How to get the most from Assemblies Online (Secondary)
Finding An Assembly
To find an assembly click on one of the links at the top and/or bottom of the page. There are a number of ways to find what you’re looking for.
1. Use the Themes/Subjects index
The content of the site is divided into 4 main themes. Each theme has a number of subjects associated with it and each subject contains a number of assembly outlines. When you select a subject you will see all the assemblies directly associated with that theme, as well as some others that we think might interest you (under the heading 'see also').
2. Use the Latest Assemblies link
Assemblies Online is updated regularly. The latest assemblies link will show you the most recent assemblies. But, wherever you are, any assemblies that are less than 30 days are marked with the 'new' icon.
3. Use the search facility
If you have a particular theme or clip in mind, Assemblies Online can help you to find relevant assemblies and prepare your outline. You can search the entire site or restrict your search to words contained in the title, main teaching point, Bible passage or cultural material. Simply click on the search button, type in the word you want to search for and select where to search. You will then be able to view all the assemblies containing that particular word.
Using An Assembly
Once you have chosen your assembly, click on its title and you will see all the activities associated with it.
The ‘For Your Information’ section summarises the teaching point and provides links to Biblegateway.com where you can find the Bible passage and to the appropriate page in the online New Bible Commentary which is in www.toolsfortalks.com (N.B. You will need a subscription to Tools for Talks to use this particular extra facility). In this section there is also a link to Amazon.co.uk where you can buy the cultural material (film, song etc.) used in the assembly. When you print the assembly this section is automatically included.
Every other part of the assembly has a tick box so you can select the parts you want to use. The assembly is divided into four main sections.
1. Meeting Point contains ideas for setting the atmosphere and starter activities. These are useful if you are leading a fairly long assembly. Starter activities may include games, quizzes, discussion topics or illustrations.
2. Listen/Watch/Learn is the main teaching section. This includes a summary of the cultural material, a full talk outline and a bullet point outline. Although the talk can be used without any preparation, if will be significantly more effective if you have time to prepare and to find the relevant film clip, song or other suggested cultural illustration.
Many (though not all) of our assemblies come with more than one version of the talk. This is to enable schools with a more or less confessional basis greater flexibility, and to accomodate the integrity of teachers who may not be members of the Christian faith community. In each case where more than one version for the talk exists, option 1 will be the more confessional and option 2 the less confessional. Neither version assumes that any or all of the students attending the assembly are of any particular faith.
3. Respond Now has ideas for personal reflection, prayers and song suggestions. Some assemblies also feature Respond Later activities for follow-up work in class.
4. Resources for you to obtain is a list of resources you will need to use the assembly. This list contains everything required for every activity, so some of the items listed may not be required depending on which activities you have selected for your customised assembly.5. Resources to download is a section with downloadable resources for you to use. These resources may include PowerPoint presentations, and audio and video clips. To download the resources simply click on the relevant icon then select 'save' to put them on your computer (N.B. you will not be able to open them directly from our site, you will need to save them on your computer first). The PowerPoint presentations on the site are saved as PowerPoint shows (PPS files). This means that they can be universally viewed and protects the copyright of any images that appear in them. You will not be be able to edit the presentations.
6. The Print facility will create for you a .pdf of all of the elements that you have chosen with the 'pick me' boxes. You will need Adobe Acrobat to open the pdf. If you do not already have a copy of Adobe Acrobat, click here to download one free of charge. Using PDF files enables us to be sure that the worksheet you print out looks like the one we designed - other formats can be corrupted if your computer has different fonts or settings.