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Engaging Faith

Practical Lesson Ideas and Activities for Catholic Educators
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High School Religious Education eNewsletter from Ave Maria Press

Have you signed-up yet for our bi-weekly e-mail newsletter? Every other week (and every month during this summer) we have been sending out an e-Newsletter to high school theology teachers, campus ministers, and youth ministers. The e-newsletter includes links to articles about religious education, teaching tips and techniques, teaching strategies, lesson plans, and activity ideas. We also provide short updates about what we’re up to and where you can find us on the road. High School Religious Education E-newsletter 009 Check out our latest e-newsletter for August 2010. Here are the top 10 links that e-Newsletter subscribers found interesting and that you might like: 1. The Health Care Reform Law and Catholic Social Teaching2. How to Get Students to Participate in Class Discussions3. End of School Year Ideas and Activities4. Guided Meditation: The Parable of the Prodigal Son5. Bell Work Activities - They Save Time and Keep Students Engaged6. A PowerPoint Alternative: Prezi7. Icebreakers: Collaborative Learning/Substantive Learning with some Icebreaker Activities8. Teaching Theology with Technology Webinar Follow-up9. Dying and Rising10. 10 Ways to Use Laptops in Teaching and LearningIf you would like to subscribe, sign up below: Sign up for our Email Newsletter (You may be signed up to receive posts via e-mail, but this does not automatically sign you up for our newsletter. You must sign up for this separately.)

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Beginning of the School Year Sentence Starters

Listed below are some sentence starters (from Time Out: Resources for Teen Retreats by Kieran Sawyer, SSND) for the start of a school year. Divide the class into groups of four or five. Write the sentence starters on the board. Hold in your hand a set of playing cards, numbered 1 to 8. Call on a random student to pick a card. The number corresponds to the sentence on the board. Allow time for everyone in the group to share a response. For the first sentence you might want to designate outgoing students in each group to begin the discussion. Repeat the process with the playing cards until all the sentences have been discussed. Sentence Starters 1. I want my new friends at school to see me as a person who . . . 2. Academically, this year I hope to . . . 3. This year I hope to know God better by . . . 4. This year I am looking forward to . . . 5. A person I would like to know better this year is . . . 6. Athletically, this year I hope to . . . 7. Ten years from now I hope to . . . 8. After I die, I hope to be remembered for . . .

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Beginning of the School Year Prayer Service

+Sign of the Cross Leader Loving God, thank you for the joys that summer brought to us. You have blessed us with time to spend with family and friends, rest and relaxation, and a break from school work. As we return to our studies, inspire us to take on a new interest in new classes and new topics. Be with us as we discover old friendships and start new ones. Amen. Reader 1 A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 5:13-16) "You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” Leader Take a moment to reflect on your summers. When were you “salty”? When were you “light”? (Pause) Now think of the coming school year. How can you be the salt for this school? Who will you inspire today? Leader Let us offer prayers of petition to our Lord. Reader 2 The response is, “Lord, hear our prayer.” For our school, may it continue to be a beacon of light to the students, teachers, staff, and parents involved in this community. We pray to the Lord. (Lord, hear our prayer.) Reader 3 For the Church, may it continue to bring light to those in darkness. We pray to the Lord. (Lord, hear our prayer.) Reader 4 For all people who have made this new school year possible, especially faculty and staff. Bless their work now and throughout this school year. We pray to the Lord. (Lord, hear our prayer.) Reader 5 For the students, may join together in unity and support of one another in the classroom, in clubs, and on sports teams. We pray to the Lord. (Lord, hear our prayer.) Leader Lord, we ask all these things in your holy name, amen. +Sign of the Cross

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Small Group Game: The Body of Christ

