Suggestions for Bible Stories to use in School

A set of examples of different styles of Biblical literature may be found elsewhere on this website, but if you wish to undertake an even more detailed topic on the contents of the Bible you could pick up either a character or theme running through the whole library of books. A good concordance will obviously be of great use here, but below you will also find a few suggestions of possible thematic groupings. Many of these stories can be found retold in Bible story books, some of which may be obtained through the Resources Centre at Ely. Many of these stories will be more easily understood by the children if they are retold by you and commented upon, rather than simply being read from the Bible. Art, music and drama may also prove appropriate.

KEY STAGE ONE

It is rather difficult to select stories from the Old Testament for KS1; many, even the old favourites such as Noah, contain a primitive, and what would now be regarded as questionable, picture of God if they are taken at face value. Most teachers will have favourite stories which they know will work with their own classes; this is a small selection.

Genesis chp 37. Joseph and his coat. Joseph is his father's favourite and a bit of a sneak, finally his jealous brothers "snap" (although their reaction does seem excessive!). Finally, of course, everyone is happily reunited in Egypt. An opportunity to talk about jealous feelings or sibling rivalry.

The princess rescues a baby (Moses). Exodus chp 2 vs 1-10 Also a story about a mother trying to do the best for her son when he is in danger - having to do things we do not like to do because it is for the best.

A strange battle Judges chp 7 vs 15-23. The culminating section of Gideon's battle against the Midianites. A small force uses cunning to defeat a much larger foe.

The call of the child Samuel I Samuel chp 3 vs 2-14. We don't want every child to think they are going to get a personal call from God in quite this way, but it is a story which shows how children can be open to God at a very early age.

David and Goliath. I Samuel 17. Might is not always right. David is using his shepherding skills to beat a bully.

Naaman's slavegirl II Kings chp 5. A desperate soldier takes a young girl's advice and is cured; everybody is worth listening to!

Jeremiah down the well Jeremiah chp 38 vs 1-13. Jeremiah is treated badly because he does what he thinks is right. Sticking to principles.

Psalm 150 is a psalm of praise using different instruments. The class could experiment with making the instruments and putting together a Biblical noise!

STORIES OF JESUS FOR KS1

Early Life

Jesus' cousin John. Luke chp 1 vs 5-25,57-80

Birth of Jesus and the visit of the shepherds. Luke chp 2 vs 1-20

The later visit of the wise men. Matthew chp 2

Aged twelve, in the temple, Jesus amazes the "university professors" . Luke chp 2 vs 41-51.

Miracles of Jesus

It is important not to tell these stories so that they sound like a super hero cartoon which can be jettisoned at a later date along with other "similar" material. Emphasise instead things such as Jesus' concern for other people

(especially the poor and the weak whom other leaders despised) and the reactions of those affected etc. Here are a few suggestions;

Luke chp 17 vs 11-19 Ten lepers are healed but only one returns to say thank you.

John chp 2 vs 1-11 A wedding at Cana Jesus helps out when the wine runs short, quietly - no "look at me" here. John chp 5 vs 1-11 At the pool of Bethzatha Jesus takes pity on a man who had had a long wait. The patient believed that the disturbance of the water in the pool (probably from an underground spring) could cure him - but he's never had the chance to prove it. The man comes over as a moaner and ungrateful, there's certainly no thanks for his cure.

Luke chp S vs 17-25 The paralysed man let down through the roof is a popular story with its vandalism, and could prove the opportunity for discovering about the different types of houses used in Palestine at the time of Jesus. Don't get into the debate on sin though!

Luke chp 18 vs 35-43 A blind man at Jericho has to virtually fight his way to Jesus to get help, a story of persistence.

Mark chp 6 vs 30-44 The Feeding of the 5,000 is the only miracle story which is in all four gospels - a sure sign of its importance to the early church ( probably because of its links with the theology of the Eucharist). For KS1 it is probably easier to focus on the idea of sharing.

Parables of Jesus

KS1 is not really the point at which to begin delving into the deepest meanings of the parables of Jesus, however, many of Jesus' original audience would probably have thought of the parables as just "good stories", so here one can do the same and draw out whichever moral seems most useful for the class e.g. not being greedy, helping others etc.

Matthew chp 13 vs 45,46. The Pearl of Great Price. A short saying which can be expanded into a story on what is important in life.

Luke chp 10 vs 25-37 The Good Samaritan is always a popular story and one which can be successfully updated. One should help everyone,even if they are thought of as different from you in some way (here by race and religion).

Luke chp 15 vs 3-7 The lost sheep could include work on shepherds, also on the idea of being lost.

Matthew chp 7 vs 24-27. The two houses is the subject of a well know action chorus and warns of the problems of starting something without thinking it through first!

