Joseph Prisoner to the Palace | Bible Lesson on the Middle Years of a Dreamer
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This 4-5 hour Bible curriculum is designed for grades 4-8, focusing on Joseph’s life in Egypt as described in Genesis 39-41. Students will engage in interactive Bible activities, including dramas, dream reenactments of the cupbearer and baker, and hands-on learning with Egyptian hieroglyphics. Through these activities, they’ll discover how Joseph’s wisdom and leadership saved Egypt from famine—pointing to a greater truth: Joseph’s story foreshadows Jesus, the true Savior of the World! Perfect for Sunday School, homeschool, or Christian classrooms, this lesson brings the Bible to life while deepening students’ faith and understanding.
This lesson unit covers the following topics:
❇️Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife: Students participate in a courtroom drama where they must prepare trial testimony, present their cases after which a judge renders a verdict, all written in an age-appropriate manner.
❇️Prison Drama: “The Cupbearer, the Baker and Joseph the Dream Maker” Students act out the dreams of the cupbearer and the baker using grapes and bread while reciting a catchy poem (inspired by the nursery rhyme “The Butcher the Baker and the Candlestick Maker”).
❇️Hieroglyphs: Introduce students to the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic alphabet which is composed of pictures used to create words based on sounds. This lesson reinforces their understanding of long and short vowel sounds as well as hard and soft consonants as they ultimately write their own name in hieroglyphs.
❇️Joseph Saves the World from Famine: Leveraging their knowledge of hieroglyph pictures from the previous lesson, students will illustrate verses from Genesis 41. For those who prefer not to draw, color pictures are included in the lesson. These drawings can be displayed as wall hangings or bound together in a book as a reminder of the lesson.
❇️Jesus, Savior of the World: Students complete the worksheet “Go to Joseph, Come to Jesus” based on Genesis 41:55 which explores the fact that people from all over the world came to Joseph seeking salvation from a severe famine. Students will read Old and New Testament Bible references to see the similarities between Joseph and Jesus – in fact Joseph is a “type” or foreshadowing Jesus.
✝️ What Have I Learned about Jesus Today?
At the end of this lesson (and every lesson in this series), we invite students to ponder the thought-provoking question: "What have you learned about JESUS today?" In this lesson, students learn that like Joseph whose efforts saved the world from a devastating famine, Jesus is our Savior from the devastating effects of sin.
Included in this lesson:
◾️A twenty page, colorful lesson plan with clear DO/SAY/READ wording
◾️ Color Coding: Prisoner to the Palace (worksheet/answer key)
◾️Joseph’s Testimony (worksheet)
◾️Potiphar’s Wife’s Testimony (worksheet)
◾Trial Transcript
◾️Soap Pictures
◾️Poem: The Cupbearer, the Baker and Joseph the Dream Maker
◾️Script: The Cupbearer, the Baker and Joseph the Dream Maker
◾️Egyptian Hieroglyphs (2 page reference sheet)
◾️My Name in Hieroglyphs (worksheet)
◾️Genesis 41 in Hieroglyphs (worksheet)
◾️Parchment Handout
◾️Project Pictures: Genesis 41 (3 pages)
◾️Go to Joseph! Come to Jesus! (worksheet/answer key)
◾️Stepping Stone: Jesus ~ Savior of the World
⏰️Flexible Scheduling: This 4-5 hour lesson can be spread over multiple days with clearly labeled stopping points.
✝️ Perfect for Sunday school, homeschool or Christian school classrooms! Each lesson unit in our Walking Alongside Jesus series is divided into five sections, each section takes between 30 minutes to an hour. This allows homeschool and Christian school teachers to use it daily in the classroom (thereby completing an entire unit in a week) OR in a Sunday School classroom or youth group once a week (thereby completing an entire unit in a month).
✔️Our goal with each lesson is to combine scholarly study in a fun, interactive way so that students not only experience the rich Biblical narrative but also to whet their appetite for more by learning how to study the Scriptures for themselves.
Save time and shop with confidence. Watch the lesson preview video here!
