.

[Seminary-Notes] ==================================== from Ken Alford... ====================================    If you haven't visited the ldsces.org website recently, I recommend taking a few minutes to download some of the great teaching resources that are available there. One of the first places you can check is the Book of Mormon Conference Resources webpage. Visit: http://www.ldsces.org/teachers/conference-bm.asp (You will be prompted for a username and password -- which you can obtain from your CES Coordinator.) You can find resources from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, President Henry B. Eyring, Elder Paul V. Johnson, Elder Marion D. Hanks, and great church educators such as Robert J. Matthews, Chad H. Webb, R. Kelly Haws, Robert L. Millet, and many others. There are also similar Conference Resource webpages for each of the other Seminary years. Best wishes, Ken www.KenAlford.com ScriptureMastery@KenAlford.com

The Thursday, May 14, 2009 issue of _The Mormon Times_ (a section that appears each Thursday in the _Deseret News_ newspaper published in Salt Lake City, Utah) included a front-page story entitled:

"Early-morning Seminary Snapshots"

In addition to the front page story, there are seven additional articles on pages M4 and M5.

Those articles are being posted today (15 May 2009). You can them online at:

http://www.mormontimes.org/

There are articles about daily Seminary programs in Nova Scotia, Canada; Hawaii; Wichita, Kansas; Laramie, Wyoming; Charlottesville, Virginia; Vairico, Florida; and El Mirage, Arizona.

Have fun!

Best wishes,



Ken

http://www.kenalford.com/
ScriptureMastery@KenAlford.com
(801) 491-8164

Question:
What do Seminary classes from these cities have in common?

  *  Oakley, Idaho
  *  Bayfield, Colorado
  *  Sugarland, Texas
  *  Evansville, Indiana
  *  Palm Springs, California
  *  West Chicago, Illinois

Answer:
They are among the growing list of Seminary classes that
have created scripture mastery music videos.

Many student-produced Seminary Videos have been posted
online.  Here are some YouTube links to view their creations:

 * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN4HJu4z8HM&feature=channel
 * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BZ7vrs_DHQ&feature=channel
 * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3Y0CeQiPmc&feature=channel
 * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4Rx1rxkxmc&feature=channel
 * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5VJJtxxyAo&feature=channel
 * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FgUG-rrXxU&feature=channel

Each of these videos uses a song from the LDS Scripture Rock
CD product series as their soundtrack.

...and I'm pleased to announce that two new LDS Scripture Rock
products have just been released:

  *  Book of Mormon LDS Scripture Rock CD ($11.95)
         and
  *  Book of Mormon LDS Scripture Rock CD/DVD ($16.95)

There are now LDS Scripture Rock CDs and CD/DVDs for every
Seminary scipture mastery set.  There are 50 songs on each
CD -- 25 with vocals and 25 instrumental versions.  The CD/DVD
product has the same CD and a DVD with 50 karaoke-style videos
you can view on computers or DVD players.

Here are links for two karaoke videos (from the Book of Mormon
CD/DVD) that have been posted online:

  * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpIFrtMu6SQ

  * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiX9NmnEK7M&feature=PlayList&p=BBA9449971E5AED8&index=0&playnext=1

(Additional karaoke samples are also posted online at
www.YouTube.com.  Search for "LDS Scripture Rock")

You can purchase LDS Scripture Rock CDs and CD/DVDs at
www.KenAlford.com, Deseret Book, the BYU Bookstore, and
numerous independent LDS bookstores.

Student-created Seminary videos can be a fun way to let your
students show creativity and reinforce gospel principles
that you have discussed as a class.

You might wish to give it a try!

Best wishes,

Ken

www.KenAlford.com
ScriptureMastery@KenAlford.com
(801) 491-8164

Have you ever been asked questions like these:

  1)  How many students are enrolled in Seminary?
  2)  Where and when did Seminary begin?
  3)  How many countries have Seminary programs?
  4)  How many kinds of Seminary are available?
  5)  Are there more students in Seminary or Institute?

