What is the A.C.T.S. Curriculum?
What is the focus?
At its core, this curriculum is focused on the Apostolic doctrine and the plan of salvation found in Acts 2:38 - repentance, baptism in Jesus name and the infilling of the Holy Ghost.
We have also done our best to ensure that it is highly creative, involves a wide range of teaching methods, and gives teachers the needed guidance to teach successfully. An altar call has been included in each lesson as it is our goal to give the children an opportunity to respond to the lesson and to be filled or refilled with the Holy Ghost. Yes, this can and should happen in your Sunday School classes!
As this is the inaugural edition of A.C.T.S. in Action, expect much more to come in the future! Holiday packs, object lesson kits, curriculums for toddlers and youth, curriculums in other languages, and more are in the planning phases. For now, though, we wanted to provide a solid overview of what you can expect and how to use this curriculum.
Who is this curriculum written for?
This curriculum was written with you in mind! With a wide array of church and class sizes, service formats, schedules and staff/volunteer teams; Apostolic churches across the world are diverse yet we found that we face the same challenges in meeting the needs of our children. Finding a curriculum that teaches crucial doctrines such as the Oneness of the Godhead, the Plan of Salvation found in Acts 2:38, and principles of Holiness in an engaging, creative manner without the need to alter what is found in the mainstream outlets seems to be a nearly universal struggle.
This curriculum is for Apostolic churches that are looking for a doctrinally sound and creative program tailored specifically for their children. This curriculum is designed primarily for children aged 5 to 11, ensuring that the lessons are age-appropriate and appealing to this formative age group. Whether a church has just one or two teachers in the classroom, or a full team of volunteers, our program is adaptable and scalable to meet the needs of different teaching environments, making it a versatile choice for churches of all sizes.
How are we trying to reach classrooms with 1 or 2 teachers as well as full teams?
When providing a teaching method that requires more than one teacher we have tried to also provide an alternative that can be taught by a single teacher. This may involve including the kids, a puppet, or another creative way. A similar approach was taken in selecting object lessons and illustrations. We aim to provide solutions for the churches that are limited in their resources by giving options in each lesson that include readily available household items as well as alternatives that require more exotic elements and supplies.
Overall structure of the curriculum:
This is a 3-year rotating program. At the end, you should be able to start over at year one. By this time, your students have likely moved into different classrooms or enough time has passed that repeating it is not a problem. This material will improve over time as well so if you circle around, we pray it will have improved.
There are a total of twelve quarters consisting of thirteen lessons each. The quarters can be taught in any order and are independent of the others. However, we do recommend that the quarters of a specific year be taught together to preserve the flow of the year. The lessons themselves are not tied to a particular date which means that should you have an event or schedule change in your local assembly, you will be able to resume where you left off and not have to skip a week of exciting and valuable instruction within the program. Each quarter contains its own overarching theme that flows within its lessons.
The theme includes decoration ideas, characters, and a theme skit connecting the lessons in a fun way. Feel free to decorate as little or as much as you would like in respect to the theme although we have found that the more appealing the classroom is, the more likely you are to excite the curiosity and enthusiasm of the children.
Decoration ideas provided will include but are not limited to: a bulletin board or wall decorated for the theme, props or stand-alones added to your existing decor, a decorated room that is entirely based on the theme, and even a full theater set or arrangement to fully immerse the kids in the theme.
How do we handle holidays?
For those churches that like to connect holidays with topics (i.e. giving thanks on the Sunday before Thanksgiving), we are planning a supplemental holiday packet that will provide special lessons for all of the holidays throughout the year. These can also be added within the quarter without the need to remove any lessons if desired.
How are the lesson plans structured?
Flexibility is key! This curriculum is designed to adapt to your teaching needs. Each lesson plan is built with segments, or building blocks, that allow you to teach the topics through various methods. These blocks can be rearranged, added, or removed to suit your classroom. There are two types of segments: core segments, essential to the lesson, and alternate segments, which can be omitted without significantly affecting the overall lesson.
Each lesson offers at least one hour of content. You can shorten it to 30 minutes by removing alternate segments or extend it up to 90 minutes with supplemental options, tailoring the lesson to your class's needs.
To enhance flexibility, each quarter is stand-alone and can be taught at any time during the three-year curriculum. We’ve provided a suggested order, with each quarter labeled by year and quarter (e.g., A1 for the first year, first quarter). While you can teach these in any order, following the suggested sequence helps, especially since the first quarter of each year covers foundational topics.
Types of building blocks:
This curriculum is made up of segments or building blocks. Most of these blocks will be used every week, but they may be in a different order and/or contain different methods of teaching. While structure and order is important in the Kingdom of God, spontaneity and variety are tools in a teacher’s toolkit to keep kids engaged - these blocks were designed with both of these in mind.
Below you will find each segment with a brief description, as well as identifying whether they are CORE or ALTERNATE. A building block labeled CORE is considered essential to the flow and structure of the lesson regardless of size or limitations whereas, a building block labeled ALTERNATE has more flexibility. All CORE segments have a “STAR” next to the title.
