A very large portion of the Old Testament focuses on the lives and messages of the prophets. The prophets played a very important and influential role in the history of Israel and the development of the Jewish people. They voiced a constant reminder from Yahweh that his people must worship the one, true God and treat others with dignity and respect.
Old Testament Prophets Lesson Plan
Lesson Objectives: 
- SWBAT list the eighteen prophetic books of the Old Testament.
- SWBAT categorize the prophets as major/minor and northern kingdom/southern kingdom.
Assessment:
Teaching Approaches:
1. Bell Work: Directed Reading Guide
- Jesus Christ: God's Revelation to the World (Chapter 5, pages 107-116)
- Or The Old Testament (Chapter 7, Introduction)
2. SMART Board Activity (or Prophetic Worksheets)
Using the Prophets SMARTBoard Notebook presentation or the PDF prophets worksheet version of the activities, address the following questions:
- How many prophetic books are in the Bible? (18)
- To what do the terms "major" and "minor" refer? (the length, not the importance, of the prophetic books)
- Who were the "major" prophets? (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, [Daniel])
- Who were the "minor" prophets? (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habbakuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi)
- Who were the prophets of the northern kingdom? (Elijah, Elisha, Amos, Hosea)
- Who were the prophets of the southern kingdom? (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Micah)
- Who were the postexilic prophets in Judah (southern kingdom)? (Zechariah, Haggai, Isaiah (3rd), Joel, Malachi, Zechariah, Jonah)
3. Create Matching Quizzes
To memorize the categories for each prophet, have the students create matching quizzes on blank notebook paper. Have them create an answer key on a separate sheet of paper. After 10-15 minutes, allow the students to exchange their quizzes with a partner. Repeat the process as time allows.
4. Verbal Check
Check the students' ability to categorize the prophets. Say the name of a prophet and have the students show who the prophet is in the following ways:
- stand if the prophet is a major prophet
- sit if the prophet is a minor prophet
- raise a hand pointing to the sky if the prophet is from the northern kingdom
- point to the ground if the prophet is from the southern kingdom
- point behind yourself if the prophet is from postexilic Judah
After students have shown sufficient evidence that they know the categories of each prophet, distribute the quiz.
5. Assessment: Matching Quiz
Give students the opportunity to show their knowledge in the Prophets Matching Quiz (PDF or Word versions). Note that the final question can use some of the names on the front of the sheet, but will require students to know the prophetic books that are not listed.
Answers: 1. A, 2. B, 3. B. 4. B, 5. B, 6. A, 7. A, 8. B, 9. B, 10. B, 11. A, 12. C, 13. A, 14. C, 15. B, 16. B, 17. A, 18. B, 19. A, 20. C, 21-22. the length, not the importance, of the prophetic books, 23-40. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Amos, Nahum, Hosea, Habakkuk, Micah, Zephaniah, Joel, Haggai, Jonah, Zechariah, Obadiah, Malachi, Lamentations, Baruch.