This twenty-minute game is a fun icebreaker for Confirmation classes or youth groups helping teens to make a connection with the Body of Christ and the variety of gifts that make up the Church. It can be found in Send Out Your Spirit, a Confirmation preparation program for teens. A rather active exercise can be used as a lead-in to help the teens understand that they are literally members of the Body of Christ. Divide the class into groups of six to eight participants. Remind them of St. Paul’s description of the Church as a body with many parts. Read all or part of 1 Corinthians 12 as a means of introduction. Within the small groups, assign “parts” of the body. Two people can be “arms,” two to four people can be “legs,” one person can be a “mouth,” and the last person can be the “eyes.” The task of the group is to cross from one side of the room to another and to open a closed Bible to 1 Corinthians 12. The challenge is that only the people who are legs can have their feet touching the ground. Only the people who are arms can use their hands. Only the person who is eyes can see (the rest of the group should close their eyes or be blindfolded), and only the mouth can speak. Basically, it falls to the “legs” to carry the other members of the group across the room and the “eyes” and “mouth” to direct the “arms” to open the Bible to the correct page. The first team that completes the task is the winner. Besides following up on the activity with more discussion of 1 Corinthians 12, this can be a good lead-in to a discussion on the diversity of gifts within the Church and how all must work together.  

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Catholic Saints Research Projects

One of the most popular projects assigned in religious education programs is a research project on the saints. Confirmation candidates almost always have to do some research on their Confirmation saint and many Catholic school teachers find such research to be very valuable in supplementing the lessons of the year. Consider the following resources to provide students with their research: Note that these websites should only be starting points. Students should search their local or school library or diocesan media center for resources dedicated specifically to their saints.) SQPN.com http://saints.sqpn.com/ Excellent source of facts about each saint with some short life summaries. It is the best place to find information on patronage and important dates. Catholic Online www.catholic.org/saints Short summaries of the lives of thousands of canonized saints and beati. Catholic Saints www.catholic-saints.info/ Another great source for basic information about the saints. Catholic Saint Bios https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/saints  More biographical information on many saints. Pope Benedict XVI’s Wednesday Audiences Since 2006, Pope Benedict XVI has dedicated his Wednesday Audiences to catecheses on the saints from the Apostles to the present day. Peter to Timothy and Titus (2006): http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2006/index_en.htm  Stephen to saints of 4th Century (2007): http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2007/index_en.htm 4th to 6th centuries, with 20 catechesis dedicated to the year of Saint Paul (2008): http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2008/index_en.htm 6th to 12th centuries (2009): http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2009/index_en.htm 12th to 13th century and beyond (2010): http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2010/index_en.htm  Suggested Project Formats Essays/papers Video biography Decorated information cards/pages to post in the room Presentation options: Role-play the saint Dress up like the saint PowerPoint slide presentation Have students debate certain issues from the perspective of their saint. Have students lead the class in a prayer written by their saint. On what basis should their research projects be evaluated? This will depend on the format that you are asking students to present their research. Make sure you have written rubrics and clear project descriptions for the students. If possible, provide sample “A” projects, “B” projects, etc. with explanations for their grades. Sample research project rubrics:   “Rubric for a Research Project”: www.sdst.org/shs/library/resrub.html A+ Rubric, “Research Process Rubric – Middle School”: www.uwstout.edu/static/profdev/rubrics/middlelschresearchrubric.html Rubistar, “Create a New Rubric”: http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?screen=NewRubric

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Encountering God: A Demonstration

Listed below is a short demonstration to help teens understand more about how they can encounter or meet God in their lives. It is taken from the new edition of Send Out Your Spirit, Preparing Teens for Confirmation.   Sensory Presentation (about 10 minutes) How do we encounter God? Try this demonstration with teens: Bring in a freshly warmed whole pizza (or slice of pizza) in a box. Set the box before the group. Explain that one way we encounter something is through the sense of smell. Pass the box under the noses of the teens. Then open the box. Say: "Another way we encounter something is through these sense of sight." Again, pass the open box around the room. The best way to "encounter" pizza is to put all the senses together and really taste it. (If you have enough pizza, share it now.) Then make the point that really encountering God involves all of the physical senses as well as our intellect, emotions, and imagination. Discuss with the teens ways they can involve their entire beings in more fully encountering God.

