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Catholic Education Week 2015: Exploring Paths of JoyDAY 5: PROCLAIMING THE GOOD NEWS / Suggested Grade Level:
Primary
BOOK TITLE: / Lessons from POPE FRANCIS for Children /
AUTHOR and
ILLUSTRATOR: / Angela M. Burrin
Maria Cristina Lo Cascio
ISBN: / 9781593252663
BOOK DESCRIPTION: This book contains lessons that Pope Francis has outlined for all of us. The lessons are based on scripture passages. Then Pope Francis gives a lesson and he invites us to do an action to grow in faith / MATERIALS:
Book
Elmo – overhead projection device
Luke’s gospel
CATHOLIC CONNECTIONS:
OCSGE – An Effective Communicator and A Reflective and Creative Thinker
Catholic Social Teaching: Life and Dignity of the Human Person
Scripture focus: Luke 24: 32-35
R.E. Curriculum: Hope Expectations – BL1, 2, CL1, 2, LM1, LC1 PR1
Fully Alive: A1, 2, B1, 2, E2, 3 / MINISTRY CURRICULUM LINKS:
Language
Oral: 1.2-1.5; 2.1-2.5
MINDS ON (Before)Approximately: 10 min. / PAUSE & PONDER
Learning Goal: Students willdo an activity to deepen their understanding of one of the lessons from Pope Francis.
Success Criteria:
Students will listen to the lessons of Pope Francis.
Students will make some connections between Pope Francis’ lessons and the Emmaus story.
Students will do an activity with one of the lessons from Pope Francis and share it with their families.
Before Reading: Who is the Pope? What is the Pope’s job? Who was the first Pope?
Let’s look at the book cover. What do you think the book is about? Predict what you think this book will be about? Read the title to the students. Does knowing the title change your prediction about the book? / The same book is being used by the whole school for the last day. The lessons for Primary students are Lessons One to Four
Assessment of Learning (AoL) – to assess if students have learned to make predictions/inferences.
ACTION! (During)Approximately: 20-30min. / PAUSE & PONDER
During Reading: Read the first lesson. Give students time to look at the illustration that goes with the lesson. Lesson One – God Loves Us
Read the second lesson. Jesus Is My Friend
Read the third lesson. Open Your Heart to the Holy Spirit.
Read the fourth lesson. God Never Tires of Forgiving You
This week we have been listening to the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Let’s recap. The disciples left Jerusalem because their friend Jesus had been put to death. As they were walking a man joined them on the road. It was Jesus but they did not recognize him. Jesus explains the passages in the Scriptures that explained why their friend Jesus had died. When they came close to Emmaus they invited the man to come in to eat with them. When Jesus took the bread, said the blessing and handed it to them, they recognized Jesus but he vanished. They made their way back to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples that Jesus was alive.
Read the Emmaus story for today’s theme. The theme for today is “Proclaiming the Good News.” Can you make any connections with the Emmaus story and the lessons from Pope Francis? / The first part of each lesson is a summary of a scripture passage. Then the lesson that Pope Francis wants to share with children is outlined. Then there is an activity to make the lesson personally meaningful.
If your class can’t sit long enough to hear four lessons, save the other lessons for the next weeks of school.
CONSOLIDATION (After)Approximately:10-20 min. / PAUSE & PONDER
After Reading
Have the students decide which lesson they want to work with further. This may set up as activity stations for your class. Attached are activities that can be prepared for the students.
Activity ONE for Lesson One
Invite students to trace their hands onto the hand that is God’s hand (adult hand). See BLM 1.1
Invite them to take this page home to tell their parents that: Pope Francis wants me to know that God loves me!
Activity TWO for Lesson Two
Invite students to create a plastercine gift for Jesus.
Invite them to take this gift home to tell their parents that: Pope Francis wants me to invite Jesus to be my friend!
Activity THREE for Lesson Three
Invite students to cut out a big heart in red construction paper. Then cut a door in the middle of the heart. Invite the students to open the door of their hearts to goodness. Write acts of kindness that they can do on the heart. Invite them to take the heart home to tell their parents that: Pope Francis wants me to open my heart to the Holy Spirit!
Activity FOUR for Lesson Four
Invite students to fill in the blanks on the handout with the title of the lesson. Explain to the students it is challenging to practice these actions all the time. When we struggle, our Father in heaven will always forgive us. See BLM 4.1 Invite students to explain to their parents that: Pope Francis wants me to know that my Father in heaven will always forgive me! / These activities are intended to offer choice to the students in how they respond to the lessons from Pope Francis. This is not an exhaustive list of activities. As classroom teacher you know your students and how they learn best. Feel free to create your own activities if these do not meet the needs of your students. The only key is that the students be instructed to share the lesson they learned with someone and thus proclaim the Good News.
BLM 1.1
God Forgives Me Always
Activity Four for Lesson Four
______is always patient.
______is always kind.
______is never jealous.
______never brags.
______is not conceited.
______is never rude.
______is not selfish.
______does not take offense.
______is not resentful.
______delights in the truth.
Pope Francis wants me to know that God will always forgive me!
BLM 1.2