Seminary Teaching Ideas for LDS
- The LDS Church seminary program teaches the scriptures to high school-age youth.Mormon Temple image by dwight9592 from Fotolia.com
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), better known as the Mormon Church, is a worldwide Christian religion with a strong focus on family, education, genealogy, and humanitarian aid. The LDS seminary program is a four-year study program for high school-age members of the church. Aimed at teaching the scriptures, i.e., sacred writings, of the church to its young members, the seminary program incorporates scripture study and practical application. - This is a classic activity aimed at helping students develop knowledge of the chronology of books and chapters in the four Standard Works of scripture: the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price. In the scripture chase, the teacher calls out a scripture. Students turn to this scripture in their books. Prizes are awarded for those who score highest in reaching the scriptures first. An added level of complexity involves having students then recite the verse from memory, especially if it is one of the "scripture mastery" verses which students are expected to memorize during the course of seminary.
- Acting out stories from the four Standard Works is a great way to break up the normal routine of class discussion. For seminary students participating in early-morning seminary programs, where students study for an hour before the start of high school each day, it's also a good way to get the blood flowing early in the morning. Students can pick characters from stories being studied, then put on a skit or role-play to act out the story. This is also helpful because it guides student thinking about the scripture message--what principles they can apply in their lives, how they can teach these stories to other people, and so on. Students can also act out situations from their own lives to which they would like to apply a particular idea or principle from church teachings.
- Staging a debate during a seminary class gives students the opportunity to talk about issues they face on a day-to-day basis within the context of LDS church teachings, posing questions and considering different viewpoints in a safe environment. The teacher may assign a pro and contra position and let students prepare for the debate in advance. This activity can also be used as a way to bring to life scripture stories, many of which present the reader with different or opposing viewpoints on specific issues.