Matthew chp 18 vs 23-35 The unforgiving servant is an interesting moral dilemma - what's fair?

Luke chp 15 vs 11-32 the Lost Son is the most famous of the parables of the lost - look at the different relationships, what would you do if you were the father or the elder brother?

The Ministry of Jesus

Luke chp 19 vs 1-10 Zacchaeus. Another story with an action chorus. Jesus accepts someone who other people despise as a wealthy traitor - how do we treat people who are different?

Luke chp 5 vs 1-11 The call of the disciples. How the first people became followers of Jesus.

Luke chp 10 vs 38-42 Mary and Martha. Martha is concerned about getting things right and, because of this is too busy to make the most of the opportunity of Jesus' visit. Do we get too busy sometimes and do what we think is right instead of what we should be doing?

The last week of Jesus' life.

KS1 children are probably not ready- for teaching on the details and meaning of the crucifixion and resurrection and at Easter time the class will probably be concentrating on the traditional formulae of "new life" and Easter customs. However, these two stories could be used;

Luke chp 19 vs 28-40. The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Luke chp 19 vs 45,46 The Cleansing of the Temple. It is very rare to see stories of Jesus becoming angry, but here he is angry on behalf of God. The area which had been turned into a noisy market place was the ONLY place in the Temple where non-Jews were allowed to go to pray. Moreover. God's worshippers were being exploited by the Temple moneychangers; they had to buy their animals for sacrifice at this market and for this needed a special coinage which they could not use elsewhere; any change from the transaction therefore had to be exchanged again and the people obviously paid twice for this privilege. Jesus' action shows that he objected to wrong being done and could be an encouragement for children to think about what things they would like to change in the world.

KEY STAGE TWO

These stories are grouped according to very general themes which could form a unifying motif for a period of Bible work. Other themes such as "bread" and "shepherds" will be found explained in Cambridgeshire's Learning Now documentation.

Children will be looking at relationships both within the family situation and the wider community. There are many stories about friendship or family relationships ( not all of them pleasant), some of these may be appropriate;

Joseph. Genesis chps.37,39-47. A long story, but one which can be easily condensed. It hinges on a theme of fraternal jealousy, but ends in general reconciliation and the reunification of the family.

Moses in the bulrushes. Exodus chp 1 vs 22 - chp 2 vs 10. A baby saved from an unjust law by the care of his family, who later goes on to become a leader of his people and a founding figure of the Jewish nation.

The Good Samaritan. Luke chp 10 vs 30-37. A parable by Jesus where you can update the characters into the twentieth century and talk about how important it is to help other people.

The healing of the paralysed man. Luke chp 5 vs 17-2. A man who would not have been healed without his friends - he would never have got to Jesus without their aid! Best not to get into a complicated debate about sin in this story. By the way, Luke was wrong - the roof would have been made of dried mud and branches, not tiled!

Zacchaeus. Luke chp 19 vs 1-10. Jesus makes friends with a person that other Jews would have regarded as a greedy traitor (working for the occupying forces).

Special Children.

Obviously the story of the birth of Jesus will figure at Christmas, but there are other Bible stories about special children who went on to do great things. Some of these were also special babies, in the sense that they came late in their mother's life or at a time when she was thought to be barren.

Isaac. Genesis chp 18 & chp 21 vs 1-7. Born to his parents in their old age to fulfil the great promise made to Abraham by God and the reason he left his home (Gen chp 12 vs 1-3). Best not to go further in the story than this    (i.e. avoid Hagar and Ishmael being thrown out or the near sacrifice of Isaac).

Moses in the bulrushes see above.

Samuel. I Samuel chps 1-3. Seen as a special birth, this child became a servant at the holy shrine of Shiloh. Here he has a very special experience when God speaks to him. He goes on to become the foremost religious leader in Israel, a great prophet and the last of the quasi monarchical judges.

Joash II Kings chps 11 & 12. A baby saved from his murderous grandmother who is brought up in secret by priests in the Temple and re-emerges to be proclaimed king of Judah at the age of seven. He becomes a renowned leader and the Temple is reconstructed under his orders.

John the Baptist. Luke chp 1. His father Zechariah is struck dumb until the baby is born. John goes on to be the forerunner of Jesus, live in the desert, baptise people and is eventually beheaded for interfering in the king's love life.

Stories of Courage.

There are many different types of courage, these are some stories where it can be said that the person involved felt particularly aware of God.

Gideon defeats the Midianites. Judges chp 7. At God's command Gideon's forces are reduced from 32,000 to 100 and then defeat the Midianites not by force but a trick.

David faces Goliath I Samuel chp 17 . Although only a young shepherd and not a warrior, David is able to defeat his much larger opponent (don't turn Goliath into a fairytale giant, archaeological discoveries suggest the existence of a particularly large boned tribe in this area at the time, obviously they would be seen as potential warriors by the Philistines).

