The Advent candles remind us that Jesus himself is the "light of the world" (Jn 8:12). Follow the directions for short prayer service you can use with your class in the weeks before Christmas.
Materials needed
taper candles (one for each student)
slips of paper (two for each student)
pens or pencils
Directions
Have the students write on small slips of paper specific elements of darkness in their own lives (e.g., a jealous friend, an incident of prejudice, a time of loneliness) and on other slips of paper specific ways that Jesus brought light to their lives (e.g., a special friendship, a caring teacher, a favorite spot in nature, peace through participation in the sacraments). Arrange a large space where the students can sit in a circle. Distribute unlit taper candles. Keep the room semi-dark. Call on one of the students to begin by sharing one occasion of darkness he or she wrote about. Repeat the process around the rest of the circle with each student sharing about darkness. Then begin the sharing again, this time with the student sharing about how Jesus brings light. After the first person shares, light his or her candle. The person with the lit candle chooses any person in the circle and lights that person's candle. The person with the newly lit candle shares how Jesus brings light and then lights a third person's candle. Continue until all of the candles are lit. Consider concluding with a song with lyrics that describe Jesus as the light of the world.
As part of the celebration of two upcoming Marian feasts—the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe—ask your students to complete one of the following.
1
Report on the history and practice of one of these popular Marian devotions:
the Angelus
Marian novena
Rosary
litany of the Blessed Mother
first Saturday devotion
2
Mary's Magnificat (Lk 1:46-55) describes in her own words her willingness to giver her entire being to God. Read a Scripture commentary on the Magnificat. Write an essay explaining something of its origins. Then choose three verses that would give encouragement to the poor. Explain why you chose the verses that you did.
3
Research and report on one of the following Marian apparitions:
Guadalupe, Mexico
Lourdes, France
Fatima, Portugal
Champion, Wisconsin, USA
4
Develop a lesson for primary-age children that explains the Church's belief in the Immaculate Conception so that they can easily understand its meaning.
With the simplicity and wonder of the shepherds, we find God, who is one like us, born of the flesh. Inspired by Luke 2:6-20, this guided meditation is written by Fr. Thomas Catucci. Choose instrumental Christmas music to play in the background. Have your students find a comfortable place and close their eyes. Read the meditation. Pause slightly on each ellipse. Pause slightly longer on paragraph breaks. Total time: 11 minutes.
And we pray: Lord Jesus Christ...
Be with us as we meditate... Guide us in our prayer... For we trust in you... And in your Holy Spirit directing our thoughts and our dreams to discovering you in our lives... Be with us Lord... Guide us in peace... Stay near... Be near...
With your eyes still closed... Travel past the sunset... Into the darkness of a winter in ancient Israel... Gliding over a huge desert...you can see a large cliff ahead of you... Come to rest on that cliff...overlooking the desert... You are alone... And very safe... And nothing can harm you...
The heat of the desert has cooled... It's winter...but still warm... Feel how pleasantly comfortable you are...
Look around you... Ahead of you is the vast expansive desert... Outlined in moonlight... If you look with care...the darkness of the night is broken with a slight flow at the horizon...the final curtain of the day... Breathe deeply...notice how clean the air is...how clear...how sweet... Overhead you can see a multitude of starts...so many stars
As if you are standing in the middle of...and yet beneath...all the constellations... Clusters of stars twinkle and blink above you...
Turn around and see the most wondrous gathering of stars imaginable... There...to your right... A star that seems brighter than the rest...near the horizon... As if four or five stars cluster together... An incredibly bright mark in the sky... One or two stars in the cluster...seem to hand a little lower than the others... As if pointing to the earth... Pointing to someplace in the desert... They blink...they pulse...as if they want you to notice something special...
You search... Leaving the cliff...lifting up from the ground...gliding toward those bright starts on the horizon... Follow your instinct...follow your curiosity...follow the star... Look down and notice a few tents huddled beneath you...on that plateau...and their campfires...flickering...glowing... Continue to fly...toward the outskirts of the city up ahead... A city with thick and heavy walls... An ancient city with many dirty streets...with flickering torches...in the doorways... Passing a large building...you can hear voices and the noise of people eating and drinking... You can hear laughter...and singing... And it's crowded...too crowded... Continue on... Gliding over the furthest city wall...back to the quiet... To the countryside...
