Thursday, September 22, 2011

How would you teach third-graders about the Church?

In two weeks' time I will be a catechist for third-graders at my parish, St. Hedwig's in Trenton.  The curriculum for the year (using the Sadlier series) is "We are the Church".  So I get to teach these third-graders about the Catholic Church: the who, the what, the how, the why.

On the first day, I'm going to ask them a few easy questions to get their brains working: what is the Church, who started it, who belongs to it?  But then I'm going to step back and ask them a more basic question: what does the word "church" mean?

How would you talk to the third-graders about the Church?  What language would you use (or avoid)?  What points of history and theology would you make (or pass over)?  And, most importantly, how would you relate it to them so that it's not a bunch of head-knowledge, but helps them grow as individual Catholics in that Church?

2 comments:

JonoShea1 said...

Hmmmm . . . glad I'm teaching 7th grade catechism instead!

We also use Sadlier. I would recommend finding a way to say what Sadlier says in a way that isn't boring.

Asking questions is a good idea, because they're more likely to remember what they say rather than what you say. Turning questions into cheers can be good for memory. Selected use of Scripture can help them learn some things for themselves.

Marc Cardaronella said...

Teach them how the Church fits in the divine plan and how Jesus started it to bring us closer to him and to God. Can't go wrong there.