This 4-5 hour Bible curriculum is designed for grades 4-8, focusing on Joseph’s life in Egypt as described in Genesis 39-41. Students will engage in interactive Bible activities, including dramas, dream reenactments of the cupbearer and baker, and hands-on learning with Egyptian hieroglyphics. Through these activities, they’ll discover how Joseph’s wisdom and leadership saved Egypt from famine—pointing to a greater truth: Joseph’s story foreshadows Jesus, the true Savior of the World! Perfect for Sunday School, homeschool, or Christian classrooms, this lesson brings the Bible to life while deepening students’ faith and understanding.
This lesson unit covers the following topics:
❇️Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife: Students participate in a courtroom drama where they must prepare trial testimony, present their cases after which a judge renders a verdict, all written in an age-appropriate manner.
❇️Prison Drama: “The Cupbearer, the Baker and Joseph the Dream Maker” Students act out the dreams of the cupbearer and the baker using grapes and bread while reciting a catchy poem (inspired by the nursery rhyme “The Butcher the Baker and the Candlestick Maker”).
❇️Hieroglyphs: Introduce students to the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic alphabet which is composed of pictures used to create words based on sounds. This lesson reinforces their understanding of long and short vowel sounds as well as hard and soft consonants as they ultimately write their own name in hieroglyphs.
❇️Joseph Saves the World from Famine: Leveraging their knowledge of hieroglyph pictures from the previous lesson, students will illustrate verses from Genesis 41. For those who prefer not to draw, color pictures are included in the lesson. These drawings can be displayed as wall hangings or bound together in a book as a reminder of the lesson.
❇️Jesus, Savior of the World: Students complete the worksheet “Go to Joseph, Come to Jesus” based on Genesis 41:55 which explores the fact that people from all over the world came to Joseph seeking salvation from a severe famine. Students will read Old and New Testament Bible references to see the similarities between Joseph and Jesus – in fact Joseph is a “type” or foreshadowing Jesus.
✝️ What Have I Learned about Jesus Today?
At the end of this lesson (and every lesson in this series), we invite students to ponder the thought-provoking question: "What have you learned about JESUS today?" In this lesson, students learn that like Joseph whose efforts saved the world from a devastating famine, Jesus is our Savior from the devastating effects of sin.
Included in this lesson:
◾️A twenty page, colorful lesson plan with clear DO/SAY/READ wording
◾️ Color Coding: Prisoner to the Palace (worksheet/answer key)
◾️Joseph’s Testimony (worksheet)
◾️Potiphar’s Wife’s Testimony (worksheet)
◾Trial Transcript
◾️Soap Pictures
◾️Poem: The Cupbearer, the Baker and Joseph the Dream Maker
◾️Script: The Cupbearer, the Baker and Joseph the Dream Maker
◾️Egyptian Hieroglyphs (2 page reference sheet)
◾️My Name in Hieroglyphs (worksheet)
◾️Genesis 41 in Hieroglyphs (worksheet)
◾️Parchment Handout
◾️Project Pictures: Genesis 41 (3 pages)
◾️Go to Joseph! Come to Jesus! (worksheet/answer key)
◾️Stepping Stone: Jesus ~ Savior of the World
⏰️Flexible Scheduling: This 4-5 hour lesson can be spread over multiple days with clearly labeled stopping points.
✝️ Perfect for Sunday school, homeschool or Christian school classrooms! Each lesson unit in our Walking Alongside Jesus series is divided into five sections, each section takes between 30 minutes to an hour. This allows homeschool and Christian school teachers to use it daily in the classroom (thereby completing an entire unit in a week) OR in a Sunday School classroom or youth group once a week (thereby completing an entire unit in a month).
✔️Our goal with each lesson is to combine scholarly study in a fun, interactive way so that students not only experience the rich Biblical narrative but also to whet their appetite for more by learning how to study the Scriptures for themselves.
Save time and shop with confidence. Watch the lesson preview video here!
This 4-5 hour Bible curriculum is designed for grades 4-8, focusing on Joseph’s life in Egypt as described in Genesis 39-41. Students will engage in interactive Bible activities, including dramas, dream reenactments of the cupbearer and baker, and hands-on learning with Egyptian hieroglyphics. Through these activities, they’ll discover how Joseph’s wisdom and leadership saved Egypt from famine—pointing to a greater truth: Joseph’s story foreshadows Jesus, the true Savior of the World! Perfect for Sunday School, homeschool, or Christian classrooms, this lesson brings the Bible to life while deepening students’ faith and understanding.
