children and adult Sunday School classes and a love for the use of modern tools such as video, maps, and Google Earth.

Scripture for the Lesson

Daniel 1:1-7, the beginning of Exile and introduction of Daniel and his three friends to the king's service.
This lesson is an introduction to an important event in Israel's history, one that swept up Daniel and took him to Babylon. Unlike the other lessons in the lesson set, this one does not focus solely on either the "Fiery Furnace" or "Lions' Den" story.

Daniel 3: The Fiery Furnace (shared using a short video at Station 3).

Memory Verse:

Daniel 3:17 "the God we serve is able to deliver us"
(Spoken by the three friends as they faced the Fiery Furnace. This will be used in the "cuneiform" activity.)

Lesson Objectives

See the Bible Background at Rotation.org for insights on this story and this set's complete list of objectives.

Materials

• View and Print the Station Setup Instructions to set up the "Journey" station tables, signs, and activities in advance. The Station setup Instructions have the list of necessary station supplies, including the important "Journey Bag" which you can either buy or make and the "Journey Souvenirs" your travelers will collect at each station.
  
  
• Print color copies of the Journey Map (seen above and also attached): one for each station and one for each student  to take home to show their families (the map has the "QR" codes on it, which they can show their family at home).
  
  
• Print out the cuneiform activity worksheets for Station 3.
  
  Daniel Journey Cuneiform Memory Verse Worksheet.pdf
  Daniel Journey Cuneiform Memory Verse Worksheet (for Early Grades).pdf
  Daniel Journey Cuneiform NAME Worksheet.pdf
• You may also print or save the photos and artworks seen in this lesson (which are also attached at the end of this lesson). Click the images below to enlarge them in a new browser window and then select either "save as" or "print" from your browser's menu. These are the same images accessed by the QR codes.

Preparation

• Read the Bible Background and scripture. (See also the additional background resource links at the end of this lesson.)
• Preview and prepare to show the video on a TV or device in your classroom. (Need tech help? Check out the links at the bottom of the lesson.)
• Set up the Stations using the Stations Setup Guide
• Preview the QR Codes on the Journey Map to make sure you can access the media on the internet in your classroom. As a backup, we've placed the images in a public folder at Rotation.org. Optionally, you may print these images in color ahead of time or download them to your tablet/computer by scanning the QR Codes and saving them or copying them from the folder where they are all stored.
• Each group will need an iPad or tablet with a camera so that they can scan the QR Codes and connect to the images online. See the tips at the end of this lesson plan in "Tech Help for Scanning a QR Code."
• Decide whether you will have just one instructor traveling with a single group of students or place different instructors at each station to instruct the group(s) of students as they arrive at the station.
• Give all instructors a copy of this lesson plan.
• Write the fill-in-the-blank closing prayer on a flipchart or whiteboard at the last stop.

TIP: Recruit volunteers to set up and "run" each station, including sharing information and asking questions per the lesson plan below. The Lead Teacher can fill in what the volunteer forgets, and focus on the life application/discussion at each station.

Lesson Plan

Opening

Welcome students and explain the journey that they are about to take and what you hope they will learn—that like Daniel and his friends, we need courage and trust for the difficult journeys we take in life.

SAY: Today we are going to leave the classroom and travel around the building! We'll imagine we're on the exile journey with Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as they are taken from their home in Jerusalem, walk along the Euphrates River, and arrive as captive servants in King Nebuchadnezzar's palace in ancient Babylon. (As you say this, march from place to place and pantomime it to gain their attention and create anticipation.)

The Journey Stations from Jerusalem to Babylon

Each station features a different part of Daniel's journey, including photos of the locations!  Each station also features an activity. Consult the Station Setup Instructions PDF for details. Each station takes from 5 to 10 minutes to complete.

Station 0: Packing for the Journey in Jerusalem
Station 1: Leaving Jerusalem & Map Orienting
Station 2: Walking along the Euphrates River
Station 3: Arriving in Ancient Babylon

Suggestions: Pick the sanctuary for Jerusalem. Pick a place with water for the Euphrates. Pick an "exotic" location for Babylon.

Journey Station 0: Packing for the Journey in Jerusalem

"Station 0" can be in your classroom or a fun viewing space. NOTE: Stations 0 and 1 (the Map Station) can be combined in one location, but we recommend two separate stations: Station 0 "inside the wall" and Station 1 as you're "kicked out" of Jerusalem. Have the photo of the TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM (above) up full screen on the TV at the beginning of class, or have it printed out and on display.