Daniel in the lion's den. Daniel chp 6. This story was included in the Old Testament to encourage the Jews in face of persecution. The key to the story is that Daniel held fast to his faith despite the threat of death...but it's the lions everyone remembers..

Blind Bartimaeus. Luke chp 14 vs 35-43. A blind man who refused to be beaten into silence when he knew it was right to speak out.

Peter's denial. Luke chp 22 vs 54-62. Peter showed courage by following Jesus after his arrest as far as the High Priest's house, but once his own life seemed threatened he ran away. Remember that he did eventually die for the message of the gospel.

Paul's shipwreck Acts chp 27. Paul prevents panic breaking out in an apparently lost ship, the whole crew is saved.

Children should be beginning to think of the idea of there being Special Places. Here are some special places where special things happened;

Moses and the burning bush. Exodus chp 3 vs 1-12. Moses has hidden away in the desert to escape from the consequences of an accidental murder, now God sends him back to save the rest of his people from slavery. This can be linked with R.E. ATs on response to the natural world.

David and the well of Bethlehem. II Samuel chp 23 vs 13-17. One's home town is obviously a special place. Here David's town of Bethlehem is temporarily in enemy hands and his casual remark results in his soldiers risking their lives - David is horrified.

Jesus aged twelve. Luke chp 2 vs 41-51. The Temple is seen as the centre of the Jewish religion and the special place of God, it also housed the equivalent of a Jewish University, and this is where Jesus is astounding the teachers!

Cleansing the Temple. Luke chp 19 vs 45-48. This should have been the centre of Jewish prayer life, but its largest courtyard (the only place where non Jews could pray) has become a market for the sale of sacrificial animals and Roman coinage is changed into Temple coinage at an extortionate rate. Jesus' symbolic attempt to cleanse the Temple and restore the special nature of the place was obviously short-lived.

There are many Dreams and Visions in the Bible as they are seen as a way in which God spoke to his people, particularly the prophets...unfortunately they do not always make a lot of sense without some study of the background which would be inappropriate at this age.

Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dream. Genesis chp 41 vs 1-45. It is possible that the children may even recognise "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat", the story of the dreams could also be one way to begin to introduce the notion of symbolism.

Valley of dry bones Ezekiel chp 37 vs 1- 10 Probably the most famous vision in the Old Testament and one which has been set to music! It is in reality a promise to Israel that although the country appears to .have been destroyed it will be revitalised...and it was. It makes a good story though.

The birth of Jesus. Matthew chps 1 & 2. Dreams are shown to be the method used to instruct both Joseph and the wise men.

Peter and Cornelius. Acts 10. Two visions, Peter's rather strange picture is telling him that however awful (unclean) someone or something looks we should not reject it. A chance to talk about relationships.

Promises is one of the best sections in which to introduce the story of

Noah. Genesis chps 6-8. The central point of this story for the writers of the Old Testament was God's final promise linked with the rainbow.

Abraham. Genesis chp 11 vs 31f & Chp 13. The promise which can be regarded as the foundation of the Jewish people is that made by God to Abraham that he would make him a great nation. In response Abraham left one of the major centres of culture in the world at that time and took up the life of a nomad in a new country.

Hezekiah and the siege of Jerusalem. II Kings chp 18 vs 37 - chp 19 vs 36. The Assyrians have invaded the tiny country of Judah and what is left of the Jewish nation is shut up (as the Assyrian annals describe it) "like a bird in a cage" in Jerusalem. King Hezekiah proclaims his trust in God and as a result the Assyrians appear to have been driven away by a dreadful plague.

The Parables of the Lost. Luke chp 15. The lost sheep and coin and the prodigal son are all parables of Jesus which could be said to illustrate the promise that however awful you think you have been God will not reject you if you (re)turn to Him.

KS2 pupils should be beginning to understand the idea of Faith. Several of the stories already referred to above hinge upon the faith of an individual in God or His promises, but there are also many other stories which could illustrate this theme.

Esther. The story of Esther is celebrated by the Jews at Purim, which in itself can make an interesting study. Through faith in God Esther is given the strength to save her people from genocide.

The Fiery Furnace. Daniel chp. 3 . The three men who refused to abandon their faith in God, even in the face of death itself. This is another story written to encourage the Jews in time of persecution and the men are shown with an angel protecting them (some people like to assume the figure is Jesus).

Elijah and the prophets of Baal . I Kings chp 18. is a story of the faith of one prophet in the face of governmental persecution, it has a gory ending but is high drama with Elijah risking death and disgrace for God.

The Centurion's Slave. Luke chp 7 vs 1-10. An interesting story where, for once, Jesus is not dragged off to see the patient or has the sufferer brought to him, but the Centurion accepts Jesus' power so completely that he merely asks him to "say the word".

