Joseph #1

Objectives:

Students should be able to name Joseph and his brothers as the 12 children of Israel.
Students should be able to tell the story of Joseph and the many-colored coat and of Joseph sold into slavery.

Possible Lesson Plan:

Learning Game: Try “Brother Concentration”. It may seem unimportant to know the names of all 12 brothers, until one realizes that they become the names of the 12 tribes of Israel. Write each of the 12 names twice on small pieces of paper and tack or tape to the board randomly in rows of 3 by 4. Cover each with a Post-It of similar size and write numbers from 1 to 24 consecutively on the cover papers. The students will guess 2 numbers; if they have the same name behind them, they get to continue. If not, put the Post-It back over the name and keep going.

Add Joseph and his brothers (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Naphtali, Issachar, Asher, Dan, Zebulon, Gad, Judah, and Benjamin) to the family tree; Joseph and Benjamin will be under Jacob and Rachel, the rest under Jacob and Leah.

Discussion: Talk about a dysfunctional family! What is your favorite memory of family life? Least favorite? How would Joseph have answered that question? Who was at fault for the disastrous outcome in the pit? What part did Jacob play? Joseph? The brothers? How could each of them have changed his behavior to avoid the disastrous end in the pit? What about your least favorite memory? Who was involved? How could it have turned out differently and why didn’t it?

Weave a “Many-Colored Cloth”: Take a 5-inch square piece of onion bag (or similar mesh bag). Using varied colors of yarn, weave in and out of the holes in the mesh, alternating above and below to make a woven effect. Leave the ends of the yarn protruding about ½ inch on each side as fringe. Tie on a piece of yarn as a hanger.

Close with prayer. Pray for each student’s family and the relationships of parents and siblings.