Creation Story
Overview
This is a multi-day lesson about Creation aimed at kindergarten students or lower elementary. It does not use a lot of computer assisted technology in deference to the abilities of these students and the possible lack of one to one computers at this grade level.
Introduction
This is a multi-day unit about creation aimed at kindergarten students.
- It begins with this brief video about creation, narrated by children, and with images ranging from cartooon to photographic. There are some periods of quiet in it, so perhaps prepare the children for that, or use that time for quick discussions.
- The next days will use the activity described in section 2. Students will be reviewing the important things created each day of creation week and making their own cards to help remember these. Optionally, they will learn the ASL signs for many of these things.
- The "game" portion of the lesson involves a simple and repetitive rhyme song further reviewing the order of creation. Either the cards, ASL, or both could be used during this game song. This also acts as a formative assessment.
- The summative assessment piece is last, of course. Students will be asked to mix up their cards face down, turn them over, and put them in the correct sequence.
Activity
Materials needed: Index cards or papers (8 per student), drawing materials, paper clips or envelopes for keeping each student's work separate.
Depending on the abilities and age of your students, you may want to use index cards that are lined on one side for their name to go on and/or pre-print their names so they just have to trace them.
I teach some ASL signs for the nouns in this story as well. I have included a link to an easy ASL online visual dictionary in case you want to do that. For example:
- dark
- God
- light
- water ( I use rain for the water above and river for the water below)
- dry land
- sun
- moon
- stars
This section usually takes me a couple days. ( I Have them for about 25 minutes a day.)
The quality of the art is not the important part, so reassure them as needed.
Each child will be given 8 pieces of paper (I plan to use plain 3 by 5 cards because they are a good size) for this activity.
Put your own name on one side of each card. Mine look like this.
Now choose one card, and turn it over so you can't see your name. Do you remember what it was like before God began creating? Yes it was DARK. Draw on this card something that shows what dark is for you. I colored mine all black, but you do what you think dark looks like. Set that card aside.
Now choose another card and turn it over so you can't see your name. Do you remember the first thing God created? YES, it was LIGHT!! Draw on this card something that shows what light is for you. Then set that card aside.
Now choose another card and turn it over so you can't see your name. Do you remember the second thing God created? YES. It was WATER! What is water above? And water below the sky? Great...Draw some pictures to show that, then set that card aside.
Now choose another card and turn it over so you can't see your name. What is the third thing God created? YES! PLANTS AND TREES! Draw some pictures of those, then set that card aside.
Now choose another card and turn it over so you can't see your name. What did God create on the fourth day? YES. THE SUN, MOON, AND STARS!!! So many stars!! Draw some pictures showing those, then set that card aside.
Now choose another card and turn it over so you can't see your name. What did God create on the fifth day? YES...BIRDS AND FISH. Draw some birds and fish on this card, then set it aside.
Now choose another card and turn it over so you can't see your name. What did God create on the sixth day? YES....ANIMALS AND PEOPLE!! HURRAY!! Draw some of those on this card, then set it aside.
Last card. You know what to do...turn it over so you can't see your name. What did God do on the seventh day? YES....HE RESTED!! Draw a picture that shows rest on this card, then set it aside. We will be using this cards for some fun now.
The Game
Creation Rhyme Song by Jan Crowe
Words with easy ASL signs are in blue
Before God created things,
Everything was dark, a
And there was nothing here except God.
On the first day of creation,
God said “Let there be light”
And so there was light,
And God looked and said “this is good”.
On the second day of creation,
God said “Let there be water and dry land”
And so there was water up above and water down below
And there was dry land,
And there was still the light
And God looked and said “this is good”.
On the third day of creation
God said “Let there be plants and trees”
And so there were plants and trees
And there was water up above and water down below
And there was dry land,
And there was still the light
And God looked and said “this is good”.
On the fourth day of creation
God said “I want a sun, and a moon, and lots of stars”
And so there was a sun, and a moon, and lots of stars,
And there were plants and trees
And there was water up above and water down below
And there was dry land,
And there was still the light
And God looked and said “this is good”.
On the fifth day of creation
God said, “I’d like birds and fish”
And so there were birds and lots of fish
And a sun, and a moon, and lots of stars,
And there were plants and trees
And there was water up above and water down below
And there was dry land,
And there was still the light
And God looked and said “this is good”.
On the sixth day of creation
God said, “let there be animals and…..some people”
And so there were animals and some people
And so there were birds and lots of fish
And a sun, and a moon, and lots of stars,
And there were plants and trees
And there was water up above and water down below
And there was dry land,
And there was still the light
And God looked and said “this is really good”.
On the seventh day of creation
God looked at all He’d done,
And He said, “This is really good”
But He was tired soooo
He took a rest!
For this part, each student needs their cards, and (if you choose) their hands free for ASL signs.
Each student's cards should be face up in front of them in no particular order
As the rhyme-song is spoken, chanted, or sung, they pick up and show the card that is being referenced.
An assessment
Materials needed: student made cards from the Activity
Students begin with their own cards face down (names showing) in front of them, and the task is to turn the cards over one at a time and put them in the correct order. Optionally, they can sing the song to themselves or as a group to help if desired.
The students will be asked to start with their cards from the activity face down (names showing) and then one by one, turn a card over and put the cards in the correct order.