Post your videos suggestions, lessons, and ideas for teaching the story of Joseph.
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Summary of Lesson Activities:
The children will learn the story of Joseph from his colored coat to being appointed Ruler in Egypt by watching the excellent "Joseph in Egypt" video from Nest Entertainment followed by questions/discussion.
Note: Nest sells two Joseph DVDs: Joseph in Egypt (how he got there) and Joseph's Reunion (with his brothers). This lesson uses Joseph in Egypt.
See a preview of this DVD on YouTube.
Scripture Reference:
Genesis 37:36, Genesis 39:1-23, Genesis 40:1-22, & Genesis 41:1-45
Post the two Bible memory verses (Psalm 46:1 and Psalm 9:10); the children should already have their own copies. Repeat these two verses with the class before beginning to teach the lesson.
Preparation and Supplies:
Welcome the children and their guide(s) to the workshop, introduce yourself, and open in prayer.
Give a brief review, asking for children to volunteer what they remember of the various parts of the story before you show the video.
WRITE on the Board several "Questions to Answer" and "Things to Look for" in the video. (get your questions from the discussion questions below).
Show the video Animated Stories: Joseph in Egypt by Nest Entertainment (1990).
Discussion possibilities:
Closing:
End with a large circle of prayer. Remind children that next week we start a new rotation, and during that time we will be continuing the story of Joseph when we watch the video "Joseph's Reunion.
NOTE: We do our video workshop all together on the last Sunday of rotation, serving popcorn with the video. Sometimes we add a “games” section at this time; we also precede and follow the video with a brief discussion. We have a drawing for “attendance prizes”. Each week of rotation the children put their names on tickets that are saved for the fourth Sunday, when there is a drawing for prizes. Sometimes we also add a missionary story feature to the video Sunday to teach about the places that our Sunday school offering is used (it’s all used in missions).
A Sunday School lesson written by rotation.org member "lerner" from: Silverdale UMC
Silverdale, WA
Additional Resources:
DVD Chapter Index & Timings - Joseph in Egypt
The children will learn the beginning story of Joseph, from his colored coat to being sold to slave traders. We will watch and discuss a portion of the video "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" based on the story and discuss differences with the account in the Bible. They will discuss how God was with Joseph, just as He is with us today.
Genesis 37:1-36; 39:1-6b
Memory Verse: Romans 8:28a
The children will:
Advanced Preparation Requirements:
Greet the children and introduce yourself. Tell them what they will be learning today.
SAY:
We are learning (continuing to learn) about the story of Joseph and about how he was the only one in his family to receive a fancy coat from his father. We’ll also look at how his brothers reacted. Today we’re going to watch a video about this story.
First, let’s begin with prayer.
A suggestion: “Dear God, Thank you for this day. Thank you for sending Jesus to always be with us. We feel comforted when we remember you always love us. (End with the Lord’s Prayer) Amen.”
DO: Show the box the video came in.
ASK: Has anyone ever seen this video, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat?
SAY: This video tells a Bible story.
ASK: What can you tell me about the story of Joseph?
See how much of the story your group knows.
DO: On the white board easel, draw words and symbols to represent the different parts of the story as they are offered. At this time, don’t fill in any left out portions of the story.
ASK: Do you know where in the Bible would we find this story? In the Old Testament; in Genesis.
SAY: The Old Testament includes stories that happened before Jesus was born. In fact, Jesus would have learned this story when he was your age.
ASK: We find our story in the first book of the Old Testament. Does anyone know what the first book of the Old Testament is? Genesis
DO: Distribute Bibles. One to every two children is fine.
SAY: We say that the book of Genesis is part of a collection of Bible books called “Law.” Law books include the first five books of the Bible. They are called the books of Law because they include the commandments or laws that God revealed to his people.
When we watch our video we’re going to be checking to see how well it tells the story from the Bible. So let’s find our story in Genesis.
