Being a Catechist Archives - Page 52 of 142

middle-school or junior high girls in classroom

A Catechetical Year in One Sentence

How would you summarize your catechetical year in one sentence? As I reviewed my year, I found myself reviewing my previous contributions to Catechist’s Journey and ran across that question. I came up with several sentences that described this year with seventh grade. It was better than last year. Last year was one of my most challenging years as a catechist, but this year rejuvenated me by being easier. The room layout worked better, with […]

My Top Ten Favorite Lessons: #1

Joe Paprocki

I thought it would be fun to go back over the archives of my blog here at Catechist’s Journey and select my “Top Ten Favorite Lessons” from all of the lessons I have taught over the years! In case you were not aware of this, all of my lesson plans (including follow-up summaries) are archived here on the blog. Go to the tab titled “Being a Catechist” just under the Catechist’s Journey header banner. When you hover […]

Reading Ahead and Preparing for the Year to Come

Shannon Chisholm

Each summer I like to dedicate my office time towards a specific project. Last summer I opted to cozy up with the catechist’s books and become really familiar with the curriculum. Though I have taught much of the material in previous years, I wanted to have a more intimate understanding of our textbooks and the subjects that my students would cover. At my parish the DRE traditionally dictates which chapters should be taught each week. […]

Reviewing the Year with Creativity, Collaboration, and Communication

Barb Gilman

At the end of the year I like to have my students reflect on all the activities and all that we have learned during our time together. Usually, I just set aside some time to write our reflections down on our whiteboard. This year, I found a new idea for my class that encourages my students’ creativity, collaboration, and communication. This activity is called a Paper Slide Video. This activity begins with students recalling all […]

Authenticity of Life for Catechists: What You See Is What You Get

Joyce Donahue

Back in the 1990s, competing software companies touted some products as “WYSIWYG” (“wiz-ee-wig,” i.e., “What You See Is What You Get.”) That meant that what you saw on the screen was exactly what you would get when the document was printed. What does that have to do with catechesis? Much, actually. A catechist should be WYSIWYG at all times: he or she should not profess and teach one thing while living another. The Guide for […]

Sacraments of Initiation Learning Stations Used with Seventh Graders

Denise Gorss

In the next-to-last session for the year, I used the Sacraments of Initiation learning stations with my group of seventh graders. As the download page for the learning stations explains, the activity gets young people “out of their seats and moving around doing simple tasks to learn about the symbols and signs used in each Sacrament of Initiation.” Overall it was a successful lesson. I was surprised by how quiet the young people were as […]

It’s That Time of the Year Again: Time to Evaluate!

Joe Paprocki

As we reflect on and evaluate this past catechetical year, I thought it would be helpful to once again make available a Self-Evaluation tool that I put together a couple of years ago, based on seven “tools” drawn from my book, The Catechist’s Toolbox. I encourage you to share this evaluation with another catechist, a group of catechists, or with your catechetical leader. It’s always good for us to reflect on our experience to see […]

Breakout for religion class - student working on lock

Breakout Puzzles for the Religion Classroom

Barb Gilman

It’s getting to the end of the school year and the weather is beautiful. The students are restless, but I still have lessons to cover and I need to find a way to keep my students engaged. I decided that it was time to mix things up a bit and try something different: Breakout! Breakout is a game in which students have to solve puzzles and use the solutions to those puzzles to unlock a box […]

catechist with young girl at table - LWA/Dann Tardif/Blend Images/Digital Vision/Getty Images

Love Never Fails

Lisa Brown

In the hubbub of teaching faith formation classes, living and working, trying to do the right thing, and discerning God’s will, there is the simple reality that pervades all things: “Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8). This Scripture verse haunts me as a catechist. There are two reasons why our students will remember our lessons and see our Church as their home: the love that they feel when they come to class and the gift […]

The Greatest Commandment in Action

Lisa Jones

The Greatest Commandment sounds straightforward: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:34‒40). This sounds simple and easy for kids to understand, right? Yes and no. When I read the Greatest Commandment to my class, they all nodded and said yes, […]