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Intermediate Grades

4th Graders on the Red Carpet

Last night was the successful premiere of the Ten Commandments DVD that my 4th graders filmed over the past few weeks! It opened to an audience of about 8-9 parents who visited my classroom as part of the Open House. The parents enjoyed watching their little stars on the big screen and the kids were tickled to see themselves. All in all, it was very successful. I made a copy of the DVD for each […]

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Roman Missal Changes

FREE Webinar: Roman Missal Changes

Facilitator: Joe Paprocki, DMin Brought to you by Loyola Press, A Jesuit Ministry Wednesday, February 9, 2011 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. (CST) [Find out what time this is for you.] Beginning with Advent 2011, we will celebrate the Mass following the English translation of the 3rd Edition of the Roman Missal. While the changes for the Mass may be exciting for some people, they may be confusing for others. Participate in this free Webinar to […]

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Technology in Catechesis

Using SKYPE in Catechesis

My friend Victor Valdez, a DRE in Mountain View, CA, sent me this link about an 8th grade language arts teacher in Iowa who invited his students to select a name from the CNN Heroes finalists so that he could arrange for them to speak with him or her using SKYPE. Eighth Graders Learn Big Lessons from CNN Heroes Assignment Victor astutely suggests that this would be a great idea for a religious education class in […]

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Miscellaneous

Nice Thoughts About Honoring Parents

I came across some nice thoughts about parents of children in religious education from Lisa Mladinich. She relates how many catechists lament the fact the some parents take little interest in their children’s faith formation. She then goes on to offer some positive advice for honoring them instead of critizing them and provides some practical ideas for catchists to reach out to parents. Good article. Honor Their Fathers and Their Mothers I do have a […]

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Intermediate Grades

Scripts for Ten Commandments Video Presentations

As I mentioned yesterday, I plan to videotape my students doing brief presentations/demonstrations on the Ten Commandments and then showing the video to the parents who attend the Open House later this month. Here are the scripts that I’ve prepared: Ten Commandments Video Scripts These scripts are adaptations of the Ten Commandments Two-Minute Drills that I did with my Confirmation class last year. Some of the adaptations were to make the activities more appropriate for 4th […]

teaching fourth grade
Intermediate Grades

Lights! Camera! Action!

I’ve decided that I’m going to produce a video starring my fourth-grade class. Later this month, we have an open house for parents to attend part of their children’s class. I thought it would be a nice idea to film the students over the next couple of weeks as they do mini-demonstrations on the Ten Commandments and then show the video to the parents who attend the open house. Last year, I put together Two-Minute Drills for […]

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Liturgical Seasons & Feasts

Leading Others to Epiphany

Yesterday, we celebrated the wonderful Feast of the Epiphany, when Jesus is revealed to all the nations as the Son of God. This Feast contains so many messages and images that are apropos for catechists. Here are a few thoughts: The Magi do not travel alone… The Magi observe signs… The Magi seek direction… The Magi offer gifts… For the complete, updated post, see Leading Others to Epiphany.

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Roman Missal Changes

New Roman Missal Translation – What You Need to Know #3 and 4

As you probably already know, I am co-authoring (with D. Todd Williamson, Director of the Office for Divine Worship, Archdiocese of Chicago) a series of ten articles for Loyola Press on the new Roman Missal. These articles will provide you with what you need to know to better understand the changes when we implement the 3rd Edition of the Roman Missal next year. I ll point you to these articles weekly over the next 2 […]

Fresco of The Vision of Angel to St. Joseph in church Chiesa di Santa Croce by Giovanni Maria Conti della Camera - sedmak/iStock/Getty Images
Advent

Joseph Shows the Way in the Last Days of Advent

Sometimes, our head is telling us one thing, but our heart and our gut are telling us something else. Matthew 1:18–25 tells us that St. Joseph was experiencing this inner turmoil. His betrothed, Mary, is pregnant—and he’s not the father. According to Jewish law, she should be stoned. Joseph decides instead to divorce Mary quietly; that would be the righteous thing to do. And yet, something within him continues to question this, interrupting his sleep. […]

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Intermediate Grades

“Please, Mr. Paprocki! Pleeeaase!!!”

I had planned to be a “Grinch” last evening and skip taking my class to the Christmas pageant that the first-graders were putting on. I figured that my kids wouldn’t know about the pageant since I hadn’t said anything about it and I would have one more full session before Christmas break to complete the seven Sacraments. I forgot that many of my students have younger siblings! The first girl that came in asked, “Are we […]