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…
The Religion Teacher Blog
Pope Activities and Lesson Plans for Kids
Here is a collection of activities you can use to teach about the role of the pope in the Roman Catholic Church. For additional resources, check out The Religion Teacher’s Pope Activity Pack, which includes full lesson plans, worksheets, videos, prayers, reflection activities, and assessments. Pope Activity Ideas Catholic Icing’s List of Pope Activities for…
Papal Conclave Lesson Plan
This is an updated lesson plan from The Religion Teacher’s Pope Activity Pack, which includes lesson plans, activity ideas, worksheets, prayers, and videos to help you teach about and pray for the pope. Get additional lesson plans and worksheets about the pope here. Papal Conclave Lesson Objectives Papal Conclave Lesson Activities & Assessment Hook: Jobs…
Do an 80/20 Analysis to Review Lesson Plan
You’re overwhelmed. Nothing seems to be working in your classroom. Stress levels rise with each new day. Why won’t these kids listen? Why am I constantly getting blank stares? Why won’t they just sit still and pay attention? I’ll never get all of this information covered today let alone this entire year! Maybe your life…
Valentine’s Day Object Lesson: Making Jesus Our Valentine
It is my pleasure to welcome Mary-Kate Warner as a guest at The Religion Teacher today. She writes for a website that shares Sunday School lessons, activities, and games mostly for Protestant churches. Although I think we should also focus on Saint Valentine on Valentines Day, I love the way Mary-Kate creatively and boldly shows…
Catholic Schools Week Ideas and Activities 2013
I am so pleased to welcome back for the fourth time my wife Jennifer Dees and our good friend Meghann Kirzeder, who will share another set of Catholic Schools Week ideas and activities for 2013. They’ve shared so many ideas in the past that they wanted me to point you to their previous posts as…
Prayer Service for Vocations
Mid-January of every year in the United States is declared National Vocations Awareness Week by the USCCB to coincide with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Why is this week so important? From the USCCB website: “National Vocation Awareness Week gives dioceses and parishes across the country a chance to promote vocations through prayer…
45 Ways to Celebrate the Year of Faith as a Family
Although we’ve begun a new calendar year, the Year of Faith is still in full swing! Have you given your parents some ideas on how to celebrate the Year of Faith at home with your students? Jennifer from Risen Christ School in Minneapolis shared with me a Year of Faith brochure she created to give…
@Pontifex Lesson Plan on the Pope
In 2012 Pope Benedict XVI officially joined Twitter as @pontifex in 2012. Teachers and catechists constantly ask me how to make lessons interesting to the students, well here is a great opportunity to be relevant with lesson plan on the Pope! The Pope joining Twitter is an excellent opportunity to make real world connections to…
Our Lady of Guadalupe Prayer Service
In many areas of the United States, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe may be one of the most important feast days in the Catholic school/parish religious education year. As the number of Hispanic Catholics rise in the United States, so does the devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Consider using this prayer service,…
