Tonight, we begin our unit on Church History. We kick off this unit by bringing all five eighth grade classes together for a PowerPoint presentation on Church history to give them a sweeping overview of major events in Church history over the past 2,000 years. Each of the five catechists “narrates” a period of Church history and the kids take notes on a fill-in-the-blank note-taking sheet we provide. It’s an engaging way to introduce a topic that they may otherwise not find very interesting.
Junior High
A Mixed Bag
So last evening’s class was kind of a mixed bag. The main focus was on the “Ten Commandments Two-Minute Drills” that I wrote about yesterday. Here’s the scoop: All ten students were present and in good spirits. During opening prayer, one of the boys prayed for Brian Campbell, Blackhawks’ defenseman, who suffered a broken collar bone and cracked ribs as a result of a vicious hit by Alex Ovechkin on Sunday. I thought that was […]
Creative Moments
Not Bad!
Our experience of playing a Jeopardy-like review was not bad at all last night. Of course, games can rile kids up so we were walking a fine line between having fun and laying down the law last night. However, overall, I’d have to say that fifty 8th graders in one room behaved pretty well! The nice thing was that they did a pretty good job of answering the questions. All of us were pleased that […]
Joys and Frustrations
Their Little Wheels Were Turning
Last night’s class was very gratifying. We are looking at morality and focusing on the Ten Commandments. Last night we focused on the first 3 Commandments that call us to love of God. As the evening went on, it was interesting to see their “little wheels” begin turning as they grappled with some moral dilemmas. Here’s a summary: I began with a “song of the week” – this time playing a song by Shakira called RULES. […]
That is very substantial, it’ll require real thinking from the kids….did you make that P’point? Also, for this amount of material, how many (90 min.?) classes will you need?
And do I understand your parish has five 8th grade classes and five 8th grade catechists? If so, your parish is truly blessed to have such participation….I’m gettin’ dizzy….take me now, Lord.
Christian, you are so funny! I did indeed make the Powerpoint and we whisked through it in one session last evening. That’s a lot to take in in one setting but over the next few classes, we can unpack things more slowly. This presentation gives the kids a feel for the whole story and some sense of chronology. The note-taking sheet keeps them focused and on-task.
Yes, the parish I serve at has five 8th grade classes, each with its own catechist. Hats off to my DRE, Arlene, who does such a wonderful job of recruiting and retaining catechists.
Joe, what’s your parish? I want to visit the website.
Most Holy Redeemer, Evergreen Park, IL
Joe,
I am a huge fan of your website and have already incorporated many of your ideas in my lesson plans. I teach 8th Grade Confirmation class at St. Basil, Carrick, PA. Over the summer I plan to embellish my lesson plans a bit further in preparation for the next class in September 2011 and would like to incorporate the Church History. Can you please send me the actual powerpoint file for church history parts 1 and 2? I’d be most grateful. Thank you, Mary Beth Gugliuzza
Shall do, Mary Beth!
Dear Joe,
I would love to have a copy of the actual power point, too!
Thank you
I’ll send it to you.
Can I get a copy of the powerpoint?
Thanks!
Sure Laura, send me an email at joe@catechistsjourney.com and I’ll return it with the PPT attached.