The Advent Calendar Steven Croft Teacher s Resource Pack

The Advent Calendar Steven Croft Teacher’s Resource Pack Contents About The Advent Calendar…………………………………………………………pg 3 Why study The Advent Calendar? ………………………………………………….pg 4 About the Author…………………………………………………………………....pg 5 English……………………………………………...………………………….……..…pg 6 Religious Education………………………………………………...…….………..…pg 8 The Advent Calendar…………………………………………..…………….…….pg 10 • A Guide to the Biblical Characters, Themes and Images Resources…………………………………………………………………………….pg 14 • • Advent Calendars to photocopy Instructions to ‘Make your own Advent Calendar’ 2 ‘If there was ever a book you would want to read yourself or share with your children at Christmas, then this is the one. Thoroughly enjoyable - well written and totally thrilling - every page is a complete gem. To find the adventure of Christmas you must first find Advent Calendar.’ GP Taylor New York Times Best-Selling Author The door at the top of the Calendar slowly began to swing open. There was just blackness on the other side – not the kind of blackness you expect to see in a painting. For Sam and Alice it was like looking into a tiny, dark hole or through a window into nothingness. They both took a step backwards in shock. A split second later, the tiny door was as big as a large window and it came rushing toward them. A moment after that, before they could move or think or do anything at all, they were completely swallowed up by the great and utter darkness and, at first, complete silence. . . . and so begins the biggest adventure of Alice’s life. In a new city and at a new school, Alice isn’t looking forward to Christmas. But when her Uncle Sam brings home a mysterious advent calendar that’s short on chocolate but big on surprises, she is thrown into an Advent she never dreamed of. Codes arrive by text message and open the doors in the calendar, throwing Alice and Sam into fantastical new worlds that are wondrous, frightening and beautiful, but all somehow remind them of their own. Help Sam and Alice crack more Advent codes, send Advent e-cards, solve new puzzles and lots more on our Advent Calendar website – coming this November! Visit www.dltbooks.com for more information. 3 Why Study The Advent Calendar? Are you looking for a new way to teach Advent this year? Do you want to cover curriculum requirements for English and Religion in a fun, engaging and topical way? • The Advent Calendar makes a perfect book for any class of children aged 10+, whether read from in the afternoon, used in conjunction with craft, art and logic resources, or employed as a text in English and Religious Education study. • The multi-layered story works at many levels: a valuable resource for English and literacy classes. Pupils at Key Stage 2 and 3 are required to understand how language is crafted and used in imaginative, original and diverse ways, as well as distinguish between different techniques, styles and structures, applying their knowledge to their own creative compositions. Older children are also expected to increase their ability to read challenging and lengthy texts independently. • The Christian meaning underpinning the Christmas season often loses out to shopping centres, tinsel and turkey. The Advent Calendar reveals afresh the significance of this festival and the Christian tradition of expectation, anticipation and excitement in Advent. The Advent Calendar engages with social issues revolving around the family. Alice’s parents are recently divorced, and Sam has broken up with his girlfriend, only to discover she is pregnant. Christmas is a time that can be difficult for families. The Advent Calendar allows for sensitive issues to be discussed openly in class and provides pupils with an opportunity to reflect about themselves as growing and changing individuals with their own experiences and ideas, and as members of their families and communities. Cleverly crafted, the codes, puzzles, twists and suspense combine to keep pupils actively involved, not just in the plot, but in the deeper layers of the story. The subtle situational humour will be welcomed by more adult readers (including teachers!), while a more obvious humour speaks to a younger audience. The book’s interactive website – coming this November – allows for children to enhance their literacy and computer skills in a fun way. • • • • 4 About the Author: • Steven Croft is Archbishops’ Missioner and the author of Ministry in Three Dimensions and Transforming Communities. As a father of four teenagers he has an acute awareness and understanding of teaching the values and ideals of the Christian faith to a young audience. 