BEGIN by dramatically reading Daniel 1:1-7, the beginning of Israel's downfall and exile, and the introduction of Daniel and his three friends to the king's service.

ASK: Why do you think Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians?  (accept any answers)  Some believe God wanted to teach his people a lesson or to prepare them for the tough and dangerous journey through history that would take place after the Exile and all the way up to the time of Jesus when the Romans would conquer Jerusalem.

Draw a timeline on the board showing Daniel's Exile in the 6th Century B.C., the Greek conquest of Jerusalem in the 3rd Century B.C., and the Roman conquest in the 2nd Century B.C.

ASK: Have you heard the word "exile" before? What do you think it means? (take answers)  Exile is when someone or a group of people is forced to leave their home and go live somewhere else.

POINT OUT: In the Bible, we read about the Babylonian Exile, where Jews from Jerusalem were taken captive as prisoners by King Nebuchadnezzar and forced to leave their homes and move to Babylon and serve the king. Daniel and his friends were only teenagers when they were taken captive; they were members of the Jewish royal family and were treated well by the Babylonians. They weren't even given much time to pack their belongings before they had to leave!

ASK: How do you think the boys felt about being forced from their homes and taken to Babylon?  How would YOU have felt?  What questions do you think they'd have for GOD about their predicament?

SAY: The very first thing they would need to "pack" for this difficult journey is lots of courage and trust. But they probably also packed a bag with clothing, bedding, extra shoes, special keepsake items, and food.

ASK: What would you take with you if you could only take what you could carry? (take all answers)

SAY & DO: Let's pack our own journey bags to take with us for our trip today. Give each traveler their own "Journey Bag,"

• Write your name on your journey bag (hand out bags)
• Be sure you have a copy of the map in your bag! (hand out maps)
  
  

SAY: You'll need to leave some room in your bag to collect souvenirs along the way. These will help you to remember the trip so you can tell your family all about it!

ACTIVITY: Play a trumpet blast and cry out a decree that the students' army and king have been defeated and that "some of you" are being forced out of the city to go live in Babylon. Then call out their names and make them line up! (If you like costumes or acting, this might be a good time to get a "Babylonian Soldier" volunteer to do the exiling and have them travel with you to the stations.)

SAY: Uh-oh! It's time for us to leave now. Everyone have their journey bags? When we study God's Word, we invite the Holy Spirit to guide and refresh us on our way, so let's pray for our journey before we leave! Say a quick prayer and proceed to Station 1.

Journey Station 1: Leaving Jerusalem & Map Orienting

ARRIVE at the map station and gather around a globe, world map, or Google Map.

ASK students to locate Israel, the Euphrates River, and Babylon. Note the modern day countries there and share a bit of current-events with older students who may be aware of what's happening in that part of the world.

INTRODUCE the JOURNEY MAP created for this lesson. Have each student get out their own map.

POINT OUT where Jerusalem is today (Israel) on the Journey Map.

SAY and TRACE: Daniel's exile journey will take us from the Temple in Jerusalem through the land of Mesopotamia, over the Syrian desert, and along the famous Euphrates River. We'll stop for a snack along the river before heading into the magnificent ancient city of Babylon.

ASK: What's your best guess of how many miles Daniel's journey will cover?  (accept guesses)
900 miles. When Ezra returned from the Babylonian Exile to Jerusalem, it took him four months!  Yes, the exile would end, and people would be returned to Jerusalem, but it took about 70 years for that to happen.

SAY: Let's think about what it might have looked like for so many people to be leaving Jerusalem. Let's look at a famous painting that imagines what it might have looked like.

SCAN the QR Code to show an artist's painting of people leaving Jerusalem (shown below)

ASK: Can you spot the Babylonian soldiers in the image? What expressions are on the faces of the Jewish exiles? Was this going to be a fun trip?

SHARE THESE MAP FACTS:

1. The trip would have taken Daniel and his friends around 3  to 4 months to walk, in part because...
2. The walking would have been challenging. They would have walked through a rocky wilderness outside Jerusalem, then they would have walked through the Syrian desert along dusty roads.
3. Altogether, they were going about 900 miles to get from Jerusalem to Babylon. That's like going from Kansas City to Denver, across the whole state of Kansas!  And they didn't take a straight route. Rather, they followed rivers and walked around mountains.

ASK: How would you feel knowing you had a difficult journey ahead of you? How important will "courage" and "trusting God" be to Daniel for his journey?

