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Story Assemblies of 24 Saints: 24 Off-the-peg Assemblies for the School Year

Story Assemblies of 24 Saints: 24 Off-the-peg Assemblies for the School Year

by HeatherButler (Author)

  • Used

    Paperback 2011

    $3.31
Synopsis

Story Assemblies of 24 Saints features a wealth of saints' days spread across the school year from September to July, making it an ideal ongoing resource and enabling teachers to opt in at any time. The material contains 24 complete assembly plans ready for teachers to pick off the shelf and deliver as a whole school, year group or classroom assembly. Ideal for KS1 and KS2. The material is designed to meet the needs of busy teachers looking for flexible and creative material to take them through the school year. Each assembly plan includes a creative mix of elements, designed to put the life of the featured saint in context and, through differentiated storytelling and focused reflection, help children think about what the message of the saint's story might mean to their own lives today. A suggestion for a relevant symbol is provided with each story, designed to highlight a special feature about the saint and help children use their imaginations to ground the story. Each assembly provides Teacher's notes, giving background details and essential information to help set the scene and ensure that the teacher has everything to hand for the smooth running of the assembly. Information includes: - Theme: A short phrase to instantly identify what the assembly is about. - Bible link: Helpful Bible verses written out in full, with a short commentary about how the Bible story fits into the theme of the storytelling. - Resources: Suggestions for visual aids and props to help bring the story to life during the storytelling. - Saint in context: Background information to place the saint in the context of his or her culture and time. - Entry point: Topical introduction to the theme of the story and questions to help children see how the theme is relevant to their own lives. - Reflection: Imaginative guide to help children reflect on the story and what its message might mean for them. - Suggested songs: Songs that reflect the theme of the assembly. - Optional prayer: Suggestions for a Christian prayer, picking out the main themes of the story. - 'Build a saint' activity: Classroom follow-up to help build a full picture of the saint, explore a symbol to help children remember how he or she is traditionally recognised, and create a classroom display. In general, the activities use simple, readily available objects, drawing and colouring materials, air-dry modelling clay or play dough. Each assembly also offers a differentiated story, offering a choice of two storytelling methods: a simple retelling, ideal for younger children, and an interactive questioning alternative for older children. Many of the interactive options also include ideas for children to act out the story as it unfolds.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
 Pages: 176
 Publisher: Barnabas
Published: 20 May 2011
ISBN 10: 1841017035
ISBN 13: 9781841017037
Children’s book age: 7-9 Years

Media Reviews
From REtoday - Summer 2012 This assembly book addresses 24 saints' days across the academic year and includes well-known and not so well-known saints. Each assembly outline follows the same pattern, offering teacher's notes, a story and an 'interactive telling of the story'. The teacher's notes begin with identifying a theme for the assembly which is in some way explored or attributed to the particular saint in focus through the story in the assembly. This is followed by a Bible link, resources for the interactive story retelling, a very brief section outlining who the saint was, an 'entry point', reflection, suggested songs and an optional prayer. The teacher's notes conclude with a 'build a saint' activity suggesting very simple classroom activities which may be suitable for aiding reflection on the assembly but which are very limited in the challenge they offer, especially for the older pupils in this age range. Contrary to this, I feel that some of the concepts and theology in the assemblies are really more suited to the older rather than younger pupils. The stories themselves are very brief and really need to be retold, as suggested, in an interactive way. Some of the suggested questions in this section are good and really encourage thoughtful reflection, while others, I feel, detract from the meaning and purpose of the story. The material in this book is quite obviously Christian, but a skilled assembly leader should have no problem adjusting the language and the presentation of these assemblies to ensure that they are inclusive of the whole community in a non-religious school. This is a good attempt to bring meaning and understanding as to why saints are remembered and celebrated on special days. The price is very reasonable and most assembly leaders will find something here that they like. Reviewed by Lesley Beadle From The Church Times - 16 September 2011 Amid all this catalogue of pain and strife, it is a relief to pick up Story Assemblies of 24 Saints by Heather Butler. The famous names are all there, but Jerome, Cadoc, and Ninian will be unfamiliar to many. Their stories are used to draw out straightforward and relevant themes. Since assemblies are largely a matter of finding different ways of saying the same things, this attractively priced volume will prove a welcome ad dition to the shelf. Topics include: being scared, making sacrifices, and standing up for what you believe is right. Just the ticket for a teacher in inner London.
Author Bio
Heather Butler has taught at primary level for over 25 years, with a particular emphasis on special needs, and has been involved with the teaching and nurturing of children within the local church for over 21 years. She now teaches part time, leads story writing workshops in primary schools and is involved with several charities working with traumatised children across the world. She is author of a number of books for children, including Stories to Make You Think, Stories to Make You Think and Further Stories to Make You Think, all published by BRF under the Barnabas imprint.