Active Learning in Scripture Courses (Article 147)

Stumped for creative ways to engage students with the Scriptures? Here you'll find six examples of Scripture-based active learning classroom activities, each taken from The Teaching Activities Manual for "The Catholic Youth Bible®" .

Back to School: Beatitude Jingles and Cheers (Article 1)

This activity embraces multiple intelligence theory and gets students cheering and singing about the beatitudes!

The Book of Revelation: (Article 126)

This article provides background on the book of Revelation. Symbolism and the context of the book is covered, as well as the meanings of the book of Revelation for us today.

The Buzz About the Theology-Technology Connection (Article 224)

Using technology in the theology classroom can be quite a challenge. In this article from the January 2001 issue of Connect, Kat Hodapp looks at very practical ways to get started, as well as ways to increase the use of technology in classes. The article contains Web site addresses and ideas from teachers in the field, as well as a call to evaluation and reflection on how technology impacts student learning and relationship with God.

Catholic Youth and the Bible: Moving from Biblical Literacy to Biblical Spirituality (Article 144)

Brian Singer-Towns explains the "ABCs" of biblical literacy: access, big picture, and context. But he also argues that Catholic high schools should go beyond fostering biblical literacy; biblical spirituality is just as important, he says, and he briefly offers some practical approaches for doing that. He also introduces the key features of The Catholic Youth Bible®, of which he was general editor.

Central Characteristics of Roman Catholicism (Article 187)

This handout from the Horizons senior high parish religious education program lists fifteen primary characteristics of Roman Catholicism. These come from a distinctly "inside Catholic" worldview that has a certain perspective on nature and the meaning of life. An ideal resource for the classroom, as well as faculty and staff formation.

A Christmas Legend: The Birth of Jesus and Gift Giving (Article 77)

This dramatic presentation called "The Christmas Legend" is from Scripture Alive (available from Saint Mary's Press) and is meant to be role-played for an audience of young children or elderly people. There are ten roles and a choir ensemble in this piece, which imagines what the shepherds experienced when visiting the baby Jesus. Included is a reflection and discussion for students after the performance to help them process the role-playing experience and the theme of gift giving.

The Church and the Bible: A New Understanding (Article 125)

How the Catholic Church approaches the study of the Bible has changed in the last one hundred years. This informative article begins with the end of the 19^th century, moves through the early 1900's, and discusses Pope Pius XII's encyclical Divino Afflante Spiritu. Considering how the Second Vatican Council affected biblical studies, the article ends by discussing the new challenges ahead.

An Easter Reflection (Article 216)

Using the Sunday Easter readings (Acts 10:34a,37-43; Ps. 118:1-2,16-17,22-23; Col. 3:1-4; Jn. 20:1-9), Sr. Denise Pyles weaves a short and powerful reflection on the awesome nature of life and resurrection. Using some current expressions from a popular game show, the final answer is clear. Jesus Christ is risen! This reflection is suitable for faculties, school prayer, retreats, and the classroom during the Easter season.

Emergency Phone Numbers (Article 231)

Looking for a catchy Scripture or prayer activity for your students? A high school teacher sent this anonymously, and it has potential for student use. Scripture passages are given for times in life where one needs God.

Emmaus Poem (Article 34)

Nancy McDonald's poem centers on the Emmaus story. Appropriate for liturgical, retreat, or classroom settings, the poem invites reflection and challenges the reader to imagine what it would be like to encounter Christ and experience his familiar and powerful presence.

The Enuma Elish: A Babylonian Creation Story (Article 270)

This sidebar from the Living Justice and Peace textbook gives a brief theological analysis of the Babylonian creation myth, The Enuma Elish. The text of the myth is provided as well.

Exploring the Themes in Paul's Epistles (Article 544)

This 50 minute session invites the participants to research some of Paul's major theological themes and create billboard representations to “sell” their assigned theme.

Feminine Images of God (Article 214)

This worksheet helps students find feminine images of God in the Scriptures. Students can do the Scripture search themselves and read the passages on their own. It is a nonthreatening activity that is sure to bring up good discussion in the classroom.

Four Writers of the Pentateuch (Article 26)

Need a catchy way of introducing the concept of different writers or traditions in the Pentateuch? This "egg-cellent" activity will grab your students' attention and imagination!