This lesson unit covers the following topics:
❇️Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife: Students participate in a courtroom drama where they must prepare trial testimony, present their cases after which a judge renders a verdict, all written in an age-appropriate manner.
❇️Prison Drama: “The Cupbearer, the Baker and Joseph the Dream Maker” Students act out the dreams of the cupbearer and the baker using grapes and bread while reciting a catchy poem (inspired by the nursery rhyme “The Butcher the Baker and the Candlestick Maker”).
❇️Hieroglyphs: Introduce students to the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic alphabet which is composed of pictures used to create words based on sounds. This lesson reinforces their understanding of long and short vowel sounds as well as hard and soft consonants as they ultimately write their own name in hieroglyphs.
❇️Joseph Saves the World from Famine: Leveraging their knowledge of hieroglyph pictures from the previous lesson, students will illustrate verses from Genesis 41. For those who prefer not to draw, color pictures are included in the lesson. These drawings can be displayed as wall hangings or bound together in a book as a reminder of the lesson.
❇️Jesus, Savior of the World: Students complete the worksheet “Go to Joseph, Come to Jesus” based on Genesis 41:55 which explores the fact that people from all over the world came to Joseph seeking salvation from a severe famine. Students will read Old and New Testament Bible references to see the similarities between Joseph and Jesus – in fact Joseph is a “type” or foreshadowing Jesus.
✝️ What Have I Learned about Jesus Today?
At the end of this lesson (and every lesson in this series), we invite students to ponder the thought-provoking question: "What have you learned about JESUS today?" In this lesson, students learn that like Joseph whose efforts saved the world from a devastating famine, Jesus is our Savior from the devastating effects of sin.
Included in this lesson:
◾️A twenty page, colorful lesson plan with clear DO/SAY/READ wording
◾️ Color Coding: Prisoner to the Palace (worksheet/answer key)
◾️Joseph’s Testimony (worksheet)
◾️Potiphar’s Wife’s Testimony (worksheet)
◾Trial Transcript
◾️Soap Pictures
◾️Poem: The Cupbearer, the Baker and Joseph the Dream Maker
◾️Script: The Cupbearer, the Baker and Joseph the Dream Maker
◾️Egyptian Hieroglyphs (2 page reference sheet)
◾️My Name in Hieroglyphs (worksheet)
◾️Genesis 41 in Hieroglyphs (worksheet)
◾️Parchment Handout
◾️Project Pictures: Genesis 41 (3 pages)
◾️Go to Joseph! Come to Jesus! (worksheet/answer key)
◾️Stepping Stone: Jesus ~ Savior of the World
⏰️Flexible Scheduling: This 4-5 hour lesson can be spread over multiple days with clearly labeled stopping points.
✝️ Perfect for Sunday school, homeschool or Christian school classrooms! Each lesson unit in our Walking Alongside Jesus series is divided into five sections, each section takes between 30 minutes to an hour. This allows homeschool and Christian school teachers to use it daily in the classroom (thereby completing an entire unit in a week) OR in a Sunday School classroom or youth group once a week (thereby completing an entire unit in a month).
✔️Our goal with each lesson is to combine scholarly study in a fun, interactive way so that students not only experience the rich Biblical narrative but also to whet their appetite for more by learning how to study the Scriptures for themselves.
FAQS❓️
What Christian perspective is used for these Bible lessons?
I am an evangelical Christian who writes Bible curriculum for older students, and I take this tremendous responsibility seriously. Each lesson has a clear focus on what God says in His Word and the lessons are presented age appropriately, thoughtfully and biblically.
What translation of the Bible is used? 99% of the time I use the ESV although on rare occasion I might use another translation such as the NIV.
How can this Bible curriculum be used? These lessons are flexible enough to be used in the following settings:
Children's Sunday School class
Youth Group
Private Christian school Bible class
Chapel for Christian schools
Children's Church
Homeschool Bible class
Family Bible time
Copyright ©️ Experience the Bible Creatively. Permission to copy for single classroom use only.