Up ahead...a ridge of small hills... Then coming nearer, you see openings...the entrances to caves... One seems to glow...lit with a large campfire at the entrance... And above...the tar cluster seems to point here... As if you were standing directly beneath the tail of the star... Rest here a moment...outside the cave...
Look around... Listen...hear the muffled sounds of sheep...bedding down for the night...content Walk through the flock... They part quickly...making a path for you... Up ahead...several men sit and lean close to the opening of the cave... Two are bald...with white beards... There are a couple of younger men... And three young boys...just children... They all wear soft, warm animal hides...sandals...they carry wineskins and long staffs... They turn and look at you...silently... And they smile...their faces almost glow with wonder...with joy... A wonderful thing has happened... God has done something great here...now...and you are part of it... The shepherds seem proud...happy... And they step back, out of your way...as if they had been expecting you... Is there anything you want to say to them?... Anything you want to do?
They point toward the entrance of the cave... You approach...slowly...enter...and look around... There are cows, a few goats, a donkey... Everything is hushed...even the animals...so satisfied...so still... Beneath you...there is soft straw to walk on...dry...clean...crisp... Step closer...into the light... There are two figures...resting...beside the flickering fire...
You can feel the warmth of the firs on your face... A woman holds a bundled baby sleeping quietly... The husband looks so proud of his wife and newborn... He turns to you..to welcome you...to lead you...to the mother and the baby... Is there anything you want to say to him?... Anything you want to do?...
The mother leans against a thick pile of straw... She holds the child close to her...cradled in her arms and wrapped in tattered strips of cloth... Then she looks up into your eyes and smiles... She is so very proud... She lifts the cover from his face so you can see... The baby...beautiful...happy...blinks...smiles... And something deep within you knows that God has been born into the world... Here...now...God has become human...become just like you... God has been born...a new baby...
The light from the fire seems to make his face glow...so bright... Then the mother invites you to come closer... She raises her arms...offering the child to you... She slides the new born baby into your waiting arms... You can feel the warmth..the softness..the movement of gentle new life... Life... The life of God...in your arms..fragile and alive...and so real... Is there anything you want to say?.... Anything you would like to do?....
And the mother explains that she has been asked...by God..to take care of Jesus... She is to care for him...until he is old enough to be given to the world... To protect him...nurture him...and to love him... But she need your help... Can you?...Can you help care for this child of God?... Can you help God grow?...Can you care for him with love?... Is there anything you would like to say?... Anything you would like to do?...
Mary gently...carefully...takes the baby back into her arms... She tells you that you also have God...within you... And God must grow there too... Your task is to bring God to the world as well... And she can help you with that...
Mary asks if God can use your hands to help others... She takes your hands...kisses them softly...making your hands holy... Then she asks if God can use your ears to hear the cry of others... Then she gently kisses your ears...anointing them... She asks if God can use your heart to love others... And she softly touches your heart with her kiss to consecrate your heart to God... She hugs you in her arms with the infant baby... And thanks you...
She nods to you...and you now know...that within you...rests Jesus... Ready to grow... Ready to use your hands... To use your ears... And to love others with your heart...Christ's heart...
Be at peace... Know that God will always remain within you... And will never leave... God will always love others through you... Know how sacred you are... Feel the loving heart of God within you... And be at peace... And rest...
Think of all you've seen... All you've heard... And all you've felt... And know that God is ready within you... In your hands, your arms, your heart... And you can bring him to others so they will know God too... He is within... Within...
When you're ready to leave Israel...and come back here... Know that God is still with you...and will never leave... You are not alone... There are so many people who need you... And need God... Now come back here... And be at peace... When you're ready you may slowly open your eyes... And I would ask you not to talk to others or distract them... Just quietly think about what you've experienced... And be at peace... Peace.