We tried to utilize a variety of methods of teaching. While skits and object lessons are commonly used, we also added others as well, such as: Games That Teach, Giveaways That Teach, Action Songs, Puppet Shows, Illusions, Crafts, etc.
Each lesson has QR codes to take you directly to needed resources such as object lesson tutorials, action song motions and more
(TRY IT WITH THE CODE ABOVE OR JUST TAP IMAGE TO SEE WHERE IT WOULD GO!)
Dynamic Opening (CORE):
This is an important part of our teaching. It starts the day off with a BANG, grabs students' attention, and gets them ready and curious for the lesson ahead. Many times this is where one of the characters from the quarterly theme skit will be utilized. If you have chosen not to do the theme skit, you can replace the character with any of your choosing or teacher or student.
Action Songs (ALTERNATE):
These are a great way to engage the children, get the “wiggles” out, let them expend a little bit of energy, get them used to worshipping in class and you can even teach at the same time. A song can and should reinforce the lesson's theme while allowing an opportunity to praise God. There are QR codes by each song connecting to a video showing the actions. While every lesson will have songs as an option, in the interest of saving time or if you go directly from a worship service into class these segments are considered optional.
Theme Skit (ALTERNATE):
We have written a storyline across each quarter that has consistent characters to help teach the lesson in a fun way. We recommend using the same volunteer as the same character for each Sunday to maintain the storyline.
Offering (CORE):
This segment provides an opportunity to teach children about the biblical principle of giving. We aim to instill in students the importance of generosity and create a habit of giving. While you do not have to spend a lot of time on this segment we recommend still including it each week. Sometimes, this block will simply be a bullet point or reminder to take the offering while at other times it will be integrated into the lesson.
Prayer Requests into Prayer (CORE):
Prayer requests provide an opportunity for children to share their requests and needs with their teacher and peers and bring them to God. It is important to encourage them to pray with you and not just listen. We want our children to know that God listens to them, not just the teacher. We recommend doing these each Sunday. Sometimes this will be written as part of the teaching and other times simply as a bullet point reminder.
Plan of Salvation/Doctrine (CORE):
Teaching by repetition is a proven method to solidify learning. This segment done with consistency each week, will help ensure that important doctrinal concepts are retained over time. No matter what else we are teaching on a particular Sunday we always teach the plan of salvation. In every lesson there will be a time where we teach repentance, baptism in Jesus name and the infilling of the Holy Ghost. You never know if you are going to see the students more than once and so we make sure that none of them miss this vital teaching.
Memory Verse (CORE):
Memorizing scripture allows children to retain key biblical principles and doctrines. Children can use God's Word in their daily lives to guide their actions and verses in their hearts will give them a foundation that will never pass away. This is why we so strongly believe in Apostolic Bible Quizzing. For long-term retention, our approach is to learn one verse per month with the fourth week focusing on review of the verses learned so far. This allows us to get the Word deep in their hearts.
Bible Story (CORE):
Each week, our goal is to make the Bible come alive for our children, helping them see how the stories relate to their lives. We use different ways to tell Bible stories each week, which helps the kids understand the events, characters, and lessons in the Bible better. This approach encourages them to connect with the Bible and feel excited and curious about God's work throughout history. We want our kids to know that the Word of God is not just a book of old stories but something that is important and relevant in their lives today!
Lesson / Altar Call (CORE):
This part of the lesson is where everything comes together, often using an illustration to drive the message home. It should lead to a time of prayer each week. The altar call, or the time for the children to respond to the lesson is a crucial part of this curriculum. We encourage every teacher to make this the focus of each Sunday. This allows the kids to seek God in the classroom and helps them put the lesson into action. The altar call is essential for them to build a personal relationship with God, and if you make this a regular part of your class, you WILL see children being filled or refilled with the Holy Ghost.
Worship Song (ALTERNATE):
In this part of the lesson, we engage in worship through music, while praising God. The segment many times will slow the lesson down and prepare the atmosphere of the class. After a worship song, the students many times will be much more inclined to listen and respond to subsequent teaching.
Review (ALTERNATE):
The Review segment reinforces the lesson ensuring that key points are clearly understood and remembered. This repetition helps to solidify learning and increases retention.
Miscellaneous - additional method of teaching (ALTERNATE):
Throughout the curriculum, you'll discover a variety of methods used to teach. We use games, giveaways, stories, skits, puppets, illusions, object lessons, songs and more to keep things exciting and engaging. Some weeks, you'll even find a miscellaneous segment that adds even more variety. This block is very flexible. Depending on your teaching style or what works best for your class, you can choose to leave it out or swap it with another segment.
Snack (ALTERNATE):
Snacks offer an opportunity to slow the class down but teach at the same time. This segment can be easily adapted to fit the individual church's format: whether it's a simple snack, or a more elaborate refreshment, making it a flexible and accommodating part of the program. Sometimes this is part of the lesson, but other times, it may appear merely as a bullet point.
Craft (ALTERNATE):
The Craft segment engages children in a hands-on, creative activity that reinforces the lesson's themes. Craft projects help make the lessons more memorable, and provide a take-home item for a visual reminder throughout the week. This segment also caters to different learning styles and allows for creative expression. The flexibility of the craft segment means it can be tailored to fit the resources and preferences of each church.
