Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term - Primary 3

WEEK 8

Subject: Christian Religious Studies

Class: Primary 3

Term: 3^rd Term

Topic: Forbearance and understanding

Performance objectives: At the end of this lesson, pupils should be able to

1 explain the term ‘forbearance’.

2 describe Isaac’s patience and love for peace.

3 explain how, with patience, we can turn our enemies into friends.

4 enumerate blessings we can derive from being patient and peace-loving.

Guide to Bible passages (Genesis 26:17–23; and Proverbs 17–7)

Building Background connection to prior knowledge:  pupils are familiar with the topic in their previous classes.

CONTENT

Forbearance

Forbearance is the:

1. ability to be patient;

2. ability to control our emotions;

3. ability to tolerate other people;

4. ability to avoid trouble; and

5. willingness to forgive someone who has upset us.

Forbearance is a good quality that we should all develop. We live with people; we play, study and work with them on a daily basis. So, the quality of forbearance is one we must learn to cultivate. Forbearance enables us to accept difficult and unpleasant things even though we donot like them.

Isaac – An example of a patient and peace-loving person. Isaac showed a good example of forbearance when he lived in Gerar. He and his servant re-dug an old well that Abraham his father had built, so that they could have water for themselves and their livestock. But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen. They claimed that the water belonged to them. Isaac did not quarrel with them. He left that place and dug another well somewhere else. After digging the second well, the herdsmen of Gerar came and quarrelled with Isaac over that as well. Although Isaac and his servants had worked very hard digging those two wells, they chose not to quarrel. They decided to take the path of peace. For the third time, Isaac and his men moved to another place and dug another well. This time, nobody quarrelled with them, So Isaac named the well Rehoboth, which means God has given us space and we shall be fruitful in the land. Isaac’s behaviour showed that he was a patient and peace-loving man. Like Isaac, our attitude should be one of peace and tolerance towards other people – even when they hate us or they deliberately behave badly towards us, and do things that are wrong. Proverbs 16:7 tells us that when a man’s ways please the Lord, the Lord causes even his enemies to be at peace with him. This is exactly what God did for Isaac. When Isaac displayed peace and forbearance towards the herdsmen of Gerar, they stopped fighting him and allowed him to have peace. God also blessed him and made the way for him to be fruitful and to prosper in Gerar. Like the herdsmen of Gerar, people may sometimes want to hate us. They may even want to quarrel with us. They may want to make us their enemies. But we must choose to overlook their bad behaviour to us and take the path of peace. God can cause people who hate us to leave us in peace when we are pleasing him, just like he did for Isaac. He will eventually make our enemies unable to fight us, we will be fruitful. God always blesses people who are patient and peace-loving.

Moral lessons

1. God loves peace. When we are peace-loving, God is pleased and will bless us.

2. We should be determined not to quarrel, even when others are quarrelling around us and are being mean to us.

3. We should believe like Isaac believed God, that it is God that blesses us.

4. We should learn and do good things we see our parents do. Isaac re-dug the wells his father Abraham had built.

Remember:

1. In Gerar, Isaac re-dug the wells that Abraham his father had built.

2. When Isaac dug the first two wells, the herdsmen of Gerar quarrelled with his herdsmen because they said the water was theirs.

3. Isaac had to build wells three times before the quarrelsome herdsmen of Gerar left him in peace.

4. Isaac was a patient and peaceful man. Because Isaac refused to quarrel, God blessed him in Gerar.

5. God is a God of peace. He does not like us to be quarrelsome.

6. When we choose to be patient and peaceful towards others, God ispleased and so he rewards us.

7. God can cause people who do not like us to leave us in peace when we please him.

Strategies and activities

Step1: Teacher revises the previous topic

Step 2: Teacher introduces the new I

Step 3:  Teacher explains the new topic

Step 4: Teacher welcomes pupils questions

Step 5:  Teacher evaluates the pupils

Assessment and evaluation

1. Explain the term ‘forbearance’.

2. Describe Isaac’s patience and love for peace

3. Explain how, with patience, we can turn our enemies into friends.

4. Enumerate blessings we can derive from being patient and peaceloving.

Wrap up( conclusion): Teacher goes over the topic once again to enhance better understanding.

Exercise

1. Where was Isaac when he dug the wells Abraham had dug?

2a) Who quarrelled with Isaac’s herdsmen over the wells?

b) What was their claim?

c) What happened when Isaac dug the third well?

Fill in the gaps with the correct answers.

3. Isaac was ___________ and ____________ man.

4. Isaac dug ________ wells before the herdsmen of Gerar stopped quarrelling with him.

5. God is pleased and rewards us when _______________________________.

6. Isaac did not ___________ with them. He was a _________ and peaceloving man.

7. God can cause people who do not ____________ us to ________ in peace when we _____________ him.