Learning to Study the Bible Leader Guide

Learning to Study the Bible guides your tween students through eight weeks of Bible discovery. They’ll explore the wonders of biblical geography and archaeology. They’ll compare and contrast biblical genres. They’ll learn the history of biblical interpretation, and discover that they are Bible interpreters too! Students will become familiar with Bible dictionaries, commentaries, concordances, maps, and more. Best of all, they’ll practice sharing their Bible knowledge with others each week.



Session Outline and Learning Goals:

Who? Author and Audience

Spark curiosity about the authors and original audiences of the Bible
Introduce and use Bible dictionaries and commentaries
Sharpen deductive reasoning skills in biblical interpretation


What? Genre

Introduce and explore biblical genres
Learn to use Bible commentaries and apps to identify possible genres of texts
Explore the significance of genre for biblical interpretation


When? Context

Investigate the connection between context and meaning
Spark curiosity about biblical and modern cultural contexts
Use Bible dictionaries, commentaries, and handbooks to research biblical context


Where? Geography

Spark curiosity about the biblical landscape
Prompt reflection on the relationship between land and daily life
Use biblical maps and archaeological research to explore biblical geography


Why? Interpretation

Create awareness of interpretive lenses and layers
Spark curiosity about our own and others’ interpretive lenses
Use a concordance and various translations to compare meanings


How? Read Closely

Cultivate appreciation for the way our ancestors preserved the biblical text
Practice reading carefully and paying attention
Discover the four meanings of Scripture and practice interpreting them


How? Reread

Create awareness of our own role in making meaning
Prompt reflection on the nature of Scripture as the “living word of God”
Practice the ancient tradition of divine reading


How? Read Together

Create awareness of the diversity of voices within the canon
Inspire students to enter into the centuries-long biblical conversation
Practice reading the Bible inter-canonically

Learning to Study the Bible is an eight-week curriculum designed for tweens to help them learn the basics of biblical interpretation. The Leader Guide includes easy-to-use instructions to guide students as they explore topics like genre, historical context, biblical geography and more.

Sessions are:

1. Who? 
        * Learn to identify the original author and audience
        * Understand your own social location and biases
        * Practice reading a text with the author and original audience in mind

2. What?
        * Understand the significance of genre
        * Practice identifying genre in biblical texts

3.    When?
        * Understand the significance of historical context
        * Learn about the major social contexts of biblical texts
        * Practice reading Scripture contextually

4. Where?
        * Learn how to utilize biblical maps
        * Understand the significance of geography and shifting national borders for biblical interpretation
        * Practice interpreting a biblical text with a geographical lens

5. Why?
        * Learn about the formation of the canon
        * Understand the significance of a text’s changing meaning over time
        * Practice reading a text with multiple layers of meaning

6. How? Close reading
        * Learn the value of reading texts slowly and carefully
        * Understand how to use study bibles and commentaries
        * Practice reading a short text carefully

7. How? Side-by-side reading
        * Learn about the Revised Common Lectionary and its purpose
        * Understand how to use a concordance to cross-reference texts
        * Practice reading a text intra-canonically

8. How? Lectio Divina
        * Learn about the ancient practice of Lectio Divina
        * Understand the significance of a spiritual reading of Scripture
        * Practice Lectio Divina individually and as a group