Children Fantasy Literature, Designing Lesson Plan To drive or To be driven, lesson plan from the Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Andrea Szaszi Th.M. P.O. Box: 637

I. Lesson Plan
a. About Audience and Structure This curriculum is written for a youth group with 11-12 graders. This is an intimate and familiar group, who are together almost third years. Youth in this age are interested in very deep existential issues. They are looking for their identity; they would like to figure out themselves, to find a place for them, and to understand the world better. They can see the world around them more and understand the other peoples perspectives. A lot of teens (boys and girls) read the Twilight by Stephanie Meyer which contains many deep existential issues. These elements make this story employable for teaching.

b. Learning Goal To help students to see and understand that there are some thought, emotions, etc. behind their decision. These things can drive the people mind. To help students to make godly decisions where the pupils do drive and they are not driven.

c. Scripture References and Theological or Existential Issues Bible passages: 1 Cor. 6:11-12; 1 Cor 13 Issue: Decision-Making d. Material List - Prepared, addressed boards, driver card, (maximum legal size) for hope, faith, love, me , fear of, fear for, hopelessness, selfishness, pessimism, optimism, pleasure-principle, liking. (The me card is about Bella. If you have more member of the

Children Fantasy Literature, Designing Lesson Plan To drive or To be driven, lesson plan from the Twilight by Stephenie Meyer Andrea Szaszi Th.M. P.O. Box: 637 group, you can prepare more cards for them. I only planned for twelve + leader.) If you put the address and a typical symbol of the emotion to board, it makes more enjoyable the class. - 2 foots yarn for the all people who will have driver card apart from the hope, faith, love. - Copied pages (138-140) from the Twilight by Stephanie Mayer. - Enough pens and pencils for people to write - 3 copies from the biblical passages,

e. Lesson Plan (attached form)

f. Description of Activities (including the activities helpful hints) Personal meditation Show the prepared board and ask everybody to choose them. After the choice, everybody needs to imagine that she/he is this driver. Ask them to create a short (2-3 words) statement about the chosen board and how this emotion/driver is present and affects to the situations. (It is maybe 3 minutes and no speaking) Helping questions: If you need to express in one sentence what does this driver say or do, which would be that? or If you are this driver what would say? e.g. angry says Kill that! Act out is a modeled situation about what is going on behind the seeable situation. Part 1. Bella (the person who chose the me card) needs to stand in front of the people and every driver needs to go behind her. Everybody who goes behind her, say his/her name and only the statement which is typical for this driver. Every person who says the statement put a yarn to Bellas body (hand, neck, etc). We need to emphasize that the aim is not kill Bella, only to express that she is driven (tied). Part 2. Leader gives a short conclusion (1-2 min) about that there are a lot of drivers (emotions, thoughts, experiences, etc) behind our every actions, every decision, which affects

Children Fantasy Literature, Designing Lesson Plan To drive or To be driven, lesson plan from the Twilight by Stephenie Meyer Andrea Szaszi Th.M. P.O. Box: 637 our life. We need to know them and we need to keep in mind if we would like to make a decision, take a balance. Make a good decision is not easy, but God wants to help us in the decision-making as well. Part 3. After that the drivers finished their actions, the faith, hope, love group reads the Bible passages. Part 4. Leader gives a short lecture (2-4 minutes) about that in the I Cor 6:11-12 the Apostle Paul speaks about the difference to drive and to be driven. God does not want that anything makes us slave. If we are driven by an emotion, thoughts, experiences, etc. it makes us slave. (Of course everybody has them behind their mind, it is not bad, only need to control ourselves). God shows the good drivers which may drive our lives godly way: faith, hope and love. Let us change this situation by them! Part 5. The three Christian drivers go to Bella. Faith unknits the yarns and says its statement. Faith gives the yarn one side to Bellas hand to express that she is not driven, she may drive. After faith goes to between Bella and the other emotions. Hope says its statement and shows to the future. It goes to in front of Bella. Love (Gods love) goes next to Bella and holds her hand to express God is next to us, God holds and leads us. Helping hints: - It is very important to prepare good the cards. If you do not have enough time, you can address the card, but if you have more time, you can use symbols which help to think about the card. - When another groups share their opinions, the leader needs to explain the final actions of faith, hope and love group. These people say their created statement, and they have a special action, which the leader explains to them.

