Education pack

Introduction

In this pack you will find assembly outlines and lesson outlines to use with the online materials available at www.londonchristmas.org.uk.

These resources will enable you to:

• lead an assembly in your local primary school in each of the last four weeks of the autumn term
• teach a lesson in each of those four weeks, using online animations and an online comic book.

There are of course lots of ways to use these resources. Some schools may only want one or two visits in what can be a very busy period. Some churches might just do one assembly as the first contact with a local school. Read on to find out more, visit the website and then decide what’s most appropriate for your church to offer.

These materials have been written for KS2 pupils (aged 7 to 11), but can be adapted for KS1 pupils (aged 5 to 7). Ask advice for how they should be altered for younger children from a KS1 teacher in your school, or from a parent with children of that age.

Online materials

Don’t be daunted by the thought of using online materials in a lesson. Interactive whiteboards are common in primary schools and are very easy to use. You will probably know a teacher who would be pleased to give you a quick demonstration to help with your preparation. You could enlist a volunteer to manage the technology during the lesson, leaving you free to do the talking and to respond to the children. If you have never used these kinds of materials, look on this as a great learning experience about something that is an everyday occurrence for the children in your parish. There are more details of what to do in the section about the lessons, but do visit the website and explore what’s there.

The four weeks of Advent

The materials for each week follow a theme. These are different to the traditional Advent themes to make them more accessible to children, and to make the most of the opportunity to explore the Christmas story.

In 2008, the first Sunday of Advent is 30 November. In schools the last four weeks of term are likely to begin earlier, on Monday 24 November; check the term dates of your local school. Some schools might prefer you to start your Advent input a week earlier than that as the last week of term can be very busy. So use the dates below as a guide and adjust them for your situation.

If you are not going into school every week, check whether the school will be using these themes anyway and make sure you cover the appropriate material on your visit. Otherwise, you can of course choose a theme that suits you.

Making contact

Some churches have good links with their local primary school. You may already do assemblies on a regular basis and invite pupils to visit your church. If so, we hope that these Christmas materials will enhance your relationship with the school and help you to provide a valuable learning experience for pupils.

If on the other hand, you don’t currently have links with your local school, then Christmas is a fantastic opportunity to make contact and hopefully build relationships that last.

If you have teachers from the school in your congregation, ask them to introduce you to the Headteacher. Or write a letter to the Head, and follow it up a week or so later with a phone call. Ask if there are any ways that your church can contribute to the spiritual and educational life of the school. Talk about these Christmas resources and suggest ways in which you might use them in the school. You could show the online materials to the Head in your meeting. Mention this when you make an appointment so that you can meet somewhere in the school where there is internet access.

Talking about the Christian faith to school pupils

Community schools are required by law to have an act of Collective Worship every day that is broadly or mainly of a Christian character. In Church of England schools there is an expectation that all worship is Christian. All schools have to teach Religious Education that enables children to learn about the Christian faith and to learn from it. So using these Christmas materials can enable you to make a significant contribution to pupils’ educational and spiritual development.

Talking about the Christian faith in schools and in churches are two very different things. In church you are on home territory. You can assume that most people have some form of Christian belief, and those that don’t are there because they want to be, and are interested to find out more. In school, however, you will meet pupils of all faiths and none. You can’t assume that pupils share your Christian beliefs or have any knowledge of the Christian faith. You need to invite pupils to participate in worship, not assume that they will want to pray when you do. You need to own your personal beliefs and the tenets of the Christian faith.

In the assemblies/Collective Worship outlines, you will find sections that begin ‘Christians believe/the Bible teaches/I believe’. These sections highlight the areas where you need to be most explicit about the Christian application of biblical stories. Use whichever term comes most naturally to you, to make your faith personal and real without making statements for your audience that are not authentic. Make sure your team do the same in the workshops.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about the content or delivery of the material in this pack, please contact Sam Donoghue, the Children’s Ministry Adviser for the Diocese of London. 020 7932 1255 or

Resources pack

a. What's in the pack?
b. Lesson plans
c. Assemblies
d. Christmas service
e. Instant nativity play
f. Annunciation	JPG

Christmas Crackers

Download pdfs of the Christmas Cracker comics.

1. Wary Mary
2. Boy O Boy
3. Flock Shock
4. Super Star