Jesus always liked you best (Article 143)

Dolores Curran takes a look at the story of Mary and Martha from the standpoint of a "recovering Martha." Thought provoking and humorous, the article addresses stereotypes and the real issues of perfectionism and busyness. This article could be an excellent discussion prompt for our students whose lives can be extremely busy and stressful.

Jesus Makes the Perfect Host (Article 188)

Scott Appleby looks carefully at the theology of Eucharist in this article from U.S. Catholic. A thorough historical overview is given that could be useful for teacher background and preparation.

Lasallian Meditation on Saint Paul (Article 545)

In this meditation from Meditations by John Baptist de La Salle, Saint John Baptist de la Salle meditates on Saint Paul as a model of zeal.

Leadership and Service (Article 236)

This reflective essay, adapted from a homily given by the author, develops the themes of leadership, service, and the paschal mystery. Students and faculty will appreciate her comments regarding a failed attempt at climbing Mount Rainier. Excellent for prayer, retreat, or liturgical use.

Lectio Divina: Praying with the Scriptures (Article 398)

Making Scripture part of our lives is the task of every Christian. Here are some simple step to help the Word become enfleshed in you.

Lessons From the Book of Genesis: An Interview with Dianne Bergant (Article 129)

This interview with a scripture scholar provides basic background on the book of Genesis and explores issues of human dignity, sin, and stewardship.

Let the Church Say Amen (Article 206)

The word "Amen" remains one of the few Hebrew words in our religious vocabulary. We say it many times in the course of prayer and read it often in the gospels. What does this word mean? Where did it come from? This brief article from U.S. Catholic explores these questions. Suitable for teacher background and student reading.

Mathematical Equations for Matthew (Article 254)

This activity from the Teaching Activities Manual for "The Catholic Youth Bible&erg;" provides an overview of the Gospel of Matthew by challenging the students to solve and create mathematical equations using various facts from the Gospel.

Methods That Tune In to the Students' World (Article 66)

Over ten active and student-centered teaching activities, including music, web sites, news, movies, and family rituals, are briefly explained in this article.

A Multiple Intelligence Approach (Article 108)

In the First Letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul reminded us of the variety of God's gifts. How often do we embrace that in our classrooms when it comes to assessment? Fr. Ron Nuzzi introduces Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences in this article from Momentum. Nuzzi goes beyond a generic introduction when he relates these seven kinds of intelligence to Catholic education, particularly when it comes to teaching religion. The article offers examples and current educational research. One sidebar that gives suggestions for assessment activities for each intelligence may be particularly helpful in planning activities for students.

Names and Images of God (Article 87)

Helping students reflect on their image of God is a good way to nurture their spirituality and prayer life. This thorough handout from A Companion Way, by John Vitek (available from Saint Mary's Press), lists names and images of God found in the Scriptures. This handout can be used in a variety of ways, including as a Scripture search, discussion, or reflection activity.

November 23-30, National Bible Week: PRIMA Bible Study (Article 486)

Here is a simple guide for praying with the Sacred Scriptures.This article originally appeared in The Catholic Youth Bible®, Revised.

A New Look at the Sower and the Seeds (Article 29)

The parable of the sower and the seeds is familiar to many students. This reflection gives a different spin on the story while encouraging all of us to joyfully share our gifts with one another. The reflection is appropriate as a classroom reflection piece, a starting place for a retreat talk, or as a faculty-staff discussion starter.

Paul's Conversion (Article 543)

This 70 minute session explores how Paul's life was dramatically changed as a result of his experience of the risen Christ.

Paul's Missionary Journeys (Article 533)

Saint Paul's Feast Day is June 29. This activity about Paul's Missionary Journeys is from the leader's guide for Scripture Sessions on the New Testament. Based on Paul's journeys, students imagine their own missionary journey.

Paul: A Unique Person (Article 542)

This 60-75 minute session focuses on Paul's unique background that prepared him to share the Gospel with different cultures.

Paul: Religious Zeal (Article 534)

This is a reflection on how religious zeal when guided by God's hand leads to love of others.

Paul: Persecutor of Christians (Article 535)

This reflection talks about Jesus's teaching that living our faith goes beyond the letter of the law to the embracing of the spirit of the law.

Paul: A Profound Conversion (Article 536)

This is a reflection on about conversion and how conversion is being enlightened by the truth of God.

Paul: Theologian (Article 537)

This reflection centers on the core of all Christian theology which is the profound reality of the significance of the Passion, death, and Resurrection of Jesus.

Paul: Missionary (Article 538)

This reflection talks about Paul's missionary vigor and his faithfulness as an Apostle of Jesus.

