Classes may be organized on various plans and out of varied materials
for the study of these lessons.
1. A teachers' class, composed of teachers, and also of senior scholars
in the Sunday-school, may be formed to study the life of Christ, which
is one of the most important subjects in the Bible. This may meet on an
evening or an afternoon, and devote all the sessions to the study of the
lesson, and to discussions upon it.
2. In many places a teachers' meeting is held for the study of the
International Lesson, as a preparation for the Sunday-school class. A
part of the time might be taken at this meeting for the study of these
subjects. In that case it would be well to follow the division into
lessons, as given on page 14.
3. A normal class may be organized among the brightest scholars in the
Sunday-school, who should be trained to become teachers. This normal
class may meet on an afternoon or an evening, or may take a
lesson-period in the Sunday-school session.
4. These studies may be pursued by the young people's society of the
church, or by a class formed under its auspices, meeting at such time
and place as shall be found most convenient.
There are two methods in which these lessons may be taught: One is the
_lecture method_, by which the instructor gives the lesson to the class
in the form of a lecture, placing the outline upon the blackboard as he
proceeds, calling upon the students to read the texts cited, and
frequently reviewing the outline in a concert-drill. By this method the
students may or may not have the books, as they and the instructor
prefer. While it is not necessary to supply the class with the
text-book, it will be a good plan to do so.
The other method, simpler and easier, is to let each student have a copy
of the book, to expect the lesson to be prepared by the class, and to
have it recited, either individually or in concert. Let each student
gain all the information that he can upon the subject of the lesson; let
each contribute his knowledge; let all talk freely, and all will be the
gainers.
It would be a good plan to have papers read from time to time upon
topics suggested by the course and parallel with it. A list of subjects
for such special papers is given at the close of each study.