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Engaging Faith

Practical Lesson Ideas and Activities for Catholic Educators
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Early Ideas for Summer Reading

As the spring semester winds down, it’s never too early to plan ahead for your own summer reading. We’ll leave the choices for the latest novels and current bios to you and instead suggest some ideas for reading in the areas of education, religious education, and spirituality. Education Books Mark Phillips (teacher and educational journalist) recommend several choices in his Edutopia blog. The Dimensions of Engaged Teaching: A Practical Guide for Educators by Laura Weaver and Mark Wilding. This book invites teachers to consider their students’ emotional growth as well as their academic progress. The authors focus on five dimensions: Cultivating an open heart Engaging the self-observer Being present Establishing respectful boundaries Developing emotional capacity The Age of the Image: Redefining Literacy in a World of Screens by Stephen Apkon Leaving to Learn by Elliot Washor and Charles Mojkowski. An objective of this book is to connect education in school to the real world applications. Essential Questions: Opening Doors to Student Understanding by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins. This book builds on the authors’ “Understanding by Design” process and explores how to design and frame questions that promote deep thinking Religious Education 31 Days to Becoming a Better Religious Educator by Jared Dees. This book of daily reflections and ideas to improve your teaching is applicable to both Catholic school teachers and parish catechists. Spiritual Growth Ave Maria Press has recently released several titles that you might find spiritually refreshing. Peruse the links below for more information on the following: Walking the Disciple's Path: Eight Steps That Will Change Your Life and the World by Linda Perrone Rooney. The First Spiritual Exercises: Four Guided Retreats by Michael Hansen, SJ Eyes of the Heart: Photography as Christian Contemplative Practice by Christine Valters Paintner Real Men Pray the Rosary: A Practical Guide to a Powerful Prayer by David N. Calvillo Blessed, Beautiful, and Bodacious: Celebrating the Gift of Catholic Womanhood by Pat Gohn Imitating Mary: Ten Marian Virtues for the Modern Mom by Marge Fenelon Enjoy your reading!

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A Simple Approach to Teaching Religion

What is the single most important thing for my students to learn? We often overlook this important question. Our textbooks have so much information. The curriculum is very demanding. The days, weeks, and months we have to do actual instruction in class seem to be getting shorter and shorter as time goes on often interrupted by assemblies, sports, and other school events. There is just too much to teach and not enough time. Then exam time comes and we find our students can barely remember a thing we taught them months ago. How is this possible? They studied it. We reviewed and reinforced it again and again. How could they possibly forget? Let's cut our students some slack. They have a lot to remember and learn well beyond our subject areas. It is a lot to take in for anyone. So what can we do as religion teachers to plant in their minds and hearts an enduring memory of the concepts we are teaching? Keep it simple, stupid! That's right: simplify. It is extremely hard to do for many of us, but it is the best way to create a long-lasting memorable experience of you as a teacher and of your subject. How to Simplify What You Teach Try answering these two statements: If they learn nothing else, they must learn . . . The single most important thing for students to learn is . . . Ask yourself these questions at the beginning of the school year, at the end of the school year, while you are planning each chapter/unit plan, and each lesson plan. You can easily transform these simplified statements into your lesson objectives or unit goals. Or, if you use the Understanding by Design system, turn these statements into your enduring understandings (big ideas) and essential questions. Simple Quotes to Help Keep Things Simple "Plurality is never to be posited without necessity." —William of Occam (Occam's Razor) "It is futile to do with more things that which can be done with fewer." —William of Occam "It is superfluous to suppose that what can be accounted for by a few principles has been produced by many" —St. Thomas Aquinas "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." —Attributed to Albert Einstein "Nature operates in the shortest way possible." —Aristotle "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" —Leonardo Da Vinci "Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. —Jesus to his Apostles (Mt 10:16) This simple post is an adaptation of "Day 23: Simplify Your Lesson" from 31 Days to Becoming a Better Religious Educator by Jared Dees. Get your copy here at Ave Maria Press.

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Trinity Sunday

The Sign of the Cross is a sacramental, that is, a sacred prayer, object, or blessing. It has been a universal sign of Christianity since the very early times of the Church. In the third century, Church Father, Tertullian, wrote: "At every step and movement, whenever we come in or go out, in dressing or in putting on our shoes, at the bath, at table, at the lighting of the lamps, in going to rest, in sitting down, whatever employment occupies us, we mark our foreheads with the Sign of the Cross." This coming Sunday May 26 is Trinity Sunday. Refer your students to Tertullian's words about the Sign of the Cross as a reminder of the central mystery of faith, the Holy Trinity. Use the following discussion questions as a a warm up discussion or journal entry for any lesson this week: Questions If you were asked to explain the Trinity—one God in Three Persons—to a young child, how would you do it? The Holy Trinity is a "community of love." What is a human example from your own life that helps you with this understanding of the Trinity? What are concrete ways the Word of God is in your mind? on your lips? in your heart?

