Summary of Lesson Activity 

Drama Technique: "Rush Drama" or "Station" Dramas, which in this lesson are named "Jacob's Run Around Drama."

Students will use the attached handout to complete "Rush Drama" scripts for each of the 7 Jacob story episodes. They will then take turns rushing through all 7 script stations to dramatize Jacob's story arc in a fun and memorable way. 

In the first Rush Drama Round, the teacher walks the class through each station where they learn what to do and say. In Round Two, teams compete to rush through the drama stations, -getting as much right as they can. In Round Three, they dramatize it even faster and are videotaped. During the reflection, students view the video and conclude with God's blessing of Jacob in Genesis 28.

This lesson uses repetition, and the students' kinesthetic (movement) learning intelligence (including body language and facial expressions) to remember, understand and have fun learning the story.

Scripture 

Stations in the Rush Drama:

Station 1. Genesis 25:19-34 (Birth and then Jacob steals the birthright)

Station 2. Genesis 27:1-44 (Jacob steals the blessing)

Station 3. Genesis 27:41-43 (Jacob flees) and Genesis 28:10-16 (Jacob dreams)

Station 4. Genesis 29:13-27 (Laban tricks Jacob, marriage to Leah and Rachel)
 

Station 5. Genesis 31:1-7, 17, 22-31 (Jacob flees from Laban and is finally released)

Station 6. Genesis 32:22-30 (Jacob wrestles with God)

Station 7. Genesis 33:1-11 (Jacob and Esau reconciled)

Memory Verse used in the Reflection

God's promise to Jacob at Bethel: "Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Genesis 28:15 (NRSV)

Objectives for the Rotation 

See Bible Background.

Objectives for this Workshop 

Preparation 

• Read Bible Background, scripture and lesson.
• Assemble props for the stations.
• Print the 7 Story Station sheets attached to this lesson.

Props and Supplies Needed:

• Bibles (one for every station)
• Each student gets a goofy oval of brown funfur, with the center cut out so that it fits over the top of their head and around their chin to make a beard and hairy top. They will wear these in the reflection as well, and take these home as a reminder of Jacob.
• A Golden Crown for the person portraying God in the episodes
• A ladies hat (for Rachel)
• A man's hat (for Laban)
• One red hairy Esau beard (again, made out of fun fur)
• Misc fun costumes for various stations (if you have them)
• Markers to write on scripts

Episode Stations: Instructions and Options

In the lesson's first step, students will be paired up and assigned one of the seven Jacob Episodes to read and complete that station's drama handout.

These completed scripts will then be posted around the room to create the seven drama stations. The scripts cue the actors what to do at the station. They are free to elaborate.

Adjusting for Number of Children

 

8 children (4 pairs)

 

Ideal number to have time to do all stations.

Less than 8 children (Smaller Group Options):

If you have three pairs of kids in your class (6 total kids), they will only be able to work on three of the seven episode/station scripts prior to playing the Rush Drama game. Here are some options:  

1. Have the teacher prepare some of the episode scripts themselves in advance.
2. Have pairs do more than one episode script.
3. Combine or delete episode stations 4 and 5 to reduce the total # of stations to five. i.e. Eliminate the Laban episodes.

More than 8 children (Larger Group Options):

 

If you have more than 8 students, consider the "Intergenerational/Large Group Adaptation" found at the end of this lesson plan.

 

Odd number of children - either have the teacher or a helper (if you have one) pair up with one of the children.

The Station Scripts doc is found in the file attached to this lesson at rotation.org. It is a Word document so you can make changes.

Lesson Plan "Jacob's Run Around Drama"

Open 

• Welcome students and introduce today's lesson plan by giving the following instructions:
  
  Say: Today we will be splitting into groups for about 10 minutes. Each group will be given one episode of the Jacob story to read, answer a question about, and then finish a fun script which you will then get to dramatize in our "Jacob's Run Around Drama" game (aka, a "rush drama").