DO: Have them find Genesis, chapter 37.
SAY: This is a long story. In order to have enough time to watch our video, we are just going to read parts from the Bible. I encourage all of you to read this story at home this week. It covers all of chapter 37 and the first part of chapter 39.
Based on how much of the story the students knew, read only the portions that were missed, interspersed with reiterating what the students have told you (referring to what was written on the white board). Just going over the highlights may be sufficient.
Collect bibles when done.
Highlights If needed, read referenced scripture.
SAY: There is a bit more to our story but let’s watch the video. Note that this video pretends that the story is a play – actually an opera because everything is sung – that is being performed for a school program. There is a Narrator that helps tell the story; this is a woman with blond hair.
START at Ch 4 (Previously cued) Point out Narrator and Jacob without stopping video. The women with the funny hats are all of his wives.
PAUSE at 13.24 Song ends with “…and blue!” and the screen turns blue.
ASK:
SAY: Jacob had four wives but the Bible tells us that Rachel was his favorite.
One of the things we learn about Joseph is that he has interesting dreams.
ASK:
PLAY Ch 5 Jacob tosses one of his son’s a shepherd’s staff.
PAUSE 16.22 “Dreamer has to go.” Next scene shows Narrator walking in sand dunes.
ASK:
SAY:
In the Bible, is doesn’t say that Joseph bragged. Most movies show it that way because that’s what we imagine happened. But we really don’t know.
ASK:
PLAY Ch 6 Narrator is walking in sand dunes.
STOP 24:31 End of song. “die”
ASK:
SAY:
So the lies begin. They sell Joseph as a slave and then plot to tell their father Jacob that he died
ASK
SAY:
You may never have felt like you didn’t know what was going to happen to you, but no matter what, know that God is with you. God was with Joseph. Listen to this…
Refer to the key Bible verse on the bulletin board. Have students say it with you:
"We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him." Romans 8:28a (NIV)
SAY:
That little “a” after the 28 means that we stop reading after the first sentence in that is in verse 28. Have students say the verse again.
SAY:
Things don’t look very good for Joseph right now – his brothers have sold him as a slave and his father thinks that he’s dead. All his life Joseph has been told that he is special, that God has a plan for him.
ASK:
SAY:
All his life Joseph has been told that he is special, that God has a plan for him.
Read to them Genesis 39:2a. "The Lord was with Joseph. He gave him great success." (NIRV)
Closing
SAY: Because I know the ending of this story, I can tell you that this story of Joseph teaches us how to deal with difficulty in our lives. Always remember that God loves you and is always with you no matter what.
May close in prayer.
Filler Time (if needed):
Pass the Popcorn, Please
Review the Bible Verse, Romans 8:28, with the children. Say a phrase, have them repeat it. Do this a few times. Then have children stand in a circle. Give the bag of popcorn to one child. That child says the first word of the verse, takes one piece of popcorn and passes the box to the next child. Second child says second word, and so on until the verse is completed. The child who is next in the circle gets to say the entire verse. Children continue passing popcorn and saying the verse.
The “Overview” and “1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade DVD” portion of this lesson were obtained from:
• Hulbert, Carol. "Joseph’s Coat: Video Workshop." Jan. 2010. Copyright 2010, First United Methodist Church, Ann Arbor, MI.
The remaining portion of this lesson was written by Ann L. Wright, Children’s Ministry Director, Saint Andrews Presbyterian Church, Raleigh, NC, https://sapc.com/
MacQueen, Neil. "A Brief Introduction to Teaching with Video.” https://www.rotation.org/topic...-video--a-v-workshop 1) Use the PAUSE button at key places. It's your most powerful "video" teaching tool, not only to make sure they get it, but to give their brains time to process what they've just seen before they move on. Some kid’s videos are breathless in pace. 2) Don't be afraid to view an important scene a second time. Kids (and adults) watch movies over and over all the time. Point out facial expressions, reactions, things happening in the background, etc.