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What Is in a Name?

Every year, the U.S. Social Security Administration compiles a list of names that new parents gave their children that year, coming up with a top 10 and a top 20, and so on. The SSA just this week released the list of most popular names for 2012. What is in a name? We all know that first names are meaningful and that parents choose them carefully. It is interesting to note how many parents choose biblical names or saints’ names whether they choose them for that reason or not. Interestingly, more parents give their sons biblical or saints’ names than they give their daughters. Looking at the top twenty names for 2012, sixty percent of the boys’ names are also in the Bible: Jacob (1, most popular), Noah (4), Michael (8), Daniel (11), Matthew (12), Elijah (13), James (14), Benjamin (16), Joshua (17), Andrew (18), David (19), and Joseph (20). On the girls’ side, however, only two names are clearly biblical: Abigail (7) and Elizabeth (10). A little bit of research yields that Mia (8) is a nickname for Maria or Mary. Natalie (17) comes from the Italian word for Christ’s birth. Sophia (1) is the Greek word for Wisdom. In the year that some of the current ninth grade students were born (1997), there were several biblical names in the top 10 of American boys’ names: Michael, Jacob, Matthew, Joshua, and Andrew. Fifty percent of the top 20 boys’ names in that year were biblical. For girls, however, things were a bit different. Only four names from the top 20 for girls in 1997—Sarah, Hannah, Elizabeth, Rachel,—are biblical. Here are a few activities you can do with your students around this information. * Give the list of names from a given year to the students and ask them to identify the biblical names. (You could also try doing this for saints’ names.) If you give lists from different decades, students can compare the use through recent history. Verify whether your students’ names match the popularity assigned to them for the whole country. Why might the class reflect those trends and why might they be different? How many students know why they have their names? Were any of the students named specifically for biblical characters or saints? Why do students think that boys are more likely to have biblical names? Can students explain why “Jacob” has been in the top 20 names for boys for two decades? Would your students name their own children after biblical figures or saints? Why or why not? If your students have been confirmed, ask them how they chose their Confirmation name. If Confirmation is in the future, what kind of thought would they give to the name? Do biblical and saints’ names play a role in evangelization? The SSA also categorizes babies’ names by region. It might be interesting to see how your own region compares to another area of the country. If you are interested in a complete list of over 10,000 biblical and saint names, check out a new release from Ave Maria Press, The Catholic Baby Name Book by Patrice Fagnant MacArthur.

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Confirmation Discussion

As Pentecost nears, May is also a primary month for the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation. Begin by sharing Pope Francis' homily suggestions to confirmandi to "swim against the tide" of culture in their practice of the faith. Then use the following questions to facilitate a discussion about Confirmation, either in a high school classroom, a Confirmation preparation meeting, or between sponsors and candidates. Questions for Discussion Share an occurrence from the past twenty-four hours in which you recognize the Holy Spirit's presence. Recall your own Confirmation (or tell about your anticipation for Confirmation). What are the effects of Confirmation? How do the effects of Confirmation take root in a person's life? What are the gifts of the Holy Spirit? Which gift of the Spirit would you most like to possess? How do you imagine participating in the Church in ten years? in twenty years? What type of Christian vocation can you see yourself in? What are some things you can do now to prepare for your vocation? How do you imagine Heaven?

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Baseball Is a Metaphor for Catholic Education!

“Baseball is a metaphor for life.” You may have heard our longtime National Pastime described as such. But have you ever thought of baseball as a metaphor for life in a Catholic education? In the spirit of a famous George Carlin bit and with a new season upon us, consider: In Baseball In Catholic Education A commissioner is responsible for approving the rules and requirements that govern the sport and how the game is played. A bishop , as primary teacher, is responsible for approving the curriculum and course of study for his diocese. A team owner manages finances, oversees expenses, hires an administrative staff, and approves player rosters. A school president manages finances, oversees expenses, hires administrative staff, and directs student admission policies. A general manager is responsible for player roster decisions (including discipline), hiring a field manager, and contract negotiations. A principal is responsible for students in the school (including discipline), hiring teachers, and contract negotiations. A manager instructs players on how to play the game, inspires them to do well, sticks up for them in every situation, shares their succesess and is affected by their failures. A teacher instructs students in the lessons of their study, inspires them to do well, sticks up for them in every situation, shares their successes and is affected by their failures. Support staff like coaches, team doctors, grounds crew, concession workers do much of the unheralded but vital work to make for a successful team. Support staff like teacher’s assistants, nurses, cafeteria staff, custodians do much of the unheralded but vital work to make sure a successful school. Players are the focus of a team; without them the team and the sport of baseball would not exist. Students are the focus of the school; without them the school and Catholic education would not exist. Fans have an equally important role as players; not only do they encourage the players with their cheers . . . they pay the bills! Parents have an equally important role as students; not only do they encourage their sons and daughters with their love . . . they pay the bills! Spend a day around the ballpark, you know God is there! Spend a day around a Catholic school, you know God is there!   A Prayer for Athletes Thanks, Lord, for giving me life; and talents for my participation in sports Help me to play well, to use my powers to the full, to see them as gifts from you. Be with me when I need to play hurt, when I have to deal with the pain of injury, disappointment, loss. Keep me aware of the bonds I have with all people as brothers and sisters in Christ even when they are opponents; free me from the temptation to fake, to foul, to cheat. I need to see that dedication to the cause will mean suffering, but let me know that it is a kind of suffering that leads to new life and greater maturity. Help me play with heart, and never lose heart. Most of all, help me never to quit in my efforts to be open to you. For I believe your full coming into my life is the way to real life, in all I do; I believe it is the way of my becoming the truly human person you destined me to be. Amen. For more connections on sports and faith check out Holy Goals for Body and Soul: 8 Steps to Connect Sports with God and Faith by Bishop Thomas John Paprocki.