In prison at Philippi. Acts chp 16 vs 16-40. Imprisoned, Paul and Silas not only clearly maintain their faith in God through all circumstances but even fail to run away when they earthquake gives them the opportunity (the jailer would have been executed had they escaped). Their faith brings the jailer's family to faith.

By Y5 & Y6 children should be able to discuss the idea of Parables as bearing a message and perhaps suggest interpretations of them;

Matthew chp 13 vs 1-23 and the Parable of the Sower in itself suggests the kind of reactions any teacher would find in any class for any subject, so this could be a good place to start.

Luke chp 10 vs 25-37 . The Good Samaritan. What would they do in such a situation? What does "everyone is your neighbour" mean in real life?

Matthew chp 20 vs 1-16 Workers in the Vineyard. In itself this shows God has no preferences and those who come to Him late will be as welcome as those who are His from early on, (Here specific reference is being made

to the Jews/Gentiles problem). Do we treat others with favouritism?

Luke chp 14 vs 15-24. The Great Banquet. What excuses do we use to get out of doing things we know are right? What kind of reasons would people give for not becoming Christians- think.

Luke chp 18 vs 9-14. The Pharisee and the Taxman. What's wrong with the way the pharisee presented himself for prayer, why did Jesus commend the sinner instead of the so-called holy man?

Matthew chp 25 vs 1-13. Ten bridesmaids. The parable itself is looking to the Second Coming of Jesus, but how alert are people generally, does life take you by surprise or are you thinking ahead?

Christianity is full of Symbolism and, Symbolic Actions and reading the Old Testament one can see that symbolic actions were also a favourite device of the Old Testament prophets and judges. Only a few ideas are listed here;

Genesis chp 3 vs 1-12, Moses and the Burning Bush. The presence of God is often symbolised by fire or great light, symbols of clarity, purity and power. Even Moses cannot approach God with impunity. When the Israelites went on into the wilderness they were led in their wanderings by pillars of cloud and fire which again symbolised the presence of God.

Samson. judges chp 13-16. These encouraging folk tales of the great hero Samson centre on his hair. The long hair was a mark of a Nazirite, or man dedicated especially to God, the cutting of the hair symbolises his faith with God is broken and he accordingly loses his God-given strength.

I Samuel chp 16 vs 1-13. David is anointed king. An Israelite king was anointed with oil (as were the priests) as a sign of his setting apart as God's representative to the people. In this story the choosing of the apparently

least important member of Jesse's family could prove the basis of discussion.

Luke chp 3 vs 21,22. The Baptism of Jesus. Baptism in itself is a highly symbolic act denoting the death of the old and rising too new life, as well as the washing away of all previous sins. In this account of Jesus' own baptism, of course, there is also the additional description of the descent of the Holy Spirit, confirming Jesus as he begins his time of ministry.

John chp 13 vs 1-11. The Washing of the Disciples' Feet. This job of feet washing was always given to the least important servant of a household, . hence Peter's horror at Jesus' actions. This act is repeated in churches throughout the world on Maundy Thursday, why?

Mark chp 14 vs 1-25. The Last Supper. The origins of the Eucharist.

There are several Stories in the Old Testament which were included not as history but as tales with a message or moral (this does not mean they do not have some historical kernel).

Jonah is a story where obedience to God is stressed, as is God's care for all nations, not just the Jews.

Ruth, likewise, speaks against xenophobia by showing that the great king David had foreign blood in his veins. It also gives a strong example of faith.

Esther gives hope to the Jews in time of suffering by telling them of how the nation has escaped past attempts at genocide.

Daniel was written far later than it appears, and at a time of great persecution, stories like the lions' den (chp 6) or the fiery furnace (chp 3) were intended to give the Jews courage and the book as a whole bears the message that in the long term God's people will be saved and victorious.

Myths. All societies have their own creation myths and those in the Old Testament (Genesis chp 1-71) have their own deep meanings. It is now generally accepted that one should not take e.g. the origins of all humankind in one couple as literal truth, but should look at the message the stories bear. A study and comparison of Creation Myths across several cultures should be possible with Y5 & Y6.

Genesis chp 1-3. The Creation and Adam and Eve helps look at the questions, what is man supposed to be like, what is a perfect world, what is wrong with society.

Genesis chp 6 vs 5- chp 9 vs 17. Noah. This story was widespread in the Middle East and obviously harked back to one of the many great floods of the Tigris-Euphrates basin. It culminates in an important promise of God symbolised by the rainbow.

Genesis chp 11 vs 1-9. The Tower of Babel. This is an attempt to explain why there are many different languages within the world, it was probably based on the visible ruins of many cities and temple pyramids in the area of Babylon.