A lesson written by Ann Wright from Saint Andrew's Presbyterian Church
Raleigh, NC
A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.
Summary of Lesson Activities:
The children will learn the story of Joseph, from his imprisonment to reunion with his father. We will watch and discuss a portion of the video "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" based on the story with questions/discussion.
Scripture:
Genesis 37:19-23; 40-46
Lesson Objective(s):
In this workshop, the learners will finish watching the video of Joseph’s story.
Before Class Starts
Greet the children and introduce yourself. Remember that you are interacting with a different group of students each week—some may not know you.
Explain that they are going to see a musical about the Bible story of Joseph.
Prior to showing the video, share key concepts and ideas. Write out on the board several questions the children will be asked to answer at the end of the video.
The part of the video to be watched takes about 45 minutes.
There probably won’t be time for closure, but if there is you can ask: We see that God was with Joseph through his life. How did a bad thing turn out good?
Say a prayer of your own to close the workshop, or use the following:
Loving God, thank you for your faithfulness and for showing it in the story of Joseph. Amen.
A lesson written by Jan Marshall from: Brenthaven Cumberland Presbyterian
Brentwood, TN
A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.
Joseph in Egypt
Movie Workshop
Summary of Lesson Activities:
The children will watch the VeggieTales video, "The Ballad of Little Joe" and will consider how to turn to God in the hard times.
Scripture Reference: Genesis 40:1 - 47:12
Memory Verse: Romans 8:28
Additional objectives for the Movie Workshop
At the end of the session, the students will
Bible Background is found here.
Preparation and Materials:
Lesson Plan
Opening
Greet the children and explain what they will be learning today.
“Today we are going to have some fun seeing the rest of the story of Joseph and his brothers. What do you remember about Joseph from our last rotation?” [Prompt if necessary to review the story of Jacob’s 12 sons, the jealousy over the coat, Joseph being thrown into a pit and sold to slave traders, and Joseph ending up in jail after the incident with Potiphar’s wife.]
Scripture/Bible Story
Read a portion of the scripture: “This rotation’s story is too long to read the whole story, so we will read this section and then see the whole story in the video. (Remember, we left Joseph in jail last rotation, which is where this Bible passage begins.)”:
Genesis 41: 14-40 (younger: Genesis 41: 14-16, 25-38).
[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.]
Does anyone know what a Western movie is? [Accept responses. If necessary, talk about Westerns in the western part of the U.S. with cowboys and saloons and sheriffs and tumbleweeds and whatnot.]
Well, today you are NOT going to see a Western movie. But you are going to see a Western-Bible story. Did the stories in the Bible take place in the wild, wild West? [Show on the globe or map where the western U.S. is and where the Egypt and Canaan are.] Not close, is it? But the Veggie Tales people had some fun with the story of Joseph and that’s what we are going to watch today.
While you’re watching the video:
Pass out wipes, popcorn and drinks.
Watch the Video
START the video at the beginning.
STOP the video after Little Joe is arrested and put in jail, even as he is protesting his innocence — “Tell it to the Judge.” (Right before the Silly Song 15:08.)
Say: Little Joe did the right thing when Miss Kitty encouraged him to steal the money. And he still ended up in jail.
Q How do you think he felt then? Do you think he was still happy he obeyed God and did not steal the money?
Q Little Joe has been hurt intentionally by both his brothers and Miss Kitty. How does it feel when someone hurts you on purpose?
Q I wonder why Little Joe is in jail? Did he do anything wrong? Do you think he told the truth? I wonder why no one believed him?
Q Any questions so far?
Say: “I am going to restart the video. First we will see something really silly. (If short on time skip the "Silly Song", jump to 19:21.)
STOP When the Sheriff says, “You’ve got the best attitude of any prisoner I’ve ever had. . . If God is really good, why is all this happening to you?” Notice how Little Joe answers.
