Catechesis Under the Stars: Creative Lesson Planning

As presented June 5, 2013 at Queen of Angels Parish by Rachel Hohner, CRE
"Catechesis Under the Stars" course flyer -- MS Word | PDF

Download the Power Point Presentation (right click and "Save As..."):
Creative Lesson Planning --  MS PowerPoint | PDF
Resources are linked within the presentation, arranged by intelligence type.  See links below for index by subject, as well as additional resources not in the presentation.

Notes-taking sheet for Multiple Intelligences -- MS Word | PDF

Multiple Intelligences assessment: Find your strengths! http://www.literacyworks.org/mi/assessment/findyourstrengths.html 
Discover where your own strengths lie so you can be conscious of that when planning lessons to teach others.

Multiple Intelligences for Adult Literacy and Education:
http://www.literacyworks.org/mi/intro/index.html
Further information on the theory of Multiple Intelligences.

TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Ed -- Lessons Worth Sharing
http://ed.ted.com/
A way to plan and share lessons based on any YouTube video. 

General Teaching Techniques to Plan Your Own Class Activities

• Age-appropriate songs, videos and slideshows
• "Circle time” group sharing
• Recorded homilies or podcasts
• Question & answer sessions
• Rebus, word search, hidden pictures, crosswords
• Posters, bulletin boards, PowerPoints, hall exhibits
• Constructed response worksheets
• Writing news articles
• Plays, skits and dialogues
• Rotating classroom jobs
• Video interviews and guest speakers
• Group projects or presentations
• Inspirational quotes
• Journaling and brainstorming
• Gestures, postures, processions, dance
• Tours, pilgrimages, scavenger hunts
• Skits and demonstrations, going to the board
• Playsets and manipulatives
• Sacramentals, signs and symbols
• Picture or event sequencing
• Critical thinking questions
• Numbers, codes and puzzles
• Listing, outlining and summarizing
• Dramatic readings
• Background music during work time
• Contemporary Christian music
• Graphs or charts with statistics
• Maps or globes
• Word clouds -- wordle.net

Video Publishers

• Brother Francis (Catholic, early childhood), http://www.brotherfrancisonline.com/ or http://www.youtube.com/brotherfrancisonline  
• Franciscan Media Productions (Catholic, all ages) -- http://productions.franciscanmedia.org/ or http://www.youtube.com/catholicsampler
• BustedHalo (Catholic, young adult and youth ministry) -- http://bustedhalo.com/ or http://www.youtube.com/bustedhalovideo
• Spirit Juice Studios (Catholic, youth minisry) -- http://www.spiritjuicestudios.com/ or  http://www.youtube.com/spiritjuicestudios
• Outside Da Box (Catholic, youth ministry) -- https://outsidedabox.com/ or http://www.youtube.com/outsidedaboxnfp/
• Ascension Press (Catholic, youth & YA bible study, youth & middle school Theology of the Body) -- http://ascensionpress.com/ or http://www.youtube.com/ascensionpress08/
• Blue Fish TV (Christian, youth ministry video illustrations & teen Scripture study), http://www.bluefishtv.com/Home or http://www.youtube.com/bluefishtv/

Crafts, Blogs, and Other Resources

• Catechist’s Journey (Loyola Press) blog by Joe Paprocki, http://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/
• CatholicKidsBulletin.BlogSpot.com handouts (CLW), http://catholickidsbulletin.blogspot.com/
• Catholic Mom, http://catholicmom.com/
• Resources for Catholic Educators, http://www.silk.net/RelEd/
• Catechist Magazine, http://catechist.com/
• Office of Mission Education for the New Evangelization, http://www.wearemissionary.org/mission-classroom (includes monthly saints blog posts)
• Sunday School Crafts, http://www.sundayschoolcrafts.com/
• Catholic Crafts and More, http://catholicicing.com/
• The website for your textbook series! (see your manual for special access to content)
  • Pflaum, http://www.pflaum.com/
  • Loyola Press, http://www.loyolapress.com/
  • RCL Benziger ,http://www.rclbenziger.com/
  • Our Sunday Visitor, http://www.osv.com/
  • St. Mary's Press, http://www.smp.org/
• Vendors for Crafts, Sacramentals, and Supplies
  • Autom, http://www.autom.com/
  • The Catholic Company, http://www.catholiccompany.com/
  • Oriental Trading, http://www.orientaltrading.com/ -- Religious Crafts, Sunday School, Vacation Bible School

