Resource: Exploring Worship (Exploring Luther's Small Catchism)
Published by: Augsburg Fortress Press. (Augsburg Fortress Press is an Evangelical Lutheran Church of America publishing company.)
Goals
or Objectives
*To
help children explore Lutheran worship.
*To
relate worship to it’s source-the Bible.
*To
help children discover the meaning of worship in their lives.
Content
*Worship:
Lutheran worship is the gathering of believers around the Word and Sacraments,
where God acts and humans respond. For
children worship is something that happens when the following occur;
·when
we praise honor or give glory to God
·when
we hear and share in the Sacraments
·when
we pray
·when
we celebrate God’s gifts and God’s love for us
*Sacrament:
God’s Word, Sign, and promise.
*The
specific content of this curriculum is; the definition of worship, the church
year cycle, the elements of worship, and the sacraments.
*The
curriculum does not give any explicit rationale for teaching children about
worship. However, from the goals
they have one might infer that the curriculum’s rationale is that children can
find meaning in the elements of worship for their lives.
Structure
*The
curriculum is organized into four thematic sessions.
·What
is worship?
·God’s
Word Is Active in Our Lives
·People
of Prayer and Praise
·One
Community with One God
*There
is no time frame given for the sessions.
*This
curriculum could be used in any type of setting other than a worship
service.
*The
curriculum is designed to be used as unit, but it each session could be used
independently.
Characteristics
*This
curriculum is most appropriate for use in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of
America. The evidence for this is
that the curriculum specifically states what Lutheran worship is and looks like.
The curriculum also sites the supplemental resources to be used are the Lutheran
Book of Worship and Luther’s Small
Catechism.
Strengths
*This
curriculum can be taught by most anyone, because it is easy for teachers to
follow and they are given all the information they are needed to teach the
material.
*The
student workbook concretely reinforces what the students are learning.
This is accomplished using the “banking” teaching method.
*The activities in the workbook are developmentally appropriate for the age
level this curriculum is intended for.
*The
workbook’s pictures show a diverse blend of people (age and race).
*The
content is important and useful for children to learn.
Weaknesses
*The
curriculum does not incorporate multiple methods of teaching, therefore it
cannot take into account the individuality of learners.
*The
curriculum states, “This course is intended to be an experiential as well as
cognitive quest for understanding.” However,
the activities in this curriculum are primarily cognitive in there focus.
The children are asked to perform primarily reading and writing
activities.
*The curriculum is lacking in important information for teachers including a
time frame for each session and a rationale for teaching this material.
