Seminary
1 Nephi 6–10: Overview

“1 Nephi 6–10: Overview,” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual (2024)

“1 Nephi 6–10: Overview,” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual

1 Nephi 6–10

Overview

Lehi had a vision in which he saw a beautiful tree. This tree and its fruit represented the love of God, and it “filled [Lehi’s] soul with exceedingly great joy” (1 Nephi 8:12). Through his vision, Lehi learned about the path we must travel and how to stay on it to enjoy the blessings of God’s love. After hearing Lehi teach about the tree of life and prophesy of the coming of Christ, Nephi desired to learn the truth of his father’s words for himself.

Prepare to Teach

The following information provides teachers with ideas of what may need to be prepared in advance for each lesson.

1 Nephi 6–7

Lesson purpose: This lesson will help students understand how the purposes of the Book of Mormon can help them in their study and in their lives.

  • Student preparation: Encourage students to do their daily personal study of the Book of Mormon. Invite them to ponder their experience studying the Book of Mormon so far and what they are learning.

  • Video: “Ishmael’s Household Joins Lehi’s Family” (12:24)

  • Videoconference teaching suggestion: Consider role-playing the situation at the beginning of the lesson by asking students the questions and inviting them to type their answers in the chat. It may help to assign one student to be the moderator of the chat and read responses as they come in. Thank students for their responses and ask any follow-up questions that may lead to further insights.

Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge, Part 3

Lesson purpose: This lesson can help students understand the importance of seeking truth from sources that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have lovingly provided.

  • Student preparation: Invite students to think about important questions or concerns they have and different sources they could turn to for answers. Encourage them to be prepared to share an example of one of these sources or even bring one to class.

  • Items: A pitcher of clean drinking water and a clear drinking glass; alternatively, a basin of water, hand soap, and a towel

  • Handout: “Using Divinely Appointed Sources”

  • Videoconference teaching suggestion: For the activity under “Using divinely appointed sources,” consider displaying the instructions on the screen and inviting students to take a screenshot. Alternatively, consider putting the instructions in the chat feature and inviting students to copy and paste them into a document on their own device. Then divide students into breakout rooms to discuss and complete the learning activity together.

1 Nephi 8:1–18

Lesson purpose: This lesson is intended to help students increase their desire to feel joy through God’s love and Jesus Christ’s Atonement.

  • Student preparation: Invite students to ponder the following questions: In what ways can someone feel God’s love? When have you felt His love for you? Students could also talk to a family member or Church leader about how they feel God’s love for them.

  • Videos: “Choose the Light” (9:52; watch from time code 0:00 to 2:39); “Christ: The Light That Shines in Darkness” (11:29; watch from time code 0:00 to 0:54 and from time code 9:09 to 10:02); “Light Cleaveth unto Light” (11:11; watch from time code 0:32 to 2:33); “Lehi Discovers the Tree of Life” (4:32; watch from time code 1:52 to 4:32); “Atonement—Not a One-Time Thing” (3:00); “Because of Him” (2:36); “Peace in Christ” (4:09)

  • Image: An image of Mary holding baby Jesus

  • Videoconference teaching suggestion: For activity 2 under “Feeling God’s love and great joy through Jesus Christ,” consider downloading the videos and allowing students to choose which one to watch. Alternatively, divide students into breakout rooms, and assign one of the videos to each group. A student in each group would need to play the video and share his or her screen for the other group members. Invite students to ponder and discuss the blessings that are available through Jesus Christ. Each group could then share with the class what they discussed.

1 Nephi 8:19–38

Lesson purpose: This lesson can help students follow the word of God to guide them to His greatest blessings.

  • Student preparation: Encourage students to read 1 Nephi 8:19–34 to become familiar with the symbols in Lehi’s vision and be prepared to discuss them in class.

  • Image to display: An image of Lehi’s vision

  • Video: “Lehi Sees an Iron Rod and Those Who Fall Away” (3:30)

  • Videoconference teaching suggestion: Instead of asking students to draw parts of the vision, consider showing the video and pausing it whenever one of the key elements is shown. Students could be asked to share their thoughts about the symbolism and look for what the scriptures teach about it. To prepare for class, consider writing down the time code for each moment when the video should be paused.

1 Nephi 10; 11:1–6

Lesson purpose: This lesson can help students in their efforts to diligently seek knowledge from the Lord.

  • Student preparation: Invite students to ask a parent or youth leader what they do to diligently seek truth from God or how the Holy Ghost reveals truth to them. Encourage students to come prepared to share an idea with the class.

  • Video: “How I #HearHim: Elder Ronald A. Rasband” (2:55)

  • Videoconference teaching suggestion: Consider using a digital whiteboard so that students can collaborate on listing ways to diligently seek truth from God and ways God reveals truth through the Holy Ghost.