mormon modern

I learned a great lesson a few weeks ago: Have one strong message that takes most of the lesson and they’ll remember it.

This was discovered during the lesson on scripture study. I gave them the handout and quizzed them on each step. I’d point to someone and shout out “step #4!” and she’d say “ponder!”. The girls enjoyed the game and can you believe the next week they still new all 5 steps to scripture study? It was miraculous. It has changed the way I look at lessons. Instead of trying to offer them everything I can (quotes, scriptures, stories, handouts, treats, videos, pictures, etc) to fill the time, I’m now only going to focus on one message for most of the lesson and instead encourage discussion. And hopefully my counselors and I should be able to answer the questions using the Spirit, the lesson manual and the scriptures.

My favorite teaching method is how the Savior used parables to demonstrate a concept. So I try to look for ‘parables’ that will stick with the girls to help them remember important things from the lesson.

So, this brings us to our favorite section of the YW Manual—morality. Here are some resources that I found to add to the lesson:

LDSwhy.com Blog Post on Steady Dating

This Blog accompanies a book that Deseret Book is publishing. It looks great, but alas I’m no where near a mormon bookshop. Luckily, they’ve included a lot of their book content on their blog. Super site. Here’s an excerpt:

President Gordon B. Hinckley, the fifteenth president of the church, counseled in the Priesthood Session of Conference:

“When you are young, do not get involved in steady dating. When you reach an age where you think of marriage, then is the time to become so involved.  But you boys who are in high school don’t need this, and neither do the girls” (Ensign, Nov. 1997, 51, emphasis added).

The First Presidency has said, “Avoid going on frequent dates with the same person” (For the Strength of Youth, 25).

Some couples will say, “But we’re good kids! We’re not going to do anything bad.”

I’m going to use a set of magnets as the ‘parable’ object lesson and challenge the girls to let the magnets get close but not touch. I’m going to use that as an example of the ‘law of attraction’ in two ways:

1) Like attracts like. Be the person you want to marry. D&C 88:40. “For intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence; wisdom receiveth wisdom; truth embraceth truth; virtue loveth virtue; light cleaveth unto light; mercy hath compassion on mercy and claimeth her own; justice continueth its course and claimeth its own.”

I’ll have the girls list the attributes they want in their husband. Then have them cross out husband and write “me”. They’ll each have a set a small magnets to play with to think about this concept of being the person you want. And how the two magnets come together. (we’ll just leave out the part about opposites and polarity here unless we say boys and girls are opposites then it works)

2) Attraction strengthens the closer you become. That’s why you don’t steady date until you’re ready for marriage.

I’ll be using a really strong magnet and a piece of steel for this. I think a member of the bishopric will have to demonstrate this one for safety reasons. Either way I’m sure it will be memorable! My husband is a physicist, so I’ll have him come in and talk about how magnets work to reinforce the idea. And then we’ll have a discussion about group dating, dating standards, etc.

And of course, the handout to go with it.

As always, if you download it, leave a comment! Enjoy!