More Junior High and Middle School Talksheets-Updated!: 50 More Creative Discussions for Junior High Youth Groups
112
More Junior High and Middle School Talksheets-Updated!: 50 More Creative Discussions for Junior High Youth Groups
112eBook
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Overview
Start Discussions That Matter to Your Junior Highers & Middle Schoolers About God. About themselves, their, beliefs, their questions, their lives. More Junior High-Middle School TalkSheets--Updated! contains the same kind of provocative, compelling, discussion-starting questions that are hallmarks of the best-selling TalkSheets series--now updated for new-millennium students. Here are 50 more creative discussions that focus on relevant, real-life topics: The Future Death Priorities AIDS Heaven & Hell Premarital Sex Prayer Knowing God Homosexuality Materialism & Consumerism . . . and 40 more subjects of perennial interest to teenagers. TalkSheets are convenient, effective one-page reproducible handouts with intriguing questions that will get churched kids and unchurched kids alike talking and thinking about the Bible--and how its principles affect their daily lives. Use TalkSheets to launch your own lesson--or use them as stand-alone Bible studies. Each TalkSheet comes with detailed information and suggestions for discussion leaders: Bible references galore, Internet resources, further group exploration, and activities to pursue during and after the meeting. More Junior High-Middle School TalkSheets--Updated! is the perfect discussion-starting resource for youth meetings, small groups and cell groups, Sunday school, and camps and retreats.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780310873242 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Zondervan |
| Publication date: | 12/21/2010 |
| Series: | TalkSheets |
| Sold by: | HarperCollins Publishing |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 112 |
| File size: | 3 MB |
| Age Range: | 18 Years |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
More Junior High and Middle School TalkSheets-Updated
50 More Creative Discussions for Junior High Youth GroupsBy David Lynn
Zondervan
Copyright © 2001 ZondervanAll right reserved.
ISBN: 0-310-23856-0
Chapter One
THE NEXT STEP1. What do you think-yes or no? High school will be better than junior high or middle school.
Why or why not?
2. From the list below, check which three are your greatest concerns about high school.
If anybody will like me If I'll get good enough grades If I'll make a sports team If classes will be hard If I'll get along with the teachers If people will make fun of my Christian beliefs If I'll be taking the right classes for If I be tempted to do drugs If I'll make new friends If I'll be harassed by a gang If I'll be able to find my classes If the older students be nice to me If I'll have a slew of homework If I'll be safe If I'll have the right clothes If I'll I get into much trouble If I'll be pressured to have sex If there will be lots of fights If the other kids will pick on me college prep If I'll fit in If my stuff will get stolen If I'll find a boyfriend or girlfriend Other-
3. How do you think your parents or guardians will change when you're in high school? They'll-
be more worried about my grades expect more out of me give me more freedom worry about what kind of friends I have be more concerned about my church involvement pressure me more about sports be less worried about my grades expect less out of me give me fewer privileges worry less about my friends be less concerned about my church involvement pressure me less about sports
4. What do you think your relationship with God will be like when you're in high school? It will-
be more important than it is today be about the same as it is today be less important than it is today
5. What do you think these Bible verses have to say about growing up?
1 Corinthians 13:11 2 Timothy 2:15 2 Peter 3:18
This week
Junior highers or middle schoolers in transition to high school are often filled with both anticipation and dread. Moving up to high school often begins in a panic. Some teens interpret change as loss-they lose familiarity with the old school structure, relationships with teachers and friends, or involvement in sports and other extracurricular activities. Christian young people often worry about how others will respond to their faith. This TalkSheet will give them a chance to talk about their apprehensions and cope with the transition.
Opener
What are your kids' fears about the first day of high school? You might be surprised what they're thinking about! You may want to have your group make up a "plot by plot" story. Start the plot by saying something like the following phrases. Then have another person add the next part of the plot. And then someone else can add the next part of the plot until the story is done! Starters include phrases like this-
It was the first day of high school for Luis, who ...
Samantha was walking into cafeteria when ...
After looking for her best friend, Anna decided to ...
As Seth strolled to his first class ...
Bryce was nervous because he'd just seen ...
Your group may end up with a wild introduction to a discussion on what high school might be like. But, be sure they keep it clean and focused on the first day of high school.
You can play this the same way by using a large piece of white paper or a white board to write on. Either you or one of your kids writes the initial sentence up on the paper or white board and then the others can take turns adding sentences to the story. Continue until the story is finished.
The discussion, by numbers
1. Ask for volunteers to some of their responses and why. You may want to share some of the feelings you had when you were their age. Listen carefully-you'll learn a lot about how they're feeling!
2. You may want to give the group members a chance to identify their top five questions, then compile a group top 10 list as they place their votes. When you are finished, you might want to answer the top 10 questions together as a group.
3. Kids in transition want freedom and security-they want to move away from their parents, but still hope their parents will still be there for them. Don't let this turn into a gripe session about parents, but instead look at what would be reasonable changes for parents to make and why. This is an opportunity for you to empathize with kids and support parental authority.
4. As students share their answers, explore why or why not their relationship with God might change. How will the relationship change?
5. Ask the students to relate these passages to the move to high school. Point out that God is there for them as they go through the changes in their lives.
The close
As you summarize the key points that have been made during the discussion, make it clear that their fears and apprehensions are normal. They're facing new challenges, struggles, and adventures-some they can control and some they can't. You (or another leader in your group) may want to share a story about your transition to high school. Encourage them to look at the changes as new opportunities to meet others, try new activities, and learn about themselves.
Finally, you may want to wrap up by reading Psalm 20 (or another psalm) that deals with trust and security in God. Take some time to pray for the group and for those who are feeling nervous about the future.
More
How does TV portray the move to high school? Ask the group to think of situations in movies or on TV that show this transition. You may want to show clips of a few of these TV shows (check out the prime time line-ups). What happened in the stories? What were the problems that occurred and how were they handled? How do these shows or movies make your kids feel about high school? What questions about high school do your middle schoolers have? Try a Q&A session with some of your older high school students! Ask your junior highers to (anonymously) write down questions about high school on 3x5 cards-or have your junior highers or middle schoolers to write short, anonymous letters to high school students, expressing their concerns about high school. Then collect them and hand them off to the high school panel to answer.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from More Junior High and Middle School TalkSheets-Updated by David Lynn Copyright © 2001 by Zondervan. Excerpted by permission.
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