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…
The Religion Teacher Blog
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…
Are You a Witness? A New Focus on Teaching AND Testimony
“You will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, and Samaria, and all the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 I started something new this semester and it really made a big impact on my students. I started using a new approach to…
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…
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 Angelus Prayer for Children
Since Advent of last year I have had an incredible experience praying the Angelus every day. At first I started praying it at noon each day. Then I added it to my morning prayer routine. Now, I have reminders set in my phone for 6:00 a.m., noon, and 6:00 p.m. to tell me that it…
Holy Week Prayer Services
There are a number of great Holy Week prayer services for kids that religion teachers and catechists can use in class the week before Easter. We should all use this time, known as the Triduum, as a special week of preparation for the joys of Easter with particular focus on preparing our hearts with the…
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…
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…