5 English National Curriculum Requirements The Advent Calendar juxtaposes two very separate worlds which run in parallel to each other: a ‘real’ modern setting that makes up the main narrative of the story and which children can identify with, and the magical adventure story which will fuel their imaginations. Steven Croft blends reality and fantasy, holding them together with the underlying story of Christmas. This stylistic feature will help children develop an awareness of the meaning beyond the literal, and make connections between the different parts of the text. The descriptions of the different worlds appear almost three dimensional magical, beautiful and scary. The description of the calendar doors and pictures inside are particularly vivid. The cinematic quality of the descriptions enhances the suspense of each adventure. Main Characters Sam There is a great sense of Sam maturing through this story, which allows the reader to almost ‘grow up’ as he does. While he appears very immature and quite unlikeable at the beginning, the reader is able to identify with him through elements of humour in his dialogue and characterization. Alice Cynical, vulnerable, and with a dry sense of humour, Alice is a very believable character. She is the ‘adult’ to Sam’s ‘child’, but she speaks with the voice of a teenager. Alice’s unstable relationship with her Dad impacts on her behaviour and emotional state. Alice is also kind, sincere, loyal, and - for someone so young – wise, morally upright, and full of integrity. The most powerful and prominent interpretation of The Advent Calendar is a Christian one, with themes of light, love, hope, peace and life saturating the novel. The characters, stories and motifs within the book allude to those found in the bible and are not just literal. On a deeper level, The Advent Calendar highlights the challenges and adventures of living as a Christian. 6 • Get the children to look at Steven Croft’s interpretation of the three wise men, Mary and Abraham and Sarah. Is this how they would have portrayed them? How would they portray other characters – Jesus, or Noah, or Ruth if they were alive in the modern world? What about other, non-biblical literary characters? Hercules? Little Red Riding Hood? The Artful Dodger? • Get the children to write about a new advent calendar world – it doesn’t have to be biblical. How do they discover the code to open the door? How do they arrive in the magical world? What do they see, hear, smell? Who do they meet? Is it a fun experience, or scary, sad or surprising? Instead of a creative composition, get the children to write an essay on Advent – what is it? How is it celebrated? How is it linked to Christmas? What are their experiences of it? Perhaps they could write a review of the book – what were their favourite parts? What were the characters like? Did they enjoy it? The descriptions in the book are almost cinematic, providing striking visual imagery. Encourage the children to imagine the scene of the new world you are describing as you read an extract. Many books are made into films, so perhaps encourage the children to change an extract into a playscript. They can then act it out in groups to the rest of the class. Get the class to write a diary from the point of view of Alice – getting up and having breakfast with Megs and Sam, her day at school and wanting to tell her friends about her special calendar, receiving a message from Sam about a new code, her anxieties and excitement at the prospect of a new adventure etc. Many bible stories have been developed into new stories, books and films – like the musical Joseph and his Technicolor Dream-coat, or, as some may argue, the Narnia Stories by C S Lewis. Encourage the children to write a different adaptation of a popular bible story – perhaps setting it in a modern context. Some good stories to use include Noah and the flood, Jesus turning the water into wine at the wedding, Samson and Delilah, and the parable of the prodigal Son. • • • • • 7 Religious Education ‘“Nobody knows the meaning any more”, Col said, suddenly serious. “Nobody knows the stories and the pictures” Sam thought back to the coffee shop that morning and all the people milling about. Alice remembered Nick and the chocolate calendar. “To find the meaning again you have to find the stories. Put them together, a bit like a jigsaw, and it will all make sense. But not until the end”. ‘ (pg 85) The Advent Calendar is an action packed, suspense filled novel with a subtle Christian message emphasising the importance of the Christian tradition – not just within the Christmas season, but in ordinary, real life. The Christian values of right and wrong, love, forgiveness, and faith are shown to exist within a modern family