Children Fantasy Literature, Designing Lesson Plan To drive or To be driven, lesson plan from the Twilight by Stephenie Meyer Andrea Szaszi Th.M. P.O. Box: 637 II. Background for the Lesson, a. Summary of the Book Twilight by Stephanie Meyer is a modern Romeo and Juliet story where the realistic environment and the fantasy world are mixed. The seventeen year old Bella Swan leaves sunny and exciting Phoenix in order to move to the cloudy, dark and boring town of Fork where her father lives. She needs to face some very deep existential issues. To find a place in the new environment, to belong in the new groups, to make friends are hard issues in a teens life. But these are not the biggest issues in Bellas life. Although she had never thought that her moving would change her whole life, especially when she meets her soul mate, Edward Cullen. Bella is an unusual girl, who is pretty, smart, sensitive and who did not pay attention to finding a boyfriend, but Edward is even more unusual than Bella. He does not eat, is extremely smart, fast and as beautiful as an angel. No wonder they fell in love so soon. Love usually brings happiness and joy to life, but what can you do if your soul mate is almost one hundred years older than you and is a vampire? Being a vampire is Edwards secret together with the whole Cullen family. Everybody who has read vampire books may think that after the coming to light of this secret, the story becomes a horror. Yet in this case, Stephanie Meyer obliterates the old tradition that every vampire is bad, and the reader faces the issue of where is the border between bad and good. Although the Cullen family is vampires, which means that they need to drink blood, they had confronted their background, made a decision, and became vegetarian vampire. This change means that they drink animal blood instead of human blood, and this family lives among human beings to help them. Despite the Cullens decision, the people of the town are suspicious and they do not accept the Cullens. Bella is not interested in the danger; she only would like to follow her desire, which is being together with Edward. The Cullen family bears the vampire existence 4

Children Fantasy Literature, Designing Lesson Plan To drive or To be driven, lesson plan from the Twilight by Stephenie Meyer Andrea Szaszi Th.M. P.O. Box: 637 and the immortality as a sign of their body, as the inseparable part of their life. If they could choose, they would like to be human beings, but they are immortals. Bella could not understand this desire. She is struggling with her mortality and she wants to be a vampire in order to live forever with her sweetheart. Bella is rabid because of her love and she does not see the danger, but Edwards family does. Nobody from the Cullen family wants to help her become a vampire, because they do not feel this life (including immortality) is a privilege. They do not make her a vampire, but they are able to save Bellas life when a nonvegetarian vampire arrives to Fork and the hunter wants Bellas blood. After a long man- and vampire-hunt, Edward (like a prince of fairy tales) fights for his beloved and he saves Bellas life. Despite her escape from the danger, the end of the story is not the perfect happy ending. Bella still falls in love with Edward and he with her, but she is still a human being who still desires to be with Edward forever (i.e. being a vampire as he is.) Besides the main plot (love) in this story, the reader encounters a lot of issues which make this book worthy this to talk about typical youth-related and theological questions with young people. Although Edward looks like a conservative-minded person, there are a lot of erotic references throughout the whole book. Other existential issues from the story are the love as an idol, being a child in a divorced family, decision-making, integration to a new place, perceiving each other. Typical theological themes from this story are eternal life, decision-making as choice between right and wrong and free will.

b. About the Biblical Passages (1Cor 6:11-12; 1Cor 13) The topic of this lesson is the decision-making. At first this is a typical existential issue, but it is theological issue as well. Every human being need to choose in less or bigger questions. Make a decision is very hard, especially if it is a big decision. To make a right decision, it is very important to know ourselves and to know which elements (drivers) effects to us. 5