START the video again.
STOP the video after Little Joe finishes praying: “..... Goodnight, God.”
Q Does Little Joe still have faith in God? I wonder why?
Say: It’s hard sometimes to have faith, isn’t it?
START the video again.
STOP the video after Little Joe gets all choked up talking to his brothers: “See the Sheriff .... Whatever you say.”
Q Did Little Joe recognize his brothers? (Remember, a number of years have passed and they think he is dead, so it is not surprising that they do not recognize him.)
Q I wonder why he doesn’t want them to know who he is? What do you think he is going to do?
START the video again.
STOP when credits roll (34:40).
Say: At the end of the video, Bob the Tomato said to Pete McGinnis, the boy who wrote the letter, “We learned God can use the good stuff and the bad stuff and put it all together to make something great!”
Joseph’s brothers did an evil thing: they sold him into slavery and lied to their father. God used this evil deed to bring about something good. Joseph was able to use his gifts to save the lives of his father and brothers and preserve God’s original covenant with Abraham. God always keeps his promises.
Q. I wonder, could something good come out of something bad in your life?
Say: Remember, those good things don’t always happen right away. Joseph was 17 years old when his brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt and he was 30 when the Pharaoh made him in charge — that was 13 years! And is was more than 7 more years before the famine reunited his family.
Let’s talk about the things that were changed in this video from the Bible story. [Help the children list as many as they can think of. Clarify ones that they are not clear about.] Here are some of the differences:
Reflect:
Say: In today's video Little Joe was really organized (remember, you could tell by looking in his sock drawer!) and did you notice how God used that gift for organizing, as He used Little Joe, to help His people.
What special gifts do you have?
[Make suggestions if the children seem to be slow coming up with ideas. You may want to list them on a whiteboard or flipchart. Some possibilities—good listener, organized, good artist, caring, considerate, hard worker, good helper, patient, good with animals, good cook, green thumb, good with little kids, creative, ...]
How can God use your special gift(s) to help someone through a hard time? (How can your gifts be used to help someone — maybe yourself, maybe a friend of family member.)
[Examples, using some of the above ideas:
good listener - letting others share when they are hurt or sad
organized - helping tidy up for someone who is ill
good artist - creating get well cards and sending to someone who is ill
good with animals - feeding your neighbors cat while they are in hospital]
Closing Prayer:
I am going to read a prayer that has time for you to think quietly and pray to God about what I just said. Let’s bow our heads and talk to God.
Gracious Father,
We praise You for using what others intended for evil to accomplish great good.
We thank You for Your blessings that never end.
We rejoice in the gifts You have given us that we can use in Your service.
We confess that sometimes we doubt You because hard things happen to us and life is sometimes difficult.
Please help us to have faith always, just as Joseph did, to know that all things work together for good for us because we love You.
Amen.”
Optional: You may wish to give the children a sticker to wear home as a reminder of the movie — maybe something silly like Veggie Tale stickers or Western/cowboy stickers.
Additional Suggestions
Younger Students: instead of reading the story from the bible use a bible picture story book.
Short on time: Skip over Silly Songs with Larry (Timing: 15:08-19:21=4:13). Skip the comparison between the Bible and Little Joe discussion.
Extra time:
Game: Found on the DVD menu under FUN - Family Time - Minefield Game. Block off an area with tape or cones and fill with minefield objects, examples: Bean Bags, Pieces of Paper. One person wears a blindfold and the others all call out directions to get them safely across, without stepping on a minefield. Afterwards sit down and discuss about Joseph being in Jail and how hard it must have been for him to trust God had a plan for his life.
Bible Memory Verse: Teach the children the memory verse using American Sign language (see below instructions).
Journal Activity: "God used “Little Joe’s” special gifts and talents for His purposes and I know God can use my special gifts and talents, too!" to think about how God uses people like Little Joe and Joseph and you for His purposes:
Older children: Write about ways your gifts can be used to do God’s work.