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How to Get Your Students to Actually Read Their Textbook

How do you motivate your students to read their textbooks at night? How can you be sure that students have actually read and understood it? One answer we have provided for teachers is the directed reading guides that go along with each chapter of our Ave Maria Press textbooks. Students hate them, but teachers love them. To complete the directed reading guides, students have to actually do the reading. They have to look closely at the text and search for specific answers and words to complete sentences. The fill-in-the-blank statements and questions guide student reading and force them to do their reading assignment and answer questions while they read. Hence, teachers love them. Here are some examples of our directed reading guides: Jesus Christ: God's Revelation to the World Directed Reading Guides Jesus Christ: His Mission and Ministry Directed Reading Guides Jesus Christ: Source of Our Salvation Directed Reading Guides Encountering Jesus in the New Testament Directed Reading Guides Your Life in Christ Directed Reading Guides Using Directed Reading Guides to Get Students to Do Their Reading So how can you utilize these reading guides in your classroom? Shorten by Section or Reading Assignment Cut and paste only the sections you need. They are divided by page number and section. These assignments can take awhile to complete so don't assign them all at once. Many of the questions are very specific require thorough reading. Customize with Your Own Questions Add your own questions. Make sure you add your own questions when necessary. If you want students to get a specific concept from the reading, make sure you write your own question or fill-in-the-blank statements for them to complete. Just make sure the questions are added in at the right part of the reading. The reading guides are ordered to follow along with the text so new questions that are added should be included in the correct order of the text. Save Paper! Have students submit their work via Dropbox, Evernote, or Turnitin.com. There are so many great tools out there to allow students to submit their homework digitally and save paper. Students can access all of the directed reading guides for free here at the Ave Maria Press website. Just send them to the classroom resources page for the book you are using. Have Students Create their Own Reading Guides After they get used to the format, have the students create their own reading guides. Instruct them to use a format similar to the ones they have been using as homework or in-class reading. Go over the various types of fill-in statements and questions as a class then turn the students loose. Make sure you give them a minimum number of questions to include in their assignment. When the students bring their assignment in the next day, have them work with a partner to complete each other's reading guides. Create Quizzes Create short quizzes based on the reading guides for bell work and a quick formative assessment. As soon as students walk in the door, have them complete the quiz. Depending on the challenge of the quiz, you may allow them to use the reading guides for help. If it is a short, multiple choice assignment, collect their reading guides while they work on the quizzes. You could use Socrative or other online quiz-makers for this kind of assessment. Grading for Effort Check for completion, but have students correct each other's work. Grading every one of these assignments will absolutely decimate your time as a teacher. Check for completion keeping an eye on the written sections that may reveal some plagiarism among students. These assignments can be quick, small portions of their grade as homework assignments. If you keep them to grade and correct them for too long, you will be depriving the students of their notes to study for later assessments! Instead of Reading Guides, Use Other Note-taking Strategies The directed reading guides are just one way to have students take notes on what they read. Mix up your reading assignments with other note-taking strategies like the Cornell Note-Taking System, a Fishbone Diagram, a Venn diagram, a KWL Chart, a Mind map, or an outline.

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Prayer After the Boston Marathon 2013

Dear Jesus, It could have been any of us, resting after a race or cheering someone else in. Terrorism―targeting innocent civilians to instill widespread panic―worked for a while, because there was fear and chaos. Perhaps it was only one person who planted those bombs, but there were thousands who helped afterwards, risking injury and exhaustion, to help the wounded and to find out who was responsible and why. Thousands of people acted like you would have, Jesus. Millions prayed on behalf of those injured and their families. Thank you for being close to those in Boston who are suffering pain and loss. Discourage people from becoming fearful and suspicious of each other. Bring conversion to the heart of the perpetrators so that they will turn themselves in, helping them see that there is no victory in killing, no success. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all of the faithful departed, through your mercy, rest in peace. Amen.

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