Classroom Ideas for the Catechism
The Catechism has ancient Christian roots and a rich tradition of scripture, prayer, interpretation and Roman Catholic Church doctrine. Teaching Catechism classes can seem like a daunting task, but with a little imagination it can be accomplished with ease. Use games, activities, crafts and drama to bring the Catechism to life for your students.
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Games
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Learning through in-class games can be a fun way to master the complex history of the Catechism. One idea for educators is to create a Jeopardy-like review in preparation for exams. Students will have categories with questions and corresponding points based on the Catechism. In the end, the student who has answered the most questions correctly, thus having the most points, will win the Jeopardy contest and prize. The prize could be an extra 10 points on the exam.
Worksheet Activities
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From fill-in-the-blank assignments to coloring books, classroom worksheet activities are superior teaching aids for educators. They get students to identify and illustrate concepts, and they are a challenging way to reinforce the teachings of the Catechism. You can create these worksheets yourself or purchase workbooks that include activities.
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Crafts
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A variety of crafts can be customized for teaching the Catechism. Children can make bookmarks, paper cone angels, puppets or posters. The main idea to remember is that the students must be expressing a Catechism concept in their art. For example, ask the students to draw a poster of the 10 commandments without using words. This will get students visually thinking about the commandments and what each one actually means.
Class Play
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Organize a class play to teach students about Catechism concepts. For example: according to the Catholic Church, there are seven sacraments: Baptism, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders and Anointing of the Sick. Cast the students in a drama in which they can enact the sacraments as different acts in a play. This entertaining process will help the students to memorize the seven sacraments. This approach can be applied to a variety of concepts.
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References
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