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Scripture Mastery (SM) is the one area of a seminary teacher’s responsibility that is not covered very well in the teacher manuals. However, Latter-dayVillage.com carries many different SM teaching resources to help you turn students into scripture masters. If done correctly, this one single area of seminary instruction can become the most lasting memory imprint from your teacher efforts. Many of us still remember the scriptures we memorized even 40-50 years ago; in fact for this write, knowing the SM verses was a powerful missionary tool. I was able to quote prophetic scripture on the door, the street corner, and in our investigator’s homes. In every member missionary situation, having an instant library of God’s Word available to use, will benefit students and teacher alike.

In the next few Seminary News Flashes, we will focus on one of our SM resources, as well as listing much of what we offer. This Flash our attention turns to Scripture Mastery Resources! from Ken Alford. Bro. Alford, a long time seminary teacher has just joined the BYU Dept. of Religion faculty after retiring from military service. His resource packets are designed for quick duplication with using a copy machine; his CD’s are packed with images and activities proven to help with SM passage familiarization and memorization.

New Testament. Volume 1 - The activities in this basic New Testament packet include:

• Games
• Handouts
• Inspiring Quotations (called “Glue Quotes” or “Glue-Ins” each one refers to a specific scripture and they’re all just the right size to glue into scriptures or journals)
• Memory aids
• Instructions and Ideas
• Many, many other features, too many to list in this space. Click here to see the entire product description.

New Testament. Volume 2 - This second activity packet does not duplicate first packet resources, but adds a wide range of New Testament teaching resources:

• Jewish Holiday information (through 2005)
• Scripture Mastery Anagrams activity
• New Testament Tidbits (lesson “attention getters”)
• “Who Wants to be a Zillionaire” New Testament game (complete with speed round questions, lifelines, and game questions)
• Table of Contents (with all packet pages numbered)
• Scripture Mastery Logic Puzzle (and solution)
• As with the previous packet, there is to much to list here. See
  the product page for a complete list of New Testament teaching aids.

ALL 100 Scripture Mastery CD - On this CD, designed for all four years (good scripture mastery involves reviewing previous year’ memorization),  you receive:

• 400 SCRIPTURE MASTERY PICTURES
  • 100 pictures with keywords and scripture references
  • 100 pictures with references but no keywords
  • 100 pictures with keywords but no references
  • 100 pictures without keywords or references
  • These beautiful pictures can be used in handouts, activities, talks, games, flash cards, etc.
• 100 scripture mastery computer jigsaw puzzles
• 48 computer screensavers
• 100 computer background pictures
• 4 computer slideshows
• 4 scripture mastery guides

Picture Clues - The Picture Clues packet provides match the Picture Bingo clues from the Seminary Scripture Mastery Resource Volume 1 packets. Each Picture Clues packet contains:

• 4 Student Handout pages, which each contains all 25 scripture references, keywords, and picture clues from one Seminary year.
• 100 full-size picture clues (8-1/2 by 11 inches). These images are perfect for game/chase clues or classroom visual aids.

All Seminary Scripture Mastery Resources! - The activities in this packet cover the Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, Old Testament, New Testament at the same time! Review and preview all four Seminary years during the same activity.

• 100 new pages!
• New Games and Activities
• Ideas and Instructions
• Crossed Words Game
• Seminary Mumble Game
• Scripture Mastery Cover-Ups and a whole
  list of other useful Games & Activities.

Grettle Payne, one of our long-time seminary authors, recently discovered a hidden treasure in a storage unit she was cleaning out.  Some time ago we converted most of Grettle’s out of print seminary scripture mastery titles to PDF eBook format; those downloads have been selling very well. What she found was several hundred copies of her books, some even that she was sure were all sold out.

We are now offering two of those books as an exclusive sell out; hard copies of these two volumes are now available until they run out.

Scripture Mastery for Everyone, New Testament Print Edition regular $13.00, now only $10.00, save: 23% off until supplies are gone.

Scripture Mastery for Everyone, Old Testament Print Edition regular $13.00  now only $10.00, save: 23% off until supplies are gone.

We will continue to sell the download versions of these books; they are cheaper and have no shipping charges, but for those who prefer hard copy versions, now is your chance. Order now while we still have these in stock!

I recently read an interesting blog post about BYU football (I am kinda nuts about football, mostly college football, primarily BYU or Wyoming football [OK I confess, I also cheer for anyone playing the U of U]). But at least I immediately recognized the article as having an application for seminary teachers. The writer, Dick Harmon, sports columnist for the Deseret News, is a longtime friend of mine, from when we both lived in the same Orem, UT ward. We both had very young families, were very interested in sports (he professionally) and so we hit if off as friends. I later wrote a weekly college football prognostication column for the Provo Daily Herald where Dick was the sports editor. I used a home-written computer program to predict college football games and spent many Saturday nights in the Herald office watching the college football statistics come across the sports wire. I also did some stringing for the Herald, covering high school basketball games in Utah County. But I digress.