JOURNEY SOUVENIR: Hand out one compass to each child. Explain that a compass always points to the north pole. That means that no matter where we go, this compass will always tell us which direction is north, which means we can also figure out where east, west, and south are!  Explain that our faith in God is like this compass. No matter where we go in this life, our faith and trust in God will always  point us to God and God's right way of doing things and treating other people. You may keep the compass out as we travel, but be sure to put it in your journey bag to take home.

WALK: As we travel from Jerusalem to Babylon, we'll be "captives" alongside Daniel and his friends. Hang on to a knot on this knotted rope and that will help us stay together as we're led away from our home in Jerusalem.

ASK: Is it hard or easy to walk when you are "tied" to other people? (take answers)

MOVE to the Station 2 sign.

Journey Station 2: Walking Along the Euphrates River

ARRIVE & ASK: Where are we on the map? We've arrived along the famous Euphrates River.

SCAN THE QR CODE to show the photo of the Euphrates River (shown below). Does this look like a good place to rest and maybe take a swim? Do you think Daniel and his friends swam in this river? (Probably!)

SAY & DO: Let's stop for a water and snack break! Our snack will be a snack that Daniel and his friends ate, too. Along the Euphrates River are palm trees, but they do not make coconuts--they make dates! Dates are very sweet and sticky. (hand out water bottles and pitted dates)

POINT OUT: The Euphrates River is the longest river in western Asia! The Euphrates is often mentioned with its twin river, the Tigris, because together they weave through the land of ancient Mesopotamia (which means "the land between the rivers"). Can you find it on our map? Where does the Euphrates start and end? (The Euphrates begins way up high in the mountains of Turkey and then flows southeast through Syria and Iraq, and then it joins the Tigris River and drains into the Persian Gulf.)

The Jews believe the Garden of Eden was near these two rivers. And Abraham and Sarah were born just north of here in the Land of Ur.

REFLECT: Remember how God asked Abraham to leave Mesopotamia and go to a place he'd never seen or been -- the land of Canaan (Israel). Abraham trusted God and went where God led him, And because of his courage and trust, Abraham and Sarah are the ancestors of many nations, including Israel.

JOURNEY SOUVENIR: I bet that Daniel and his friends thought of this, too. So to help us remember the courage and trust of Abraham here in this place, and now Daniel and his friends, you'll each receive a souvenir of knotted rope! Go ahead and put some knots into your rope. (hand out rope and let them put knots in it)

ASK: Whose rope/lead do you follow? Do some people want to lead you in the wrong direction? Do some people want you to make the wrong decisions? Just like our compass guides us, as followers of Jesus we have things we can "HOLD ONTO"  for direction -- can you name any?  How about other people?  How about the Bible?  How about the Holy Spirit!!  Being guided by God is really important, especially when you feel like you're in a strange new place.

WALK: We're still captives with Daniel and his friends on the way to Babylon. Hang on to a knot on this knotted rope as we walk to the next station, but always remember you are not a slave to Jesus, you are his follower and you always want to go where Jesus guides.

Journey Station 3: Arriving in Ancient Babylon

ARRIVE & ASK: Where are we on the map? We've arrived in ancient Babylon, in modern-day Iraq.

SCAN the QR code to show the photo of the Ishtar Gate of Babylon (shown below).

POINT OUT: This is the Ishtar Gate--look how huge it is compared to the people! This is the "front door" that people walked through to enter the magnificent ancient city of Babylon. Daniel and his friends would have walked through this gate! The decoration of the gate has dragons, bulls, and lions, representing the gods of Babylon. This impressive gate is still intact but it is not in Iraq; instead, it is at a special museum in Berlin, Germany (that's where the archaeologist who found it took it to keep it safe).

Babylon was an ancient city on the Euphrates River and was one of the most important cities in Mesopotamia. It was the capital of several ancient empires, including the Babylonian Empire (early in Daniel's captivity) and the Persian Empire (when Daniel was an old man). This ancient city lies in ruins today south of the town of Baghdad, the current capital of Iraq.

SAY: We're going to watch a short video that will help us remember what happened to Daniel and his friends in Babylon with King Nebuchadnezzar. Watch for the Ishtar Gate right at the beginning of the video!

WATCH: God's Story: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego

SAY: As soon as Daniel and his friends arrived in Babylon, the king forced them to change their names, after the gods (idols) of ancient Babylon. Daniel's name was changed to Belteshazzar; Hananiah was changed to Shadrach; Mishael to Meshach; and Azariah to Abednego.

