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    • Daily Active Learning Exercises
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Robert E. Wallace, Ph.D.
Hebrew Bible Professor
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  • Home
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Teaching Old Testament
    • Daily Active Learning Exercises
    • Skills-Based Grading System

Author: Robert Wallace

Genesis 1:1-3

September 6, 2015Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

In the students groups, I asked them to read Genesis 1:1-3 in at least four different translations. They were permitted to use their translations. I was lucky enough to have native French and Spanish speakers as well. The students were then… Continue Reading →

2-Torah Creation

Narrative Criticism

September 6, 2015Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

In an attempt to help the students understand reading the Bible as a narrative, I asked them to get into their groups and identify what their favorite TV / Book series is? I also asked: If you were trying to help… Continue Reading →

1-Canon Hermeneutics, Narrative Criticism

Source Criticism

September 6, 2015Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

For a discussion on source criticism in an upper level Torah class, I provided a email from me to my dissertation supervisor from late in my PhD program. The email had several quotes in it from different readers on the… Continue Reading →

1-Canon, 2-Torah Authorship, Composition, Documentary Hypothesis, Moses, Torah

Daniel

August 28, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

In their groups, the students shared a story of tragedy they were familiar with and the what type of Godly counsel was given by people in that tragedy. We then transitioned to the purpose of the apocalyptic genre and its… Continue Reading →

4-Writings Apocalyptic, Daniel, Discussion

Job

August 28, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

First we worked through the dialogues of Job and God. The groups then had to imagine they were making a movie based on the book and the producer was not satisfied with the canonical ending. They were supposed to rewrite, omit,… Continue Reading →

4-Writings Discussion, Film, Job

Job

August 28, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

After working through the first two chapters together, I asked the students to break into their groups. After reading Job 3, they need to find thematic connections from other areas of scripture. Most of them found Jeremiah 3 and Psalm… Continue Reading →

4-Writings Intertextuality, Job

Qoheleth

August 28, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

I asked the students to write at the top of the page, “The words of the teacher…” Underneath that, they have to write something that I’ve said that has troubled them and why. After sharing in their groups, we have… Continue Reading →

4-Writings Discussion, Ecclesiastes, Qoheleth

Song of Songs

August 28, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

After watching commercials for the Bachelor and Bachelorette, I ask them in their groups to design a reality show that focuses on relationships in a way that would illustrate a restored vision of the man/woman relationship Phyllis Trible reads in… Continue Reading →

4-Writings Discussion, Songs

Proverbs

August 28, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

In an effort to help them understand the genre of Wisdom Literature. I asked them in their groups to discuss: What is the most useful advice you got before coming to college? What is the most useless advice you got before… Continue Reading →

4-Writings Proverbs, Twitter, Wisdom

Psalms

August 28, 2014Robert Wallace 1 Comment

The students compare the lyrics to “Bring Him Home” from Les Miserable and Psalm 13. After they put their list together, I show them the classical form critical elements of lament. This leads us into a discussion about the role… Continue Reading →

4-Writings Form Criticism, Psalms, Type Scene

Jonah

August 28, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

The students did a sociogram of the story. I asked them to note who the main character was, and then symbolize that relationship on the white boards. They connected them with dotted lines (for distance), double solid lines (for closeness),… Continue Reading →

3-Prophets Jonah, Prophets, Sociogram

Ezekiel

August 28, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

Using the socrative app, we take a class quiz made up entirely of true/false questions about elements of the Ezekiel text. This became a gateway to deeper conversations about Ezekiel. By this time in the semester, they were reading more… Continue Reading →

3-Prophets Ezekiel, Prophets

Ezekiel

August 28, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

Each of the groups has to draw a representation of the call of Ezekiel on the board. After unpacking each groups representation (some of which have been impressive), I look at four artistic renderings of the text. The discussion revolves… Continue Reading →

3-Prophets Art, Ezekiel, Prophets

Jeremiah

August 28, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

Einstein has famously said, “You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother.” I gave the students several of the “complications” of Jeremiah’s ministry and asked them to express it, as comprehensively as possible, in… Continue Reading →

3-Prophets Haiku, Jeremiah, Prophets

Nahum

August 28, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

This exercise is based on my reading of Nahum as (perhaps) an example of satire. After show the students a clip from the Onion from Youtube, I ask them to imagine what a satirical prophet might look like. This worked… Continue Reading →

3-Prophets Prophets, Satire

Isaiah

August 28, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

I show the students the call scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I then ask them to read Isaiah 6:1-12, Jeremiah 1:4-10, and Exodus 3:1-15. I ask them as a group to come up with the shared elements… Continue Reading →

3-Prophets Call, Film, Intertextuality, Isaiah, Prophets, Type Scene

Prophet vs. King

August 28, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

I ask the groups to make two concept maps relating the following terms: The king, the prophet, God, the populace, the priestly establishment. One concept map was to show the ideal relationship between these groups. The other map was to show the relationship… Continue Reading →

3-Prophets Concept Map, Kings, Prophets

Divided Monarchy

August 28, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

I told the students the story of the Battle of Qarqar, omitting the Israelite king involved in the fighting (Ahab). I then asked the students to compile a brief but imaginative historical profile on this king based on these Assyrian… Continue Reading →

3-Prophets Ahab, King

Solomon

August 28, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

In their groups, they had to put together a movie pitch based on the biblical narrative of the life of Solomon. All movie options were open to them. They were told to decide: style of movie (drama, animated, modern adaptation, etc) market… Continue Reading →

