Assembly Objective:
- Why do we bother learning things? In this assembly children will explore the Bible’s teaching that ‘Wisdom brings strength, and knowledge is power.’
Film:
- Frozen (Walt Disney, 2013) certificate PG. Click here to buy the film online.
Bible:
- Proverbs 24:5 (Contemporary English Version)
Supporting Values Education:
- The value of Individual Liberty affirms each person’s right to self-determination, but the values of Democracy, Respect and Tolerance call us to live as part of a community – and that means developing our wisdom and knowledge.
OPENING ACTIVITY
Like a snowman in summer (illustration)
- Demonstrate that certain objects should stay away from heat. Display a chocolate figure and then begin melting it using a hairdryer on a high setting. You could use other objects such as a candle, an ice-lolly or an ice-cream.
FILM CLIP
- Frozen (Walt Disney, 2013) certificate PG
- Start time: 45:24 (Olaf says, ‘Summer! Oh, I don’t know why but I’ve always loved the idea of summer and sun and all things hot’)
- End time: 47:17 (Olaf finishes his song with ‘In summer!’)
- Clip length: 1 minute and 53 seconds
- If you cannot play the clip, then play the song In Summer (from the Frozen soundtrack) instead.
TALK
Download the Ignorance is a Risk Assembly PowerPoint for use with this talk.
Scripted Talk
- [PowerPoint slide 1]
- Welcome, everyone. Today we’re going to ask ourselves why we bother learning things.
- [PowerPoint slide 2]
- There is a saying that goes like this: ‘Ignorance is bliss.’ Ignorance means a lack of knowledge or education. So if you are ignorant, it means that you don’t know something.
- [PowerPoint slide 3]
- There are some times in life when it’s better that we don’t know everything that’s going on. A surprise party wouldn’t be much of a surprise if you knew about it already! A patient wouldn’t want to watch their own operation! A baby doesn’t need to worry about politics!
- But, there are some times when ignorance is risky – even dangerous. Let’s watch a clip from the film Frozen, where Olaf the snowman shows his ignorance.
- Play the film clip:
- Frozen (Walt Disney, 2013) certificate PG
- Start time: 45:24 (Olaf says, ‘Summer! Oh, I don’t know why but I’ve always loved the idea of summer and sun and all things hot’)
- End time: 47:17 (Olaf finishes his song with ‘In summer!’)
- Clip length: 1 minute and 53 seconds
- If you cannot play the clip, then play the song In Summer (from the Frozen soundtrack) instead.
- [PowerPoint slide 4]
- What does heat do to ice? [Take suggestions – makes it melt.] Do you think they should have told Olaf? [Take suggestions.]
- Olaf may have enjoyed dreaming and singing about summer. But, in the long run, it was important for him to know the dangers of summer.
- [PowerPoint slide 5]
- There is another saying: ‘Knowledge is power.’ This has been used by many famous people over the years, but the phrase first came from a proverb in the Bible.
- Read Proverbs 24:5 [PowerPoint slide 6]:
- Wisdom brings strength, and knowledge gives power.
- Sometimes growing up can feel a bit scary. We learn that the world isn’t as simple as we thought. We learn about dangers we never knew of before. But, we also learn how to avoid and overcome those dangers.
- [PowerPoint slide 7]
- For example, sun isn’t just dangerous for snow. We all know about the dangers of burning our skin if we spend too much time in the sunshine. What can we do to protect ourselves from getting sunburn? [Take suggestions – wear sun cream and a sunhat, don’t stay out too long or during the heat of the day.] That’s right! Knowledge gives us the power to change things and protect ourselves.
- Knowledge gives power, but we also need wisdom. Wisdom is making good decisions using what we know. So, we decide to put sun cream on because we know that it protects us from sunburn. ‘Wisdom brings strength.’
- [PowerPoint slide 8]
- Growing up can be really exciting too! You get to know new wonderful people; you learn how to do new fun things; you get to discover new interesting places. Suddenly learning sounds like a lot of fun!
- So, we’ve learnt that ignorance can be risky, that knowledge gives power and wisdom brings strength, and that learning can be bliss!
Headings and Bullets
- Is ignorance bliss? [PowerPoint slides 1-3]
- Welcome.
- Why do we bother learning things?
- Introduce the saying ‘Ignorance is bliss’.
- Examples of instances when ignorance is bliss.
- But, there are some times when ignorance is risky.
- Introduce film clip from Frozen (Walt Disney, 2013) certificate PG
- Start time: 45:24 (Olaf says, ‘Summer! Oh, I don’t know why but I’ve always loved the idea of summer and sun and all things hot’)
- End time: 47:17 (Olaf finishes his song with ‘In summer!’)
- Clip length: 1 minute and 53 seconds
- Heat + ice [PowerPoint slide 4]
- What does heat do to ice?
- Do you think they should have told Olaf?
- Olaf may have enjoyed dreaming about summer, but, it was important for him to know its dangers.
- Knowledge is power [PowerPoint slide 5]
- Introduce the saying ‘Knowledge is power’.
- Origins of the saying.
- Read Proverbs 24:5 [PowerPoint slide 6]
- Growing up can be scary [PowerPoint slide 7]
- Sometimes growing up can feel scary.
- The world isn’t as simple as we thought.
- We learn about dangers.
- But, we also learn how to avoid and overcome dangers.
- Example of using knowledge and wisdom to avoid sunburn.
- Growing up can be exciting [PowerPoint slide 8]
- Growing up can be really exciting too!
- New wonderful people, new fun things, new interesting places.
- Suddenly learning sounds like a lot of fun!
- Summary: ignorance can be risky; knowledge gives power; wisdom brings strength; learning can be bliss!
RESPOND
Reflection
- What are you going to learn today? Think about the opportunities you have in front of you: the classes, the clubs, the conversations. We can use these times to grow up, growing strong and powerful through knowledge and wisdom. So, listen carefully, practise hard, try out new things. Have fun learning!
Prayer
- The Bible tells us that we can ask God for help when we don’t know how to deal with something. It says, ‘Do any of you need wisdom? Ask God for it. He is generous and enjoys giving to everyone. So he will give you wisdom’ (James 1:5).
- I’m going to ask God for wisdom now. If you’d like to join in, simply say ‘Amen’ at the end – out loud or in your head. The Bible says that God will hear you and give you wisdom.
- Dear God, thank you for giving us brains that can learn. Thank you that learning can be lots of fun! Please help us to know what to do when we learn about things that make us feel worried. Please give us wisdom to know what to do about these things, and who else to talk to about them. Amen.
Respond Later
Knowledge is power (class follow-up)
- Use the assembly as an opportunity to empower pupils by learning about a relevant danger, such as cyberbullying or stranger danger.
YOU WILL NEED:
- Frozen (Walt Disney, 2013) certificate PG. Click here to buy the film online.
- Ignorance is a Risk Assembly PowerPoint.
- Hairdryer and chocolate figure (or equivalent) for the Like a snowman in summer opening activity.
- If you cannot play the film clip you will need the song In Summer (from the Frozen soundtrack) instead.
Ethos Education 