Abraham, Isaac, Jacob Teaching Wall
TEACHING WALLS
What’s a Teaching Wall? It is facts, places, images, etc. displayed in a visually appealing way on any vertical surface. I started calling them Teaching Walls many years ago when I realized the powerful “teaching effect” that visual aids can have when spread throughout the classroom. Any vertical space evolved to carry its share of the teaching load. Size does not matter. Use what you have.
Why Teaching Walls?
- Teaching walls can be a powerful tool to immerse students in a sea of information.
- Teaching walls can be a powerful tool to review events, people, places and other facts.
- Teaching walls can be a powerful tool for visual learners.
- Teaching walls can be a powerful tool for children to look at if their mind wanders during class.
Let’s examine just one Teaching Wall more closely. This is my Teaching Wall for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ABRAHAM IMAGE
As we study Abraham, there are many important facts to remember. This visual aid contains clues in the body and clothing. What clues do you see in the image?
- His left hand shows the number three. It stands for 3 promises made to Abraham by God.
- The 3 promises are written vertically on his robe.
- On his robe you see the words “all blessed”. Do you see the light brown cross on which those words are placed? The cross represents the fulfillment of the most important promise in that God would bless all nations through Abraham.
- His arms have the name of his wife, Sarah, and his concubine, Hagar. If we move from left to right we notice that Sarah was first and Hagar came later.
- His feet have the names of Ishmael and Isaac. Again, moving left to right, we see Ishmael was the first son born to Abraham. However, Isaac was still the promised heir.
- He is looking to his left. On his left is Isaac. He is looking at his beloved promised son, Isaac.
- The raised right arm is for a shepherd’s staff. The staff is in the pattern below this article but not in the photo above.
ISAAC IMAGE
What visual clues do you see about events and people in Isaac’s life?
- His name is written on his headpiece.
- On his arm is the name of his wife, Rebecca.
- On his feet are his sons in order of birth from left to right.
- Notice the eyes! He is remembering a significant event in his life as he looks down at his robe. It was when his father nearly offered him as a burnt offering. Thankfully God provided a ram instead. It is lying on the altar instead of him. Whew! Close call!
JACOB IMAGE
Observe Jacob below. What do you see about his life?
- The sleeves contain the names of each wife and their handmaids. The handmaids became his concubines.
- The feet have the number of his sons.
- Jacob’s name is on the trunk of his “family tree”
- The first initial of the wife or concubine is on each branch in white.
- Each fruit represents a son born to that wife or concubine.
- He is looking to the right and waving to his 12 sons who are displayed on the teaching wall. (No image available.)
HOW TO MAKE IT
- You will find a pattern below this article. You may enlarge it if you need to in order to suit your needs and your classroom size.
- I made these about 20 years ago from white Pellon intefacing. I then colored them with Marks A Lot permanent markers. A few years ago a sweet sister in Christ mounted the Pellon on black felt since they were starting to tear. They actually lasted very well for being so old.
- They may also be made from felt, poster board or paper or whatever materials you have.
- Put good effort into making your visual aids properly the first time. They can last for many years. You will save time, money and energy since you may never have to remake them again.
ADAPTATIONS
This concept may be adapted for any age group or any subject matter as:
- A powerful way to maintain a chronological point of view.
- A built in review each time the class meets.
- A visually appealing and even fun part of Bible class.
How might YOU adapt this to teach Peter, Paul, Jonah, Daniel, Esther and more?
DOWNLOADS
Abraham color version: Abraham_LetterSize (2)
Abraham black and white version: Abraham_LetterSize_BW (1)
Isaac color version: Isaac_Color_Letter
Isaac black and white version: Isaac_Letter_BW (2)
Jacob color version: Jacob_Color_Letter (1)
Jacob black and white version: Jacob_BW_Letter