Who Sold Joseph?
Summary
- Subject(s): Narrative Elements, 5.3.R.6, 5.6.W.1, 5.3.R.3
- Topic or Unit of Study: English, Language Arts
- Grade/Level: 5th grade
- Objective: Analyze the story found in Genesis 37 18-36 NRSVue
- Time Allotment: 2 hours
Pro Educator Tip: The provided Biblical text is from the most current version of the Updated New Revised Standard Version of the Christian Bible. of the Christian Bible. Many scholars consider this version to be the most accurate translation. If your learners ask that is why this text was included. It is abbreviated “NRSVue.” Some of your learners may be more familiar with other versions and you can tell them that is great, but for this class, the NRSVue will be the version that you intend to use.
Implementation
Learning Context:
This story feels like it is two stories jammed together. That is because most modern scholars believe that it is. This story has two beginnings, two middles, and two ends.
Pro Educator Tip: This is an advanced lesson and we are going to be asking our students to do some critical thinking. It is important to ensure that, if you need to review elements of a story you do that here.
Procedure:
-
Anticipatory Set:
The setup for this lesson is pretty easy. It begins with a question, BUT, if you need a visual aid Joseph is a very colorful Biblical character to display on your board.
Pro Educator Tip:‘Joseph’s Coat’ the musical number is a great flashy way to engage your students and introduce them to this character and his family if your class can handle a 4-minute video.
-
Direct Instruction:
Read the passage. Ask your learners if they notice anything strange about the narrative.
Pro Educator Tip: As you read, use your voice to highlight the words Ishmaelites (pronunciation) and Midianite (pronunciation,) traders.
-
Guided Practice:
Have your students rewrite the story into two separate narratives. Now, this is a lot of writing, so, don’t expect full rewrites of the narrative, you only want to see beginnings, middles, and ends that are consistent in each account.
Pro Educator Tip: Ask lots of questions. Students can become bored when writing, but, if
you notice this, you can engage them, or get them back on track with some questions. -
Check for Understanding:
Ask what the student thought about these two narratives.
-
Closing:
If you have a work of the week, this may be a good time to work it in.
Pro Educator Tip: If you are feeling bold you could open up a group discussion. You can also introduce some advanced words like “Antagonist” to reinforce 5.3.R.3.
Differentiated Instructions
Pro Educator Tip: Recognize that learners exhibit diverse learning modalities. You can employ a range of pedagogical strategies to effectively engage and instruct a heterogeneous student body by deliberately considering this variability.
- Visual Learners
- Auditory Learners
- Kinesthetic Learners
- ESL Students
- At-risk Students
- Advanced Learners
Materials and Resources
Pro Educator Tip: Choose supplementary materials that will enhance your lesson (books, videos, etc.), YOU KNOW YOUR LEARNERS! Find resources that ENHANCE this lesson and make your instruction an engaging learning experience for all your learners!
-
Instructional Materials:
see the included text.
-
Suggested Resources:
Video – Joseph’s Coat: Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Text
18 They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them they conspired to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. 20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of
his dreams.” 21 But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” 22 Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father. 23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the ornamented robe that he wore, 24 and they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.
25 Then they sat down to eat, and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, (pronunciation) with their camels carrying gum, balm, and resin, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. 26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers agreed. 28 When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.
29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes. 30 He returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where can I turn?” 31 Then they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat, and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 They had the ornamented robe taken to their father, and they said, “This we have found; see now whether it is your son’s robe or not.” 33 He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! A wild animal has devoured him; Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.” 34 Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and all his daughters sought to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol (pronunciation) to my son, mourning.” Thus his father bewailed him. 36 Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, (pronunciation) one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.
Two Accounts from the Text
They saw Joseph from a distance, and before he came near to them they
conspired to kill him. But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their
hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood;
throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him”—that
he might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father, and they
took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.
Then they sat down to eat, When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew
Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, When Reuben returned to the pit and saw
that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes. He returned to his brothers
and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where can I turn?” Meanwhile, the Midianites
had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the
guard.
They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us
kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal
has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams.” So when
Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the ornamented
robe that he wore, and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming
from Gilead, with their camels carrying gum, balm, and resin, on their way to
carry it down to Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we
kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites
and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his
brothers agreed. and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver.
And they took Joseph to Egypt. Then they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a
goat, and dipped the robe in the blood. They had the ornamented robe taken
to their father, and they said, “This we have found; see now whether it is your
son’s robe or not.” He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! A wild animal
has devoured him; Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.” Then Jacob tore his
garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.
All his sons and all his daughters sought to comfort him, but he refused to be
comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus
his father bewailed him.
Facts and Faith:
Biblically Responsible Lessons For Diverse Classrooms
Crafted by a dedicated team of expert educators and
ministers from diverse Christian denominations, these
lesson plans by Defense of Democracy are designed to meet
Oklahoma Academic Standards and Superintendent Walters’
OSDE Instructional Support Guidelines for Teachers
directive. Our mission is to promote inclusivity and ensure
emotional and physical safety for all students. These
rigorous, Bible-based lessons reflect our commitment to
historically and scientifically accurate education, fostering
shared experiences across all backgrounds.
