The Human Person

Overview

• We're in the Image of God
• How Original Sin affects us all since Adam and Eve
• Reunite with God through the Body of Christ

Prepping the Dadechist:

Fr. Barron on Original Sin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fdmsnbz1-EE

The on-line Catechist's handbook, here.
…and the return of Game Show Catechism

PPT file for the class is here.

Students should be able to

• Discuss what it means to be made in God's image
• Explain and understand Original Sin and how it affects us
• Understand what it means to be, and act as, a member of the Body of Christ

Materials and Prep

• Newsprint
• Markers
• Flashlight

Preparation

• Form small groups of 3 - 4 kids. We need an one outline per group.
• Write "Body of Christ" on the top. Note this outline is for later.

Welcome and Opening Prayer

• We are in the holy presence of God
• Pray
  
  
  
  
• Today's lesson is about YOU.
• Why did God make me to be?
• Why do I not act as I should sometimes?
• What is the purpose of our lives

We are like God!

• Volunteer reads "Think About It" on page 56
• Ask for examples of how we're like God
• Ask for examples of how we're different
• Make the following points
• We're all made in God's images, so we're to love one another as God loves us
• Being good isn't doing good. We can choose to do wrong. Even when we
• sin, however, we remain an image of God, though we must seek the healing
• of Reconciliation.

The Effects of Original Sin

• Darken the room with a candle or flashlight
• Gather the students standing into a circle
• I'll read from a list. If good, one large step forward. If bad, one large step backwards. The list is balanced towards sin to better separate the students.
• Read from the list 
  
• Follow up
• Think about what just happened
• How was it when you started?
• When I read a sin how did it affect your relationship?
• When I read a good dead, how did it affect your relationship?
• Christine reads Genesis 3:6-19

• Describe Original Sin
• Before Original Sin, we were in communion with God and his creation
• Adam and Eve's original disobedience is why we call it original sin.
• We are born with Original Sin
• We do not know how Original Sin is passed down
• Through Christ and His Church and Sacraments we may be healed of Original Sin

Being the Body of Christ

• Class reads the beginning of Chapter 5
• BEFORE READING: Listen for how God works to help Steven in the story
• When we do God's will we become God's instrument
• Point to the St. Teresa of Avila prayer — Volunteer to read
• What does she mean by "Christ has no body now but yours?"
• Explain we can come to or return to God at any time. We can overcome temptation and live as the Body of Christ.
• Have each team mark up the outline of how we can help each other as the Body of Christ.
• Each team present their drawings and ideas.

Closing prayer

• Read the "Pray It!" on page 54 together

Oct 19, 2014 : Creation

Oct 19, 2014 : Creation

Summary

This week we'll learn about God's creativity at work in our world and our cooperation in His plan. We covered A LOT last week on the infinite mystery of the Trinity. This week's class is a little less complex, so we'll spend a little more time recapping what we learned last week. Then we'll check out the "how to kneel" youtube video and dive into Creation.

The usual resource prep:

• The teacher's guide is online! At google books, no less. Here.

Objectives:

• Recognize each student has a unique role in creation
• We can follow or disobey God's design in His creation
• God's creativity is living
• Creationism, Evolutionism and Catholic understanding of Genesis

Class setup

1. Per student:
1. Handbooks
2. Bibles
3. Scratch paper
2. Per table
1. Sheets of blank paper
2. Sets of markers
3. Sheets of newsprint
3. On front of classroom
1. Look up and read Genesis 1:1 - 31

