Middle School Margin

Growing up comes with a lot of questions. Whether it's friends, feelings, faith, or everyday life, there's something here for you to explore. This is a Bible study prompt library, not a course. You don't have to finish everything or go in order.

  • Pick a topic that interests you or fits what you're going through.

  • Choose a prompt. Each topic has different options. Pick any one!

  • Open your Bible and follow the directions.

Big Questions. Real Life. God's Word.

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Middle School Margin Tips

You don't have to already know how to study the Bible—that's what The Margin is here to help you learn!

If you get confused, distracted, don't know what to write, or aren't sure what you're supposed to be looking for, don't quit. Find the question below that sounds like what you're dealing with and open it for a few tips.

The goal isn't to get everything right. The goal is to slow down, get curious, and discover what God's Word is saying.

One More Thing...

There is no prize for having the prettiest Bible, the most highlights, or the longest notes.

Read it. Question it. Explore it. Talk about it. Come back to it.

That's what making room in The Margin is all about.

  • First: don't skip it just because it's confusing! Sometimes the Bible talks about people, places, words, and customs you've never heard of before.

    Walk through it:

    1. Read the passage again, but slower.

    2. Find the exact part you don't understand.

    3. Read a few verses before and after it.

    4. Ask: Who is talking? Who are they talking to? What's happening?

    5. Look up any word, person, or place you don't recognize.

    6. Try reading the passage in another Bible translation.

    7. Still confused? Ask a parent, trusted adult, pastor, or Bible teacher to help you investigate.

    Margin Tip: Instead of saying, “I don't understand any of this,” find the first place you got confused. Start there!

  • You don't have to read an entire chapter every time you study.

    Some days you might study a whole story. Other days, you might spend your time on just a few verses.

    Try this:

    1. Start with the Scripture listed in your Margin prompt.

    2. Read it once all the way through.

    3. Read it a second time more slowly.

    4. If it feels like you're missing part of the story, read a few verses before and after it.

    5. Stop and spend some time thinking about what you read.

    Margin Tip: Reading five verses and understanding them can be better than rushing through five chapters you don't remember.

  • Turn yourself into a Scripture detective.

    Instead of only reading the words, look for clues.

    See if you can spot:

    • A word that keeps showing up

    • Something God says or does

    • A choice someone makes

    • A command

    • A promise

    • A question

    • Something surprising

    • A problem and what happens next

    • Something you don't understand

    Choose one thing you noticed and ask:

    “Why do I think this matters?”

    Margin Tip: You don't have to find everything. Finding one thing you didn't notice before is a great start.

  • Before asking what a passage means for your life, make sure you understand the story.

    Try answering these five questions:

    WHO?
    Who is in this passage?

    WHAT?
    What is happening?

    WHEN?
    Do you know when this is happening or what happened right before it?

    WHERE?
    Where are they?

    WHY?
    Why are they doing or saying these things?

    Can't answer one? That's your clue about what to investigate next.

    Margin Tip: Try explaining the story in your own words like you're telling it to a friend who has never read it.

  • YES!

    Questions are one of the ways you learn.

    Try asking things like:

    • Why did God do that?

    • Why did this person make that choice?

    • What happened because of their decision?

    • Why did Jesus say that?

    • What does this word mean?

    • Why is this important?

    • What would I have done?

    • What does this teach me about God?

    Pick one question that interests you most and see what you can discover.

    Margin Tip: You don't have to find the answer immediately. Some really good questions take time.

  • Yes—but don't let Google do all your thinking for you.

    Try this order:

    READ → THINK → ASK → LOOK IT UP → CHECK

    First, read the Bible passage yourself.

    Then ask, “What do I think is happening?”

    After you've thought about it, you can use things like:

    • Another Bible translation

    • A study Bible

    • Bible dictionary

    • Bible maps

    • BibleProject

    • A trusted Bible website

    • A parent, pastor, small-group leader, or trusted Christian adult

    Then go back to your Bible and see if what you learned helps the passage make more sense.

    Margin Tip: Bible tools are supposed to help you understand Scripture—not replace reading it.

  • It happens! You don't have to start the entire study over.

    Try this:

    1. Pick a short amount of time—maybe 10 minutes.

    2. Move anything distracting away if you can.

    3. Read the passage out loud.

    4. Use your finger, a pencil, or a highlighter to follow the words.

    5. Stop after each few verses and say what happened.

    6. If your brain wanders, find the last part you remember and start there again.

    You can also listen to an audio Bible while following the words on the page.

    Margin Tip: Getting distracted isn't the end of your Bible study. When you notice it, just come back.

  • You don't have to write something super deep.

    Start with one sentence.

    Try finishing one of these:

    “I noticed…”

    “I didn't know…”

    “I wonder why…”

    “This reminds me of…”

    “I think this means…”

    “This shows me that God…”

    “I want to know more about…”

    Then go back to the passage and find the verse that made you think that.

    Margin Tip: Your notes don't have to sound like a pastor wrote them. Use your own words.

  • That's okay. Every Bible study won't make you emotional, excited, or amazed.

    Instead of trying to feel something, try to find something.

    Ask:

    What happened?

    What did I notice?

    What did I learn about God?

    What did I learn about people?

    Is there anything I want to know more about?

    You can learn something even on days when the passage doesn't feel exciting.

    Margin Tip: Don't make up a big lesson just because you think you're supposed to have one. Be honest about what you found.

  • Before you close your Bible, try the 3-2-1 Margin Check.

    Tell yourself:

    3 — Three things that happened
    What happened in the passage?

    2 — Two things you noticed
    What stood out, surprised you, or made you curious?

    1 — One thing you're leaving with
    Maybe it's something you learned about God, a question you still have, something you want to remember, or something you want to do differently.

    Can't think of all six things? That's okay. Go back and look again.

    You aren't taking a test—you can use your Bible!

    Margin Tip: You don't have to understand everything before you're finished. If you know a little more than you knew when you started, you made progress.