ELCA Publisher Introduces 'Firelight' Sunday School Curriculum

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Augsburg Fortress, the publishing house of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has introduced a new Sunday school curriculum that can be used in a variety of Sunday school formats and employs a variety of learning methods.
The new resource, Firelight: Bible Learning Curriculum, has been introduced this spring in series of workshops held throughout the country. It will be available for use in congregations beginning in fall 2001. Although intended primarily for use in ELCA congregations, Firelight can be used by other Christian denominations, said Stephanie Moats, ELCA product manager, Augsburg Fortress, Minneapolis.
Firelight -- a name chosen to emphasize biblical descriptions of God and Jesus -- resulted from preferences expressed by Christian education leaders during a six-month market research study, Moats said. The research showed they wanted a Bible-based curriculum, flexibility, ease in teaching, training for teachers, and active, hands-on learning, she said. The curriculum was written by freelance writers and teachers from the ELCA and Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. The initial offering includes Bible-based lessons for children aged 2 years through middle school that can be used anytime, Moats said. Lessons for high school-aged young people and adults may be added in the future, she said. "Firelight is flexible enough to be used with all Sunday school formats, including the 'workshop rotation' model," Moats said. Some congregations are adopting formats in which students spend a few weeks on a particular subject with a teacher, then move to a new subject sometimes with a new teacher. With Firelight a single Bible story may be explored in two- to four-week sessions. The new curriculum also employs a variety of learning methods to reach more students, Moats said. Firelight employs deeper-learning activities through science, music, art, computers and other methods, she added. The learning methods are based on ideas expressed by Howard E. Gardner in his book, "Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences." Gardner is a Harvard University professor of education who has written about the many ways in which different students learn the same information. "This is the first time we've taken a hard look at this method of learning," Moats said. Firelight includes three units, each with a theme, and each unit contains five stories. Additional stories will be added every year, Moats said. A series of "foundational books" will be available, providing more ideas for teachers to use computers, puppets, arts, games and video with the curriculum, she said. A Firelight starter kit is now available for Christian education leaders to learn more about the new materials. It includes sample copies of age-level leader and learner resources, a CD-ROM with reproducible home pages, a planning guide, a leader training video and booklet, and two learning tools. "The starter kit is intended to provide a broad overview of Firelight, so that leaders can learn more about the product," Moats said. Augsburg Fortress will continue to offer two other Sunday School curricula, Life Together and Witness, she said. Good News Explorers will remain available until the current supply is exhausted, Moats added. -- -- -- More information about Firelight: Bible Learning Curriculum is available at http://www.augsburgfortress.org/firelight/ on the Web.