Agenda

1. Trinity recap
2. Quick-Start Activity
3. Welcome/Prayer
1. Light candle
2. Prayer:
   
4. The Hairs on Your Head
1. Each student: write down how many on your head?
2. A million? Half a million? Answer: 100,000
3. We are more precious than the entire world (not including other people)
5. God's Gift of Freedom
1. Pass around a rock
1. Where does it come from? What is it made of? What makes up the rock? 
1. Lead the kids to "God made it."
2. How can we use this rock?
3. Can it be used for evil?
4. Read from the Handbook page 45 on Adam and Eve
1. God loves us so much that he let's us choose, even to choose not to love Him back.
5. What's an example of something good someone has done with creation?
6. God's creation: a work in progress
1. 
2. Who remembers the birth of a brother or sister?
3. What is God's role in all this?
1. Creationism, Evolution and… discussion
2. We believe that reason and faith cannot contradict. Creation teaches us religious truths, not scientific truths.
4. Break groups into small groups
1. Read Genesis 1:24 - 2:4
2. List at least five things where Genesis does not contradict science
3. Draw examples of God's creative work happening now
1. Where can you find people working to save lives
2. What natural events bring about new live
3. have one person from group present their work
7. Closing Prayer
1. Everyone turn to page 43
2. A volunteer reads the "Pray It" prayer

Oct. 5th — The Holy Trinity

Oct. 5th, 2014 — The Holy Trinity

Preparation notes: This has been possibly my most difficult catechism class to prep for since I've started doing catechism. As my student's capacity for understanding increases, I'm no longer comfortable with the simple formulations in my materials. Yes, it's a mystery, but we can't understand our faith without spending a deeper reflection on the Trinity. The kinds of exercises my prep book recommends, such as reviewing and chanting the Shema, and collage creation, trivialize the Trinity. That said, I will do a quick review of it — since, though the Shema I can focus on the economy of salvation without saying so. I can cover what the Shema exercise suggests at by merely saying, Matthew 5:17; “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” So, through Jesus, and in the context of this course, we'll be looking at God's Revelation of who He is, through His Son — just who is Jesus? Who is God the Father? Who is God the Holy Spirit? Treacle no more, In say.

I've included a satirical Lutheran video (though apparently routed in Patristics, safely enough, I trust) and an Eastern Orthodox video that recapitulates the Athanaisan Creed. I emphasized this creed too extensively early on — which is part of the learning process of teaching.

Post-class thoughts:

I fear this was too much. I would drop the Shema if I could do this over again. Having the video greatly helped, though I was distracted without quick access to my itinerary. Having my main computer as the AV controller made that a problem. The kids struggled through the crossword puzzle provided with the lesson. I asked one of my students "What was today's essentially about?" "Purgatory and a funny video about a couple of Irish guys." 

Overview:

The Mystery of the Trinity:

The Blessed Trinity is the central mystery of our Catholic faith.
There are three Divine Persons in one God:
The Father,
the Son
and the Holy Spirit.

"Who knows who St. Patrick is? What is he known for? Where did he serve?"

  

Objectives: 

• Identify the Trinity
• Recite the Shema
• Get a sense of the unity, harmony and love in the communion of the Trinity

Materials

• Bibles
• Handout 3-A

1. Quick Start Activity
1. Read from Chapter 3 for those 10 or more minutes early
2. Crossword puzzle — together or alone
2. Welcome and Opening Prayer
1. Light candle while praying "In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit"
2. Let us remember that we are in the holy presence of God
1. Think when your family was happy or sad: There is Unity in joy, unity in sorrow.
3. Read the prayer on page 41
4. Three in one, one in three
3. Learning the Shema
1. Chant the Shema
2. What language?
3. Discuss translation
4. Read Mark 12:28 - 30
5. FREELANCE
1. Revelation: God reveals himself to us
2. How does He do so?
3. Someone read Mark 8:27 - 29
4. Who do YOU say that Jesus is?
4. Trinity: Bad Math, But Great Faith
1. Longer statement on the Trinity:

1. Trinity is a mystery that we can not comprehend through human reason but we understand through faith and is best confessed in the words of the Athanasius Creed, which states that we worship One God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance of God, that we are compelled by the Christian Truth to confess that each distinct Person is God and Lord and the Deity of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit is One equal in glory, co-equal in Majesty

1. Start with the In the Name of prayer
2. What is the meaning of the Shema?
3. Are we praying to 3 Gods or one God?
4. 1 + 1 + 1 = ?
5. Read John 1:1-18 — what is being described here?
5. The Community of God
1. The Trinity is a communion
2. Read Page 36 - 37 "The Work of the Trinity" and
3. Page 38 "The Trinity is a Communion"
4. Close with: The Orthodox Trinity video
   