Younger children: Draw a picture of yourself using your gifts to help someone through a hard time. (Or dictate/write about using your gifts.)
Resources:
Joseph in Egypt
Memory Verse Sign Language
Romans 8:28 (NLT) And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
WE The index finger moves from one shoulder to the other shoulder.
KNOW The fingertips touch the forehead to indicate that knowledge is in the brain (hand flat, palm down).
GOD The open right hand is raised to the heavens and then downward in a sign of respect.
CAUSES Both S handshapes are thrown out from the front of the body (start with fists, palm side to chest, end with open hands extended, palm up).
EVERYTHING The signs EACH and THING are combined. EACH: one A handshape moves down the other A handshape; THING: the palm is facing upward and the hand bounces to the side to indicate different items (things).
WORK One S handshape taps the back of the other S handshape to represent the hands doing something (working).
TOGETHER The sign WITH is moved in a circle to represent many people are with one another (together). WITH: the A handshapes come together.
GOOD The hand moves forth from the mouth to the other hand. Something has been tasted and judged as being good; it is therefore offered to others.
LOVE The hands hug something over the heart to indicate the concept of love.
GOD The open right hand is raised to the heavens and then downward in a sign of respect.
CALLED One hand taps a single time on the other hand to get the attention of someone.
ACCORDING
HIS The open hand is associated with the concept of possession. When it is done in the same location as the sign HE it becomes HIS. (HE: the pronouns he, she, and it are indicated in signs by pointing to the side or pointing directly to the person or object being referred to.)
PURPOSE The signs THINK and MEAN are combined. THINK: the index finger touches the forehead which is the location of the mind. MEAN: V handshape presses down on the palm, moves up and twists, then presses down again.From the American Sign Language Browser: http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/browser.htm. You can see the signs demonstrated there.
A lesson written by Amy Crane from: River Community Church
Prairieville, LA
Updated by a member of the Rotation.org Content Team.
Review -- Posted by Nanci H
We used the Veggie Tales movie "Ballad of Little Joe" for our video workshop.
The kids really got a good handle on this very long story and remembered the sequence and events very well during discussions the next week.
Attached to this post is my full and free outline to Joseph, ~the full length movie starring Ben Kingsley as Potiphar and Paul Mercurio as Joseph.
This is the Joseph movie that's part of the 'TNT' Turner Bible Classic Movie series. It's widely available. While too lengthy for the average class, it is a wonderful movie to split into 3 or 4 classes, especially for Jr. and Sr. Highs.
My outline breaks the movie into logical teaching sections and suggests sections you could skip if short on time. Hope the outline helps you teach with the movie, it's one of my favorites in that series.
Neil
DVD - "Joseph & His Brothers" (Beginner's Bible)
Was re-released Sept. 22, 2015 in a collection called "Beginner's Bible Vol. 4". Great for your younger children. It includes 3 of the original titles: Joseph & His Brothers, Daniel & the Lion's Den, and The Battle of Jericho.
Update: Looks like they took this out of print as Beginner's Bible are now posting full episodes on YouTube, Joseph & His Brothers can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy1DpebexTQ .
Saddleback Kids has produced a number of free animated videos covering the Joseph story and posted them to YouTube. Suitable as intros to Bible study or in worship. Each is around 3 minutes long.
Here are two more short videos (less than four minutes) that nicely summarize Joseph's story in two parts (colorful coat and the full Egypt story). These would be great summaries of the full story to use in conjunction with reading parts of the scripture in any workshop. They are from PursueGodkids.org.
This song has a good summary of Joseph's story and life application points too.
You can read the lyrics here.
This does a good job of condensing the entire story of Joseph. It's entertaining and we like its last minute of summary which is great for memory retention.
COMPLETE LESSON SET: Joseph's Coat of Many Colors,Access to this requires a Supporting Membership.
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