JOSEPH AND HIS BROTHERS
Can good come from evil?
1. WORKSHEET: Ideas are tricky to convey in a second language class! Illustrations can be more powerful than words–especially in the realm of ideas! Print a “cartoon” worksheet for each student to fill in and keep.
2. VOCABULARY: Learning new vocabulary words can become tedious. Try exercises that train students to think and use reasoning skills while they learn new vocabulary.
A. Favorite: The one liked the most or the best.
B. Jealous: To envy someone or want what someone has.
C. Dream: Something thought or seen when sleeping.
D. Bow down: To bend your knees and lower your head.
E. Hate: Opposite of love.
F. Loyal: To be faithful to a cause, ideal, custom, institution, product, or person.
G. Honest: To tell the truth.
H. Refuse: To say no.
I. Warning: To tell about a danger in advance.
J. Punish: To cause to suffer for doing something wrong.
K. Forgive: To pardon or not punish.
COMPETITION
A. Before class write the list of vocabulary words on the board.
B. Pronounce each word. Students repeat.
C. Explain the contest! Teams of 2-3 race to look up the words and compose one example sentence using the word. First team to give the definition and use the word correctly in a sentence scores 2 points. Other teams can score 2 points for a correct sentence.
D. Do all the vocabulary words in turn.
3. PRICE TAGS: Mystery Bag
Use the Mystery Box/Bag to create curiosity about the lesson
A. Collect items before class and put them in the Mystery Box/Bag: 6 – 8 price tags. Write prices on each tag: $5.00, $25.00, $100.00, $250.00, $500.00, $750.00, $10,000.00. Place the price tags in the bag so you can pull them out in numerical order $5.00 to $10,000.
B. MYSTERY: Have all the students gather around so they can see. Create a bit of suspense and drama! Pull out the first price tag. Ask the class to look around the room and decide what they would be willing to pay $5.00 for — perhaps a book or other items. Continue with each price tag. When you get to the $10,000 price tag, ask what they would pay $10,000 for – give time to think, prompt if necessary. Ask them about paying $10,000 to buy someone’s brother, a classmate, a girlfriend/boyfriend, or the teacher!
4. CHARLIE CHAPLIN DIALOG: Charlie Chaplin was the star of silent movies. Silent movies were popular in the early 20th century because new immigrants to the US could enjoy them without knowing English. This clever type of dialog and activity introduces the theme of the lesson.
A. Write the dialog on a paper. Ask two volunteers to come to the front and say the dialog to the class three times.
B. The fourth time, the two volunteers are silent — just mouth the words– while the class says the dialog aloud! Prompt them if necessary.
DIALOG:
A: Did you hear François scored 100% on the exam?
B: That’s great news!
A: No it’s not. I’m jealous! I wanted to make the top mark.
B: Instead of being jealous, why don’t you study harder?
4. PERSONAL STORY: Can you guess what Book is 10% exposition, 15% poetry, and 75% narrative/story? Story is powerful. Personal stories are a good device to reveal something about yourself, your dreams, your ideas, or experiences.
A. Tell about a time when you forgave someone — or someone forgave you.
B. Students tell their group/neighbor about a time they forgave someone — or were forgiven.
5. JOSEPH AND HIS BROTHERS: Story
Language class is very predictable — with drills and recitation. Theatre in the
classroom is magic. To pretend and imagine is universal.
A. Listen to the podcast and rehearse telling the story before class.
B. This is theater. Select volunteers to be the actors and perform the story. Get as many students involved as possible. Use simple signs and props to make the story come alive!
C. You TELL the story and the actors act. If you have a large class let many groups perform at once!
6. QUESTIONS: Tic Tac Toe
Questions can teach students HOW to think rather than WHAT to think.
Ask questions that will require reason and imagination.
Draw the Tic Tac Toe Board on the blackboard. Make two Teams: Ask the first person from Team “X” a question. If correct, that team puts an “X” on the Tic Tac Toe Board. Team “O” gets the next question. Continue asking questions until one team wins.
A. How many sons did Jacob have?
B. Which son was his favorite?
C. Spell “jealous.”
D. If you were Joseph’s brothers — what bad things would you have done to him?
E. Pretend you knew there would be no food soon–what is your idea?
G. What is something difficult for you to forgive?
I. Why do you think Joseph forgave his brothers?
J. Why do you think his brothers were surprised?
K. If Joseph had committed adultery what might have happened?
L. Do you think it was easy for Joseph to refuse Mrs. Potiphar?
7. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?: Begin re-telling the story line-by-line — but stop and let the students yell out the end of each line.
8. ADULTERY AND PROMISCUITY: TV Commercial
Apply the ideas in the lesson in an imaginary TV commercial.
Promiscuity – sex outside of marriage.
Adultery – a husband or wife having sex with another man or woman.
Groups: Men and women in separate groups!
A. Are humans different than animals when it comes to sex?
B. If your boyfriend or girlfriend is having a sex with someone else is that OK?
C. What health dangers come from promiscuity and adultery?
D. Where do we get the rules that guide our thinking and choices about sex?
E. Does promiscuity and adultery bring strength or weakness to a marriage? Why?
TV COMMERCIAL
Teams create a 30SEC TV commercial about how promiscuity influences families. Perform for the class. Vote which one is the best.
9. RE-TELL THE STORY
A. Make small groups. Each group will pretend a pen/pencil is the microphone.
Have one student begin telling the story. When you give a signal they are to pass the microphone and the next student shall continue the story. Continue until all have a turn. The last person should finish the story.
B. Then mix up the students and divide them into new groups to re-tell the story again.
10. JOSEPH’S COAT: Song
Songs are a pronunciation drill in disguise!
A. If you wish – make up hand motions to the song.
B. VERSE 1: Say NOT SING the first line — the class repeats. Say NOT SING the next line — the class repeats. Each line in turn. Then sing the first line to the class -– then the class sings.
Then teach the rest of the song line by line, verse by verse.
C. At last sing the song!
D. YOU TUBE: Search for Joseph’s Coat — the words begin at the 2:32MIN mark.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=34knEZpqyyQ
From THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT
By Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber
Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber is a British composer. He studied history at Magdalen College, Oxford, but preferred musical theatre and enrolled at the Royal College of Music.
His musicals are: Phantom of the Opera, CATS, Evita, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.