Paul: The Journey to Rome (Article 539)

This reflection shows how Paul took to heart Jesus's words "Fear not," even on his many detours in life.

Paul: Legacy of Love (Article 540)

This reflection focuses on how salvation was gained by Jesus for all through love of all.

A Pauline Prayer Service (Article 546)

This Pauline Prayer Service includes some of Paul's most inspirational words.

Peaceful and Loving Advice (Article 249)

Pulling from her own life experiences, the author weaves a reflection that speaks of peace, loving images of God, and ministry. This piece could be used with students, faculty and staff, liturgies, and retreats.

Pentecost Reflection (Article 246)

Looking for a short and meaningful essay for Pentecost? This personal reflection can serve as a good discussion starter or retreat piece. Excellent for faculty groups and students.

Praying the Psalms (Article 27)

Praying with our students is a valuable and very important activity. This strategy takes 4 or 5 minutes of each class period to pray a psalm, using a book that paraphrases the psalms into language that is "teen-friendly." This idea is not only easy to incorporate in the classroom, but has been very successful with students as prayer and scripture review!

The Sacred Ground of the Mountains (Article 213)

The mountains are a special place for Sr. Denise Pyles, and she shares her love of them in a Lenten scriptural reflection based on passages from the prophet Hosea and the Gospel of Mark. The steadfast love of God is the theme, and the author introduces various Hebrew words that build on this topic. The wedding feast and the parable of the new and old wineskins are part of the reflection as well. The reflection would be excellent for prayer, retreats, or Scripture classes.

Scripture Puppet Show (Article 212)

If you are looking for a tried-and-true Scripture activity for your students, check out this idea for a puppet show from Patrick Daniels, a teacher of twenty-three years. This resource includes the purpose of the activity, grading criteria, and directions for students. Suggestions for the Scripture stories are included as well. The author uses this with chapter 7 of the Understanding Catholic Christianity course, but it may work with any type of Scripture study as well.

Singing Telegrams (Article 255)

This activity from the Teaching Activities Manual for "The Catholic Youth Bible®" invites the students to work together to compose singing telegrams based on passages in Matthew's infancy narrative.

St. Jerome: The Perils of a Bible Translator (Article 103)

This September 1997 article from St. Anthony Messenger gives new insight into how Catholics read the Bible, tracing that practice back to the fourth century when a young priest was commissioned to produce a Latin text of the Gospels for liturgy. As Latin began to replace Greek as the common language in the western part of the empire, the need for a Bible in Latin was great. Pope Damascus chose Jerome for his trilingual abilities in Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. The article gives background on Jerome's early years and discusses challenges that arose in his work, such as his insistence that original Hebrew texts be used instead of the Greek translation.

Theology for Teens (Article 201)

Teaching high school theology is an incredible challenge and is very exciting because the "clay is still being molded." Citing religious literacy as a goal for high school theology programs, James DiGiacomo, SJ, gives some specific ideas for morality and scripture classes and offers some direction for those involved in helping students construct a Christian worldview. Theology departments interested in curriculum development will find much to discuss in this January 29 article from America.

Understanding New Approaches to the Gospels (Article 134)

The search for the "real" Jesus has become a hot topic in biblical scholarship, as well as the secular world in recent years. This article takes a look at where this scholarship has been in the recent past and provides helpful suggestions when dealing with historical criticism. This is an excellent background article when teaching gospel development.

Using Imaginative Retellings in Teaching the Bible (Article 42)

Making the Scriptures come alive for our students is always a challenge! This method of imaginative retellings is a creative way for students to appreciate the relevance of the Scriptures in their lives. Tom Gorsuch gives the rationale for using such retellings in the classroom, and then proceeds to tell how to do them. Specific directions and ideas, such as a news conference, trial simulation, and investigating committee, are included in this article for helping students use a first-person point of view for various stories. Suggestions for further reading are included at the conclusion of the article.

Waiting for God (Article 253)

The task of waiting for God, of getting ready for God, includes the art of paying attention. In this reflection, appropriate for prayer services, liturgies, and retreats, the author states that there is no passive waiting time. Waiting for God requires our very life. To be authentic, to put our faith in action, we must be attentive and aware of God's presence with us, among us, and within us.

You Were Called (Article 247)

This poem, written by a student in her sophomore year, reflects on her experiences with service. Good for use in classes, liturgies, retreats, or in service preparation.