Catechesis
81 results
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Empathizing (Religion in the Modern World)
This article provides several suggestions of ways to help students reflect on their experiences with people from different forms of religion in the modern world.
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Empathizing (Shinto)
This article provides several possible ideas of ways to help students see, experience, and better understand the Shinto religion.
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Facts About Sexually Transmitted Diseases and AIDS
This article gives information about common STDs and AIDS.
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What Can a Person Do?
This article gives several suggestions of how an individual can bring about distributive justice.
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What Do Sisters Do?
An article that discusses the roles and responsibilities of religious sisters.
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Community in the Catholic Church
This article is from the Living in Christ Series. It discusses the social nature of the Catholic Church, especially with reference to community and salvation.
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WebQuest
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It discusses the value of using WebQuests as a classroom learning tool.
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Creating Photo Stories
This article is from the Living in Christ Series. It gives ideas for using PhotoStory in the classroom, available for free download.
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Using the A to Z Method
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It discusses the value of using the A-Z Method of pre- and post- assessment.
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The Holy Spirit
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It offers a brief introduction to the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.
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Using Small Group Hands On Experiences
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It discusses the value of using small group, hands-on activities in the classroom.
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Media Literacy
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It discusses several modes of communication and the importance of media literacy education.
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Written Conversations
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It explains the use of written conversations to facilitate classroom learning and dialogue.
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Service and Justice: A Conversion of Heart
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It discusses 5 stages in introducing service learning to a classrooom setting.
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Treating Sensitive Topics
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It discusses and gives tips on how to approach sensitive topics in a classroom environment.
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The Interfaith Classroom
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It discusses techniques and challenges for teaching Catholic themes in an interfaith classroom environment.
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Written Conversations
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It discusses the value of classroom discussions as well as suggesting new styles of this method.
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Word Splash
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It discusses and explains the value of using a Word Splash for classroom learning.
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Critical Questioning Method of Engaging with Texts
This article is from the Living in Christ Series. It discusses methods for encouraging students to engage texts they are reading on a deeper level to benefit their learning and the classroom dialogue.
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Using Primary Sources
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It discusses the value of using primary source texts in the classroom.
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The Paschal Mystery
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It offers an introduction to the Paschal Mystery including the root of the words, its effects, and theories of how the salvation of mankind precisely transpires through Jesus' suffering, death …
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Using Venn Diagrams
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It discusses the value of using Venn Diagrams for classroom learning.
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Using a Wiki for Group Projects
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It discusses the use of Wikis for classroom group projects, including some suggestions and caveats.
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Salvation: Different Theories
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It offers an overview of some of the main theories of salvation, including the Prophetic, Sacrificial, Ransom, Divinization, Vicarious, Moral Exemplar, and Penal Substitution models.
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Introduction to Revelation
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It offers an overview and introduction to the Revelation in the Catholic Church, including Natural and Divine Revelation and information the Church Father and the Second Vatican Council.
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Using the Think-Pair-Share Method
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It discusses the value of using the Think-Pair-Share Method of classroom learning and discussion.
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Using a Mind Map
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It introduces and explains the concept and method of Mind Maps as a classroom tool.
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Using Rubrics to Assess Work
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It explains the value of using rubrics to assess student work.
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Using Final Performance Tasks to Assess Understanding
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It discusses the value of using Final Performance Tasks to assess students.
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Gospel Comparison Chart
This chart helps teachers and students observe the differences between the various contexts, themes, audiences, and time frames of the four Gospels.
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Blogging and Beyond
This article is from the Living in Christ Series. It offers an overview of what blogging is and how it can be integrated in the classroom. Several suggested blogs are featured at the end of the article.
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Setting Up a Blog
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It gives an introduction and overview of blogging and its educational value.
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Using Quotations
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It explains the value of using quotations to facilitate classroom discussions.
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Using Google Earth
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It offers an introduction to the use of Google Earth in the classroom.
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Using the Found-Read Method
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It discusses the value of using the "Found-Read" Method to facilitate classroom learning and discussion.
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Using the Take-a-Stand Method
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It discusses the value of using the Take-a-Stand Method.
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Check Your Understanding
This activity is part of the Living in Christ Series. It serves as a review of several important terms and asks students to define, associate, and put the term into the context of Salvation History.
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Using the Barometer Method
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It discusses the value of using the Barometer method to facilitate classroom discussion.
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Using the Jigsaw Process
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It discusses the value of using the Jigsaw Process to facilitate classroom learning and discussion.
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Using the Big Paper Exercise
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It discusses the value of using the Big Paper Exercise for classroom discussion.
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Using an Ungraded Association Quiz
This article is part of the Living in Christ Series. It discusses the value of an ungraded association quiz as an assessment or preassessment.
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Building Scaffolds for Learning
This article is from the Living in Christ Series. It discusses the notion of structured teaching methods through the model of scaffolding.
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Reading Notes and Questions for Student Book Articles 9-12
This reading guide is part of the Living in Christ Series. Students can use it while reading other articles from the LIC Series to take important notes and answer significant questions.
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The Cycle of Redemption
This handout is part of the Living in Christ Series. Students may use it as a quick reference to key ideas behind the Cycle of Redemption in the Old Testament.
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Catechist Tip Sheet 6: Using the Scriptures
The Scriptures play a critical role in our faith growth as a source of inspiration, celebration, education, and formation. As a catechist you should become comfortable with using the Scriptures, and nurture such comfort in young people.
