Short Attention Span Sunday School: Primary 5 Lesson 4 Joseph Smith Prepares to Receive the Gold Plates

PRIMARY 5 LESSON 4 JOSEPH SMITH PREPARES TO RECEIVE THE GOLD PLATES

CLASSROOM PREP

WRITE ON BOARD:

“If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six hours sharpening my ax”

Abraham Lincoln

“To be PREPARED means we show that we CARE”

1/OPENING ACTIVITY

2/LESSON

3/PREPAREDNESS DISCUSSION/ACTIVITY

4a/PASS OUT MUFFINS TO EAT

4b/PASS OUT HANDWARMERS WITH NOTE:

→ “If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear. D&C 38:30”

OPENING ACTIVITY

Pass around muffin mix, tell them to study it and tell me what they think about it

("it’s a muffin mix box")

Pass around the baked muffins in a basket, tell them to study them

→ what’s the difference?

("we want these, they smell good, they are baked and ready")

→ with the box/mix, I didn’t do anything other than just buy it, it took me barely any time and effort, you guys weren’t super excited about it. I didn’t spend any time preparing.

→ with the muffins, I spent time and effort, I thought carefully about what you guys would want to eat, allergies, and I ended up with a finished product that you are happy with. I spent time preparing.

If we want a good outcome, we need to put time and thought and effort into it.

We need to be prepared.

We can’t just show up to something and expect everything to go well.

We need to use the Spirit to help us be prepared, inspired, and show that we care.

Joseph Smith spent 4 years showing that he cared!

LESSON

Joseph Smith History 1:54-58

• He went at the end of each year and met with the Angel Moroni and learned more

• What else happened during this 4 year time period? (draw pictures or print out pictures for each element)
• Joseph’s family didn’t have a lot of money so they had to work hard
• His oldest brother Alvin died
• He went to work for Josiah Stoal to get money for his family
• He stayed with Isaac Hale and met his daughter, and they got married

PREPAREDNESS DISCUSSION/ACTIVITY

So let’s talk about being prepared.

What are all the things you need for: (show them pictures drawn for each topic)

• A new school year (shop for supplies, clothes, meet your teacher, receive a blessing)
• A big test (study, go to school/class, do your homework, get sleep)
• A birthday party (send invitations, plan food, plan a cake, plan games)

What are the ways Heavenly Father helps us prepare?

• We have the scriptures, the Holy Ghost, prophet, parents, teachers, Primary, General Conference talks

What are ways we can prepare ourselves?

• Say our prayers, keep our baptismal covenants, keep the commandments, read the scriptures, share our testimony, have faith, trust Heavenly Father, go to church, obey our parents

Tell stories of survival found online (one option is at the bottom)

Talk about what they did right in order to survive

What are all the essentials for outdoor survival? And how can we relate them to be prepared in this life to serve Jesus?

LIST - Get them to guess the bold term through either Pictionary on the board or through Charades, then talk about how it relates to the gospel:

• Water → baptism
• Food → bread of life/sacrament
• Rain Jacket → worthiness to have the holy ghost
• Navigation - compass and map → scriptures
• Illumination - headlamp/flashlight → personal revelation
• Knife/Tool → prayer
• First aid kit → atonement
• Fire (Matches/firestarter) → gift of the holy ghost
• Emergency shelter → worthiness to enter the temple

SURVIVAL STORY OPTION BELOW -- many others found online

A Story of Survival: The Importance of Being Prepared

Last week, we heard news of a 62 year old Californian hiker who survived 9 days with a broken leg in the rugged Sierra Nevada wilderness. While hiking with the Sierra Club, Miyuki Harwood left her hiking group and headed back to camp because of her low water supply. On the way, she slipped and fell about 6 feet, breaking her leg.

After two days of waiting in place, Harwood crawled about 150 yards down a ravine to a source of running water. She was able to use her water bottle’s filter to make the water safe to drink and waited for help to come.  Unfortunately, a nearby wildfire clogged the air with smoke, making it difficult for searchers in aircraft to be of use. While she waited, she took shelter under a tree and drank from the nearby creek. She had no food to eat or pain relief from her broken leg. Nine days after her initial fall, Harwood made contact with search and rescue groups by using her emergency whistle.