Old-school teachers like to teach and test, teach, and test. Tests and quizzes can be effective measures of a student’s progress, but they are rarely used to their full potential. If a quiz or test reveals that there were concepts that students did not master, then teachers need to re-teach. This concept defines the term…
The Religion Teacher Blog
Using Bloom’s Taxonomy to Create Lesson Objectives
In order to expand on a previous post titled “Creating Lesson Objectives,” here is a short introduction to Bloom’s Taxonomy. Many teachers use Bloom’s Taxonomy to select an action verb for lesson objectives. Bloom’s taxonomy categorizes different levels of learning to allow teachers to think about what level they want their students to learn: knowledge,…
Creating Lesson Objectives
Lesson objectives are succinct sentences that describe what you would like students to be able to do as a result of the lesson. In other words they are the goals of the lesson. They are also known as learning goals or learning objectives. Lesson Objectives/Goals have three parts: 1) Students Will Be Able To (SWBAT)…
How to Lesson Plan in Religion and Catechesis
Preparation is a key to effective teaching. Lesson planning can be so much more than creating a list of activities for students to do. Take a look at the following questions and consider them a process by which you can lesson plan each week. Ask yourself the following questions when you create your lesson plans:…
Pope Benedict XVI’s Catechesis on Saint Augustine of Hippo
Pope Benedict XVI dedicated five Wednesday audiences to St. Augustine of Hippo in February of 2008. It was a part of an ongoing meditation on the lives of the saints of the Catholic Church that he began in 2006 with the saints of the New Testament. In 2007 Pope Benedict moved from New Testament heroes…
Catechist’s Journey Webinar by Joe Paprocki Concludes
Joe Paprocki, the author of Catechist’s Journey, concluded his series of webinars titled “Getting Started as a Catechist” tonight. In the first session he focused on the basics (the role of the catechist, lesson planning, and creating an effective learning environment) and in tonight’s second session he focused on reflective prayer, liturgical prayer, discipline and…
Prayers of St. Augustine of Hippo
In preparation for his feast day on August 28th, here are some prayers attributed to Saint Augustine of Hippo. As a teacher or catechist, you might share them with your students or use them in your own personal prayers for the day: From the introduction of The Confessions (Chapter 1): “Great are You, O Lord,…
News Article on “Reinventing Catholic Schools”
An article was released on Wednesday by http://www.uscatholic.org/ on the various efforts to breathe life into financially troubled Catholic Schools. Click here to read Sarah Karp’s article titled “Final Exam: Can we reinvent Catholic schools?” Also for a more detailed explanation of the topics, read the Thomas B. Fordham Institute’s publication by Scott Hamilton titled,…
Gregorian Chant Online
If you are a religion teacher or catechist you may have a number of CDs that you use for journaling or reflective prayer. If not, or if you would like to spice it up with a little variety, here are a couple of suggestions. You will need to have access to the internet and speakers…
Catholic Schools K12 Virtual
[UPDATE: Please see the comments at the bottom of this post to correct some errors that were made in this overview of CSK12.] St. Andrew Catholic School/Parish in Coral Springs, Florida has developed an online education program focused on the Catholic Schools market. The program is called Catholic Schools K12 Virtual and it can be…