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Catechist Tip Sheet 5: Helping Young Adolescents to Pay Attention
Handout that Catechists attending Session need to print out/can use. Resource
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Catechist Tip Sheet 3: Effective Story Telling
Handout that Catechists attending Session need to print out/can use. Resource
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Catechist Tip Sheet 4: Effective Group Management
Handout that Catechists attending Session need to print out/can use. Resource
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Catechist Tip Sheet 1: Developmental Characteristics of Young Adolescents
Handout that Catechists attending Session need to print out/can use. Resource
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Catechist Tip Sheet 2: Active Learning and Faith Formation
Handout that Catechists attending Session need to print out/can use. Resource
Article
Blessed are the Media Makers . . .
Imagine if a teacher brought students to the school library and allowed them to read anything they wanted without ever asking a single question or demanding that students think critically about what they were reading. Preposterous! What teacher would ever …
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Program aims to get youth excited about Bible
Young people in the diocese are getting excited about Scripture and it's all part of a national effort called "Yes! Youth Engaging Scripture." YES is a Catholic teen-to-teen Bible sharing concept and to date, some 1,800 young people have been …
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November, National Child Safety Month: Considerations in Ministry Planning
CONSIDERATIONS IN MINISTRY PLANNING All adults who work with children and or young people must be capable of exercising good judgment and wisdom in their ministry. We recommend that you consider the following questions when planning any activity involving children …
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The Twelve Virtues of a Good Teacher
THE TWELVE VIRTUES OF A GOOD TEACHER In 1706, John Baptist de La Salle, patron saint of teachers, listed twelve virtues of a good teacher in his Conduct of the Christian Schools. In 1785, Brother Agathon, the fifth superior general …
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Wrestling with Diversity
How do we welcome non-Christians into our schools and our religion classrooms, and at the same time give witness to our own Christ-centered faith? How do we invite students to learn from and respect other faith traditions without sending the …
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Parents As Members of the High School Faith Community
In 1977 when I began teaching and ministering in the high school apostolate, parents were not considered a part of the official work on student retreats. As the teachers, we had the answers for their sons and daughters; we had …
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The Buzz About the Theology-Technology Connection
"What's the buzz? Tell me what's happenin'!" I'm sure many of you recognize those lyrics from "Jesus Christ Superstar." I think of that song whenever the topic of technology comes up, which is often. In-services, workshops, and professional journals regularly …
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The Late Great Catholic High School
"Jesus is everyone's department!" That is what I found myself exclaiming as I argued with a fellow teacher and friend about why she only wanted the religion teachers in our high school to offer extra credit to students if they …
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Theology for Teens
Adolescents' values and aspirations are in the process of formation and their capacity for commitment is just beginning to emerge. Europeans tell the story of a young man who was disturbed by the antireligious skepticism prevalent at his university and …
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In the Name of the Father
Making the sign of the cross is a gesture that says, in shorthand, that a person is a Catholic. It appears as an icon in popular culture, and as a gesture it is scattered throughout film history, for example: movie …
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Tuning in to youths' media culture
Rather than criticize teens' preoccupation with the media, these religion teachers use it in their faith formation efforts. Adolescents often feel most fully alive and in tune with their peers in the midst of a media experience--a rock concert, a …
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Seven habits of highly effective Catholic college graduates
Evidence of a total Catholic education may be found in persons who have cultivated these principles of action. The title of Stephen R. Covey's long-running bestseller The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Simon & Schuster) kept circling in my …
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A Multiple Intelligence Approach
Helping students discover how they are smart should be the goal of assessment. Is multiple intelligence instruction the way to proceed into the 21st century? Many educators in Catholic settings with whom I have worked remark that the theory reminds …
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Six Ways to be Truly Catholic
I always thought that I would have made a great archbishop in Salzburg during the time of Mozart. But instead I'm the archbishop of Milwaukee in the time of rock 'n' roll. That's the way life turns out. We live …
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The Church
Central Characteristics of Roman Catholicism Catholicism is a remarkably rich religion, characterized by a complex tapestry of beliefs, practices, values, rituals, traditions, and more. When viewed from the outsidethat is, by those who do not share its communal lifeCatholicism is …
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Using Literature in Theology Classes
Editor's note: The author of our feature article, Kathleen Hodapp, was one of the participants in last summer's workshop "The Catholic High School As Faith Community," held here in Winona, Minnesota, as well as on the East Coast and the …
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Service and Justice
We are standing on the brink, and our bishops are urging us to jump. Many of us don't know where we'll end up, and we aren't sure whether we'll land in one piece. Yet the sense of urgency is building, …
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To Teach as Jesus Did: A Teacher's Reflections
"To teach as Jesus did." It's a phrase that must have been tucked away somewhere in my mind because it sprang to consciousness when I was asked to consider writing this article. "To teach as Jesus did." What an awesome …
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The Power of Parables
We all know that a good story will almost always act as an excellent springboard for reflection. Jesus' most effective teaching tool was the parable. He would gather his disciples and tell them a story with a message that moved …
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When the School Play Becomes a Faith Experience
As a teacher in a Catholic school, I have always been concerned with trying to demonstrate to my students how, in a practical way, Catholic values and the Christian worldview are relevant to their lives. A Catholic school does not …
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ROCKS
"God, being a teenager has so many ups and downs, so many vital decisions. It is a time when the pressures of one's peers are at a high, and the choices that are made will inevitably follow people throughout their …
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Once Upon A Time: Using Student-Generated Stories in Religion Classes
Religion classes should be interesting, if not compelling, and they can be if what is interesting is determined by the students. This, of course, is not a new approach. Learner-centered educational theories have been popular for decades. Using story as …
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Curriculum Offerings of Theology Departments
For a couple of years, Saint Marys Press sponsored a listserv discussion group online. Discussions on a variety of topics were pursued via e-mail. In this section of the web site, I summarize some of the highlights from these old …
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Block Scheduling Tips
For a couple of years, Saint Mary's Press sponsored a listserv discussion group online. Discussions on a variety of topics were pursued via e-mail. It is my hope that I can summarize some of the highlights from these old files …