June 11--
We did our daily meditation.
June 10--
We did our daily meditation.
June 9--
Students took notes on the Gospels:
Matthew
written to Jewish Christians
quoted a lot from the Old Testament to show his readers Jesus is the Messiah
contains lots of teachings of Jesus
lots of stories that are also in the Gospels of Mark and Luke
has the same general outline as Luke and Mark.
Mark
maybe the earliest Gospel
shortest Gospel
action-packed
written to Christians in Rome
has same general outline as Matthew and Luke
Luke
interviewed eyewitnesses to be sure he got the facts right
has a lot of stories that are in Matthew and Mark
has a lot of the teachings of Jesus written in Matthew
showed Jesus' special care for women and the underprivileged of society
has same general outline as Matthew and Mark
We did our daily meditation.
June 8--
We did our daily meditation.
June 7--
We discussed the prayers we learned this year and reviewed them. On Friday I will fill in their prayer card in their school file. This card records which prayers students have learned. Students have a paper copy of the prayers for this year. They should review these prayers daily between now and Friday. They are also on Google Classroom in a document in the religion class.
We did our daily meditation.
June 4--
Students attended the Baccalaureate Mass and Graduation remotely and presented their class gifts to the graduates.
We did our daily meditation.
June 3--
During this time students continued working on their math while I was at the funeral.
We did our daily mediatation.
June 2--
Students played Quizlet Live then took an online quiz about the rosary;
we did our daily meditation.
June 1--
Students studied the Quizlet cards related to the rosary then played Quizlet Live.
May 28--
Students worked on drawing their illustration for their page in the graduate book gift.
May 27--
Students showed me their plan for the graduates' gifts and began work on their rough draft.
We did our daily meditation.
May 26--homework: come prepared to show me your plan for the gift for graduates.
Students reviewed two of the prayers we know; each student selected a line from one of those prayers to illustrate for our class gift (a book) to the graduates.
May 25--
Students will soon select the line from some of our prayers that each will illustrate for the graduates' gift from our class.
May 24--
MAP testing continued, using this class time.
May 21--
Student continued working on their cards for Mrs. Egan and her family.
We did our daily meditation.
May 20--
Students checked their answers about the Glorious Mysteries;
participated in a May crowning prayer service and placed a flower in our Mary garden (in the school's Peace Garden in front of school).
May 19--Finish answering the questions about the Glorious Mysteries if you have not already finished.
Students finished the worksheet about the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary.
We did our daily meditation.
May 18--
Students began work on the worksheet for the Glorious Mysteries; it is on Google Classroom.
We did our daily meditation.
May 17--
Students named and discussed the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary.
We did our daily meditation.
May 13--
Students prayed the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary; five students led this.
May 12--homework: finish writing answers to ten questions about the Sorrowful Mysteries.
Students worked to answer questions about the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary;
We did our daily meditation.
May 11--
Students shared their answers from the Luminous Mysteries worksheet;
We discussed each of the Sorrowful Mysteries.
we did our daily meditation.
May 10--
Students worked to answer questions about the Luminous Mysteries;
students did their daily meditation.
May 7--
Students checked their work on the Joyful Mysteries worksheet;
began using their Bibles to answer questions about the Luminous Mysteries. The questions are posted in Google Classroom.
We did our daily meditation.
May 6--
Students began to study the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary;
we did our daily meditation.
May 5--
We prayed the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary together.
We did our daily meditation.
May 4--
Students used their Bibles to find answers to questions related to the five Joyful Mysteries of the rosary;
reviewed the five joyful mysteries.
We did our daily meditation.
May 3--
Students learned the five Joyful Mysteries of the rosary and discussed each one;
we did our daily meditation.
April 30--
Students finished watching the introductory video about the rosary.
We did our daily meditation.
April 29--
Students learned more about praying the rosary and received a rosary for them to keep. It should be at school every day, so students may keep it in their backpacks or in their desk.
Students watched a video which introduced them to the rosary.
We did our daily meditation.
April 28--
Students watched videos to introduce them to the rosary, a traditional Catholic prayer form.
April 27--
Today fifth graders took the ACRE test.
We did our daily meditation.
April 26--
Students practiced for the ACRE test with this Kahoot:
https://kahoot.it/challenge/01262355?challenge-id=d73b1fb3-0513-4cb7-8cc4-0eca33ba1a98_1619462688050
Students practiced Quizlet cards for the Ten Commandments and Morality.
We did our daily meditation.
April 23--
Students played a Kahoot to practice for the ACRE.
We did our daily meditation.
April 22--
Students studied the card set for liturgy and took a practice quiz.
We did our daily meditation.
April 21--
Students took a practice quiz on Sacraments and reviewed content about liturgy;
played Quizlet Live with the card set about liturgy.
We did our daily meditation.
April 20--
Students reviewed Sacraments on Quizlet;
played Quizlet live.
We did our daily meditation.
April 19--
Students did their daily meditation;
reviewed liturgy and Sacraments on Quizlet.
April 16--
Students took a quiz which reviews Catholic beliefs and the Bible.
April 15--homework: study for quiz tomorrow: Catholic beliefs; Bible; Communion of Saints (see links two days below.)
Students reviewed their knowledge of the Bible and played Quizlet Live.
We did our daily meditation.
April 14--
We did our daily meditation;
students continued to review for ACRE test.
April 13--
Students continued reviewing their knowledge of the Bible and Catholic teaching using these Quizlet sets:
https://quizlet.com/585827683/catholic-beliefs-flash-cards/
https://quizlet.com/585835857/the-bible-flash-cards/
https://quizlet.com/543161545/communion-of-saints-flash-cards/
April 12--
Students began a review of this year's learning to prepare for the ACRE test coming later this month. Here are Quizlet sets for study this week:
https://quizlet.com/585827683/catholic-beliefs-flash-cards/
https://quizlet.com/585835857/the-bible-flash-cards/
https://quizlet.com/543161545/communion-of-saints-flash-cards/
April 2--Good Friday
Students attended Tenebrae, a prayer service led by students in grades 7 and 8.
Students watched a video about the Shroud of Turin, discussed it, and filled out a worksheet related to the topic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=pwBV9Ti1Zx0
They listened to a musical presentation of The Passion According to St. John while they did their artwork.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmtNJ24ymBA
April 1--Holy Thursday
Students studied and discussed the days of the Triduum, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. The notes are below:
Triduum—Latin for “three days”
The three days of celebration are Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. The Triduum begins Holy Thursday evening and ends in the evening of Easter Sunday.
Holy Thursday—Mass of the Lord’s Supper·
First Reading from Exodus about the Passover
· Second Reading from St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians about Jesus instituting the Eucharist.
· Gospel about Jesus washing the feet of his disciples.
· The Washing of the Feet
· After Holy Communion, a procession with the Blessed Sacrament to a side altar where adoration takes place until late into the evening. This is an opportunity to “stay awake with Jesus” as he asked his disciples to do during his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion (Throughout the world, there is no Mass on Good Friday)
· Readings including the Passion According to St. John
· General Intercessions during which we pray for everyone
· Veneration of the Cross
· Holy Communion (Extra hosts are consecrated at the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper so that we can receive Holy Communion of Good Friday.)
Easter Vigil
· Begins with the blessing of the Fire and the Paschal Candle, the lighting of the Paschal Candle, the lighting of all the individual candles, and the candle-light procession.
· The Easter Proclamation (Exultet) is sung.
· Many readings that tell the story of our salvation. The Gospel tells of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
· Litany of the Saints
· Baptisms of those adults and older children who are becoming Catholics.
· Confirmations of those who were baptized along with others who have been preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.
· First Holy Communion for all those who became members of the Catholic Church this night.
Easter-- Mass of the Lord’s Resurrection throughout the day on Easter Sunday
March 31--
Students participated in Safe Environment lessons today;
got their costumes for tomorrow morning's Holy Thursday Morning Prayer.
March 30--
Students practiced for Holy Thursday Morning Prayer service.
March 29--
Students practiced for Holy Thursday's Morning Prayer service.
March 26--
Student played Quizlet Live to review Sacraments;
took a quiz with the "test" option in Quizlet.
March 25--Solemnity: The Annunciation
Today is a solemnity in the Church, the Annunciation. On this solemnity we recall how the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that God wanted for her to be the mother of the Savior, his Son, Jesus. This feast is celebrated on this day because today is nine months before December 25, the celebration of the Birth of Jesus. Nine months is the length of human gestation.
Students played Kahoot to practice for the ACRE test.
March 24--
Students reviewed Sacraments;
discussed marriage and the difference between the Sacrament of Matrimony and civil marriage;
reviewed Sacraments on Quizlet.
March 23--
Students reviewed sacraments on Quizlet.
March 22--
Students reviewed Sacraments in their groups:
Sacraments of Initiation (belonging)
Baptism
Confirmation
Eucharist
Sacraments of Healing
Reconciliation (also called Penance and Confession)
Anointing of the Sick
Sacraments at the Service of Communion
Holy Orders
Matrimony
Students learned the parts they will have in Holy Thursday Morning Prayer.
March 19--Solemnity: St. Joseph
Students read from the Bible passages that include St. Joseph, whose Solemnity is today;
practiced making transitions from scene to scene in the Holy Thursday morning prayer service.
March 18--
Students practiced scenes from the Holy Thursday morning prayer service;
reviewed Cardinal Virtues and other virtues.
March 17--
Students took turns practicing reading text from the Holy Thursday prayer service.
March 16--
Students finished their first read-through of the Holy Thursday prayer service;
identified which parts they would like.
March 15--
Today students began the work to lead the Holy Thursday prayer service for the students and staff of St. Michael School.
We did our daily Sacred Story meditation.
March 10--
We continued a classroom discussion of the Apostles' Creed.
March 9--
Students continued their discussion about believe in God.
March 8-- homework: ask your parents why they believe in God (if they do believe in God) and why not if they do not.
Students participated in a discussing about the Apostles' Creed, the first article: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth.
March 5--
Students went to Adoration;
took a quiz about the Spiritual Works of Mercy.
March 4--homework: study for quiz on Spiritual Works of Mercy. Remember I can admonish bears from comfortable places and study the cards here: https://quizlet.com/574596988/spiritual-works-of-mercy-flash-cards/
Students worked on memorizing the Spiritual Works of Mercy. They memorized the sentence I can admonish bears from comfortable places to remember the first letter of each Spiritual Work of Mercy. The words admonish, bears, and comfortable are additional clues.
Instruct the ignorant.
Counsel the doubtful.
Admonish the sinner.
Bear wrongs patiently.
Forgive injuries.
Comfort the sorrowful.
Pray for the living and the dead.
March 3--
Students learned about another Stations of the Cross that recalls 14 stations which are all recorded in the Bible. (Among the traditional 14 stations, some are not recorded in the Bible.)
Traditional Stations of the Cross:
Jesus is condemned to die.
Jesus carries his cross.
Jesus falls for the first time.
Jesus meets his mother.
Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry his cross.
Veronica wipes the face of Jesus.
Jesus falls the second time.
Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
Jesus falls the third time.
Jesus is stripped of his garments.
Jesus is nailed to the cross.
Jesus dies on the cross.
The body of Jesus is taken down from the cross.
Jesus is laid in the tomb.
Scriptural Stations of the Cross
Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Jesus is betrayed by Jesus and arrested.
Jesus is condemned by the Sanhedrin.
Jesus is denied by Peter.
Jesus is judged by Pilate.
Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns.
Jesus bears the cross.
Jesus is helped by Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross.
Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem.
Jesus is crucified.
Jesus promises his kingdom to the Good Thief.
Jesus speaks to his mother and the Disciple whom he loved.
Jesus dies on the cross.
Jesus is placed in the tomb.
Students practiced a couple of stations so we will be ready and know what to do when we go to pray Stations of the Cross in the church.
March 2--
Students watched a Stations of the Cross video made by our seventh and eighth graders;
learned about the Stations of the Cross and praying them.
March 1--homework: practice this Quizlet set (Spiritual Works of Mercy) for five minutes.
Students reinforced their understanding of the Spiritual Works of Mercy using this Quizlet set:
https://quizlet.com/574596988/spiritual-works-of-mercy-flash-cards/
February 26--
Students continued studying the Spiritual Works of Mercy.
Instruct the ignorant.
Counsel the doubtful.
Admonish the sinner.
Bear wrongs patiently.
Forgive injuries.
Comfort the sorrowful.
Pray for the living and the dead.
They played a Kahoot to reinforce their understanding of the Spiritual Works of Mercy.
February 25--
Students wrote the Corporal Works of Mercy from memory then took a quiz in Google Classroom.
February 24--homework: make sure you know the Corporal Works of Mercy for tomorrow.
Students practiced remembering all the Corporal Works of Mercy and learned the Spiritual Works of Mercy. These lists are posted as a material item in Google Classroom.
February 23--
Students reinforced their understanding of the Corporal Works of Mercy with a Kahoot game.
February 22--
Students worked to memorize the Corporal Works of Mercy and gave examples of how they or their families had done the first three Corporal Works of Mercy in their care of others.
Corporal Works of Mercy:
Feed the hungry.
Give drink to the thirsty.
Clothe the naked.
Shelter the homeless.
Visit the sick.
Visit the imprisoned.
Bury the dead.
February 19--
Students studied for the ACRE test with Kahoot.
February 18--
Students reviewed what happens at each of the liturgies of the Triduum;
they used a Quizalize set to practice what they learned about Ash Wednesday, Lent, and Holy Week. (The link is in Google Classroom.)
February 17--
Students participated in the Liturgy of the Word for Ash Wednesday and received ashes.
February 16--
Student had a lesson about Ash Wednesday, Lent, and the Triduum.
February 11--memorial: Our Lady of Lourdes
Students watched a video which told the story of St. Bernadette and Our Lady of Lourdes.
February 8, 9, and 10--
In this time slot students have been working on learning how to draw in one-point perspective.
February 4--
Student played Kahoot to review Catholic teaching.
February 3--
Students learned about yesterday's feast, The Presentation of the Lord [see Luke 2:22-38].
Students played Kahoot to review Catholic teaching.
February 2--Feast, The Presentation of the Lord
This day comes 40 days after Christmas, the day Jesus was presented in the Temple, as was prescribed by Jewish law.
February 1--
Students reviewed Catholic teaching on Kahoot.
January 29--
Students played a Kahoot to review Catholic teaching.
January 28--St. Thomas Aquinas
Students completed together the chapter review and unit review at the end of the 6th-grade book, Call to Faith.
January 27--
Students read aloud and discussed chapter 21.
Students learned about St. Paul's conversion.
January 25--feast: Conversion of St. Paul
Today is the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul who traveled throughout the Mediterranean region to tell communities about salvation through Jesus, the Son of God.
Because of MAP testing, we did not have religion class today, but students will learn more about the Conversion of St. Paul when we have class next.
January 21--
Students read aloud and discussed chapter 21;
we made a Venn diagram showing that a variety of churches fit into the large single category of Christian.
January 20--
Students read aloud and discussed chapter 20. They reviewed the Spiritual Works of Mercy:
Admonish the sinner.
Instruct the ignorant.
Counsel the doubtful.
Comfort the sorrowful.
Bear wrongs patiently.
Forgive all injuries.
Pray for the living and the dead.
January 19--
Students completed reviews in chapter 18 and at the end of unit 6.
January 14--
Students finished reading aloud and discussing chapter 18.
January 13--
Students completed the review for chapter 17 and began reading aloud and discussing chapter 18.
January 12--
Students read aloud and discussed chapter 17.
Students began an exercise in which they reflected on things they are good at in school, at play, and at home.
January 11---
Students finished the worksheet at the end of unit 5 and corrected;
read aloud and discussed chapter 16.
January 8--
Students read about the concept of solidarity and about farmers in Minnesota who helped farmers in Kenya be more successful by teaching them how to make silos for their grain.
Students worked on a crossword puzzle at the end of unit 5.
January 7--
Students finished reading aloud and discussing chapter 14;
read and discussed chapter 15;
did the chapter reviews for 14 and 14;
watched three short videos about the life of St. Andre Bessette of Canada.
January 6--
Student read and discussed lesson 14.
Listened to and read Matthew 2:1-12 about the Epiphany;
took notes for a paragraph about what Epiphany celebrates.
Students had a pizza party today to celebrate Epiphany.
January 5--memorial: St. John Neumann
Students finished reading and discussing lesson 13;
read and discussed the Beatitudes from Matthew 5;
learned about St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, whose memorial was yesterday. She was an American woman who had a family After her husband died, she became a Catholic and started q number of Catholic schools. She lived from 1774-1821 and is the first American-born canonized saint.
Students also learned about St. John Neumann, who came to the United States from what is now the Czech Republic and became a priest. He eventually became bishop of Philadelphia and, like St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, was devoted to starting Catholic schools.
January 4, 2021--memorial: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Students began reading and discussing chapter 13, "The Law of Love".
Review: it is still Christmas Season. Epiphany, the feast celebrating the arrival of magi from the east to honor the Christ Child, was celebrated in the United States yesterday, but in Mexico it is celebrated on January 6.
December 18--
Students took a test on units 3 and 4.
December 17--Study the study guide and Quizlet cards to prepare for tomorrow's test.
Students worked as a group to fill in the study guide on Google Classroom;
they studied the cards on Quizlet;
they played Quizlet Live.
December 16--
Students reviewed unit 4 in the book "Call to Faith" grade 6. They will review again tomorrow and have a test Friday.
December 15--
Students completed the chapter review for chapter 11 and read aloud and discussed chapter 12.
December 14--
We discussed the main events in the life of Jesus then began reading and discussing chapter 11.
December 11-
Students watched a documentary about the Tilma of St. Juan Diego that has the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on it. This can be seen in Mexico City.
Students took notes on all the miraculous aspects of this image.
Students used their Bibles to look up the three places in the book of the prophet Isaiah where the phrase "good news" is used. They discussed the details of the good news and how Jesus fulfilled each detail.
Isaiah 40:9-11
God is coming!
He comes with power.
He is strong.
He takes care of his people like a shepherd takes care of sheep. He carries those who cannot walk on their own yet or are too tired to walk.
Isaiah 52:7
Your God is King!
He brings peace.
He brings salvation.
Isaiah 61:1-3
When he comes, he will bring good news to the most insignificant of people. He will heal the brokenhearted.
He will bring comfort and joy to those who mourn.
He will bring a glorious mantle to those who are depressed.
December 10--
Students finished reading aloud and discussing chapter 10, "The Good News";
they completed the chapter review.
Students listened to and discussed "The Lady of Guadalupe" by Tomie de Paola.
December 9--memorial: St. Juan Diego
Students learned about St. Juan Diego;
began reading aloud and discussing chapter 10, "The Good News".
December 8--Solemnity: The Immaculate Conception of Mary
The Immaculate Conception refers to Mary begin conceived without sin. We believe Mary was conceived without sin because when the Angel Gabriel visited Mary, he greeted her by calling her one who has been filled with Grace. Grace is the life of God within us, something Adam and Eve lost for all. This gift is restored to us in Baptism. If Mary was filled with Grace, she had this gift that Adam and Eve had lost. We believe Mary was conceived without sin, and today is the day we celebrate that.
Students read aloud and discussed chapter 9, "The Promised One".
Students attended the Mass of Archbishop Etienne virtually.
December 7--
We read aloud and discussed together chapter 8, "God's Wisdom".
Students did the chapter review at the end.
December 4--
Students finished reading aloud and discussing chapter 7 and completed the end-of-chapter review.
December 3--memorial: St. Francis Xavier
Students watched short videos about the life of St. Francis Xavier and took notes;
reviewed unit 2;
began reading aloud and discussing chapter 7.
December 2--
Students read aloud and discussed pp. 108-109 in chapter 6, "Faith in Action".
December 1--
Students read aloud and discussed chapter 6, "Called to Faithfulness" and completed the chapter review.
November 30--Feast, St. Andrew
Students learned about St. Andrew, who was the brother of St. Peter and who, with great excitement, introduced his brother Simon Peter to Jesus.
Lesson: Advent Season--
Advent is a season of preparation. We prepare for two comings of Jesus. First we focus on preparing for Jesus' second coming. Later in Advent we focus on preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Messiah.
There are four Sundays in Advent.
Each Sunday of Advent, one more candle is lit on the Advent wreath.
The color for Advent is purple, so the altar cloth in church is purple, the priest's chasuble is purple, and the candles are purple, except on the Third Sunday of Advent.
The Third Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday, a time to rejoice, for the Lord is near. On this day the color is rose.
Advent marks the beginning of a new church year.
Advent ends when Christmas Season begins with Mass on Christmas Eve, December 24.
Students received a card with Mass prayers and responses and practiced saying various prayers and responses.
We attended Mass this morning.
Students played two Kahoots about Advent.
November 25--
Students finished reading and discussing chapter 5 and answered the questions at the end of the chapter;
wrote a Scripture quote on the watercolor background they had painted previously. Each quote had to do with the holiness of God's name.
November 24--
Students learned and discussed the forms of prayer:
praise--giving praise to God, recognition and admiration for God's complete goodness.
petition--asking God for help
intercession--asking God to help others
blessing and adoration--blessing is a prayer in response to God's gifts; adoration is giving respect and homage to God, recognizing that he is God and we are his creation.
thanksgiving--gratitude to God for his goodness and the good in our lives.
We began reading and discussing chapter 5, "God's Saving Action".
November 23--memorial: Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro
Students learned about Blessed Miguel Pro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9kY2BnAdl4
Students read and discussed chapter 4 of Call to Faith, grade 6.
November 20--
Students took a quiz on the first unit, "God Speaks" in the sixth grade book.
We began reading aloud and discussing chapter 4, "Invitation to Faith".
November 19--
Students read aloud and discussed chapter 3, "God's Faithfulness". Here is a summary of this lesson:
Adam and Eve disobeyed God and lost the original holiness that was theirs. This sin started a trend of sin among the human race.
Sin separates us from the rest of the animal world. Among God's creation, only people have the capacity to know right from wrong and, thus, can sin by choosing what they know to be wrong in God's eyes.
Because of Adam and Eve's sin, we are born without that original holiness Adam and Eve had before they were born. We say, then, that we were born with Original Sin. By Baptism, we have our original holiness restored.
God is faithful and does not stop loving us, regardless of what sins we may commit.
Adam and Eve's son Cain killed his brother Abel out of jealousy. Envy is one of the Capital Sins; we will see over and over again in the Old Testament what terrible things happen as a result of envy.
God flooded the world; only Noah and his family along with the animals he brought onto the ark were saved. God promised never to flood the entire world again and sent a rainbow as a sign of his sacred promise, his covenant.
A covenant is a solemn promise between two people or groups.
Temptation is an attraction to sinful behavior that we must guard against in order to love and honor God.
Temptation in itself is not a sin but is a natural part of begin human.
Jesus is called the "New Adam" because he conquered sin and offers us Eternal Life.
November 18--
Students read aloud and discussed chapter 2 of "Call to Faith" grade 6, "In the Beginning". Students read summaries of the two creation stories in Genesis and discussed the meaning of these stories for us:
God is the creator of all the natural world and that God cares for people;
we are made in God's image and likeness.
People are called to be caretakers, stewards, of Earth, ourselves, and one another.
Adam and Eve were created with Original Holiness.
We are to treat all people with the dignity that is inherently theirs given to them by God.
We contrasted treating all people with dignity with the practice of dehumanization, in which a person or culture tries to portray a person or group of people as less than human. We discussed how the Nazis in Germany attempted to portray Jews as less than human. Some slave owners dehumanized their slaves to justify keeping them in bondage and treating them badly.
We discussed behaviors associated with treating people with dignity.
Students recited the books of the Bible in order.
November 17--
Students read aloud and discussed chapter 1 of "Call to Faith" grade 6, "God Speaks". These are the main points of the lesson:
Revelation means how God communicates about himself. There are two sources of revelation: Scripture and Tradition.
Scripture is the books of the Bible; Tradition [with a capital T] refers to the teachings of the Church throughout history.
The Bible contains many literary forms of writing: historical writing, psalms and canticles, story telling, parables, apocalyptical writing, and letters.
The main way God the Father has revealed himself to us is by sending his Son Jesus Christ to us and by sending the Holy Spirit to help us and guide us.
November 16--
Student played a Kahoot to introduce them to the sorts of questions they will see on the annual ACRE test. This test is given in fifth and eighth grades. Our fifth graders will take this in April. Our sixth graders missed the test last April because of the lockdown. They will take it in eighth grade.
November 13--memorial: St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
Students learned about St. Frances Xavier Cabrini and took notes on her life.
They wrote a paragraph using their notes.
November 12--
We discussed our fundamental belief about God as one God in three Divine Persons. By that word "persons", we do not mean people but distinct individuals. The Holy Trinity is the belief in One God in three Divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We discussed how each person of the Trinity is fully God and is distinct from the other two. And yet there is one God.
There is one God.
The Father is God.
Jesus the Son is God.
the Holy Spirit is God.
The Father is not the Son.
The Son is not the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is not the Father.
When it is a truth we cannot fully understand it is called a mystery.
Our understanding of the Holy Trinity comes from reading all of Scripture (the Bible). Our understanding of God comes from the totality of Scripture, not just a few select verses.
We discussed an analogy. It is not a perfect analogy, but it can help us toward understanding, though we cannot fully understand.
H2O is a compound. It is only one compound.
Water is fully H2O.
Ice is fully H2O.
Steam is fully H2O.
Yet water, ice, and steam are all clearly distinct from one another. Water is not the same as ice; ice is not the same as steam; steam is not the same as water. Yet all are fully H2O.
This analogy is not perfect for a few reasons. One is this: a molecule of water cannot be ice, water, and steam all the same time but can manifest itself in only one state at a time. God, however, is fully Father, Son, and Holy Spirit at all times.
This analogy, although not perfect, can help come closer to an understanding of the Holy Trinity.
November 9--Feast, dedication of the Basilica of St.John Lateran in Rome (This is the pope's cathedral. Every bishop has a cathedral in his diocese. The pope is the bishop of Rome, and St. John Lateran is the cathedral of Rome.)
The Holy Trinity is the truth of one God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
This means that there is one true God.
God the Father is fully God.
God the Son, Jesus Christ, is fully God.
The Holy Spirit is fully God.
But the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct from each other.
This is a mystery of faith that we cannot every fully explain or understand, but tomorrow we will discuss a feature of nature that could make it easier to understand.
November 6--
We used this time slot to do our Turkey Trot remote living-room event.
Students worked so hard at this!
November 5--homework: Use this Quizlet set to review:
https://quizlet.com/543161545/communion-of-saints-flash-cards/?new
November 4--
Practice looking up the verses below [from yesterday] to gain speed and comfort looking up Bible verses.
Use this Quizlet set to review: https://quizlet.com/543161545/communion-of-saints-flash-cards/?new
November 3--
Students learned how to look up a verse in the Bible using the Book Chapter:Verse citation. So, Genesis 1:1 refers to the book of Genesis, chapter 1, verse 1. John 3:16 means the Gospel of John, chapter 3, verse 16. Students practiced looking up verses about the Holy Name of God. In the Sacred Story meditation program our school uses, each year's meditation is tied to one or two of the Commandments. The Sacred Story meditation they will be using daily this year is related to the Second Commandment, "You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain." Here are some verses they looked up:
Proverbs 18:10
Matthew 6:9
Psalm 113:1-2
Psalm 96:2
Psalm 29:2
Psalm 135:13
Psalm 104:4-5
Psalm 97:12
Psalm 61:8
Psalm 30:4
Isaiah 26:13
November 2--All Souls' Day homework: practice this Quizlet set: https://quizlet.com/543161545/communion-of-saints-flash-cards/?new
Students attended Mass;
did an art activity to mark the Mexican celebration Dia de los Muertos, which is associated with All Souls' Day.
October 30--
Students reviewed the notes they took yesterday and answered questions about the content.
We went over to the church to determine where each student will sit when we go to Mass on Monday. We have arranged seating for students so that they are all at least six feet from one another.
We stayed in church for a while to participate in Adoration.
October 29--
Students took these notes:
Communion of Saints: the community of those followers of Jesus,
those on earth,
those in purgatory, and
those in heaven.
Purgatory—a time of final purification, being perfected, for those who have died and are on their way to heaven.
Why we pray to saints: All members of the Communion of Saints pray for one another. Those in heaven (saints) especially are interested in praying for those of us on Earth and those in Purgatory because we especially need their prayers. They want to help us.
All Saints' Day: November 1-- This is the feast day for every saint in heaven, even those whose names we do not know.
All Souls' Day: November 2--This is a day set aside for praying for those who have died and are in purgatory, that time of purification, that their purification will be complete and they will go to heaven soon.
October 28--
Students learned about the life of St. John Paul II, who was pope from 1978 to 2005. He was born Karol Wojtyla in Poland in 1920. When he was 19, the Soviet Union took over Poland and with gradual changes tried to take over the Catholic Church. Karol Wojtyla became a priest and eventually became the archbishop of Krakow, Poland. In 1978, he was chosen as pope, the first pope in more than 400 years to be from somewhere other than Italy. He traveled more extensively than any other pope before him and by his holiness and teaching inspired many people to become followers of Jesus or to become better Christians. He was canonized a saint in 2014.
In 1981, he was shot four times by someone who was trying to kill him. After he recovered, he went to the prison where his attacker was and forgave him. If he can do that, we can forgive the small and large ways that other people hurt or upset us. Saint John Paul II modeled the forgiveness that Jesus taught us to give to others.
October 27--
Students finished reading and discussing the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
We discussed what "beatified" means and what "canonized" means.
Sometimes a person lived such a holy life that the Church wonders if that person could be names a saint, someone who has gone to heaven. There is a long process for naming a person a saint. One step of the process is being beatified: being named "blessed". This happens after one miracle is attributed to the prayers of that saint. For example, if a person who is sick with a deadly condition prays to the person who has died for help and receives a miracle, that person who has died might be named "blessed" by the Church.
Two miracles are needed for a person to be canonized a saint. That means the Church declares that the person who has died is in heaven.
October 26--
Students read aloud and discussed the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola from a PowerPoint presentation about his life. We got about half way through the presentation.
October 20--
Students recalled the Four Cardinal Virtues and the fact that all virtues depend upon these four.
Students learned that there are also sins that every other sin comes from. These are called Capital Sins, and there are seven of them.
Students learned the definition of each of the Capital Sins and discussed the virtue or virtues that are the opposite.
October 19--memorial: North American Martyrs
Students learned the meaning of martyr. Martyr comes from the Greek word that means to give testimony. A martyr is a person who is killed for his or her religious beliefs, thus, giving testimony for Jesus. Eight Jesuits were killed in Canada in the 1600's because they preached the message of Jesus Christ. These priests and brothers from France came to share the Gospel with the natives of eastern Canada. The Huron tribe was interested in their message, but some members of other tribes were not and killed these eight priests and brothers.
Students learned about how St. Jean de Brebeuf taught the natives of eastern Canada about the birth of Jesus by putting the events of Jesus' birth in a context that made sense to them. Here is the Huron Carol that he wrote (translated into English).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnxZ-YU4f0A
October 15--
Students reviewed some information about the Ten Commandments:
Moses received the Ten Commandments from God to give to God's people.
God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai.
The eighth commandment, "Do Not Lie" also concerns gossip and telling things about other people that are unkind. We are not supposed to repeat things that will harm another person's reputation.
Students took the quiz on Kahoot.
Here is the PIN for the Kahoot quiz on the Ten Commandments: kahoot.it PIN 05449851.
https://kahoot.it/challenge/05449851?challenge-id=d73b1fb3-0513-4cb7-8cc4-0eca33ba1a98_1602787524844
October 14--
Students reviewed the Ten Commandments on Quizlet and Kahoot. Those who could not write the Ten Commandments in order yesterday will need to do that by Tuesday. They should keep studying and keep trying to list them all in order.
October 13--homework: study for a quiz on the Ten Commandments, which will be on Thursday. https://quizlet.com/536606835/10-commandments-flash-cards/?new
Students practiced memorizing the Ten Commandments;
took a quiz about the virtues and sin.
This quiz can be accessed by students at home here:
Go to www.zzi.sh .
Enter class code apj22472
Enter your name.
Start the quiz.
October 12--
Students reviewed the Cardinal Virtues, sin, free will, good and evil, conscience, Natural Law. They will have quiz about this on Wednesday.
They also reviewed the Ten Commandments using their memory room as a prompt. They named them in order and out of order. They will have a quiz on the Ten Commandments on Thursday.
October 9--
Students reviewed the Ten Commandments using their memory room;
played a Kahoot to test themselves on their knowledge of the Ten Commandments;
play Quizlet Live to review the topic of virtues and sin.
October 8--
We finished building our memory room to help us remember the Ten Commandments in order.
We discussed the meaning of the word "covet".
To covet means to want something that we know we cannot have.
If I want to buy my neighbor's custom-made boat but he does not want to sell it to me, to continue to want that very boat is to covet.
It is fine to want lunch or to want a donut--my personal want--or to want a boat that is like my neighbor's boat. (In that case, I can work and save my money to buy one.)
Coveting is a disordered wanting that tempts a person to do something wrong to get what he or she is not permitted to have.
We reviewed the Ten Commandments as students recited them in order.
October 7--
Students tried a new game, Quizlet live, which they played individually and in teams to practice their understanding of virtues and sin.
October 6--
Through class discussion students arrived at a definition of sin. Sin is a deliberate thought, word, deed, or omission that is against God's law.
What is the foundation of God's law: the Ten Commandments. Today students began learning a memory device called a memory palace. We are creating an imaginary room that has things in it. Each item in the room reminds us of one of the Ten Commandments. As we "walk" through our imaginary room, we "see" the Ten Commandments in order. We are as far as the Fourth Commandment so far.
The Ten Commandments
I am the Lord your God; you shall not have strange gods before me.
Do not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.
Remember to keep holy the Sabbath [Lord's Day].
Honor your father and mother.
Do not kill.
Do not commit adultery.
Do not steal.
Do not lie. [bear false witness against your neighbor].
Do not covet your neighbor's wife.
Do not covet your neighbor's goods.
October 5--
Students reviewed vocabulary related to virtues--see notes from October 2--and added some new vocabulary terms.
good--what please God
evil--the absence of good
Natural Law--present in the heart of every person, it allows people to use reason to distinguish good from evil.
conscience--interior voice through which God urges us to choose good and avoid evil
free will--a gift from God that allows us to freely make choices without being forced.
Students helped create a Quizlet set with the vocabulary related to moral decision making then practiced those words. Here is the link:
https://quizlet.com/533515668/virtues-flash-cards/
Here is the Famliy Life test for those who have not completed it.
https://kahoot.it/challenge/01271201?challenge-id=d73b1fb3-0513-4cb7-8cc4-0eca33ba1a98_1601867834207
kahoot.it PIN 01271201
October 2--
If there is a memorial or feast of a saint, we sometimes discuss that in class. Today we discussed three from this week:
September 30--St. Jerome. He translated the Bible from Hebrew and Greek into Latin, the language of Europe in his time. This made the Bible much more accessible for people to read since if people knew how to read, they read Latin.
October 1--memorial of St. Therese of Lisieux (in France). St. Therese was a Carmelite nun. In her monastery she strived to love perfectly and completely in all daily moments. She saw love as her great calling from God.
October 2--memorial of the Guardian Angels. Each of us has an angel to protect us and guide us. We can always ask our guardian angel for help when we are uncertain about what to do or when we are afraid.
Students reviewed the definition of a virtue and the Cardinal Virtues.
A virtue is a habit of doing good.
Kindness, patience, peacefulness are all examples of virtues.
We can grow stronger in virtues by trying with God's help. Just as we practice to get better at baseball or playing violin or typing, we can get better at being virtuous. God helps us with his grace.
There are four Cardinal Virtues. These are the hinge virtues that all other virtues depend on.
Prudence--thinking before acting
Justice--being fair to God and everyone else
Fortitude--keeping strong through difficulties
Temperance--self-control
Each student wrote down three virtues that he or she thinks he/she demonstrates and three virtues in which he/she wants to become stronger.
October 1--Memorial of St. Therese of Liseaux
Students took the Family Life test. Here it is:
https://kahoot.it/challenge/08269023?challenge-id=d73b1fb3-0513-4cb7-8cc4-0eca33ba1a98_1601577100365
kahoot.it PIN 08269023
September 30--Memorial of St. Jerome, who translated the Bible from the languages they were written in (Hebrew and Greek) into Latin. Homework: review Quizlet and Kahoot sets to prepare for tomorrow's religion test on Family Life. Here are the links to the Quizlet and Kahoot sets.
https://kahoot.it/challenge/07808977?challenge-id=d73b1fb3-0513-4cb7-8cc4-0eca33ba1a98_1601508067281
https://quizlet.com/510000736/family-life-grade-5-benzinger-flash-cards
We began a short unit on virtue.
A virtue is a habit of doing good.
Kindness, patience, peacefulness are all examples of virtues.
We can grow stronger in virtues by trying with God's help. Just as we practice to get better at baseball or playing violin or typing, we can get better at being virtuous. God helps us with his grace.
There are four Cardinal Virtues. These are the hinge virtues that all other virtues depend on.
Prudence--thinking before acting
Justice--being fair to God and everyone else
Fortitude--keeping strong through difficulties
Temperance--self-control
We also began our work memorizing the books of the Bible.
September 29--Today is the feast of our patron St. Michael and the other Archangels, St. Gabriel and St. Raphael. Homework: complete the sets below in Quizlet and Kahoot.
You have two assignments to prepare for Thursday's quiz:
1) In Quizlet, study the vocabulary any way you like until you know the words confidently. Then take the "test" set.
https://quizlet.com/510000736/family-life-grade-5-benzinger-flash-cards
Set the test for no written answers like this:
click "test".
click "options" in the lower left corner.
Unclick "written".
click "create new test".
You may take the "test" as many times as you like.
2) In Kahoot, practice for the test with this Kahoot:
https://kahoot.it/challenge/01382838?challenge-id=d73b1fb3-0513-4cb7-8cc4-0eca33ba1a98_1601355781999
You can also find it by going to kahoot.it or the kahoot app on a phone and entering the game PIN 01382838
September 28--Homework: study for tomorrow's test by reviewing Family Life vocabulary in Quizlet:
https://quizlet.com/510000736/family-life-grade-5-benzinger-flash-cards/
We will review Family Life one more time this morning during our morning Zoom conference. We will have a test tomorrow.
September 25--Sometime today, answer the question on the Google Classroom religion page.
We will review Family Life in our morning Zoom conference.
In Google Classroom, answer the question posted this day.
September 24--Homework: spend at least 15 minute reviewing the Family Life vocabulary in Quizlet. Here is the link:
https://quizlet.com/510000736/family-life-grade-5-benzinger-flash-cards/
In our Zoom conference this morning we will review what we have discussed in Family Life.
September 23--Homework: spend 15 minutes in Quizlet reviewing the vocabulary from Family Life. This link below will take you to the practice set.
In our morning Zoom meeting, we will continue reading and discussing Family Life.
Together we will look at the Quizlet set for reviewing Family Life.
https://quizlet.com/510000736/family-life-grade-5-benzinger-flash-cards/
September 22--
In our morning Zoom meeting, we will continue reading and discussing Family Life.
September 21--
In our morning Zoom meeting we will continue reading and discussing Family Life.
September 18--
In our morning Zoom conference we will continue reading and discussing Family Life.
September 17--memorial: St. Robert Bellarmine
In our morning Zoom meeting we will continue reading and discussing Family Life, lesson 6 and the unit 3 review.
September 16--
In our morning Zoom conference we will continue reading and discussing Family Life, lesson 5.
September 15--memorial: Our Lady of Sorrows
In our morning Zoom conference we will continue reading and discussing Family Life, finishing lesson 3 and doing lesson 4 and the unit 2 review questions.
September 14--Feast: Triumph of the Cross
In our morning Zoom conference we will continue reading and discussing Family Life.
September 11--
We will continue to read and discuss Family Life in our reading/English Zoom conference today.
September 10--
We will continue to read and discuss Family LIfe in our reading/English Zoom conference today.
September 9--memorial: St. Peter Claver, S.J.
If you have not finished yesterday's assignment on Google Classroom, please do so today.
We will do today's religion lesson in the book Family Life during our reading/English Zoom conference today.
September 8, 2020--
In Google Classroom for religion, see an assignment that involves reading a two-page article and writing a response.