ECHO
A Monthly Resource for Teaching the Faith 1.22
"We must attract them by joy in order to lead them to its source, the Heart of Christ"
St. Katharine Drexel
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis!
The Benefits of Active Learning
What is active learning? It's a method of teaching that engages the student through discussion, problem solving, role play and hands-on activities. Active learning is a great approach for faith formation because it places a greater degree of responsibility on the learner and it is more successful at transferring knowledge than the passive experience of simply listening to a teacher lecture or reading a book. Most schools have transitioned to the model of active learning and find that it is more effective in allowing the student to explore, critically think about and increase comprehension of the material.
Here are some active learning strategies that would work well in a faith formation setting:
- analyze an argument
- conduct experiments
- create videos
- go on real or virtual field trips
- work collaboratively with a group
- conduct research and create a presentation
- game-based learning
- learning by teaching
In an active learning setting, the instructor or catechist keeps lecture time short (no more than 15 minutes) and allows for collaborative learning throughout the rest of the session.
Praying All Ways and ALWAYS!
Here are some active ways to bring prayer into your sessions:
- Teaspoon Prayers: TSP: Thank You, Sorry, Please On a set of plastic spoons, use a sharpie to write a T, S, or P on the "bowl" of each spoon . Place the spoons in a cup or pail, with handles facing up, so that there is one for each participant. Participants choose a spoon and say a prayer that matches the category. Model the types of prayers they might share such as "Thank you for the sunshine today," "I'm sorry I took my brother's toy," and "Please watch over my family."
- Make a prayer paper chain: Give each participant a strip of colored paper and invite them to write a gratitude sentence. Connect the strips to form a chain and hang it in the meeting space.
- Prayer Puzzle: Cut up the words or lines to a traditional prayer such as the Glory Be. Invite the students to put the prayer together in the correct order before praying it as a class.
- Dice Prayer: Come up with 6 categories of prayer you are working on with your students. For example, it can be a combination of traditional prayers you are learning, spontaneous gratitude statements, intentions, etc. Clearly list all 6 categories in the meeting space for all to see. Give the participants a die to roll and encourage them to perform the prayer task listed.
- Pop the Balloons (Sorry Prayers): Write common sins or missteps that we commit as kids, one on each balloon. Talk to the participants about asking God for forgiveness and the blessing of a fresh start. Begin the prayer with God, please forgive us when we (read the balloon) "fight with our friend" "ignore our chores" etc. After the statement is read, pop the balloon. To reduce the noise, you may want to deflate it with a pin. This is an excellent illustration of fresh starts! (avoid this if you have noise-sensitive children in your class)
- Create a prayer tree that can have new prayers written on leaves, fruit, etc. throughout the season and let the prayer keep growing!!
- Bubble prayers: Take the students outside with small bubble packs you find as party favors. Send your prayers to the heavens by giving each participant and opportunity to say their prayer and then blow a bubble toward the sky!
DO YOU HAVE A GREAT ACTIVE PRAYER STRATEGY TO SHARE? SEND IT TO LESLIE.BARKIN@DOR.ORG AND WE WILL ADD IT TO THE CATECHIST HELP GOOGLE DRIVE!
Family Connection
Active learning is a great way to connect the learning to home! Project-Based learning can be a fun way to continue the theme once the session is over and to engage with parents. Try these ideas for family connection:
- After a session on prayer, invite families to write their own prayers and create a prayer book that each family can have as a keepsake.
- Are you learning about Catholic traditions and terms? Create an ABC book of all things Catholic that kids can bring home to read with a parent or grandparent.
- Is a special Saint's feast day coming up? Check the recipes on https://catholiccuisine.blogspot.com/, choose one to match the season and challenge families to make it and try it at home!
- Send families on a nature scavenger hunt to admire God's creation. Take it a step further by asking each family to create a gratitude journal or scrapbook with photos of what they saw!
- Are you learning more about the Mass? Or items in a church? Invite families to take a tour or famous cathedrals online or to watch a televised Mass with Pope Francis. Ask them to share what they noticed. https://www.churchpop.com/2014/08/10/12-amazing-virtual-tours-of-the-worlds-most-spectacular-churches/
Keep Learning!
Our First Online Catechist Formation Course
We hope you will join us for a FREE Online Catechist formation course via Zoom on Wednesday, January 26 from 7-8PM. This course is open to Catechetical Leaders, Volunteer Catechists and Parents who would like to learn more about teaching and leading Catholic prayer with kids! Pre-Registration is required using the event link below. We look forward to spending some time with you!
Event Information
Teaching and Leading Prayer
Join us for strategies, methods and creative ways to engage children and young people in prayer! Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMscuyoqDwvHdOZnjkQlpjRRqldKNm7gj1y After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
When?
Wednesday, Jan 26, 2022, 07:00 PM
Where?
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January Catechetical Highlights
The Baptism of Our Lord
Try this fun craft with your students from Flamecreativekis.blogspot.com. http://flamecreativekids.blogspot.com/2016/01/printable-baptism-of-jesus-spinner.html?spref=pi
Epiphany
What would the visit of the Magi been like in Modern Times? Try this lesson from thereligionteacher.com.
https://www.thereligionteacher.com/feast-of-the-epiphany-in-the-modern-day-lesson-plan-activities/
Feast of St. John Bosco January 31
Use this activity from Sadlier.com and consider having a mini talent show to accompany the lesson! https://www.sadlier.com/religion/blog/popular-saints-for-kids-saint-john-bosco
Are you in need of additional catechetical material?
Click this button for access to our GOOGLE DRIVE LESSON HELPERS FOR CATECHISTS
If you are reading a paper copy, you can access our google drive at https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1FdofDF6MAr9aT3vD7k7Cb0l0OnIp_u-P
If you are reading a paper copy, you can access our google drive at https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1FdofDF6MAr9aT3vD7k7Cb0l0OnIp_u-P
The Office of Evangelization and Catechesis
Debtor in Possession
Email: leslie.barkin@dor.org
Website: oec.dor.org
Phone: (585)328-3210