SRSP 11-16 Topic 4 U1c – Literary or literary? – Understandings of creation
‘The intention of the Holy Ghost is to teach us how one goes to heaven
not how heaven goes’ (Galileo)
This unit explores several ways in which Christians interpret the Genesis creation narratives today. It could be used for extension lessons which look more deeply into what the Bible teaches about how the world began. There is a range of web, paper, game and visual activities to stimulate interest and develop students’ skills of analysis and evaluation
The notes for teachers provide important background materials for this extension unit.
This unit consists of 2 lessons and is suitable for students aged from 13 to 16 years
Key Questions
- What does the Genesis narrative tell us about the creation of the universe?
- Is this in conflict with the scientific account? If so, how?
- Does it matter if the Genesis creation narrative is read in a literal or a literary way? If so why?
Some of the materials can be viewed on screen and some can be downloaded for editing or printing. To view the pdf files you need Adobe Acrobat Reader. See the about section for more details.
Unit Resources
Teacher’s notes: Reading genesis (Word)
Link to Arthur Peacocke video [Need to be online]
Lesson 1
Lesson Plan: How on earth? (Word)
Student Resource Sheet 1: The mice and the piano (Word)
Student Worksheet 1: What do you think? (Word)
Student Worksheet 2: Card game (Word)
Student Homework Sheet: Homework (Word)
Lesson 2
Lesson Plan: Literal or Literary? (Word)
Student Resource Sheet 1: How do Christians interpret Genesis I & 2? (Word)
Student Resource Sheet 2: Different interpretations of Genesis 1 & 2 (Word)
Student Worksheet: How do Christians interpret Genesis 1 and 2? (Word)
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