Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual

Contents
Title Page
Introduction to the Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual
Doctrine and Covenants Lessons
- The Restoration Proclamation
- Doctrine and Covenants 1
- Joseph Smith—History 1:1–26
- Doctrine and Covenants 2; Joseph Smith—History 1:27–65
- Doctrine and Covenants 3–5
- Doctrine and Covenants 6–9
- Doctrine and Covenants 10–11
- Doctrine and Covenants 12–17; Joseph Smith—History 1:66–75
- Doctrine and Covenants 18
- Doctrine and Covenants 19
- Doctrine and Covenants 20–22
- Doctrine and Covenants 23–26
- Doctrine and Covenants 27–28
- Doctrine and Covenants 29
- Doctrine and Covenants 30–36
- Doctrine and Covenants 37–40
- Doctrine and Covenants 41–44
- Doctrine and Covenants 45
- Doctrine and Covenants 46–48
- Doctrine and Covenants 49–50
- Doctrine and Covenants 51–57
- Doctrine and Covenants 58–59
- Doctrine and Covenants 60–63
- Doctrine and Covenants 64–66
- Doctrine and Covenants 67–70
- Doctrine and Covenants 71–75
- Doctrine and Covenants 76
- Doctrine and Covenants 77–80
- Doctrine and Covenants 81–83
- Doctrine and Covenants 84
- Doctrine and Covenants 85–87
- Doctrine and Covenants 88
- Doctrine and Covenants 89–92
- Doctrine and Covenants 93
- Doctrine and Covenants 94–97
- Doctrine and Covenants 98–101
- Doctrine and Covenants 102–105
- Doctrine and Covenants 106–108
- Doctrine and Covenants 109–110
- Doctrine and Covenants 111–114
- Doctrine and Covenants 115–120
- Doctrine and Covenants 121–123
- Doctrine and Covenants 124
- Doctrine and Covenants 125–128
- Doctrine and Covenants 129–132
- Doctrine and Covenants 133–134
- Doctrine and Covenants 135–136
- Doctrine and Covenants 137–138
- The Articles of Faith and Official Declarations 1 and 2
- The Family: A Proclamation to the World
- The Living Christ
Life Preparation Lessons
- Doctrinal Mastery: Finding Answers to My Questions
- Scripture Study Skills
- For the Strength of Youth: Making Choices
- Building Self-Reliance
- Physical and Emotional Health
- Preparing for Future Education and Employment
- Succeeding in School
- Missionary Preparation
- Temple Preparation
- Teachings of Church Leaders
Appendix

Lesson 93—Assess Your Learning 6: Doctrine and Covenants 76–83

“Lesson 93—Assess Your Learning 6: Doctrine and Covenants 76–83,” Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual (2025)

“Assess Your Learning 6,” Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual

Lesson 93: Doctrine and Covenants 81–83

Assess Your Learning 6

Taking time to recognize growth and spiritual development can strengthen our relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and motivate us to stay on the covenant path. This lesson can help students evaluate their spiritual growth from their study of the Doctrine and Covenants thus far.

Possible Learning Activities

This lesson is intended to help students assess their ability to explain teachings in the Doctrine and Covenants, evaluate goals they have set, and measure how their attitudes, desires, and ability to live the gospel are changing. Your class’s study of Doctrine and Covenants 76–83 may have focused on truths different than those highlighted in the lesson. If so, consider adapting the activities to include truths more familiar to your students.

Appreciating growth and progress

If possible, begin class by displaying images of people hiking, biking, and running. Ask students to raise their hands if they have done one or more of these activities. Next, ask students to keep their hands raised if they have ever participated in an exceptionally long or challenging run, hike, or bike ride. Invite a few students with their hands raised to describe their experience. Consider discussing some questions like the following:

What can you do to enjoy the journey?
How might we compare that kind of journey to the process of becoming more like Jesus Christ?
What are ways we can enjoy and appreciate the process of spiritual growth more?

Invite students to reflect on what they have been learning in the Doctrine and Covenants, how they have acted on it, and their spiritual journeys. They might ponder how the Savior has helped with any recent progress.
How do you feel you are progressing and growing closer to the Lord?
How is the Lord helping you?

