Activity 2: Retelling the Story

Activity time: 10 minutes

Materials for Activity

Preparation for Activity

  • Familiarize yourself with the story so that you can guide a dramatized retelling.

Description of Activity

Invite participants to take on the various roles, asking questions to set the scene before choosing any volunteer actors. Ask:

  • Who will be a Hebrew person? We'll need four or five, and you'll have to look and act very hungry.
  • Who will be Moses? Who will be Aaron?
  • Who will be God?
  • Who will help God by scattering the coriander seeds (our pretend manna)? Scatter them on a towel so that they will be easy to clean up.
  • Where should the complainers stand? Where should Moses be? Where should God be?
  • Where should we put the baskets for the people to collect manna?

After the actors are in place, ask: "What happens first? And next? Guide participants through a re-enactment of the story, asking at appropriate intervals, "What are the Hebrew people thinking and feeling? What is Moses thinking and feeling? And Aaron? What does God think about? Why is God providing this unfamiliar substance called manna instead of something the people recognize? Encourage those who are not playing roles to make suggestions and to offer encouragement to those who are acting out the story.

After the re-enactment, invite participants to offer comments, observations, and insights about the story.