Divide the whiteboard (or screenshared document) into two columns. Spark a discussion as your students enter the class. Start by asking one thing students think they know a lot about. Write their responses in one of the columns. In the other column, write students’ responses to one thing they wish they could know everything about.
After your students have had a chance to respond, play this short video [0:46]:
6-year-old Texan might just be one of the smartest kids in the nation
Chandler and the other children members of MENSA know a lot for their age. Based on their learning and problem-solving ability, they probably know more than most people ever will.
- Do you think these children have knowledge about the topics you shared? (Answers may vary depending on what the students wrote.)
- These children might know about your topic and about a number of other topics, but there are limitations to their knowledge. What are some things that even the smartest children or adults in the world will never be smart enough to know? (Answers will vary but include things only God knows: The day they’ll die; the number of children they’ll have; when Jesus will return; the number of stars in the sky; the number of grains of sand on the earth, etc.)
Some people will say that if you know where to find the answers, you don’t need to store them all in your head. If you know what book to look in, what website to search, or what person to ask, you will have the information you need when you need it.
- Where do you look for knowledge or for answers to questions you may have? (Answers will vary; parents, teachers, grandparents.)
We like to be smart. We like to think we know more than other people. Even though we don’t have Einstein’s IQ, we have ways of obtaining knowledge when we need it. But what happens when our sources do not have the answers we seek? Nebuchadnezzar found himself in just such a predicament. Let’s see how he got his answers.