As I read Dick’s blog about BYU football coach Bronco Mendenhall and his use of memory techniques (found here http://deseretnews.com/blogs/monthly/1,5553,19,00.html?bD=20080809&sc=dmn),

I could not help but think how the same principles applied to teaching seminary.

Dick had noted behavioral scientist Paul Gustavson comment on Coach Mendenhall’s technique for impressing principles on the minds of his football players. He wrote;

“Dick,

Research indicates that the three strongest facilitators of long term memory are:

1. Emotional experiences (e.g. running to the top of the Y and then Bronco talking about goals. Like the first year he said that the view from the top is different from the view from the bottom. Being in LaVell Edward stadium watching the last 12 home victories etc., many that you have written about)
2. Music The use of music is powerful. Many of our children learn their alphabet by singing the ABC song. At Bronco’s fireside the team sings the Sons of Helaman song (I know that it goes by another name) the Haka is a war chant (type of song).
3. A metaphor is the third strongest facilitator of long term memory. Christ taught in parables and all parables are metaphors. Bronco uses lots of metaphors such as being flag bearers and the flag with everyone’s signature on it.
   

I believe that this coin and its symbolism/metaphor is about being a flag bearers and who they represent. I believe that the coin was to be given at a significant emotional experience point (run up the mountain to begin camp. I don’t know if it was at the top of the “Y” or somewhere else that he told me that he was going to give this to the players. I think that they might be like dog tags that members of the services have signifying who they are and who they represent.

Hope this background helps. Bronco does the best job of any leader that I know leveraging these three facilitators of long term memory. “

So how can these three facilitators be applied in a seminary setting and will they be effective. Since it has been a couple of years since I taught seminary, here are my thoughts organized around what I should have done better then or what I might do better if the opportunity ever comes again.

1. Spiritual experiences. Make sure students and teacher have daily spiritual experiences. Follow the spirit in preparing and leading your learning discussions. Share you r testimony frequently and personalize your students learning environment by using spiritual experiences from your own life or theirs. If you are in tune, spiritual experiences will happen; those will tend to stay with your students longer than anything else. Leverage them; get your students to record their thoughts and impressions in student journals.
2. Music – use soothing prelude music to set a proper learning atmosphere. Sing hymns frequently, even if acapella, especially those that directly correlate to a scripture passage. Use music to teach and practice scripture mastery; if you get those verses into memory with music, they do not leave nearly so fast.
3. Metaphors. Use object lessons to bind learning to specific memories in your students minds. As a fifty-something, I still remember object lessons learned in my first 9^th grade seminary class. Yearly themes can be metaphors you reinforce with every lesson. Objects students take home become a visible library of learning and application.

So there you have it; football and seminary. I hope my observation makes some sense for you as you guide your young charges through their spiritual discovery of the New Testament.

Long-time seminary teachers who attended the annual CES symposium at BYU each year are probably familiar with The Scripture Connection series, written by Dennis A. Wright, Associate Dean of Religious Instruction at BYU. His comprehensive teaching resource, The Scripture Connection, was an annual symposium best-seller at the BYU Bookstore. We are proud to announce that Latter-dayVillage.com is now the exclusive source for this wonderful teacher’s aide.

A limited number of printed copies of the New Testament version are now available for sale in our online store. We also have a much smaller of printed DC copies now available. When all printed copies are sold, we will release downloadable PDF versions of each book. Buy now to get your Scripture Connection books as we anticipate a quick sellout!

We are now adding the last set of seminary lesson plans from MarGene Von Forell. If you are unfamiliar with MarGene and her lesson plans, visit her bio page here. MarGene’s years of teaching experience, coupled with her vast collection of quotes, stories, games, and activities, provide seminary teachers with many valuable teaching tools.

Coordinated with the current teacher’s manual, she adds additional teaching opportunities to any lesson. Where applicable, she includes resources collected by her father, a career full-time Seminary/Institute teacher (now retired). Every teacher should read her MarGene Von Forell’s New Testament Summer Preparation Outline and New Testament’s First Lesson; get the year started off right with the correct preparation, classroom organization, and student management strategies.

We intend of completing the addition of MarGene’s New Testament lessons by the end of October. Watch the New Articles list to see where we are.

NT SM POSTERS NOW SHIPPING

Our very popular Scripture Mastery Posters for the New Testament are now shipping. The 11″x17″ posters, printed on card stock and coordinate with our NT SM Stickers and NT SM Clipart collection. Each contains highlighted keywords and keyword picture. Quantities are limited; order now to get yours before our supplies are depleted.