When you read the Parable of the Good Samaritan with your students, help them understand why the people in the story do what they do, then help them reflect on how they can be more or less like each person. Your goal is to help them understand the message Jesus has for them them today…
Search Results for: Scripture
The Parable of the Great Feast Skit Script
When you read a parable with your students, help them understand the meaning of the story, but also guide them to reflect on what the parable means for them today. Challenge them to imagine what Jesus is saying to them through the parable. One of the ways to help students engage more deeply with a…
Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation Lesson Plan
You can use this lesson plan to prepare children for their first confession or at any time to help them prepare for the amazing experience of mercy in the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation Lesson Objectives Students will be able to (SWBAT) perform each step of the Sacrament of Reconciliation….
Eucharistic Adoration for Kids
The following article is an expanded excerpt from chapter 4 of Christ in the Classroom: Lesson Planning for the Heart and Mind, which describes various ways to use contemplation in class to help students make personal connections to Christ through what they are learning. For many Catholics, myself included, the Eucharist and specifically eucharistic adoration played…
Planning a Catholic Prayer Service (with a Simple Format and Outline)
The following article is an expanded excerpt from chapter 3 of Christ in the Classroom: Lesson Planning for the Heart and Mind, which describes various ways to use meditation and prayer in class to help students make personal connections to Christ through what they are learning. The goal of planning a prayer service for class is…
The Power of Story in Religious Education
The following article is an edited excerpt from chapter 2 of Christ in the Classroom: Lesson Planning for the Heart and Mind, which describes various ways to use meditation in class to help students make personal connections to what they are learning. The simplest way to lead students in meditation is to invite them into…
Start Your Lesson with a Hook Strategy
As soon as I read about the idea of using a “Hook” at the beginning of a lesson to get students’ attention, I immediately added it to every lesson I planned. I got the strategy from Doug Lemov’s Teach Like A Champion book and I include it as an important strategy in the learning process…
The Religion Teacher’s Lesson Planning Templates
These lesson planning templates can be used in support of The Religion Teacher’s Guide to Lesson Planning and Christ in the Classroom: Lesson Planning for the Heart and Mind. Lesson Planning Template (Simple) Download: Word / PDF / Google Drive Lesson Planning Template (Advanced) Download: Word / PDF / Google Drive Here are some resources to help…
Between-the-Bells Evangelization
The way you interact with students in between the bells is just as important if not more important than the lessons you teach during class. Those moments before and after class when you get to speak with students on a personal level have the potential to be transformative experiences for them. When you deliberately talk…
12 Ways to Encounter Christ in Class
Every Day, Every Class, Every Student, an Encounter with Christ That is the vision we aspire to at The Religion Teacher. So much of what religious educators do, however, focuses almost entirely on education and not encounter. As a result, Christ becomes just another idea to learn like everything else in school. As catechists and…
