Select a passage. Daily devotionals and online services designed to help Bible teachers can help with this. However, you may also choose a passage at random or by using the Bible's index to search for a specific theme that relates to your students. Additionally, personal Bible study can provide inspiration for which passages you will focus on as a group.
Conduct research regarding your chosen passage. You may use devotional guides, the Internet or scholarly works. Try to consult a variety of media that provides multiple interpretations of the verses. Take notes on what you find out. Pay close attention to areas where the interpretations overlap and areas where they disagree. Compose a summary of the selected passage in your own words and, using your research as a guide, write your interpretation of the passage.
Read the passage aloud in your class of adults and have the adults break into pairs to discuss the passage. After they've spent about 10 minutes talking, then have each pair share their thoughts with the class. Share highlights of your research and ask the class for their feedback. Have them identify points from the research that corresponds with what the pairs discussed.
Distribute journals to your students. Students should then record the name of the book in which the passage appears and the verse numbers that correspond with the passage. Instruct the students to write an original sentence that summarizes the passage. Students should also use the journal to record what they think is the central message of each passage. When each students has identified the message, he or she writes one sentence about how to personally apply the message to their daily lives.
Share personal stories about triumphs and challenges that students encounter when attempting to apply the messages recorded in their journals. At the conclusion of a year of study, have student groups complete creative projects like dramatizations related to the passages that impacted them the most.