3-Prophets Film, Kings, Solomon

David

August 27, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

In their groups, the students read the David & Bathsheba narrative. The groups made a sociogram based on the story. I asked them to note who the main character was, and then symbolize that relationship on the white boards. They connected them with… Continue Reading →

3-Prophets Bathsheba, David, Kings, Sociogram, United Monarchy, Word Cloud

United Monarchy

August 27, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

In their groups, the students read passages from 1 Samuel that read as in favor or against kingship. The students then had to develop a “tweetable” campaign slogan. We then went through each groups slogan and discussed what they were… Continue Reading →

3-Prophets Kings, Kingship, Twitter, United Monarchy

Settlement

August 27, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

The students read the Deborah story, Jael story, Jephthath’s daughter, and the Levite and the concubine. I then asked them to vote on which was the most offensive and seemed furthest from their world today. The vote was publicly displayed… Continue Reading →

3-Prophets Judges, Settlement

Settlement

August 27, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

A few years ago the book, “Blue Like Jazz, ” was adapted into a movie. The director, Steve Taylor, made a number of intentional changes from the print material when bringing the story to the big screen (with Donald Miller’s collaboration).… Continue Reading →

3-Prophets Conquest Narrative, Film, Joshua, Settlement

Covenant

August 27, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

For this exercise, I talked about the importance of “remembering.” I first asked them to talk about their holiday traditions in their family. Then I compared the German and Japanese ways of talking about the atrocities in WWII. Then we… Continue Reading →

2-Torah Deuteronomy, Shema

Covenant

August 27, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

I had the students read the passage in Lev 25 on the Year of Jubilee. I then had them adapt the rules of monopoly to conform to the Year of Jubilee. They were very creative in some of their rules.… Continue Reading →

2-Torah Covenant, Levitical Laws, Leviticus, Numbers

Covenant

August 27, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

I showed the students five different passages from the NT that seemed to portray different attitudes toward Christians and “law”. From the sermon on the mount where Jesus didn’t come to abolish the law, to Eph 2:15 where Jesus came… Continue Reading →

2-Torah Covenant, Decalogue, Exodus, Intertextuality

National Beginnings

August 22, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

As a class we watched three scenes. The “Chicago Way” scene from The Untouchables, The Lex Talionus verses from Exod 21, and the redemption scene from “The Mission.” I then asked them in their groups to discuss which of these… Continue Reading →

2-Torah Exodus, Film, Lex Talionus

Ancestors & Type Scenes

August 21, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

I put together a variety of internet memes to talk about type scenes. I showed them the meme, then I asked “What do you have to know for this to be funny?” and “What can I change and still make a… Continue Reading →

2-Torah Genesis, Type Scene

Cain & Abel

August 21, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

The students did a sociogram of the story. I asked them to note who the main character was, and then symbolize that relationship on the white boards. They connected them with dotted lines (for distance), double solid lines (for closeness),… Continue Reading →

2-Torah Cain & Abel, Genesis, Sociogram

Flood

August 21, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

The students designed their own etiologies. I showed them a picture of the faculty in full regalia, dressed for opening convocation. I assigned two groups. One had to write an explanation for why we dressed in that manner that demonstrated… Continue Reading →

2-Torah Flood, Genesis

Genesis 3

August 21, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

We analyzed four different artistic depictions of the fall from Italy, Japan, Indonesia and an American child’s coloring book. After each picture, I asked the students to discuss in their groups, “What do you see?” and “What do you wonder… Continue Reading →

2-Torah Art, Creation, Fall, Genesis

Creation

August 21, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

I had the groups each read one text: Gen 1, Gen 2, Psalm 74, Psalm 104, or the Enuma Elish. I asked them to note the order of creation, name of God used, how humanity is discussed, the tone, etc. At… Continue Reading →

2-Torah Genesis

Formation of the Pentateuch

August 21, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

The students read a list of scriptures, some which implied Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch (2 Chron 23:18; Joshua 23:6, 2 Kings 14:6; Ezra 6:18) and others that would cast doubt on Mosaic authorship as the sole source of the… Continue Reading →

1-Canon Composition, Documentary Hypothesis, Moses

Translation

August 21, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

The students “translated” a passage from Josephus into contemporary language. I used the Whiston translation which is awkward and stilted to the modern ear.  I further handicapped three groups by limiting how they could write. Group 1 could not use… Continue Reading →

1-Canon Theories of Translation

Important Texts

August 21, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

I had the students divide into groups and develop a concept map between the significant texts mentioned in the videos: Masoretic Text, Septuagint, Vulgate, Tyndale Bible, King James Version. I didn’t give any specific directions on how to connect the… Continue Reading →

1-Canon Composition, Concept Map, Masoretic Text, Septuagint, Translation, Vulgate

Formation of the Canon

August 21, 2014Robert Wallace Leave a Comment

I had the students select their three most “significant” movies (without defining what I meant by significant). They then found a partner and selected a consensus three movies. They then formed groups of four and selected a consensus four movies.… Continue Reading →

1-Canon Canonization, Film, Twitter

Categories

  • 1-Canon
  • 2-Torah
  • 3-Prophets
  • 4-Writings

Tags

Apocalyptic Art Authorship Cain & Abel Call Composition Concept Map Covenant Creation Daniel Discussion Documentary Hypothesis Ecclesiastes Exodus Ezekiel Fall Film Flood Form Criticism Genesis Haiku Hermeneutics Intertextuality Isaiah Jeremiah Job Jonah Kings Lex Talionus Masoretic Text Moses Narrative Criticism Prophets Proverbs Psalms Qoheleth Satire Settlement Sociogram Songs Torah Twitter Type Scene United Monarchy Wisdom
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