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Lesson 44

Lesson Title: "Developing Talents"

OTHER RESOURCES:

OBJECTIVE:

Each young woman will recognize and develop her talents.

PREPARATION:

  1. Bring paper and pencils for the class members.
  2. Prepare a list of each class member’s talents. You may wish to contact each mother to discuss her daughter’s talents. This list will be used during the spotlight activity at the beginning of the lesson.
  3. From the lists of talents you have prepared, select one less obvious talent for each young woman. Write this on a slip of paper, place the paper in a box or package, gift wrap the package, and label it with the young woman’s name.
  4. Prepare a piece of paper for each scriptural reference used in the Scripture Search. Number these papers in the sequence indicated in the lesson. Then put all the papers into another package and gift wrap it.
  5. . Assign a class member to prepare to tell or read the parable of the talents, as found in Matthew 25:14-30 .
  6. Assign young women to present any scriptures, stories, or quotations you wish.

ATTENTION GETTER:

Spotlight Place a stool or chair in the center of the room. Distribute paper and pencils to the young women. Explain that you will spotlight special gifts each of the class members has received. Have each young woman, one at a time, sit on the chair or stool. Give her the gift box you have prepared for her. Instruct her to open it and read aloud the talent written on the paper. After she has done this, ask her to identify another gift that she possesses. It may help to ask one or more of the following questions: 1. What do you do that makes you feel good or gives you a sense of accomplishment? 2. What is something you do now that you could not do three years ago? 3. What do you do that others do not do? If the young woman is still unable to identify an additional gift herself, suggest one from the list you prepared. Next ask the class to identify a third gift the young woman possesses. Three gifts should be identified for each young woman and recorded on her paper. Continue this process until all class members have been spotlighted and have had at least three talents identified.

LESSON:

Lesson 44 at lds.org

CONCLUSION:

Suggest that each young woman avoid burying her talents by choosing a gift she would like to have and recording her choice on her paper. Have her copy from the chalkboard those steps that would help her develop that gift. She should supplement this list with her own plan of action. (This may be a good time to work with each young woman individually to develop goals and a plan of action.)

HANDOUT:

Give the young women the list of their talents that you have prepared for them.

MID-WEEK ACTIVITY IDEA:

Suggested Class Activities Consider the following activities to help class members develop and share talents: 1. Plan and organize some workshops. With the approval of your priesthood leader, invite specialists to conduct workshops in areas in which class members wish to expand their knowledge or explore a new skill or trait. You can do this as a class, as small groups, or as individuals. 2. Plan a field trip to hear experts, or visit a library to obtain information about an area of interest. 3. Plan a class activity to learn a specific skill—quilting, sewing, cooking, or a craft. After the learning activity, the product could be shared with someone in the ward (a widow, parents with a new baby), thus emphasizing the importance of using our gifts to bless others. 4. Prepare and present a talent show of musical, artistic, or dramatic activities to shut-ins, people at a rest home, or children in a hospital.