Question: How can you help your students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches?

Answer: By using best practice, including engaging instructional strategies like asking questions. Here are 5 best practices that are components of the 1-2-3-2-1 lesson model:

• 1 story you will tell about your lesson content.
• 2 connections between your “lesson story” and God’s creation-fall-redemption-restoration/fulfillment story.
• 3 questions you will ask about your “lesson story” to help students make connections to God’s story.
• 2 objectives for this lesson.
• 1 assessment you will use to find out if your lesson objectives were met.

In the 1-2-3-2-1 lesson model, these 5 best practices must be present and may be used in any order. For example, when teaching the lesson, you might review the 2 objectives for teaching. Then during the lesson, you could:

• Ask your 3 questions.
• Tell 1 story.
• Again ask your 3 questions to help students make 2 connections.
• Close the lesson with 1 assessment.

Or, for example, when designing the lesson, you might process the 5 components of the 1-2-3-2-1 lesson model this way:

• Review your lesson, including 2 of its objectives.
• Establish additional content by identifying 2 connections, 1 story that would help students make those connections, and 3 questions.
• Use the additional content to revise your 2 objectives and to make 1 assessment.

Bottom line: Be sure to include all 5 best practices in your 1-2-3-2-1 lesson. Use these best practices in whatever order helps your students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches.