I am so thankful to be able to teach both music and religion at NCA this year. Already, our 6th, 7th, and 8th graders have recieved the invitation to grow deeper in their faith and learn more about what makes us Catholic. We are beginning our time together with the basics- answering the questions; "How do we know God exists?" "Who is God?" "What is the Bible?" "Can the Bible be trusted?" "What is the Catholic Church?" and many more. In addition to answering these fundamental questions, we are diving into a series called "Alpha for Teens". You can learn more about Alpha at the bottom of this page.
This month we are learning about the ways we can know that God exists as well as who God is. Students are learning about the difference between general revelation (how God speaks to us through the observable world) and special revelation (how God speaks to us using His words).
What can you expect in religion this year?
This is an excellent question.
I believe religion class should be an invitation. To our Catholic students- this invitation allows them to grow deeper in their faith. For our non-Catholic students, the invitation is to learn more about the Catholic faith through sacred scripture, our sacraments, traditions, and rich history.
Communication: I have created Google Classrooms for each grade. In the first week of school, students signed in to those classrooms. I will be putting lecture notes, powerpoints, and study guides for quizzes on Google Classroom. If there is any need to communicate with parents I will do so through our internal email system.
Citizenship: Students receive a daily grade for their conduct and participation in class. Everyone who walks in the door receives an A for the day!
Homework: Except for the occasional homework assignment or project, most of our work together will be completed in class.
Quizzes/Tests: Around once/month I will give the students a quiz or test to gauge their knowledge about the subject material. Quizzes and tests are weighted heavier than homework or citizenship. Students will be given review sessions in class and will have study guides available for upcoming quizzes- which will be posted in Google Classroom.
Confirmation: Many of our 8th graders are planning to be confirmed this year. In addition to our core lessons, the 8th graders will be learning a great deal about the Saints- especially as it comes time for them to discover and choose their special Saint name for confirmation.