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The Nativity of St. John the Baptist

 John the Baptist played a pivotal role in the coming of the Kingdom of God. He is connected with the prophets of the Old Testament while at the same time he acts as a model for the new Kingdom of God. The story of John the Baptist’s birth (Luke 1:5-38, 57-75) can be related to many other stories of births in the Old Testament, particularly in Genesis. Direct the students to some examples of how the Patriarchs were born: Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac (Gn 15:3; 16:1); Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, and Jacob (Gn 25:21); Jacob, Rachel, and Joseph (Gn 29:31, 30:1-2, 22-24). In each case, the pregnancy was made possible by God. Two other births have close similarities to the infancy narrative of John the Baptist including the birth of Samson (Jgs 13:2-3), who like John took ascetic vows (Lk 1:15) and whose parents received a visit from an angel of the Lord. It is probably most likely that the birth of Samuel (1 Sm 1:9-2:11, 18-21) is the prototype of Luke’s infancy narrative: both had barren mothers (1 Sm 1:2; Lk 1:7); both had parents who prayed in the temple (1 Sm 2:9; Lk 1:9); both make ascetic vows (Lk 1:15; 1 Sm 1:11, 22); both are dedicated to the Lord (1 Sm 1:22) The birth of John the Baptist is also closely related to the birth of Jesus Christ: Announcement from an Angel (1:10; 1:26) Mary has faith (1:45) in contrast to Zechariah who has doubt (1:20) The Canticle of Zechariah (2:68-80) and the Magnificat (1:46-55) as responses to God’s gift. Divide these various stories among groups of students. Have them read together both the infancy narrative of John and their passages. Have them find and cite each of the similarities. Then have them propose the reasons why Luke would make these connections to the Old Testament. Discuss their results as a class. Notes on the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist: According to the Gospel of Luke, John the Baptist was born six months before Jesus. The feast of his birth, therefore, is on June 24th. In some countries, St. John’s Eve—like Christmas Eve—is celebrated the day before the feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. This custom is particularly popular in rural Ireland.

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Introducing the Miracles of Jesus

The miracles of Jesus were meant to bring about reaction. Think about Jesus' raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44). Some people were truly amazed by what happened and began to believe in Jesus. Others reported his actions to the authorities who wanted to sentence him to death. Mary and Martha, sisters of Lazarus, were almost ho-hum about what Jesus did, maybe because their faith was so great in him they expected this great miracle. Play this fun mental math game with your students to solicit the same kinds of responses that Jesus often received whenever he performed a miracle. Present the following problem. Do not read the example. Rather, memorize and say:   "Do each step silently. Do not call out any responses. Don't say anything if you have done the problem before. Think of a number between 1 and 10 (for example, 7). Multiply your number by 9. YOu now have a two-digit number (for example, 63). Add the two digits of your new number together (for example, 6 + 3). You how have a one digit number (9). Subtract 5 from your one-digit number. You now have a new one-digit number (4). Now pretend each letter of the alphabet corresponds to a number. For example A is 1, B is 2, C is 3, etc. Think of the letter that corresponds to your number (D). Think of a country that starts with your letter (most people will think of Denmark). Now think of an animal that starts with the second letter of your country (most people will think of elephant)."   Next, put your hand over our forehead as if some great inspiration is coming to you. Then say, "You are thinking of Denmark and an elephant." There should be varied reactions, for example:       "ho-hum" from students who have done the problem before confusion from students who were lost somewhere in the math amazement from participants who were thinking of Denmark and elephant   Compare the three reactions to those that occur when Jesus performs a miracle. Assignment Have the students read the following miracles of Jesus and write as many adjectives as they can think of to describe how people reacted to the miracles. Pause between each miracle to allow sharing of the adjectives. Write them on the board so all can see. Also ask the students to write or share how they would respond to each miracles if they were either a witness or the benefactor.         The cure of Simon's mother-in-law Mark 1:29-31) The cleansing of a leper (Mark 1:40-45) The healing of a boy with a demon Luke 9:37-43)

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