Introduction
Think back to a good gospel teacher that has influenced you or a good gospel lesson you have participated in as a student. What made that teacher a good teacher? What was it that made the lessons good?
When I reflect back on my gospel learning, my most memorable teachers and lessons were from participation in Seminary and Institute. Many high quality teachers come to mind. Here are some common characteristics:
- Lessons almost always included personal stories. Sometimes opened up about own weaknesses and how they were overcome by applying gospel principles.
- Always bore testimony of gospel truths
- Always taught from the scriptures or other approved church manuals. Knew the scripture and the doctrine and taught it accurately.
- Always taught with the power of the spirit. The spirit was so strong during classes and I always came away spiritually fed and uplifted.
- I felt like these teachers cared for me personally.
In contrast, I think back to some teachers I once had where the experience was not the same. They were always prepared. They taught from the manuals. We started with a prayer and sang a hymn, but for reasons unknown to me, the Spirit was not there. I can think of another gospel teacher I once had whose lessons also lacked the Spirit. This teacher chose not to follow the lesson manual and preferred to teach topics he found interesting.
Below I filled in a modified "Invite the Spirit into Your Teaching" form based on my personal experiences with effective and ineffective gospel teachers. I left spaces blank where I cannot remember if those items were included in the lessons.
Ways to invite the Spirit into teaching:
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Effective Gospel Teachers
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Ineffective Gospel Teachers #1
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Ineffective Gospel Teacher #2
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Started with a prayer
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Always
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Always
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Sometimes
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Taught from scriptures and prophets
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Always
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Always
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Sometimes
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Bore testimony
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Always
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Shared experiences
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Always
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Sometimes
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Used music
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Always
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Never
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Showed love for the Lord and others
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Always
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Spirit felt
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Always
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Never
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Never
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After comparing my experiences with what I consider highly effective gospel teachers to ineffective gospel teachers in the table above, I found it interesting that effective gospel teachers are prepared and utilize the suggested methods for inviting the Spirit into their teaching.
Preparation
Have you ever attended a lesson where the teacher was not prepared? I have taught those myself as I have filled in at the last minute. Although it is possible to teach with the spirit if you are spiritually prepared, from my experience, the lesson just does not go as well as a prepared lesson.
The scriptures teach us that we should study (D&C 9:8), ponder (Moroni 10:3), and search (Mosiah 1:7). We are also promised that if we knock, it will be opened to us (2 Nephi 9:42). I believe all of these scripture references can apply to preparing gospel lessons and know that preparation will help you to be an effective gospel teacher who teaches with the power of the Spirit.
Reading assignments:
Components of an Effective Lesson
There are several components that effective lessons will always include. Your teacher's manual for your Primary class includes these components. As we go through each component, I will be providing examples based on Lesson 20 of the Valiant Primary Manual. You can follow along and find the components in the next lesson you are scheduled to teach from your Primary Teacher's Manual.
Objective:
The first is an objective. This is what your lesson is about. Your Teaching Guidebook calls this the “Purpose.”
Everything you plan in your lesson should align with the lesson objective(s). Teaching and activities that align with your objective will support the lesson purpose. Your main resources should be your Primary Manual and the scriptures. The Friend, Children's Songbook, Hymn book, and General Conference are also appropriate supplementary resources.
Anticipatory Set:
The anticipatory set is called the "Attention Activity" in the most of the lesson manuals. The Nursery Manual uses "gathering activities" to help the children know it is time to focus on a lesson. Some lessons in the Nursery Manual also have interesting activities to set up the lesson. The purpose of the anticipatory set it to grab the interest of the children to focus on the lesson. It should tap into their prior knowledge on the subject.
Item #1 in the section of your reading titled, "Invite Diligent Learning" describes the anticipatory set as "...get everyones attention with an interesting beginning, and focus on the doctrine or principle to be taught in the lesson" (page 6).
If you read the attention activity above, it serves to support the Lesson Purpose. The attention activity aligns with the Lesson Objective.
