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Approaches/Techniques

Pre-Order My New Book! Beyond the Catechist’s Toolbox

You can pre-order my new book, available in February, 2013! Beyond the Catechist’s Toolbox: Catechesis That Not Only Informs but Also Transforms ISBN 978-0-8294-3829-1 5 x 7 Paperback 64 Pages $7.95     Joe Paprocki, best-selling author of The Catechist’s Toolbox series, has written the first, step-by-step book that demonstrates how to teach a 75-minute catechetical session with practical techniques that expand upon the textbook to create a more prayerful climate in the classroom. Beyond […]

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Intermediate Grades

Advent Reconciliation

Last evening, I took my 6th graders to church for an Advent Reconciliation service which turned out nicely. Here are some observations: Our DRE, Arlene, has been out tending to her husband who has had some serious health issues (but appears to be on the mend, thank you, Jesus) so we gathered in church with a bit of uncertainty as to how to proceed. Quite understandable, given the circumstances, and quite manageable. The kids’ biggest […]

teaching sixth grade
Intermediate Grades

Preparing to Learn About Solomon’s Temple

Tonight, we will be taking our sixth graders to the church for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We begin with a prayer service that includes Scripture and an examination of conscience and then the children are invited to private confession (face to face) with one of the priests (usually four or five are on hand). When all are done, we have a closing prayer and song. I don’t anticipate having any more than 10 or 15 […]

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Intermediate Grades

David: Shepherd and King – A Summary of Monday’s Session

We had a very nice session last evening on the topic of David, shepherd and king. I hadn’t seen “my kids” for 3 weeks due to traveling and a holiday so it was great to see them again. I had 3 absences so the room seemed a little emptier and, for the most part, the kids were very cooperative and in good spirits. Here’s a summary of some of the high and low points: The […]

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Intermediate Grades

David: Shepherd and King – Lesson Plan

Here is my lesson plan for this evening’s session focusing on David…ambitious as usual! Session 10: David – Shepherd and King BIG IDEA David: shepherd and king, points the way to Jesus: the Good Shepherd and Christ the King PRELIMINARIES (15 mins) Students fill out prayer intention slips upon arrival Opening procession to set up prayer table Opening prayer ritual ENGAGE (20 mins) Give Ten Commandments Quiz and review (answer key). Invite volunteer to come […]

teaching sixth grade
Intermediate Grades

October 29 Session Summary – Part IV: Rosary

Here’s the final installment of a summary of this past Monday’s session on Abraham and God’s plan for salvation. After completing the Bible activity on Abraham, we still had time to pray a decade of the Rosary in order to mark October as the Month of the Holy Rosary and most of the kids had brought one in as requested…I had extras for the few that didn’t. We dedicated our prayer to the people in […]

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Intermediate Grades

October 29 Session Summary – Part III: Getting Down to Business

Here’s the third installment of a summary of this past Monday’s session on Abraham and God’s plan for salvation. About a half-hour into the session, after prayer and reviewing the previous session (and a ton of Q & A!), I then arranged the kids in pairs and assigned them a passage about Abraham that they were to read in their Bibles and report on (using this worksheet). As I suspected, they were loathe to move […]

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Approaches/Techniques

October 29th Session Summary – Part 1: Questions, Questions, Questions!

Since I have lots to share about my session last evening, I decided to break it up into smaller, bite-size pieces for you this week. Here’s the first installment.  Last evening’s session was characterized by questions, questions, questions! It seems that you can’t talk about creation, Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, and Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac without a million questions! That’s good, of course, however, as I’ve mentioned before on this blog, catechists have […]

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Intermediate Grades

Abraham: Get With the Plan!

Here is my lesson for this coming Monday, October 29, 2012. The session focuses on Abraham! BIG IDEA: God is setting things right and we need to “get with the plan.” Abraham shows us how. Preliminaries (15 mins) welcome and introductions kids write their prayer intentions opening procession to set up prayer center opening prayer Engage (10 mins) Bring in a “home plate” (from baseball…I have a rubber one) to show the young people and […]

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Intermediate Grades

They Left Singing!

What a delightful evening last night with my 6th graders! I had an ambitious plan and I am happy to report that it came off without a hitch. When it was all over, some of them even left singing How Great Thou Art! More about that in a second. Here’s the summary: Since I was relying on a number of video segments, I needed to get there early to set up my laptop and projector. That’s […]