The following checklist is from The Religion Teacher’s Guide to Lesson Planning. It includes the three-step process to sitting down and planning a lesson that will engage your students in learning about their faith. To help your students experience an encounter with Christ during your lesson, check out Christ in the Classroom: Lesson Planning for the…
New School Year
First Day of School Worksheets & Printables
The first day of school is a great day for you to get to know the students and for them to get to know each other. You also want to introduce them to the class and the items in it as quickly as possible. There are so many printable templates available online to help you…
10 First-Week Mistakes You Must Avoid This Year
It is time to return to the classroom! Are you ready? I always find that it is a little bit difficult to get back into the swing of things. It’s hard to jump right back in and pick up the momentum where you left off the year before. I know that I’ve personally made many…
Save Your Voice and Your Sanity: 3 Ways to Effectively Get Students’ Attention
The class mumbles with whispering for a few moments. It grows to a murmur and before you know it, they are nearly shouting to the people next to them. How do you get their attention? How do you snap them out of discussion mode and back to listening mode without raising your voice? I’ve used…
Fun Catholic Ice Breaker Games
It is the beginning a new year and for many of us that means . . . fun Catholic ice breakers! I know, I know, ice breakers aren’t always the most exciting things to do, but they are effective. You want to build a community as quickly as possible so you might as well have…
The Most Important Piece of Advice that New Religion Teachers and Catechists Don’t Want to Hear
I am blessed to live and work near the University of Notre Dame. Summers are always a great time here. I’m a graduate of the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) program and my wife still works for one of the ACE programs so I get to hang around people who are passionate about Catholic education…
6 Classroom Management Strategies for the First Weeks of School
The first weeks of school is the most critical time for establishing effective classroom management for the rest of the year. I’m a big believer in holding off on all significant teaching of course content until some effective classroom management procedures and classroom rules are established and practiced thoroughly. Consider using the following classroom management…
Classroom Procedures and the First Weeks of School
Classroom procedures and routines are the key to effective classroom management. One of the earliest and best lessons I learned as a teacher was the importance of classroom procedures above and beyond classroom rules. All teachers have rules in their classrooms, but many teachers waste time and energy enforcing rules instead of practicing procedures until…
Learning New Student Names
As the first days of school begin in the coming weeks, here are some activities and tips for learning your new students’ names. Note Cards: Distribute note cards to each of your students. On the blank side, have them print their name largely and legibly. On the lined side, have them write information that will…
Scripture-Based Classroom Rules
When you are developing your classroom rules this year, you may want to consider a couple of Scripture passages to provide a framework for acceptable behaviors. You will, of course, need to create succinct rules such as “follow directions,” “seek permission to get out of your seat by raising your hand,” “raise your hand to…