Children Fantasy Literature, Designing Lesson Plan To drive or To be driven, lesson plan from the Twilight by Stephenie Meyer Andrea Szaszi Th.M. P.O. Box: 637 The first chosen passage is a very direct link to the decision-making as topic. In the 1Cor 6:11-12 the Apostle, Paul emphasize that makes a difference between to be allowed to do anything and to let anything make me its slave. If we see the original Greek passage, in other words we can translate that that to drive or to be driven. God gives advice through Paul and highlight that the Christian is free by Christ. This freedom is true in two different ways. First of all, God made us free by salvation. Secondly, this freedom can be present in the life when we need to make a decision. How can me mean it? Although Paul says it not only the decision-making, it is true for decision as well. There are many things (thoughts, emotions, experiences, etc) witch affect us and try to direct our actions and lives. They can be good and wrong also. The psychology calls them drivers. These drivers try to direct our lives. If we only follow them without take a balance they can make us slaves. (e.g. if we are hungry and we only follow our feelings, we can steal the food from other people, or somebody makes us angry our feeling is to kill him/her, etc.) If we do not control them and allow them to direct our loves we are slaves of them. It is typical for the old-Self. God made us free from them, from theold-Self as well, and God gives new-Self to us also. If we try to understand us deeper, we can know our backgrounds, thoughts, emotions, etc. better and we can control them. These drivers become the part of our lives and help us. In the 1Cor 13, God emphasize three other drivers, which are the faith, hope and love. The faith helps us to see our lives from Gods perspective and it makes us free. The hope gives perspective to see our future with calm because we can put our issues into Gods hand. The love means Gods love which holds ours hands and direct.

III. Description of the Potential Theological and Existential Issues From the Story Existential issues: a. The Danger of Love 6

Children Fantasy Literature, Designing Lesson Plan To drive or To be driven, lesson plan from the Twilight by Stephenie Meyer Andrea Szaszi Th.M. P.O. Box: 637 The love is the main theme in the story, and in my opinion, this is the reason why the teenagers (especially girls) like this book. The teens of this book are looking for love and they would like to find a girlfriend or a boyfriend. This is typical for this age. Teens need relationship; they especially feel that they need somebody who loves them. Although that this is a nice topic, it is very hard at the same time. To discuss love, to help youth to avoid traps in the hard way of the love is not too easy. Sometimes the leader feels that he/she needs to speak only about sexual issues, or the leader deals these questions as taboos. The love as topic is very broad; it is especially true for this book. Because this is a main plot, we encounter some aspects of the love and the leader may choose from these themes: How can people choose a boyfriend or girlfriend? Extend this topic; the group may use the events of dates or the conversations about relationship from the book. The soul mate as an idol. How does Bella see Edward? Why can she die for her love. It is an opportunity to point out for Christ who died for us. Sexuality. The very strong erotic line of the story needs to discuss it with youth.

a.

Being a Child in a Divorced Family

Nowadays there are many children and youth who live in divorced family. They need to experience the feeling of broken family and to miss one parent. Bella is one of these youth. Although she never says that she misses Charlie, but the reader may understand that she needs the role of father in her life. Using this theme, the leader can plan a lesson about the being a child in a divorced family. Judge the divorce does not have to be the main aim in this class, but the discussion about this plot can help students to share their experiences and help students to understand more the feeling of being a divorced familys child. 7

Children Fantasy Literature, Designing Lesson Plan To drive or To be driven, lesson plan from the Twilight by Stephenie Meyer Andrea Szaszi Th.M. P.O. Box: 637

