Last evening’s class was a lot of fun and very productive. I told the kids that they were going to take a “final exam” and, of course, they all freaked out. I then proceeded to calm their fears and tell them that we were going to review first and that the test was just a way to see what “stuck” and what we might need to cover on our last class. I then did the […]
Tonight, I’ll be giving my 4th graders their “end of the year” assessment, as I mentioned last week. Before I do so, I’ll spend some time reviewing some of the major categories of learning from this year: the 7 Sacraments, Parts of the Mass, and the Ten Commandments. I plan to do so using lots of half sheets of paper, markers, masking tape, and the chalk boards. For the Seven Sacraments, I’ll tape 7 blank […]
As we head into this weekend and prepare to celebrate the 5th Sunday of Lent, I wanted to share a message of hope with you. It comes from a blog called Chronic Hope and I found it very inspiring. I’ll let the author of the blog speak for herself. Check it out and have a great weekend! Chronic Hope
It’s hard to believe that I only have 2 more classes left (plus a closing session with a prayer service) this year! With that in mind, it’s time for a review and a final formal assessment. With my DRE’s approval, I’ve put together the following assessment which covers the major ideas that we focused on this year, especially the 7 Sacraments and the 10 Commandments. 4th Grade Assessment 4th Grade Assessment answer key Before giving […]
This past Monday, the 4th graders put on the Living Stations of the Cross and they did a wonderful job. I was very impressed with how prayerful and mature they were…the whole experience was done with great reverence. Here’s a pic and then an invitation from a catechist named Ron to view their Living Stations in a picture gallery, station-by-station. Thanks Ron! All, Click the link below, if you’d like to see Station-by-Station scenes of […]
The other day, I posted about the role of art in catechesis. I’ve received a few passionate responses (and I mean that with the most respect) that I want to share with you (I added some links). Thanks for the great conversation! Greetings Joe! I disagree that “Catholic Art” has been pushed by the wayside…you just have to look for it and more importantly, when working with children, create an environment that supports their artistic efforts. […]
As a baseball fan, I had to share the following with you. Thanks to Lee Nagel (NCCL Executive Director) for sharing this in his weekly update: A Match Made in Heaven – Catholicism and Baseball according to John Allen On April 1st, John Allen, the capstone speaker at our conference in Houston in 2008, had a particularly long column but he ended it by noting that “Yesterday marked the opening of the 2011 campaign, so in […]
In my new book, Practice Makes Catholic: Moving from a Learned Faith to a Lived Faith (Loyola Press), I talk about keeping time the Catholic way. In other words, by paying attention to the liturgical calendar, we remind ourselves that time itself is sacramental, revealing the presence of God in each moment. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase that a person “is living on borrowed time.” We use this peculiar phrase when referring to someone […]
One of the activities in my 40 Ideas for 40 Days of Lent, 2011, is an exercise on the Seven Last Words of Christ. Since I am once again only going to have about half of my students present this Monday (because of Living Stations rehearsals), I thought it would be nice to have them work on a Lenten activity related to the suffering and death of Jesus that is portrayed in the Living Stations. […]
Interesting post on Deacon Greg Kendra’s blog today about the dearth of Catholic influence in the arts today: Catholic Artists are Virtually Invisible. I would disagree with Dana Gioia’s conclusion, however, that American culture is to blame. While there may be some truth to that, I believe we have no one to blame but ourselves. I don’t think we encourage artistic expression in catechesis as much as we should. As a child, I remember drawing, […]
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