These questions, and many others, are answered in the:

   SEMINARIES AND INSTITUTES OF RELIGION
   ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2009

You can download and read a copy by:

  *  Visiting www.ldsces.org
  *  Clicking on the "Annual Report 2009" link
     (on the left column)

This excellent 5-page summary of Seminary and Institute
Programs contains a wealth of useful and interesting
information.

You will also learn that there are no more "Early Morning"
Seminary programs.  ("Early Morning Seminary" is now called
"Daily Seminary.")

And, in case you're curious, here are the answers to the
questions above (as of the 2007-2008 school year):

1)  361,993
2)  1912 at Granite High School in Salt Lake City, Utah
3)  139 countries
4)  Three:  Daily, Released-Time, and Home-Study
5)  Seminary

You may also be interested to learn that in the 2007-2008
school year there were 19,086,744 hours in religious
education given by full-time missionaries, part-time
service missionaries, and called teachers.

Best wishes,

Ken

www.KenAlford.com
ScriptureMastery@KenAlford.com
(801) 491-8164

A poem for today...

    WHAT TO REMEMBER AND WHAT TO FORGET
    by Priscilla Leonard

    Forget each kindness that you do
       As soon as you have done it;
    Forget the praise that falls to you
       The moment you have won it;
    Forget the slanders that you hear
       Before you can repeat it;
    Forget each slight, each spite, each sneer
       Wherever you may meet it.

    Remember every kindness done
       To you, whate'er its measure;
    Remember praise by others won
       And pass it on with pleasure
    Remember every promise made
       And keep it to the letter
    Remember those who lend you aid,
       And be a grateful debtor.

    Remember all the happiness
       That comes your way in living.
    Forget each worry and distress;
       Be hopeful and forgiving.
    Remember good, remember truth,
       Remember heaven's above you.
    And you will find through age and youth
       True joys, and hearts to love you.

    (Source: Clip-Art Features for Church
    Newsletters 3, George W. Knight, p. 67)

I hope you have a great experience listening
to General Conference this weekend!

Best wishes,

Ken

www.KenAlford.com
ScriptureMastery@KenAlford.com
(801) 491-8164

.

Here's a quick and easy Attention Getter that you can use at the beginning of a lesson: Select a question related to the topic of your lesson Write your question out Reverse the letters in each word Write the reversed version on the board For example, if your introductory question is: Why did Paul write to the Corinthians? You would write this on the blackboard: Yhw did Luap etirw ot eht Snaihtniroc? It usually doesn't take students very long to figure out what you have done, but by that time you have captured their attention and interest and can begin the lesson. Best wishes, Ken www.KenAlford.com ScriptureMastery@KenAlford.com

As you teach from the scriptures, it is always helpful
to have new and interesting experiences and stories
to share with your students.  This is especially true
when teaching the New Testament.

I am writing to let you know about a new book:

   A VIEW OF JERUSALEM: A Collection of Memories
   by Erin Sheely Tolman.

Erin wrote this book in Jerusalem while she was a student
at the Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center.

Two chapters are available online for you to read:

  * Treading the Winepress
  * Masada

(Visit www.KenAlford.com to read these chapters.)

From the limestone balcony outside her Jerusalem bedroom,
Erin saw the city of Jerusalem laid out below her –-
the Dome of the Rock flashing gold in the sun.  From that
same balcony, she heard gunfire and saw smoke rising
from the Old City where Palestinian rioters fought with
Israeli police. These violent clashes in Jerusalem flared
during September 2000 and continued for months while Erin
and 175 other students at the BYU Jerusalem Center traveled
through the Holy Land.

In thirty-eight vignettes, you can travel with Erin as she
hikes through ruins, explores religious and cultural sites,
and visits the places where Jesus Christ spent His time
on earth. Read the scriptures in the Garden Tomb, float
in the Dead Sea, climb Mount Sinai, and wade in the Sea
of Galilee.

These are a few of the experiences that create a firsthand
account of the beauty and conflict that exist in this part
of the world -- a land which holds a place in the hearts
of so many.

This book is available until 15 March at www.KenAlford.com
for the introductory price of $12.95.  (The regular price
after that time will be $13.95.)

Best wishes,

Ken

www.KenAlford.com
ScriptureMastery@KenAlford.com
(801) 491-8164