If your story needs a prop, you will need to quickly make it using materials in the classroom. I have some props already, such as these Jacob beards for everyone to use as needed, and one red beard & hair for Esau.

When all of you are finished reading your assigned story and writing the scripts, we will hang them in order around the classroom as "drama stations." 

We will then play several rounds of "Jacob's Run Around Drama" where you and your pair partner will be running from station to station saying and acting out each team's script. The first time we'll walk through it slowly together, the second time fast in your pairs, and the third time super fast while videotaping you!

Ready? Let's get into pairs and start working on the script handouts.

Drama Prep

Circulate around the classroom, working with each pair to complete the handout. Include props on the script that the actors at your station must use.

Tell them that each station's action and dialog will last no longer than 20 seconds. Also tell them not to copy quotes from the Bible. Instead, make it their own.

Play "Jacob's Run Around Drama"

Round One: "The Practice Round"

Lead your entire class to each station, and have the students who prepared that station lead everyone in the dialog and actions they came up with for their episode. This will get everyone knowing what to do. Use this walk-through to make final suggestions to the script and actions, and to make comments about the characters and meaning of the episode. 

At Station 1, show them the hairpieces each person in the pair will wear when they get to the station:   Jacob's Hair-Beard, Esau's Red Hair and Beard, God's Big Crown, and the hats. (Note: Everyone gets their own Jacob hair-beard to take home, whether they use it in the drama or not, and the Jacob hair is used in the reflection as well.)

How to Play Rounds 2 and 3:

Say:  When I say "go," the first pair of students rushes to Station 1 and begins acting out the script, then rushes to Station 2, and so on until they have completed them all, This should take about 2 to 3 minutes per team.  

Be as accurate as possible, but also feel free to improve on the script and actions. And remember to use all the props. Most of all, speak up and move fast!

Teaching Tip:  Take a moment between each pair to make suggestions and suggest adjustments to improve the fun, the acting, and the meaning.

Round Two:  Speed It Up!

Have the class stand back as each pair of students takes a turn rushing through the 7 stations while everyone watches. Tell them to work fast, but include all 3-say and 3-do items at each station.

Round Two-B:  Make the teachers do the Rush Drama! Kids will love that. 

Round Three:  "The Videotape Round"

Repeat round 2, but faster and videotape it. Then reflect.

Reflect

View the videotape and pause to ask the following as a pretext for making observations and asking follow-up questions.

Review some of the questions and answers on the handout. In particular, zero-in on the fact that Jacob not only encountered God and felt blessed by God (starting with his wives and children), but Jacob had many years to realize he had been wrong.

Also look at Station 7's question about what may have changed Esau's heart?  Perhaps living with Isaac all those years made him realize he didn't lose his father's blessing?

Ask: If you had to sum up what all these stories are trying to say, what would you say?

Close in a circle and lay your hand on each of your "Jacob's" (wearing their Jacob hairpieces) to give them the same blessing that God gave Jacob in the vision of the stairway to heaven in Genesis 28:15, with some added wording: 

Closing Blessing: "Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; =even when you sin, even when you act like a jerk, and even when you want to wrestle with me=, ...for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." 

 Open the attachment linked at the bottom of this lesson post to save and/or print the Station Scripts Handout that the students will need to complete.

 
Additional Suggestions 

Intergenerational or Large Groups:   

If you have more than four pairs of students taking turns rushing through the stations, it will take too long for all pairs to get through 3 rounds. So instead, for larger groups, assign your student pairs to specific stations and do not have them rush between stations. Rather, have them stay at their station and dramatize it to the rest of the group ON CUE!  Everyone will get to see each station's drama. Do all three rounds so that they'll all watch each other's rushed dramas, and try to out-do each other in Round 3.  Just make sure that the Jacob, God and Esau actors are clearly identifiable through beards/props/costumes.

Written by Neil MacQueen for the Rotation.org Writing Team

Copyright © 2015 by Rotation.org 

Printed from https://www.rotation.org