structure, while the ‘magic’ world of the calendar introduces biblical stories and characters in a lively, fun and engaging way. One of the aims of the story is to help the reader who is not a Christian understand the meaning of Christmas by describing the background and the context of the nativity story. The book picks up many of the traditional Christian themes of Advent – the season of preparation for Christmas – but presents them in a new way. Using this book as a resource, pupils can learn about the significance of Advent and Christmas as a religious festival – beyond the chocolate and Father Christmas - and there are a range of interactive activities that teachers can create to supplement lessons and class readings. • Why not encourage the children to design their own magical Advent Calendar – one that doesn’t include chocolates, but takes those who open the windows to other worlds. These don’t have to be ‘religious’ worlds, or biblical places, but could open up to reveal particular events or people that are associated with Christmas – Nativity plays, buying presents, preparing the food. Perhaps each window could open up onto a different culture that celebrates Christmas – Russia, Italy, or even a completely different religious festival! A template for such an 8 activity is included at the back of this pack. Alternatively they can colour in a copy of Steven Croft’s Advent Calendar. • The different worlds in The Advent Calendar are connected by codes that are only deciphered when using a mobile phone. While most schools don’t allow pupils to bring their mobile phones to school, you could try creating new codes which link together and highlight other famous stories from the bible. A few ideas have been included in the resources section of this pack, and you’ll also find a word-search puzzle for class activities. Perhaps each advent adventure could be supplemented by reading the correct passage from the Bible – encourage the children to find the correct passages, and introduce them to using and reading from the Bible. • 9 The Advent Calendar The Guides Over the four traditional Sundays of Advent, the church has traditionally focussed on the patriarchs, the prophets, John the Baptist and Mary. Each candle in the traditional Advent crown represents one of these figures who prepare the way for Jesus. In the book, the guides in the different six day blocks of the calendar correspond to these four groups. Abraham and Sarah represent the patriarchs. The themes of this week of the calendar are the great universal themes of creation, peace and justice. Col represents the prophets. He is a characterisation of the un-named prophet of Isaiah 40-55. This part of the book of Isaiah is generally thought by scholars to be from a later period than Isaiah of Jerusalem – but in the same tradition - and relates to the end of the exilic period. “Second Isaiah” (as he is sometimes called) describes himself simply as a voice (Isaiah 40.3, 6). The Hebrew for “voice” is “Q’ol” – hence Col. The themes of the second week are drawn from the great prophetic tradition and look forward to the coming of the Hebrew Messiah, or anointed king. JB is John the Baptist. The themes of the days 13-18 reflect the great themes of John’s preaching and the prophecies about him culminating in the mysteries of forgiveness and baptism. Mary is a characterisation of the mother of Jesus. The themes of the final group of doors relate to the telling of the story of Jesus’ birth and ministry and the beginnings of the Christian church. This section draws on the traditional themes of Christmas and the Christian feast of the Epiphany as well as on Advent. The Book of Isaiah The Book of Isaiah was known from the earliest days of the Christian church as the fifth gospel. There is an old but now largely forgotten tradition of Christians reading the Book of Isaiah in its entirety during Advent (reflected, for example, in the Book of Common Prayer lectionary for the Advent season). The book is viewed by most scholars as a complex interweaving of prophecies and images over (probably) about two centuries. The imagery is very striking – particularly 10 the passages which look forward, often from situations of immense suffering – to a very different future vision. According to the gospel writers, the Book of Isaiah was especially important for Jesus’ understanding of his own mission and ministry (for an example of this see Luke 4.16-22). As the reader discovers in the final chapter of the book, the codes which open the doors of the calendar are verses from the ancient Book of Isaiah. Most of the images and pictures which appear in the doors at the end of each story relate to these verses in some way. The same images are taken up again and again in the teaching, life and miracles of Jesus. Biblical Themes and Images There are many other biblical themes and images which run through the Calendar worlds. Some of them are very obvious, others less so (particularly to those unfamiliar with the Old Testament). In addition to the Isaiah passages, the following might be helpful in exploring the themes. 