I realized as I was teaching one of the final lessons of the year this week that I don’t share what I actually do in class often enough. I make a lot of suggestions based on what works for me, but it has been awhile since I shared a full lesson plan that I have…
Lesson Plans
Liturgical Year Lesson Plan and Flashcard Activity
How do you introduce young people to the liturgical year? Most catechists and religion teachers spend in-depth class meetings focusing on each individual seasons, especially during Advent and Lent. Sometimes, though, it is important to zoom out and help young people see the whole picture. The liturgical years isn’t about colors and rituals. The seasons…
Moses Lesson Plans
One of the most important figures in the Old Testament is, of course, Moses. Moses was called by God to lead the people of Israel out of captivity in Egypt and into the freedom of the Promised Land of Israel. Most of his life story appears in the Book of Exodus, but also in Leviticus,…
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…
Papal Conclave Lesson Plan
There has been lots of excitement during Lent 2013 with the historic conclave to elect a new pope to succeed retired Pope Benedict XVI. Students will be likely to watch and listen to all sorts of stories about the election and selection process for the new pontiff. Use this papal conclave lesson plan with your…
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…
@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…
Introduction to the Catechism Lesson Plan
The Year of Faith is the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Second Vatican Council and the twentieth anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. While many students have never seen or heard of the Catechism, others can become so intimidated by the size, small print, paragraphs, notes, and numbers…
Lesson Plan: Jesus as a Boy in the Temple
Very little is known about Jesus’ life when he was a boy. We have only one story about Jesus between his birth and life as an adult. In the Gospel of Luke, the boy Jesus is accidentally left in Jerusalem by his parents. They later find him listening and teaching in the temple as if…
The 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit Lesson Plan & Worksheet
If you sat down to think about it, you could probably come up with a long list of things that God gives us to make us better people. There are a whole host of gifts that allow us to reach our dreams and conquer our greatest challenges, but based on the Scriptures (Isaiah 11:2-3) and…
