“Bible Time” is the term we use for the optional last 30 minutes of the 90 minute classes, during which we open the Word of God with our students (for many of them, it is the first time . . . ) At first we tried to buy materials for our Bible times, but everything that was available seemed geared for a one hour Bible class, and was not easily adaptable to our format. So we began developing Bible Times in house. Our goal for the Bible times is that they present one clear truth about the Bible, that the students handle a copy of God’s Word (rather than a handout that contains the passage) and that the students interact with the Bible (by discovering what the text says by means of answering questions.) We hope that they come to see that the Bible can be read and understood much like any other book, iow, it is not so arcane that you have to be an initiate to get anything out of it. But above all, we hope and pray that true faith in Jesus Christ will come “by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”
The Bible times are written just as the teacher would say them, using very basic English words. You can further help your ESOL students to understand by speaking more slowly, and chunking your sentences (putting in more “commas”). Chunking gives them a little “think time” while allowing you to maintain natural intonation, which is a very important component of English.
Most of them are formatted for A4 size paper.
Here is a memo I wrote several years ago to guide the other teachers in writing a Bible time. It’s here for you to glean from.