Earlier this year we had the honor of publishing an excellent introduction to the Bible by Franciscan University professor John Bergsma called Bible Basics for Catholics: A New Picture of Salvation History. Dr. Bergsma, who is a colleague of Dr. Scott Hahn, is known for his fun and creative drawings that illustrate the deep meaning behind the Old Testament biblical texts. He has a unique approach to teaching the Old Testament that all religion teachers can learn from and teens will surely enjoy.
What is really remarkable about this book is the memorable drawings of challenging texts. In a world with so much technology, students learn more visually today than ever before. Dr. Bergsma's drawings act as excellent teaching tools for the modern learner.
Earlier this year, Dr. Bergsma gave a webinar titled, "How to Get Through the Bible in an Hour," in which he shared brief samples of his creative illustrations. Here is the recording of that webinar:
Watch his presentation on YouTube or Vimeo.
Dr. Bergsma works really fast in this presentation, so you may want to watch and rewatch the way he teaches certain stories in the Bible: Creation, Abraham, Moses, David, the Prophets, and the Eucharist. You may even want to pick out clips from the presentation to show to your students. Dr. Bergsma's book, Bible Basics for Catholics, gives a step-by-step explanation and discussion that dig deep into the key Old Testament stories that illustrate God's covenants throughout salvation history.
Teaching Bible Basics to Teens
Whether you teach a course on Sacred Scripture or occasionally include a lesson or two on the Bible, reflect on the following questions:
How can I use images to teach about the meaning of the Old Testament and the New Testament?
What connections can I show between the Old Testament and the New Testament?
How can I help students see God's "covenant" in the texts we will study?
How can I use humor to spike my students' interest in the Bible?
Bible Basics for Catholics is also available as an eBook on the Kindle and Nook or on the iPad using the Kindle or Nook apps.
Assign either as a group or individual project the task of describing Salvation History, or the Bible, in 50 words. This means describing everything from the creation of the first humans all the way to the early years of the Church, described in the New Testament. An example from an unknown source follows:
God made
Adam bit
Noah arked
Abraham split
Joseph ruled
Jacob fooled
Bush talked
Moses balked
Pharaoh plagued
People walked
Sea divided
Tablets guided
Promised landed
Saul freaked
David peeked
Prophets warned
Jesus born
God walked
Love talked
Anger crucified
Hope died
Love rose
Spirit flamed
Word spread
God remained
You can choose to share this example with the students prior to the assignment or not. You might give an example of one or two lines. Rhyming verses are optional. Tell the students that the only rule is that they describe Salvation History in 50 words or less.
To extend the assignment, have them create posters or slides with their work. Allow time for class sharing.
Ask your students to choose one of the following thesis statements around the topic of marriage and family life to serve as the foundation for a five paragraph essay.
Tell them to introduce the thesis in an opening paragraph and then support it with at least three body paragraphs that includes examples and evidence. They should summarize their position in a concluding paragraph. The paper should be about five-hundred words.
Married couples who follow the teachings of the encyclical Humanae Vitae have a happier and more satisfying marriage.
There are several examples of married saints worthy of emulation.
Because of Christ and the founding of the Church, women were given more esteem in married life.
Divorced Catholics have served the Church well in ministry.
Earlier this year we released two of our textbooks into the Apple iBookstore: Jesus Christ: God's Revelation to the World and Jesus Christ: Source of Our Salvation. These eTextbooks are specifically designed for the iPad using the incredible tools offered by the iBooks iPad App. One of the most exciting features about this app is the Study Cards. We've all used or asked students to use note cards and flash cards to study for tests or review material. Well, Study Cards in iBooks elevates that learning tactic to a whole new level.
We hope this brief tutorial on using Study Cards in iBooks Textbooks for the iPad will make an impact on the way you and your students use the iPad in class this year. Download a free sample copy of one of our books to your iPad to test out these features:
Jesus Christ: God's Revelation to the World
Jesus Christ: Source of Our Salvation
How Study Cards are Created
Here are the default settings for iBooks Study Cards:
Glossary Terms (vocabulary terms) and definitions
All highlights (displayed on one side)
All notes and highlights (highlights on one side, notes on the other)
These settings can be adjusted. You can remove Glossary Terms or specify only certain colors of highlights to be Study Cards. We'll come back to this feature later.
