Handouts Use

How I Use These Handouts in Gospel Doctrine Class

The purpose of the handout is to facilitate class participation
Our Gospel Doctrine Class has an attendance of between 50-70 depending on the season, so a couple of weeks in advance, I photocopy or print 50-70 handouts for the class.
I use a yellow highlighter to mark one scripture or one quote on each handout until I have all scriptures and quotes marked with only one scripture or quote marked per handout. Then, on other handouts, I underline the same scriptures and quotes in red pencil. After that (with our large class), the remaining handouts are left unmarked.
Between Sacrament and Sunday School--before class starts, I distribute a copy of the handout to each class member in attendance. Sometimes I start in the back of the room and other times at the front. Some participants get the yellow highlighted copies (Primary), some get the red underlined copies (backups), and some get handouts with no markings (no assignment this week).
After the introduction of visitors and the invocation, before beginning the class, I remind class members that "yellow highlighter" is the primary participant and the one holding the "red underlined reference" is the backup participant just in case the primary person has to leave class.
Both the primary and backup class members are asked to be prepared to read the scripture or quote when we come to it in the lesson. Because they know what their assigned scripture is, and they know they'll be asked to read from their scriptures, the class members can have their scriptures open and find it in advance so that we don't wait while someone turns to the selected passage. The class members also get used to bringing and using their scriptures in class.
Because of the size of our class, each member typically receives an assignment to participate every 2-3 weeks, depending on the number of scriptures and quotes contained in the lesson.
The teacher basically introduces the lesson, ties the scriptures and quotes together, and comments on the teachings and concepts in the lesson, but because members read all the quotes and scripture passages, the member participation is high and members are attentive.
As someone wishes to comment or share an insight, the teacher calls on them, they share their comment(s), and then after discussion, the teacher gets the lesson back to the next item on the handout so that, in most lessons, all items are covered in the 35-40 minutes available.
(See D&C Lesson 10 for these examples)-- Typically, the teacher introduces the scripture or quote in this manner: "D&C 25:14 contains counsel to Emma"...then the student with D&C 25:14 marked in yellow highlighter reads that scripture. Introducing a quote later in lesson 10, I might say.."President Benson had some counsel for us about pride..." and then the class member would read Pres. Benson's quote that is highlighted on their handout.
As I distribute the handouts each week, I conciously try to make sure that members who didn't participate last week get a yellow highlighted scripture or quote on their handout this week. I also try to get visitors to participate. Everyone seems to enjoy participating because they are never caught off guard or embarrassed with a last minute assignment. They always appear prepared and ready.
If the primary assignee with the yellow highlighted scripture doesn't speak up quickly, I simply ask, "Who has the backup on that scripture?" and the person holding the red underlined/marked copy of that scripture fills in.
In a couple of weeks, your class gets very familiar with the standard procedure and they participate enthusiastically each week without a lot of prompting.