Teaching:
The teaching portion of the lesson is where you tell the children about a specific concept. In the example below, the teaching of the concept section is called, "Scripture Account." As I have looked through some of the other lessons manuals, the teaching portion of the lesson uses different subheadings depending on the topic being taught. The teaching portion of the lesson teaches the lesson objective (or purpose) and comes after the anticipatory set (attention activity).
If you read the scripture account section above, it serves to support the Lesson Purpose. The teaching portion of the lesson aligns with the Lesson Objective.
Practice:
Effective lessons "practice" the concept taught. In gospel teaching, this may be applied through discussing application questions or completing other activities that will increase the students' understanding of the doctrines being taught.
In our sample lesson below, Discussion and Application questions serve this purpose. The responses to the discussion and application questions will also allow to see if the children understood the concepts taught. This will allow you to clarify concepts as needed.
In our sample lesson below, Discussion and Application questions serve this purpose. The responses to the discussion and application questions will also allow to see if the children understood the concepts taught. This will allow you to clarify concepts as needed.
The lessons manuals also include suggested Enrichment Activities to choose from. Plan as many additional activities as you need to fill the lesson time. Some activities may go more quickly or slowly than anticipated, so some flexibility is required (i.e., omitting some enrichment activities or expanding on others may as time allows).
As you feel inspired to do so, you may also choose other enrichment activities from approved sources (e.g., The Friend or Children's Songbook) that will support the lesson objective.
Conclusion:
Now it is time to end your lesson. The conclusion should include 1) a brief review and summary of the lesson and 2) your testimony. A conclusion may also encourage application of the doctrines taught into the lives of the students. Your lesson manual provides clear instructions on how to conclude the lesson.
Plan your Lesson:
Now that you know how to find the lesson components in your lesson manuals, it is time to start preparing your next lesson. As you prepare your next lesson, refer back to your reading assignment on pages 13-15 of the Teaching Guidebook.
1) Read through the lesson. Complete the "Preparation" section of the lesson. Prayerfully study (D&C 9:8), ponder (Moroni 10:3), and search (Mosiah 1:7) through the lesson and relevant scriptures.
2) Identify the lesson's objective (purpose), anticipatory set (attention activity), and teaching activity.
3) Plan what to teach. Decide how you will teach.
4) Plan your conclusion.
*Be sure to include suggested ways to invite the spirit into your teaching during your lesson.
Assignment
After teaching your next lesson, fill out the "Teaching Self-Reflection Form" and either a) e-mail me a copy or b) give me a copy at church.I have filled out the form based on a class I taught in October below as an example. My feeling is that it is okay if not everything goes well in a lesson. The important thing is to analyze what does and does not go well, so you can make adjustments in future lessons. Over time, as you get to know what works for your class, more and more things will go well.
Example of completed form:
Teaching Self-Reflection Form
Lesson Date: 10/11/15
- Fill out brief notes about what you did in your lesson in the table below.
Lesson Components
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Notes
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Spirit Felt
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Lesson started with an attention activity (anticipatory set)
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I filled in last minute and wasn’t prepared. I had to modify the attention activity for materials I had available
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Teaching
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The lesson was on ways to show love for Heavenly Father, such as taking care of church building.
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Enrichment activities
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Sang Love One Another
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X
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Conclusion
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Bore testimony
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2) What went well in my lesson? Why did it go well?
-The enrichment activity of singing Love One Another went well. The children were all focused on singing and thinking about the words. The children were reverent and we all felt the spirit.
-The children also cleaned up the classroom before leaving. Part of the lesson included some stories about taking care of the church building.
3) What challenges occurred during my lesson? Why?
The children were really talkative amongst themselve. This was distracting to the spirit and the lesson. They were also in and out of the classroom too much getting drinks at the fountain.
4) Ideas/goals for improving my lesson next week…
I need to make sure everyone gets drinks before we start the lesson to avoid disruptions during the lesson. I need a strategy to increase reverence within the class. I can try using a bean bag or other object for the person whose turn it is to talk to hold (as a reminder to the rest of the class that they will need to wait their turn to talk) 