1st Dec 2nd Dec 3rd Dec 4th Dec 5th Dec 6th Dec Genesis 1.1-4 The first day of creation John 1.1-5 The light in creation John 8.12; 9.1-12 Jesus the light of the world Matthew 5.9 Blessed are the peacemakers Matthew 5.39 Turning the other cheek Genesis 2.4-9 The Garden of Eden Isaiah 5.1-7 The parable of the vineyard Mark 12.1-12 The parable of the tenants John 15.1-11 Jesus as the true vine Psalm 8 Psalm 104 The glory of God in creation Exodus 19.4 Eagles wings This first test picks up themes of journey and guidance found in the Exodus story (the pillars of fire and the cloud); stories about guidance in the gospels and Acts (see Acts 16.6-10) and the earliest descriptions of Christians as followers of the Way. Isaiah 6.1-8 is the key passage. The song in the temple is the Hebrew song of the seraphs. The code for this chapter should be 26:7 not 25:7 The prophecies in Isaiah 40.3-5 and elsewhere in these chapters are all relevant. These prophecies are echoed by 7th Dec 8th Dec 11 9 Dec 10th Dec 11th Dec 12th Dec th 13th Dec 14th Dec 15th Dec 16th Dec 17th Dec 18th Dec 19th Dec 20th Dec 21st Dec 22nd Dec gospels of John the Baptist. This chapter has a retelling of Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of the dry bones from Ezekiel 37.1-14 See Luke 4.16-22 for Jesus quoting the Isaiah passage. See Acts 16.16-34 for an account of freedom from captivity. This chapter is a retelling of Ezekiel’s vision of the river flowing from the temple in Ezekiel 47.1-12. See also Revelation 22.1-5 for echoes of this passage. The second test echoes the Exodus story (the crossing of the Red Sea and the giving of the 10 commandments on the mountain) but also the account of the prophet Elijah on Horeb (1 Kings 11-18). The final section echoes the burning bush story (Exodus 3) and the Book of Daniel (Daniel 3). The Isaiah passage echoes the imagery of trees throughout the prophecy as a metaphor for pride. See also John the Baptist’s preaching in Luke 4.9 There is no single biblical passage which inspired the Chamber of Laments. However see the psalms for numerous examples of prayers of lament and Revelation 21.4 for a tender prophecy of consolation. See also Matthew 18.10 for Jesus on angels. One of the great passages foretelling the ministry of John the Baptist is the last verse of the Christian Old Testament: Malachi 4.5 Isaiah’s image of the rebuilding of Jerusalem is picked up extensively in Revelation. See especially 21.9-27. The laundry picture is taken from the remarkable code verse and another prophecy in Malachi which is normally taken to refer to John the Baptist (Malachi 3.2). The picture of washing, of course, is part of the symbolism of baptism The main picture of the baptism is drawn from the gospel accounts of John baptising at the Jordan. The inspiration for Mary’s song here is, of course, the Magnificat of Luke 2.46-56. The story of the wedding is drawn from the miracle at Cana in John 2.1-11 The picture of the shroud of death is drawn simply from the code verse in Isaiah. There are many passages in the New Testament, of course, about the resurrection of Christ defeating death (for example 1 Corinthians 15). The peacock is an ancient Christian symbol of the resurrection. There are four remarkable songs in Isaiah 40-55 all of which 12 23rd Dec 24th Dec point to God sending his servant in humility and weakness: Isaiah 42.1-4; 49.1-7; 50.4-9 and 52.13-53.12 The penultimate Calendar world is a retelling of Jesus’ parable of the sower (Luke 8.4-15). No references needed! Two Questions What is the significance of Mr. Gabriel’s phone number? What word associated with Christmas never occurs in The Advent Calendar? 13 Photo-copy and enlarge for a colouring-in exercise 14 Photo-copy and enlarge to design your own Advent Calendar windows 15 16 17 18 19 Make your own Advent Calendar • Take a large diamond shaped sheet of cardboard or plywood measuring approximately 50cm x 50cm. You could photocopy the door images above and reduce their size so that all 24 fit onto an A4 sheet, or a smaller diamond shape. • Draw or glue on some buttons for the numbers and a rectangle of cardboard for the 24th door in the centre. • Each day in December get the children to cut out the correct door image from the sheets above, colour it in and glue it onto the Calendar. 20