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Be Wise!

What is wisdom?

by Alexandra Palmer

Suitable for Whole School (Pri)

Aims

To consider that we are all responsible for making wise decisions.

Preparation and materials

  • You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (Be Wise!) and the means to display them.
  • Have available the YouTube video ‘Solomon asks for wisdom’ and the means to show it during the assembly. It is 1.58 minutes long and is available at: https://youtu.be/ihnnK9vQ3nM

Assembly

  1. Show Slide 1.

    Ask the children, ‘What does wisdom mean?’

    Listen to a range of responses.

    Explain that wisdom means knowing the difference between right and wrong, and understanding the outcomes of our decisions.

  2. Show Slide 2.

    Explain to the children that you are going to show them five pictures. For each one, you would like them to give a thumbs-up if they think that the people in the pictures are being wise, and a thumbs-down if they are being unwise.

    Show Slides 3 to 7, taking time to discuss each picture.

    - Slide 3: The girl is being unwise because she isn’t wearing a helmet.
    - Slide 4: The boy is being wise because he’s wearing all the right safety gear.
    - Slide 5: The man is being unwise because he’s sitting on the branch that he’s sawing off the tree. When the branch falls, he will fall too.
    - Slide 6: The boy is being unwise because he is copying from the girl.
    - Slide 7: Two of the children are being wise because they’re using a pelican crossing to cross the road, but one of the children is being unwise because he’s kicking a football next to the road.

  3. Explain that one of the wisest people in the Old Testament part of the Bible was King Solomon.

    Tell the children that you are going to show them a video that explains how Solomon gained his wisdom.

    Show the YouTube video ‘Solomon asks for wisdom’ (1.58 minutes long).

  4. Discuss the video by asking the following questions.

    - How did Solomon meet with God? (Answer: in a dream.)
    - Solomon told God that he felt like a child who didn’t know his way. What do you think this means? (Answer: becoming king of Israel was a massive challenge for Solomon because he had to lead so many people. Solomon felt a little lost within himself because he wanted to make good choices, but felt unsure of his decisions.)
    - Why did Solomon ask for wisdom? (Answer: so that he could lead God’s people well and know the difference between right and wrong.)
    - Why was God happy that Solomon had asked for wisdom? (Answer: it showed that Solomon wanted to help others and understood that he couldn’t do everything on his own.)
    - What other gifts did God give to Solomon? (Answer: wealth, riches and fame.)

Time for reflection

At the end of the video, we hear that Solomon was known as a wise king and ruled Israel for many years. In fact, Solomon also wrote the Book of Proverbs, which is in the Old Testament. It is a book of wise sayings that still apply today.

Tell the children that you are going to read out three proverbs and you would like them to consider what they might mean.

- ‘A cheerful heart is good medicine.’ (Proverbs 17.22)
Pause to allow time for thought, and then listen to a range of responses.

- ‘Pride comes before a fall.’ (Proverbs 16.18)
Pause to allow time for thought, and then listen to a range of responses.

‘Look at the ant, you slacker! Observe its ways and become wise.’ (Proverbs 6.6)
Pause to allow time for thought, and then listen to a range of responses.

Point out that ants live and work together in colonies. They are always on the go doing different jobs, but they always help one another out. Ants never waste their time. This final proverb is encouraging the reader to consider how ants behave and learn from it because this will help with becoming wise.

Ask the children, ‘Who or what helps us to become wise?’

Pause to allow time for thought, and then listen to a range of responses.

Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for Solomon’s wisdom and his wise words in the Book of Proverbs.
Thank you for the wisdom that we learn inside and outside school.
Thank you for the people who help us and teach us to be wise.
We pray that we might all have the wisdom to make the right choices every day.
Amen.

Song/music

‘He’s got the whole world in his hands’, available at: https://youtu.be/srRB1ss_SVc (1.54 minutes long)

Extension activities

  1. Ask the children to design a poster that shows how to be wise.
  2. Discuss some activities that help us to develop wisdom and ask the children to reflect on who helps them to become wise and make good decisions.
Publication date: October 2023   (Vol.25 No.10)    Published by SPCK, London, UK.
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