The following activities are designed to help students recognize, appreciate, and evaluate more specific progress and growth.

Explaining the three degrees of glory

Consider using a scenario like the following to help students review and assess their understanding of the three degrees of glory in Heavenly Father’s plan. If needed, students could adjust details in the scenario to ensure that it feels authentic to them.

Imagine you have a close friend named Olivia who is not a member of the Church but firmly believes in Jesus Christ. One day she approaches you and asks: “What do members of your Church believe about life after death? I’ve been taught that everyone will go to heaven or hell, but I heard that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe in multiple heavens. What’s that all about?”

Spend a few minutes writing a response to Olivia that explains your understanding and knowledge of the three degrees of glory. If you would like, you can include drawings to help Olivia picture what you are explaining.

After students have completed their explanations, consider inviting a few to share what they wrote or to role-play the scenario in front of the class.

If students do not mention it, ask them how the three degrees of glory show Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ’s love and mercy (see Doctrine and Covenants 76:40–43). Make it clear that inheriting a kingdom of glory, including celestial glory, is only possible through Jesus Christ (see Doctrine and Covenants 76:69–70).

Ask students what they learned from this experience. If students have questions concerning the three degrees of glory, ask the class if they can find verses in Doctrine and Covenants 76 to help answer their questions. You may also review some of the material from previous lessons.

Reverencing Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ

Consider inviting students to make a list of anything they’ve recently learned in the Doctrine and Covenants that has increased their love, appreciation, and reverence for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Students might also include experiences at home, in Church settings, or elsewhere that strengthened their relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

It may be helpful to invite students to review Doctrine and Covenants 63:58–64; 76:19–24 and any notes they might have taken while previously studying these verses.

You could display the following question and invite students to respond to help them assess their current effort, desire, and progress:

What are you learning about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ that increases your love, appreciation, and reverence for Them?

Encourage several students to share. Consider sharing your thoughts as well.

Studying and pondering the scriptures

Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon studying scriptures

Consider showing the picture above and asking the following questions:

What were Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon doing before they received the vision of the three degrees of glory?
What did you learn from their experience?

If students do not remember, invite them to review Doctrine and Covenants 76:15–19. Be sure they understand that before the visions opened to Joseph and Sidney, the two men were studying and pondering the scriptures. One of the truths students may have learned is this: As we prayerfully study and ponder the scriptures, we prepare ourselves to receive understanding from the Lord through the Holy Ghost.

Give students time to reflect on the effectiveness of their scripture study. They might ponder how well they are prayerfully studying and pondering the scriptures. If useful, you could show the following graphic and invite students to share how each item could help them in their scripture study. Students could share what they are doing that they feel is helping them.

Students may also benefit from discussing challenges and possible solutions with other class members. You could divide students into small groups and invite them to discuss challenges they face while trying to study and ponder the scriptures. Encourage each group to choose a challenge and think of a few simple steps they could take to overcome that challenge and increase the impact of their scripture study. Invite each group to share with the rest of the class.

To conclude, invite a few students to testify how pondering and scripture study are blessing their lives and helping them feel closer to Jesus Christ.

Supplemental Learning Activities

Explaining the three degrees of glory

You could use the following in addition to or in place of the scenario in the lesson. It could also be a review activity during another class session.

Draw an image of the sun, moon, and stars on the board. Invite students to come to the board and write details they remember about the degrees of glory next to each image. Encourage them to review Doctrine and Covenants 76 and their notes for additional information. Invite a few students to explain why they are grateful for the knowledge revealed in Doctrine and Covenants 76 and how that knowledge may have increased their love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Reverencing Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ

Consider the following activity as an alternative way to help students assess their appreciation and reverence for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Invite students to think of recently studied passages from the Doctrine and Covenants that have increased their love, appreciation, and reverence for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Consider listing these on the board as students share. Display an image of Jesus Christ and encourage students to look at it while you read aloud one of the scripture passages. Invite students to quietly respond to questions like the following in their study journals:

How could this scripture passage help you develop and strengthen your relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
Which truth or truths contained in this passage do you feel you could testify of?
Which truth or truths contained in this passage would you like to know more about? Why?

As time permits, consider repeating the activity using a different scripture passage.