Information for Teachers

Purpose and Use of the Lessons

The lessons provided here are made to help English language learners build their language skills and at the same time to help them think deeply about the meaning of Bible teachings. They are made for busy Bible teachers and learners everywhere, especially those whose first language is not English. Lessons can also be used with native English speakers who have literacy challenges, who are trying to build their reading skills. 

The lessons will help teachers to teach more effectively, using material that reflects up-to-date, well-grounded professional knowledge and methodology. The language learning focus of each lesson covers two main areas,

1. important English vocabulary, and 
2. how to develop higher thinking skills (critical thinking skills). 

The greater aim, however, is that each lesson will also help those who use them, teachers and learners alike, to learn and to share the truths of God’s Word with others. Each lesson is prayerfully offered with the desire that users everywhere, no matter their language skills or background, may come to faith through reading and learning more about God’s Word, and that the faith of believers may grow.

Each lesson uses short passages from ‘The EasyEnglish Bible' and comes with useful follow-up ideas and resources. All lessons were made to conform to published ‘The EasyEnglish Bible’ copyright rules. (* See the reference note at the end of this introduction.)

The lessons may be copied and distributed freely to learners, other teachers, and church leaders, but their content must not be changed in any way from the original. This is to maintain the truths of Biblical teaching as much as possible.

No material on this website may be republished in any format for financial or personal gain. No payment of any kind, whether financial, or in the form of gifts, or acts of service must be requested or accepted by anyone in exchange for their use. 

Information for Lesson Users

Each lesson has been graded using the most common words in the English language. These common words are taken from well-known lists of high frequency English words. One is called The General Service Word List, which was first made by Michael West *. This list was later updated into The New General Service Word List *  in 2013 by Dr. Charles Browne (et al.), Japan. The other list is The Academic Word List *, published by Professor Averil Coxhead of Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, in 2000. This list has around 570 common academic words. These words are critical for learners who wish to study in English at university level.

These lists hold the most important and commonly used English words in everyday use, and in academic texts. They are the key words that English learners really need to know if they are to become strong users of English. Therefore, language teachers should focus on helping their learners to know these words before learning less common words. 

English has, arguably, over 1.4 million words, so knowing which words to focus on will make the task of learning and teaching vocabulary much easier. It will also help to lessen anxiety and confusion on the part of learners about what they actually need to know. As Professor Paul Nation (world-renowned vocabulary teaching and learning expert) claims, these high frequency words are so important, that anything a teacher can do to help learners learn them, will be useful. *  They really do need to be at the forefront of our teaching and learning efforts.

In the reading texts provided here, the target words for learning have been written in bold black type the first time they appear in the reading text. This is done to help learners notice the words they need to learn. Having bolded words means learners can also see how the words are used within real sentences. (In other words, each word that learners need to know is given in context.) Using bold words also helps learners find the words they are learning quickly when they study in class, or when they revise the readings on their own.

At the end of each Bible reading text, the words that learners need to learn are given in short vocabulary lists. The lists show which of the General or Academic high frequency word lists the target words come from. Learners should focus on learning the words in the lists starting with those in list one, then list two and so on. There may also be a list of 'Off list' words. These are words that are not so common in English. They should not spend time learning the words on the later lists, or the off list words, until they first know the words from the lists one and two well.

There may also be a glossary to explain the meanings of words that are not so common in English. The glossary aims to explain, in short, any key ideas or information important for understanding the passage more fully. It is not necessary for learners to learn these words or terms, unless they already know all the words in the first three lists of high frequency words provided in the lesson above the glossary. 

After the vocabulary lists, there are questions and activity ideas to help learners use English and understand the lesson content more effectively. These questions and activities can also be used to guide teachers as they plan lessons. Not all questions need to be used in every lesson, though a whole lesson will cover everything essential that relates to the reading passage. It may be that one written lesson provided here, may become more than one lesson when it is actually used. Teachers should use their own judgement as to how long to spend on each part of a lesson. Teachers will, of course, decide which questions and activities are most suitable to help their learners achieve the specific learning goals they have in mind. Similarly, anyone using the lessons on their own, can decide for themselves how best to use the follow up material after each reading.

The questions after each reading text are based on Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy of Higher Thinking Skills *. These questions go from easier questions about the reading text itself (remembering and understanding) to more challenging questions that need deeper thought (applying, analysing, and evaluating). Finally, there is a ‘creating’ question, which is usually an activity that will help fix the ideas and language of the reading in the learners’ minds. This activity may also help learners to explain the message of the Bible reading with others more clearly as they try to share what they have learned.

There are a number of reasons for adding the higher level (critical) thinking questions. One key reason is that God’s Word teaches us to love Him with all our hearts, souls and minds (Matthew 22:7). By teaching learners to think beyond just remembering information and understanding the language used in a Bible passage, we may go some way towards helping our learners to more fully develop the God-given capacities of their minds, and in so doing to build a closer relationship with Him. If they are believers, they may then be better able to share their faith, which will in turn strengthen their hearts and help them to grow in that faith themselves. 

Secondly, it is hoped that the creating question and activities at the end of each lesson will provide an opportunity for learners to do something interesting with what they learn. Our God is an astonishing creator, and we, who have been re-made by Him, in His image, should try to reflect His creative nature by being creative ourselves. Jesus himself often used puzzling stories and striking actions to touch the hearts of the people around Him. We too, need to find God-honouring and creative ways to share the precious message of Jesus so as to catch the attention of those we are trying to reach. Therefore, learners should find, in this last ‘creating’ activity, an opportunity to show and share what they have learned in visible, practical and interesting ways. 

It is important, however, that teachers and lesson users are sensitive to the context in which they are working and learning. In some settings, it may be difficult or even risky to share lesson content beyond the lesson setting itself. Be wise, and feel free to adapt activities to the needs and situations in which you are living, working and learning.

Finally

These lessons are offered here in the hope that by whatever means, the truth of Jesus, God's Living Word, will continue to be shared widely throughout the world. Our prayer, in providing them, is that they will encourage a greater depth of understanding of God's truth, a commitment to showing and sharing God’s love to people everywhere, and that they will be used creatively, and with great joy. 

In so doing, we follow not only Paul’s example in 1 Corinthians 9:23, who said "I do all this to make the Good News known. I do it so that I can share in the blessings of the Good News.", but with prayerful intention, we aim to track in the footsteps of Jesus, who came to Earth not to do His own will, “ but to do the will of Him who sent me" (John 6:38). 

* Scripture quotations are from the EasyEnglish Bible Copyright © MissionAssist 2018, 2024 – UK Charitable Incorporated Organisation 1162807. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.easyenglish.bible 

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