b. Making a Decision (This is the topic which I chose for my lesson plan.) Making a decision does not belong only one age. We need to choose between opportunities, we need to decide bigger or smaller questions every day. In this book, there are many decision-situations (some very deep Bella goes to Fork, chooses Edward, does not go to dance with Mike, etc.; Edward wants to run away from Bella, decides to kill the hunter, etc. ; or sometimes they are easier daily decisions), which make this book good to talk about how we decide in our lives. To decide is not not easy, especially if we have something wich we can loose (e.g. friends, relationships, love, etc.). The author uses very expressive language for these decision-situations which help to imagine these events to reader. Stephanie Mayer pictures the different emotions, feelings, thoughts and struggling behind the decision-situation which the leader can use to act out these parts of the story. Talking about these decisions is helpful for understanding what is going on behind our decision and to help students to understand themselves deeper. My chosen way to emphasize the emotions, thoughts which effect our actions/decisions and point out Gods advice and help, which is the faith, hope and love. But use these theme, we can point out the conversion as a decision (not one decision, but decision day by day) as well.

c. To Find Your Place Among New Circumstances This topic is especially true for youth who start the other school (high school, or collage). Finding a place, making friends, accommodation to the new environment is not too easy. Bella experiences it when she is moving to town of Fork. The first three chapters especially employable for planning a lesson from this plot. 8

Children Fantasy Literature, Designing Lesson Plan To drive or To be driven, lesson plan from the Twilight by Stephenie Meyer Andrea Szaszi Th.M. P.O. Box: 637

d. Being a Member of a Group Being a member of a group is very important for adolescences. For them, sometimes to join a group means to accept the all rules of the group, to acclimatization without conditions and to follow the group rules without making an own decision. There are some teens group in the Twilight also (e.g. Cullen family, as a special group; Mike, Jessica, Erik and their friend; etc.). Using a scene of these groupss life (e.g. a scene from the cafeteria) is an opportunity to discuss the role of the group in the youth life. The topic of membership is good for pointing out the body of Christ as a group also.

f. How do you see the people? Judgment after looking or to know deeper the other person Who are you? How do the people see you? How do you see people around you? How can you make pictures about the people around you? Would we like to know people deeper or only make a judgment after looking or background? These questions are also very important and actual for every age. For this very reason, this topic is employable from middle schoolers to adults. To develop this topic, the leader may use different characters of the story and can analyze them, how they see people, or how people see them and who are they really. (e.g. Bella has a complex personality. Her mother sees her as a nice girl, who always would like to help her mother. Her father sees her as a youth who does not have too many friends, who cooks well, who is thoughtful, etc. Edward sees her at first as a temptation, etc.)

Theological issues:

Children Fantasy Literature, Designing Lesson Plan To drive or To be driven, lesson plan from the Twilight by Stephenie Meyer Andrea Szaszi Th.M. P.O. Box: 637 In my opinion, that every issue has theological connection, and in a good place and in a good time, the leader can use every issue to point out God and theological question. Besides this, I would like to emphasize that the leader do not have to find very fact connection with theological questions every time. More important to use a theological question if the story allows and there is a very direct link to the Bible. In the Twilight by Stephanie Meyer there are two important theological issues. They are the following:

Eternal Life What does it mean living forever? How can we win immortality? Who can give eternal life to us? Children and youth are interested in these questions. In this story, the vampires are immortals but they are only the creatures of the humans imagination. Secondly, in the fantasy world, vampires need to pay a big price for being immortal, they have to drink blood. Comparing the characteristics of the vampire immortality and the biblical immortality is a good opportunity to point out the eternal life which people may receive from God. I would suggest this theme for grade 11-12, older youth or adult groups because the higher developmental level may help the deeper discussion.

IV. Another helpful hints (the supporting hints of activities are at the description of activities) To prepare the cards is almost 3 hours. Make a few more copies of the book summary and the book pages depending on

how many people plan to attend.

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Children Fantasy Literature, Designing Lesson Plan To drive or To be driven, lesson plan from the Twilight by Stephenie Meyer Andrea Szaszi Th.M. P.O. Box: 637 Prepare some questions to lead the discussions. Sometimes nobody wants to speak,

so it is helpful if you have some helping questions in your pocket which jump start the conversation. If you have an intimate and familiar group, you can ask the members to pray in

their words for their families issues.

V. Resources 1. Virginia Satir Your Many Faces, Berkerley, California, Celestial Arts, 1978.

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