1. Closing Prayer
1. Pray from page 35 of the textbook "Pray It"

September 28, 2014: God the Father

Overview:

• List the qualities of human dads and how this relates to God the Father
• Clouds as a symbol of God
• Jesus fully reveals his Father
• Prayerful exercise towards developing our sixth sense

Objectives: students learn that:

• God is beyond our comprehension
• God reveals himself as truth and love
• God as Jesus' Father, meet God in prayer

This series was awesome for last week's prep:

Agenda

1. Quick-Start Activity
1. 2 Large sheets, outline a person
2. Write The Best Qualities of Human Fathers on the 2 large sheets
3. Front of class: 3 - 5 best qualities of a human father — no repeats
4. THEN: read Chapter 2, starting on page 24
2. Welcome and Opening Prayer
1. Bring lighter for candle
2. Let us remember that we are in the holy presence of God
3. Prayer in book, page 30
3. The Cloud of Unknowing
1. What's your experience with clouds? Flying through them? Fogs?
2. The difficulty of grasping the majesty of God
3. Jesus reveals the Father
4. Contest: look up:
1. Exodus 13:20-22
2. Numbers 9:15-18
3. 1 Kings 8:12
4. Matthew 17:5
5. How is God like and unlike a fog?
4. Our Father Reveals Himself
1. Look up Genesis 1:26
2. Who is someone you like?
3. How do you know this is true of this person?
4. Write on board:
1. What has God done throughout history?
2. Simple one-word responses
5. Volunteer to read from page 25
6. Review large sheet from beginning of class
7. God is bigger than just human "male" or "female"
5. Listening to the Father
1. Spiritual exercise, page 34
6. Closing Prayer
1. Volunteer to read "Pray It!" from around the candle, page 25

First Sixth Grade class

Revelation, the Scriptures and Tradition

Sunday, August 21st 7:00 PM

This video was very helpful and inspiring:

Agenda

1. 6:50 - 7:05 Quick Start Activity
1. As students come in, assign them a number, 1 through 4
2. How did you come to know God?
3. Don't use words — symbols only
2. 7:05 - 7:15 Welcome and Opening Prayer
1. "Let us remember we are in the holy presence of God."
2. Prayer on Page 21
3. Any special intentions
4. Today's topic
1. Revelation
5. Some ground rules for class
1. Introduce myself
2. Ms. Scardino introduces herself
3. 7:15 - 7:35 How God Reveals Himself
1. Have the groups from the first activity reassemble
2. Can the non-drawer guess what the artist meant to convey?
4. 7:35 - 7:50 Revealed in the Scriptures and Tradition
1. Things that make you go "hum" How did God perfectly reveal himself to us?
2. True or False? FedEx delivered us the first Bible?
1. How many years was there between Jesus' ascension, and any written record?
2. How did His Gospels get communicated, then? 
5. 7:50 - 8 PM God Reveals Himself to and Through Us
1. What does God reveal to us?
2. How does God reveal to us?
3. Who can participate in God's revealed plan for us?
6. 8 PM - 8:15 PM Closing Prayer
1. First to look up Romans 8:38 - 39 aloud
2. Read "Pray It" from Page 17

Right now, this is the rough outline the agenda proscribes. Still thinking this through.

November 3rd, 2013: The Paschal Mystery

Today's material is the core and essence of our faith. Class went well, for the most part, today. As we discussed GRACE events, we found ourselves discussing the central and south American traditions around the "Day of the Dead" which I found fascinating. As for the course material, I tried something new today. I let the kids read a page to themselves and we followed it up with a discussion. Nice dynamics; having silence in the room for a couple of minutes. I will be doing that again most definitely.

This week: the Paschal Mystery, looking for a 5 minute video

I'm looking for a video on The Paschal Mystery and came across this:

Obviously a lot of work has gone into this, but I need the video to be no more than 5 minutes. Still looking.

Warmer:


I think we have a winner for tommorrow: