Lesson Plan- Fishers of Men (1st grade on up)

Fishers of Men


Objectives: The students will be able to
- retell the story of The Fishers of Men
- explain that Jesus had helpers and that we are all called to be Jesus’ helpers
- explain that people in all walks of life work together to bring God's love to our world



Review:
Prayer, questions and vocabulary words from last week’s lesson



Vocabulary Words: (Write words on the board and discuss with class)

Apostles- the first 12 men Jesus called to follow him
Good News- the message that God loves us
Synagogue- Jewish place of worship
Faith- belief or trust that someone will help and care for you
Missionary- Someone who brings the Good News of Jesus to others
Disciples- one of the 12 followers of Jesus
Christianity- religion that follows Jesus’ teachings
Capernaum- a town near Lake Galilee (show students this on a map or have one of the students find it on a map).
Lake Galilee- Israel’s largest freshwater lake. Much of the ministry of Jesus happened on the shores of Lake Galilee (show students this on a map or have one of the students find it on a map).
Fishermen- people who catch fish for a living
Romans- people from Rome (show students this on a map or have one of the students find it on a map).
Taxes- payment to help run a country



Plan:

Read story: "Jesus and His Disciples" and then ask questions



Activities:

Introduce activities: How many disciples did Jesus have?

sermons4kids.com- Fishing for People object lesson with group activities, coloring page, puzzles, quizes, worship bulletin

sermons4kids.com- You Have a Message object lesson with group activities, coloring, activities, puzzles, quiz, worship bulletin

sermons4kids.com- Let’s Go Fishing object lesson with group activities, coloring page, puzzles, quiz, worship bulletin

dltk-bible.com- The Twelve Disciples lesson with memory verse, teacher's guide, puzzles, take home sheet, coloring pages, crafts, etc.

calvarycurriculum.com- The Fishers of Men lesson #179 with memory verses, circle the correct words, true or false, fill in the blanks, puzzles, and color sheets.

jareddees.com- The Meaning of the “Fishers of Men” Verse for You (questions at bottom)

bible.org- Lesson 18: Catching Fish or Men? (Luke 5:1-11)



Crafts:

sermons4kids.com- Fishing for People group activities (crafts)

sermons4kids.com- You Have a Message group activities (crafts)

sermons4kids.com- Let’s Go Fishing group activities (crafts)

daniellesplace.com- Fishers of Men Crafts

aokcorral.com- Easy Fishing Toy Set (craft to make)
Children make a fish then play like they are going fishing.

hookedonthebook.com- Matthew 4:19 craft


Fish Crafts:

Japanese Wind Sock- Create a unique "kite"- the traditional Japanese carp wind sock. (The Picture Book of Kids' Crafts and Activities by Roxanne Henderson, page 178 & 179).

Magic Fish-in-the-Ocean Puppet- A cute craft that the fish actually swims and comes to the surface. (Crafts From Your Favorite Fairy Tales by Kathy Ross, page 38 & 39).

daniellesplace.com- Fish Crafts



The activity below is free, however it can only to be used for classroom and personal use. It may not be published on any websites or other electronic media, or distributed in newsletters, bulletins, or any other form or sold for profit. Reproduction or retransmission of any materials, in whole or in part, in any manner, is not permitted. All graphics/images/clipart etc. used on these activities are not my own and are from various internet sources.


Fishers of Men Story Wheel:

This craft is free, however it can only to be used for classroom and personal use. It may not be published on any websites or other electronic media, or distributed in newsletters, bulletins, or any other form or sold for profit.

Directions: Print the top and bottom wheels out on cardstock. Cut out wheels. Cut out circle shapes on the inside line edge of the top wheel. Have children color wheels. Attach a brass fastener through the center of both wheels. On the back of the bottom wheel attach a strip of cardstock (at least 1 inch wide and 6 inches long) leaving half extended over the side (so you can turn the wheel). You can also draw an arrow on the top side of the strip on the end to indicate which way to turn the bottom wheel.

Fishers of Men Story Wheel- Printable template



Games:


sermons4kids.com- Fishing for People group activities (crafts)

sermons4kids.com- You Have a Message group activities (crafts)

sermons4kids.com- Let’s Go Fishing group activities (crafts)



Introduce game: Jesus knew his disciples very well. They were his friends. How well do you know your friends?

Who is knocking at my door?

Need: one chair

Directions: The students sit in their own seats while the one who is “It” sits in a chair in front of the room, with his back toward the other students. Someone is chosen by the teacher to go up and knock on the back of the chair or floor. When “It” hears the knocking he asks, "Who is knocking at my door?" The knocker answers in a disguised voice "It is I.” “It” has to guess who the knocker was. The knocker then becomes “It”.


Introduce game: Who are the apostles? What are their names?

Simon Says Meets the Apostles
The idea of this game is just to teach the names of the Apostles. Assign the name of an Apostle to each kid. Then play Simon says, but only use the Apostle's name when talking to each student. And tell each student what Simon says individually. Example: Simon says the Apostle Simon Peter can take one step forward. Only the kid that is Simon Peter can move. The rest of the kids must wait for their turn.


daniellesplace.com- Fishers of Men Games (scroll down for these)

Following Jesus (Disciples Follow Jesus)- This game will help children understand that their actions can let others know they are followers of Jesus. (The Encyclopedia of Bible Games for Children’s Ministry by Group Publishing, page 75.)

gospelhall.org- The Twelve Disciples of Jesus Sunday School Activity
Who were the 12 disciples of Jesus? These pages will help your Bible class or Sunday School students know who these 12 ordinary men were.

Disciples Memory Game or Go Fish Game- A fun way to review the names of the disciples.



Fishers of Men

Materials- large die, questions from Matthew 4:18-22

Make a die out of a large juice carton and put a ? mark on some (at least 3) of the sides of the die.

Cube Signs- Print, cut out, and glue on die to play Fishers of Men Game

Directions- The objective of the game is to get the most points by answering questions about Fishers of Men. Have a player roll the die on the floor in front of the class. If the die lands on a blank space, they do not answer a question. If the die lands on “?”, they are asked a question by the teacher about Fishers of Men. If the player answers correctly, they receive a point (you can use tokens, write it on the board, etc.). If they are not correct, they do not receive a point. Players must collect as many points as they can. The game is over when all the questions have been answered correctly. Whoever has the most points, wins. You can play this game individually or in teams. For an added challenge, you can also have “Lose 1 Point” and “Take 1 Point” on one or a couple of the sides of the die. When a player rolls “Lose 1 Point”, they must lose 1 point. If a player rolls “Take 1 Point”, they may take a point from any player they choose.


Questions: (Do not ask them in order) Questions are from The New American Bible

Where was Jesus walking when he saw the fishermen casting their nets? (Sea of Galilee)

How many men did Jesus see casting their nets? (2)

What were the names of the brothers that Jesus saw first? (Simon who was Peter and Andrew)

What did Peter and Andrew do for a living? (They were fishermen)

What did Jesus say to the fishermen who were casting their nets? (“Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.”)

What did Peter and Andrew do when Jesus said something to them? (At once they left their nets and followed him.)

Name the 2 sons of Zebedee. (James and John)

What were James and John doing when Jesus saw them? (They were in their boat mending their nets.)

Who was with James and John? (Their father, Zebedee)

When Jesus called James and John, what did they do? (They immediately left their boat and their father and followed him.)

True or False: James and Andrew were brothers. (False)

What were the names of the brothers that Jesus saw second? (James and John)

True or False: John and James were brothers. (True)

What was Peter’s other name? (Simon)

True or False: Andrew and Peter were brothers. (True)



Snacks:

Introduce snack: What did Peter and Andrew do for a living? They were fishermen.

enchantedlearning.com- Cup ‘o Fish
Make edible fish in the Sea of Galilee in a plastic clear cup.

cambells.com- Celery Cheese Boats

preschoolbookclub.com- Apple Sailboats (scroll down to this)

naturalbeachliving.com- Cucumber Boat Shaped Snack for Kids

thrivinghomeblog.com- Banana Boat Snack


Introduce snack: What did Matthew do for a living? He was a tax collector.

homecooking.about.com- Cheese Gelt Coins

Get a round cracker and spread peanut butter on it. Cover with another cracker and you have edible money.



Puzzles, Mazes, Worksheets:

More 365 Activities for Kids (do any of the Fisher of Men puzzles, mazes, dot-to-dot, spot the difference, etc. from August 19 - 23).

sermons4kids.com- Connect the dots in alphabetical order (dot-to-dot)
Matthew 4:19

sermons4kids.com- Fishing for People (fish maze)

biblewise.com- Fishers of Men (maze)

dltk-bible.com- 12 Disciples puzzles (anagrams, crosswords, cryptogram, maze, word-mining sheets, word searches, etc.)

sermons4kids.com- Word Search (Matthew 4:18-22)

web.archive.org- Word Search (Matthew 4:12-23)

sermons4kids.com- Word Jumble (Matthew 4:19)

sermons4kids.com- Crossword (Matthew 4:19)

4catholiceducators.com- Crossword (Matthew 4:12-23)

web.archive.org- Crossword (Matthew 4:12-23)

sermons4kids.com- Word Search (Luke 5:1-11)

sermons4kids.com- Word Search (Luke 5:1-11)

web.archive.org- Word Search (Luke 5:1-11)

sermons4kids.com- Alphabet Soup (Luke 5:1-11)

sermons4kids.com- Crossword (Luke 5:1-11)
Luke 5:1-11

4catholiceducators.com- Crossword (Luke 5:1-11)

web.archive.org- Crossword (Luke 5:1-11)

sdc.me.uk- Matthew 4:12-23 Worksheet

sdc.me.uk- Luke 5:1-11 Worksheet

calvarycurriculum.com- The Fishers of Men lesson #179 circle the correct words, true or false, fill in the blanks, puzzles, etc. page 3 – 7 (Luke)

sermons4kids.com- Fishing for People (multiple choice)
Matthew 4:19

sermons4kids.com- Fishing for People (fill in the blanks)
Matthew 4:18-22

sermons4kids.com- Fishing for People (multiple choice)
Luke 5:10b