The Chiastic Structure of Leviticus Lesson

Students skim selected passages of Leviticus and compare their themes using a chiastic outline. Guide them toward discussing how this proposed structure highlights a central message.
Grades
Grades 9–10
File type
Microsoft Word
Editable
Yes

Updated Feb 04, 2023

Subject
Religion, ELA
Topic
Leviticus, Chiastic structure
Resource types
Lesson Plans, Worksheets
Editable
Yes
Standards
RL.9.2

Product description

From the author

This is an insightful teaching resource designed to enable students to understand and critically analyze biblical texts, with a specific focus on the Book of Leviticus. This lesson is suitable for educators in public schools, private institutions or homeschooling setups targeting grade 9 and grade 10.

The lesson adheres to the Common Core State Standard (CCSS) for English Language Arts Literacy, emphasizing standard RL.9-10.2. This implies that learners should be able to determine a text's theme or central idea while examining its development throughout.

Lesson Tools and Tasks

  • The required materials are minimal: just the worksheet included within this product and access to a Bible.
  • The main task involves identifying Leviticus' central point by reviewing its chiastic structure—a discourse attributed to Mary Douglas's scholarly work.
  • Educators can utilize this lesson plan which simplifies teachings—like religious studies—to allow high school students' understanding of complex concepts.

Gains from The Chiastic Structure of Leviticus Lesson

This lesson plan promotes understanding without demanding thorough reading—it encourages skimmed reading through certain chapters for substantial grasping about central themes in books like Leviticus. Its versatility allows application during whole group sessions, smaller group discussions, or as homework assignments too!

    Learners undertake activities including:
  1. Finding the main point in chapter 19 that commands Be holy for I am holy & Love your neighbor as yourself.

In terms of application scenarios & customization options noteworthy mention must be made here: The Chiastic Structure of Leviticus Lesson comes as an editable Microsoft Word document which facilitates customizations based on the particular environment or scenario—making it a practical and engaging teaching resource.

In the classroom

Teaching tips & learning objectives

Learning objectives

  • Summarise what each block of Leviticus is mostly about after skimming it

  • Identify what paired sections share — chapters 21-22 with 11-15, chapter 27 with chapters 1-9, and the punishment episodes in chapters 10 and 24

  • Locate the two central statements at the middle of the structure, in Leviticus 19.1-18

Teaching tips

  • Hand out the worksheet pages on their own — the lesson page states the intended conclusion outright, naming chapter 19 and the two statements found there

  • Have a Bible available per student or per pair — the materials list is that and the worksheet, nothing else

  • Say out loud before students start that the structure is only approximate; the lesson page calls the chiasm "though imperfect" and the worksheet says "though not exactly", which stops students hunting for a perfect match

Skills covered

  • Central-idea analysis — students work inward through nine prompts to reach the two central statements in Leviticus 19.1-18 rather than being told them.

  • Text-structure analysis — the indented A-B-C-D-E-D'-C'-B'-A' layout has students identify the mirrored halves of a chiastic structure on the page as well as in the text.

  • Skim reading — prompts direct students to skim Leviticus 1-9, 11-15, 21-22 and 27 for gist, with closer attention reserved for chapters 10, 18, 19, 20 and 24.

Good to know

Questions teachers ask about this resource

What materials do students need?

Provide the worksheet and access to a Bible. The teacher notes contain the intended interpretation, so keep them separate if you want students to work toward it first.

Is this a close reading of the entire book?

The worksheet primarily asks students to skim selected sections for their themes, with closer attention to named passages.

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Curriculum

Standards, concepts & topics

Standards

  • RL.9.2

Core concepts

  • Chiastic structure

  • Central idea

  • Leviticus

  • Biblical literature

  • Text structure

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