What is it?

Praising God, giving thanks for God’s creative and redemptive work in the world, hearing God’s word preached, and receiving the sacraments given to us in Christ.

Starting Questions

1. How can my students experience - and express! - wonder, awe, and amazement in my class? Instead of using 'exit slips' to only check students' comprehension, maybe I could ask them: "How were were struck with wonder in class today?" or "What, in class, caused you to be sad at the world?"

2. Are there elements of worship (praise, confession, etc.) that might be appropriately incorporated in my class and/or instruction? Perhaps I could create a 'worshipful' space by playing a topic-related song as students come into class. An example I've used before: In class we were going to be talking about 9/11 and the reality of evil. To set the "mood" for the class I turned off all the lights, removed all the desks and chairs and had the students sit silently on the floor to watch the following clip. The clip created a reverence for the discussion that I couldn't have created by simply talking about it. David Smith tells a similar story about a science teacher who began class by showing a video consisting solely of zoomed-in snowflakes to create a sense of wonder and amazement.

3. Could I use songs or prayers from the time period that we are studying?

4. I wonder if students might be able to use what we are learning in class and help lead the school in chapel worship by reflecting on the material.

The following is a list of teacher-generated ideas of ways that this practice could be implemented in the classroom or school culture.