Prayer and Worship

• Students writing their own prayers in response to the lesson
• Group prayer (all saying the Our Father together)
• Mental prayer (each praying to Mary silently)
• Rhythmic prayer or prayer poems ("Now I lay me down to sleep...")
• Outdoor prayer or prayer gardens
• Canticle of Brother Sun and Sister Moon, St. Francis of Assisi -- http://www.catholic.org/clife/prayers/prayer.php?p=183
• Video prayers
  • Outside Da Box, The 23rd Psalm http://youtu.be/U89I_Sb87Wo
  • Amena Brown, Resurrection http://youtu.be/nl40wVuCJUA
  • Susan Boyle, How Great Thou Art, http://youtu.be/Zm2NOgQmew8
  • Marty Haugen, Canticle of the Sun, http://youtu.be/OGMIjwf0SVw
  • Prayer for the Canonization of Father Augustus Tolton, http://youtu.be/eeuMdrptAHE
• Prayer cards, pocket crosses
• The Rosary, Stations of the Cross, or other guided meditations
• 3-Minute Retreats (Loyola Press)
  http://www.loyolapress.com/3-minute-retreats-daily-online-prayer.htm
• Ignatian Examen
  • Into the Examen short film, http://youtu.be/qUr9Qy-8C5M
  • Instructions, http://www.loyolapress.com/how-can-i-pray-try-the-daily-examen.htm
• Embodied prayer or personal expression
  • Dominican blessing, http://youtu.be/Kq3rKFy1hSw
  • Extended Our Father, http://youtu.be/sxWOfNqobNY
  • Fr. Michael Sparough SJ, The Body at Prayer, order at http://www.heartoheart.org/store/fr-michael-sparough.html
• Praying with Christian art -- art/y/fact.xn app for iPhone, iPad, and Android

Creed

• VCat video catechism series by Outside Da Box and the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in WV, http://www.vcat.org/mobile-creed.html (some videos not yet posted as of June 2013)
• Creed-inspired Christian art, as seen in Queen of Angels Creed windows video, http://s1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa331/qaparish/?action=view&current=CreedWindows_2012.mp4
• “Jesus and I Know It” parody, http://youtu.be/AHnY2C6PZLM
  Concordance for the parody video, http://queenofangelschicago.typepad.com/confirmation/2012/10/bonus-video-jesus.html
• Symbols of the Trinity -- 3-leafed clover (St. Patrick), rose bushes (St. John of Damascus)
• Cross as Tree of Life
• Wind, fruits, scents of the Holy Spirit

Scripture

• Scripture study
• Children’s Bible songs ("Joshua fit the battle of Jericho...")
• Comparing Scripture passages
  • Parallel structures (Psalms, Isaiah) or stories (Gospels)
  • Typology or prefiguring (OT Joseph, Jonah --> Jesus)
• Breaking open the Word -- reflecting with Sunday readings
• Lectio Divina (divine reading)
• AishVideo, Google Exodus http://youtu.be/BIxToZmJwdI
• Jewish-made video David, King of Israel http://youtu.be/_Z7AYjGnm1s?t=48s
• Reading parables of Jesus

Sacraments, Liturgy and the Church Year

• BustedHalo, Sacraments 101 series, http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL60396574E0A0B9A2
• Blessing with holy water
• The E-U-C-H-A-R-I-S-T Song, http://youtu.be/_GEqnKMN1zE
• You Don’t Know Jack... About Advent, http://youtu.be/MnzKhbDFGMw
• Franciscan Media Productions, The Easter Story for Children, http://youtu.be/XUyPU1woOSM
• Outside Da Box, Joy Story, http://youtu.be/kVZMmCkAgm8
• Church tour or teaching Mass
• The Catholic Mass (quotes from saints about it), http://youtu.be/CJtRXzyWul8
• Advent calendar, Advent wreath, Jesse Tree
• I Remember Jesus (Lenten guided meditation for children on miracles of Jesus), http://youtu.be/OvcGvRSmzu0
• Palm branches, ashes
• Praying with the Psalms (as at Mass or during in Liturgy of the Hours)
• Church hymns and sung responses

Christian Life and Morality

• Witness talks
• Ten Commandments Song, http://youtu.be/ZevaIOvZnP8
• Pop music with Catholic themes such as Selena Gomez & The Scene, Who Says? (play audio from music video at http://youtu.be/BzE1mX4Px0I)
• BlueFishTV, Is Your Faith Still in Kindergarten? http://youtu.be/51gV7Buufx8
• Random acts of kindness
  • Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/kindness-ideas
  • Twitter-length posts on Gives Me Hope (GMH), http://www.givesmehope.com/
• Reasons to Be Catholic, http://youtu.be/cpcxbQjrbXs
• Fruits of the Holy Spirit resource sheet pairing saints' lives with modern GMH stories: http://queenofangelschicago.typepad.com/files/confirmation-fruits-of-the-spirit-saints-and-gmh.pdf

Church History and Current Events

• CatholicChicago channel on YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/user/CatholicChicago
• Clips from Catholicism series by Fr. Robert Barron
  • Peter and Paul, The Indispensable Men, http://youtu.be/8qUW7IxapdU
  • Visiting Lourdes: Mary, the Immaculate Conception, http://youtu.be/dwx8g8z7FUo
• Father Augustus Tolton Considered for Sainthood, http://youtu.be/gwoc2PL-CtI
• Vatican II class project video (film trailer) set to "Fix You"  by Coldplay, http://youtu.be/uogLUPDstUk
• CGPGrey, How to Become Pope http://youtu.be/kF8I_r9XT7A
• BustedHalo, You Don't Know Jack... about Pope Francis, http://youtu.be/Lrd8fyOZW4I

Comments or questions? Contact Rachel Hohner, [email protected].