The Religion Teacher | Catholic Religious Education

New Book: 31 Days to Becoming a Better Religious Educator!

I am pleased to announce that my new book, 31 Days to Becoming a Better Religious Educator, is officially published! It is now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, www.avemariapress.com, and various Catholic bookstores! 31 Days to Becoming a Better Religious Educator is the book I wish that I had when I was first starting out as a religion teacher and it is a resource I implemented with great results in this, my ninth year in formal … [Continue Reading]

Habemus Papam! Pope Francis Lesson Plan

Habemus papam! As we all scramble to find resources to teach about the newly elected Pope Francis, I offer this initial Pope Francis lesson plan to help your students understand the significance of his first few moments as the Holy Father. I was personally very moved by the the events that unfolded at the conclusion of the papal conclave on March 13, 2013 and never more so than the moment the Holy Father asked us to pray for him before extending … [Continue Reading]

The Basic Steps of Lectio Divina

Lectio divina is an ancient Catholic prayer method for reading and praying with the Bible. Don't let the Latin scare you away from learning to do it yourself or from sharing it with your students. It is an essential practice for all Catholics to learn and certainly not something we should avoid teaching young people to do. In the eBook, Lectio Divina for Children and Teens, I provide a number of handouts and activity suggestions to help teach … [Continue Reading]

The Password Review Game

I'm always on the lookout for fun review games to play with my students. When I first started teaching, I had a group of students who were very into sports and games. They would ask me almost daily if they could play games. I was happy to play more games with them as long as the games were effective at reinforcing what students had learned. My philosophy on games has always been focus on engagement over entertainment. The measure of success of … [Continue Reading]

Better Religious Educator Summer Webinar Recording

Webinar Recording: 13 Ways to Become a Better Religious Educator During Summer Break

It was so great to have everyone at the summer break webinar in June. Whether you are a catechist or religion teacher yourself or a catechetical leader looking for resources to give to your volunteers and staff this summer, I hope you will enjoy this recording of the presentation as well as the free handouts that go with it. The webinar lasted about an hour and can certainly be viewed in sections. If you are using the video as a guide to each … [Continue Reading]