Lesson 13: 6th Grade

Overview

The 6th Grade curriculum is designed as a nine-month resource to guide students through the transition from elementary to middle school ministry. Over the course of this school year, students will be challenged to personalize their faith, think deeply, and apply what they’ve learned from God’s Word.

This curriculum is flexible and undated, so churches can adapt it to their school year and church calendar.

Curriculum Goals

• Encourage and equip students to apply Scripture to their own lives
• Coach students to think deeply and ask questions about their faith
• Foster spiritual disciplines such as prayer, Scripture meditation, and daily devotionals
• Provide hands-on learning with interactive activities and engaging visuals
• Transition students from a teacher-led classroom to a small-group, discussion-based environment

Weekly Structure

• Pre-Service Review Game – fun review of previous lessons to get students engaged
• Worship
• Own It! – a weekly activity to help God’s truth sink in beyond the lesson, equipping students to build habits of personal, daily quiet time with God
• Opening Activity – introduces the lesson’s big idea in a fun, interactive way
• Lesson – topical lessons, taught by the teacher, with lots of small group discussion incorporated into the outline
• Conclusion – wrap up and challenge to apply the lesson that week

Topical Lessons

The 6th Grade curriculum is made up of topical lessons, covering a broad range of topics, including:

• Theology
• Missions
• Apologetics
• The history and reliability of the Bible
• New Testament topics (Stephen – the first Christian martyr, Paul’s missionary journeys, the book of Revelation)
• The Church
• Believer’s Baptism and Communion
• Tithing
• The Holy Spirit
• Media choices
• Friendship, dating, and marriage
• Writing and sharing your testimony
• Witnessing
• Gifts and talents, serving in the local church

Launching the 6th Grade Curriculum

We recommend implementing the DL Elementary curriculum for at least a year before launching the 6th Grade curriculum, so that students can establish a solid foundation in key elements of the Discovery Land teaching. Many lessons assume that students are familiar with the Bible Timeline, the 4 Rights, the Top 12 verses, and the Wordless Book. With that background, the 6th Grade curriculum provides a bridge to middle school ministry, helping students take their faith to the next level and live it out confidently in their everyday lives.

Note: When your church is ready to implement the 6th Grade curriculum, a separate training is available to walk you through those resources.