Book of Mormon Stories

These teaching aides accompany an arrangement I wrote to teach all eight verses of this popular song from the Primary Children’s Songbook pg. 118. The original verse #2 was not included in this arrangement, but can easily be added by repeating the first verse twice with the new words. I am choosing not to teach that verse to my primary. Here is a U-Tube video where you can listen and sing along. http:youtu.be/TjvQCzEnbF4

Music Method:

If you listen closely to this arrangement, you can hear how I tried to set the accompaniment to reflect the mood of the verse. Some musical ideas you could have the children listen to would be dissonance (verse 2), Major sounds and minor sounds (measure 16), marching steady rhythm ((Helaman’s army verse), accents (Samuel the Lamanite verse), ritardando (Measure 61 leading up to last verse). The last verse is my favorite and hopefully, you can see what I did there. I reversed the direction of the melody! This would be fun to explain to the children so they know why they are now moving their voices up instead of down. Gospel principles could be added here to associate Jesus Christ with always lifting us up, teaching us higher ways, etc.

Flip Chart

Here is a flip chart in English and a flip chart in Spanish designed to teach primary children all the verses (except the original #2) of Book of Mormon Stories. You can put these pictures in a binder or tape the pages together to resemble a book. This is always a great resource to help the children remember the words quickly. It is also a great resource to keep in the closet for substitutes to use.

A few tips for teaching:

  • The different verses could be assigned to classes. You could give them a few minutes to brainstorm how they would silently but quickly act it out. Then, as the other children sang the verse, they put on their very short enactment.
  • Actions could be used for specific parts to help the children move and reinforce the story. This works very well, especially with the younger children. Here are a few suggestions but remember, your children are also very good resources to ask for help when coming up with actions.
  • Verse I: Hold out hands like a book, hand rolling like the sea, folding arms on righteously. Verse 2: Holding fists in front (rebellious), spread out hands quickly like bursts (light), hands in prayer form (humility).
  • Verse 3: Stand straight and tall (stood), touch head point to toes (chained up), cross one arm across chest (true).
  • Verse 4: Walking motion with hands (missionary), place hand over eyes like you are watching (sheep), swinging a sword (fighting).
  • Verse 5: touch hands out front several times like counting heads (two thousand), marching with feet (army), give themselves a hug (guardian).
  • Verse 6: Hold arms out like balancing on a wall (high), pump fist in the air three times (repentance), lean side to side (arrows).
  • Verse 7: point out and to self (you and me), cross arms in front them stretch them out wide (free), cross flat palms in front of body like giving a blessing (laid).
  • These verses might be taught at different times throughout the year as the children and their families learn about them. They could also be taught all at once, in hopes that the children can be ready to teach them to their families when they get to those stories in their Come Follow Me lessons. If you are planning on using this song in the program, you might need to teach the verses before the Come Follow Me lesson so that you have plenty of time to practice it.
  • As the children become familiar with the verses, reviewing the verses can be done in many ways. Here are a few different ideas. Pick a verse number from a bag, play a memory game (place all the pictures from the flip chart on the floor or board upside down, have the child pick two to find a match, and sing the verse that they find a match for), musical chairs (kids sit in a circle of chairs, and after the verse is done and during the piano interlude the chorister turns her back and the kids change chairs until the next verse starts and the chorister turns around),

Gospel Teaching

Each of these stories has wonderful things to teach. Stories are in our scriptures (especially the Book of Mormon) to teach us concepts, examples, lessons, things to do and not do, etc. As you teach each verse, take the time to ask the children questions. Here are a few examples.

What did you learn from this story?

What was God trying to teach this hero?

Have you ever felt like this hero did?

How can you be like this hero in your life?

DOWNLOAD THE BOOK OF MORMON STORIES ARRANGEMENT HERE

DOWNLOAD THE BOOK OF MORMON STORIES FLIPCHART (English) HERE

Download the Book of Mormon Stories Flipchart (Spanish) here

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *