Love Your Schoolmates

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the service module is to teach the children how to interact with others with love. For fourth graders it's important to make God real to them and show them how the Holy Spirit works through them. Every week of this module will focus on serving different aspects of their lives: week 1 -- love of self/pure love, week 2- love your elders, week 3-love your classmates/peers, week 4 - love different cultures. Help them realize how their actions are a reflection of their love for othersSD f and themselves. Week 5 is the capstone week to review and serve together. Please read through all the lessons in this module in preparation for this lesson. At

In this lesson, children will learn that true love is not just a feeling, it is actions. As a class, we will identify feelings of love versus actions of love. Then, we will set a plan to help us perform actions of love toward our schoolmates in various situations. We refer to it as the "How to Love" action plan as seen in previous lessons.

INTRODUCTION & HOOK - 10 Minutes

Please review the previous week's lesson. (5 minutes)

Option 1

Split the kids into groups of 4. Each group will decide on an example of 2 actions (one loving and one unloving) and play them in 2 skits. They need to work together and agree on what example they want to play and who is going to play each role. The class will "boo" the unloving actions and will cheer for the loving ones.

Examples for the skit for the kids to pick from or they can come up with their own:

Grandma is walking too slowly.
Dad asked you to set the table, you're in the middle of a game.
Mom blames you for your sister's mess.
Your teacher punishes the whole class because one person broke the rules.
The head deacon keeps repeating a specific instruction that you already know how it's done.
Great work you all on loving your elders.

Today we will learn how to use the 'How to Love' Action Plan toward our Schoolmates.

Option 2

Ask: How do we show that we love each other? What does God want our relationships to look like?

Discuss loyalty, commitment, forgiveness
Good relationships bring us closer to God.

Ask the children "Is it ok to "love" and not "like" a schoolmate or peer?" Give them examples to help them develop the concept:

Billy is my friend, but he tries to cheat on his spelling test. I love him as a friend, but I don't like what he does.
Janet wants to talk to Su because she likes her, however everyone else in the class makes fun of Su, so Janet stays away. Janet likes Su, but doesn't love her.

Talk about these examples and others that they come up with to identify what it means to love your schoolmates/peers.

HOLY SCRIPTURE - 10 Minutes

Memory Verse

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." John 15:12

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7
"But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking ambition in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing will be there." James 3:14-16
"Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath," James 1:19
"He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates the best of friends." Proverbs 17:9
"An evildoer listens to wicked lips, and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue." Proverbs 17:4
"Not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing." 1 Peter 3:9

CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 15 Minutes

This portion of the lesson goes with the attached Powerpoint

"How to Love" action Plan"

Hands on
Eyes and mouth
Ears
When things go wrong
Hugs and kisses

We will discuss each step of the action plan toward our schoolmates

DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 5 Minutes

"How to Love" action plan (1) Hand on

Say "No" to bullying. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7
Volunteer to help someone.
Say "hi" to someone outside your usual social circle.

"How to Love" action plan (2) Eyes & Mouth

Do: Give compliments for the good things you see.
Don't: Look and Envy.
"But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking ambition in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing will be there." James 3:14-16

"How to Love" action plan (3) Ears

DO: Be a good listener. Listening makes you understand others more. It shows your schoolmates your openness and your concern for them.
"Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath," James 1:19
Don't: Gossip
"He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates the best of friends." Proverbs 17:9
"An evildoer listens to wicked lips, and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue." Proverbs 17:4

"How to Love" action plan (4) When Things go wrong *** ***

DO:

Focus on what is right
Forgive, forget and accept
Let go of irritations
Learn from what happened
Move ahead

Don't:

Attach more importance to the bad things that happen
Condemn or criticize
Try to get even with someone
Hold grudges
"not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing." 1 Peter 3:9

"How to Love" action plan (5) Hugs & Kisses *** ***

Absolutely These are essential ingredients of love, but just giving hugs and kisses is not true love

LIFE APPLICATION (Action) - 5 Minutes

Ask your students: how many close friends do they have? Why do they like their friends? What do you like to do with your friends? Do they always go to church and Sunday School? What will they do if their friends do something bad?
Allow the students to talk freely about their friends and notice what kind of friends they have
Practice taking loving actions at least once every day toward your schoolmates.
Challenge the children to be good friends this week and to reach out to schoolmates that he/she wouldn't normally reach out to. Tell them to invite a friend/schoolmate to church next week.

ACTIVITY

Print the weekly chart attached and add stickers to decorate it for your awesome loving actions.
Monitor how your charts are getting more decorated or lesser decorated week over week.
More decorated charts mean you are doing an awesome job.
Lesser decorated is ok because you will be able to fix it by seeking help from your father of confession or your Sunday school teacher

SERVANT RESOURCES

See attached Powerpoint

PARENTS CORNER/HOMEWORK

We have been focusing on acting out our Christian love. This week it's about loving our schoolmates. Your children have been challenged to be a better friend to his/her classmates and to reach out to some peers that don't have friends. Explain to them that sometimes these children that act out or are unpopular come from homes with very difficult circumstances. They've also been challenged to invite a classmate to church. Please help facilitate this if possible and maybe offer an invitation to your peer as well, or a classmate's entire family.