Assess Your Learning 1

1 Nephi 1–15

This lesson is intended to help you evaluate the goals you have set and the growth you have experienced thus far during your study of the Book of Mormon.

Helping students assess their learning. Give students opportunities to assess their learning. One way is to invite them to share how they have grown or developed as a result of their studies and faith.

Student preparation: Invite students to come to class prepared to share something they have learned so far from the Book of Mormon that has helped them feel closer to Jesus Christ.

Possible Learning Activities

This lesson is intended to help students assess goals they have set, their ability to explain teachings in the Book of Mormon, or how their attitudes, desires, and ability to live the gospel are changing. Your class’s study of 1 Nephi 1–15 may have emphasized truths other than those in the following activities. If so, the activities could be adapted to include those truths.

Study the Book of Mormon Daily

This section is intended to help students evaluate how they are doing in their personal scripture study goals and feel the value and importance of studying the Book of Mormon.

• What are some things you do every day or every night?

Students may respond with answers like brushing teeth, eating, sleeping, and so forth.

• What could happen if you skipped these activities for a day or longer?

• Why is daily scripture study something we should strive to do?

Display the following self-evaluation. Students can reflect on their responses privately or record their responses in their study journals.

Choose one of the following to describe how your daily study of the Book of Mormon is going:

1. My study feels meaningful and has been consistent.

2. My study is good when it happens but isn’t happening very regularly.

3. I am consistent with my study but don’t get a lot out of it.

4. I am struggling to understand what I read and rarely study on my own.

5. I have not done anything to work toward a scripture study goal.

6. Other: explain your answer.

It is natural to have obstacles come up with a daily goal like this. The important thing is to keep trying.

Consider writing students’ obstacles on the board and inviting the class to discuss how they have responded or could respond to these obstacles.

• What has gone well with your study of the Book of Mormon? What would you like to do better or differently?

Consider choosing one or more of the following activities to help students feel the value and truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.

Personal thoughts and feelings about the Book of Mormon

Activity 1: Testimony meeting

If you were to bear your testimony in sacrament meeting about the Book of Mormon, what would you say to convey your feelings?

Activity 2: Why do you study?

Imagine you are studying the Book of Mormon when a younger sibling walks in and asks, “What are you reading?” You respond, “The Book of Mormon.” Your sibling asks, “Why?” Write two or three sentences describing what you could say to your younger sibling to help him or her understand why you choose to study the Book of Mormon.

Activity 3: A social media post

A friend writes the following social media post: “I have recently started reading the Book of Mormon and am loving it! For any of you who have read the Book of Mormon before, would you please share your favorite verse with me and a short explanation of why you love it?”

This could be a good opportunity to invite students to share their thoughts from the student preparation. Consider sharing your testimony of how the Book of Mormon has helped you feel closer to Jesus Christ this semester.

Lehi’s Dream

This section is intended to help students explain the parts and meaning of Lehi’s dream and reflect on where they see themselves in the dream.

One way you could help your students review this content is to invite them to look at the following illustrations and questions individually. Then divide students into pairs and invite them to take turns explaining to their partner as much of the detail and meaning of Lehi’s dream as they can in 30 seconds.

Displaying the questions that follow the pictures could be helpful.

• What different parts or symbols of the dream do you remember?

• Which of the symbols stood out the most to you? Why?

• How is Lehi’s dream similar to our world today?

Consider how different parts of Lehi’s dream might help the individuals in the following scenarios:

• A young man is spending time with a group of people who choose to break the Word of Wisdom and pressure him to do the same.

• A young woman thinks she will take her scripture study more seriously when her stressful life calms down.

• A young man starts to feel ashamed of his membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when he hears others mocking people who are religious.

• How could you use Lehi’s dream to address each scenario?

• What teaching or truth from Lehi’s dream do you feel could help you come closer to God’s love in your life?

You can keep the commandments

This section is intended to allow students to see how they are doing on their plan (from 1 Nephi 3) to act on God’s commandments more fully.

During the lesson on 1 Nephi 3, you may have made a goal to be more obedient to a commandment that has been difficult to keep. Reflect on your progress toward this goal, and record your thoughts in your study or personal journal. Consider the following questions as you reflect and write:

• How is your effort to obey this commandment going?

• What successes or obstacles have you experienced?

• How might you adjust your plan?

• How have you been blessed for your efforts?

• How has the Lord prepared a way for you to be obedient?

If you haven’t thought of a commandment that may be difficult for you to keep, think about one now. Decide what actions you could take to keep it more fully.

Consider giving students the opportunity to share any answers to these questions or what they have learned, if it is not too personal, with the class. You could share your testimony about how God will bless us to fulfill His commandments as we make meaningful efforts to trust and obey Him.

President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency taught that Nephi’s trust in the Lord can give us encouragement when we find it difficult to obey the Lord’s commandments:

The young Nephi in the Book of Mormon stirs in us a desire to develop trust in the Lord to obey His commandments, however hard they appear to us. Nephi faced danger and possible death when he said these words of trust that we can and must feel steadily in our hearts: “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them” [1 Nephi 3:7]. (Henry B. Eyring, “Trust in God, Then Go and Do,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 71)