JOURNEY SOUVENIR ~ WRITE YOUR NAME IN CUNEIFORM:
Now it's time for you to receive a new Babylonian name! Like Daniel and his friends, your name will be written in ancient cuneiform language. "Cuneiform" means wedge-shaped, so the letters are made up of wedge-like symbols. Use the Cuneiform Name Worksheet to write the letters of your name in cuneiform on your journey bag, next to your name in English.

REFLECTION: No matter how far or how wide you roam, or whatever name people call you, do not abandon your God (that's a frequent reminder in the Old Testament).

CUNEIFORM MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY:
Like Daniel and his friends, you're learning to read and write a new language. Cuneiform was written on clay tablets; clay is a bit messy and takes days to dry, so we'll write on modern paper. (Hand out one  worksheet to each child -- there are two different worksheets, one for grades 2-6, and one for grades K-2.)

This worksheet has a tablet with a message in cuneiform that you must decipher. The message comes from the story of the Fiery Furnace! Use the cuneiform alphabet key to figure out the message and spell it out in English. Once you've figured it out, let's all say it together! Be sure to pack this in your journey bag to take home.

Complete and Pray this Closing Prayer

Students may fill in the blanks as a group, or complete this individually and share their prayers.

Dear God, give me ________ to be like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego!
Help me to be ___________ to those who feel like strangers, left out, and unwelcome.
And Lord, help me to serve you in these places in my life:  __________,  __________, and _____________.
Amen.

Adaptations

For Younger Students:

Give less background detail. Focus on one question per station.

For Older Students:

For older students, consider using the Google Earth presentation about the journey using "fly-in" maps, photos, videos, and street views as they follow the narrative. See it described below.

Consider having the older students set up, staff, and teach the stations to a younger group of students.

For Those With More Class Time:

Add the reading of the Writing Team's illustrated Daniel 6 Storybook (Daniel in the Lions' Den) to the lesson.

For At-Home Use:

Have different family members set up and lead each station.

Send home the link to a 3D Google Earth presentation of Daniel's journey. Note that depending on the computer's speed and internet connection, it may take a minute or two to load. See the additional instructions below.

For a Shorter/Simpler lesson plan:

Eliminate Station 2: Euphrates River, or remove the cuneiform "name" activity.

For Those With Limited Space:

Have each station in a box that you can switch out. Journey around the classroom or in/out of the classroom using the hallway outside the classroom.

Set up the journey stations outdoors.

For those with MULTIPLE groups taking the journey at the same time:

If you want to have MULTIPLE groups traveling the Journey Stations during the same class time, consider starting all the groups together at Station 0. Then start the younger group at Station 1, and have the older group start at Station 3 and then go to 1 and 2.

If you are having an event or have extra time, you could also spread out the groups by adding another stop before or after the stations to see a Book of Daniel overview video or share one of the storybooks or other resources.

Tech Help for Showing a YouTube Video

If your classroom doesn't have wired or Wi-Fi Internet access, you can use your cellphone or tablet's internet connection to access YouTube (learn how here) and play videos on a larger screen (learn how to do that here) by using a special inexpensive cable that connects your phone to your TV.

If you won't have internet access and need to download a video from YouTube and play it on a device in your classroom, read this how-to article at Rotation.org. Likewise, you can download and print the photos in advance.

Tech Help for Scanning a QR Code

A "QR Code" is a symbol that you point your tablet or cellphone camera at. This prompts your device to open the image in your device's web browser. The QR Codes in this lesson open an image stored at Rotation.org, meaning you can also view and save them to your device ahead of time if you won't have internet access in your classroom.  You could print the images if you have a good color printer. All of the images used to make the QR Codes are in this public folder at Rotation.org.

Take your students on a Google Earth Exploration of Daniel's Exile Journey

Go to our online Google Earth presentation of the real routes in Daniel's Exile Journey.

The program should open in the Projects view, with a title and description at the top. Use this to introduce the story to the students.

A few helpful tips for using Google Earth:

• It may take a few minutes (or longer if you have an old, slow computer) to initially load depending on your Internet speed. Be patient and don't panic!
• Modern highways, roads, and borders are labeled on this map, which do not correspond to our lesson stop markers (see our list below the description; each of our lesson stops are labeled with numbers to match the Daniel's Exile Journey).
• If you accidentally navigate away from this Projects view, no worries! Simply go to the left sidebar to the column of icons and select the third icon from the bottom that looks like a map pin, or an upside down tear drop on a piece of paper (if you mouse over it it will say Projects).