At the top of each card you will see the Section title and page number. For example, here is a highlight of the vocabulary term "religion" as it appears in the running text of Jesus Christ: God's Revelation to the World:
How iBooks Study Cards Work
To open the Study Cards, you need to open the My Notes section of your book. To do this click on the Notes icon in the top ribbon of the app.
Once you are there, you can click on the "Study Cards" button from the My Notes page.
The Study Cards are organized by chapter or you can view all of them at once by selecting "All Chapters."
Each Study Card resembles a 3x5 note card. On one side is a Glossary Term or highlighted text. On the other side is the definition of the Glossary Term or the note that was attached to the highlighted text.
Tap the card to flip it or tap on the circular arrows in the bottom right corner of each card. To see the next card, you can swipe up, down, left, right, or diagonally to advance to the next card.
To go back to the previous card, click on the card that appears to be in the back of the stack.
Using iPad Study Cards to Complete Review Questions
One of the most practical uses of Study Cards is to create answers to the Review Questions. Here is how to do this:
1) First, designate a certain highlight color for all section review questions.
2) We've chosen purple as the color for review questions. So, I'll highlight the question in purple and then answer it in a note. Here is how it will look:
3) Open the Study Cards feature. Click on the gear icon in the upper left corner to open "Study Options." Uncheck Glossary Terms and click on the blue arrow to expand the Highlights and Notes options. Check only the purple color.
4) Since we're only highlighting review questions in purple, Study Cards will only display these questions and answers. Here is how our answers to Chapter 1 Section 1 of Jesus Christ: God's Revelation to the World will look in Study Cards:
Side One:
Side Two:
Using iPad Study Cards to Review Reading
While students are reading, have them highlight parts of the text that are important or need to be remembered. Designate a highlight color for general highlighting and note-taking (the default is yellow).
Model the kind of highlights that students should make before they do the reading on their own. You don't want them to just highlight everything they read and as teachers we can't expect our students to automatically know the most effective way to highlight and take notes while they read.
Here are a few suggestions for highlighting while reading:
Highlight the main idea of each section.
Highlight important quotes.
Highlight sentences where vocabulary words appear.
Highlight sentences with bold words.
Highlight the first sentence of a numbered or bulleted list.
Highlight italicized sentences that were meant to stand out.
Once the students have read a section and made the highlights, encourage them to get in the habit of reviewing these highlights using the Study Cards immediately after reading, a few hours later, the next day, and then a week later. Reviewing the highlights will be the most effective thing they do to remember what they read and learned. This makes Study Cards an excellent tool for reading comprehension.
There are so many more ways you can teach with the iBooks Textbook Study Cards on the iPad. This tutorial is really just scratching the surface. Do some experimenting with your students and see what works best.
Ave Maria Press has eTextbooks available in the Apple iBookstore, as a PDF Site License, and through Direct Digital.
In September, the winners of the 2012-2013 Catholic High School Honor Roll competition were announced by The Cardinal Newman Society. Since 2004, the Honor Roll has recognized excellence in Catholic identity, academics and civic education at Catholic high schools across the United States.
The top 50 schools are recognized for overall excellence in all three Honor Roll categories, and other schools receive special recognition in particular categories. Here is the list of the top 50 schools.
The Cardinal Newman Center also recognized seven schools were recognized for excellence in Catholic identity, six schools for academics, five schools for civic education, and five additional schools for two of the three categories. Here is the list of the recognized schools.
“Since competition began in 2004, the Honor Roll has been a helpful tool for administrators, families, and benefactors in recognizing the quality of a Catholic high school,” said Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society. “The Honor Roll schools are a reminder that Catholic education is getting better every day—not only academically, but in the renewal of Catholic identity—and we are delighted to see the increased level of competition among the schools that participated in the program this year.”
Congratulations to all of the honored schools from Ave Maria Press.
