Sacrifice and Courage
By Lisa Jones During this week’s lesson on Christ’s Passion, Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension, I focused on his sacrifice and courage. We discussed how Jesus had the courage to allow God’s will...
View ArticleDrafting Prayers of Intercession
By Lisa Jones By the time my students hit my classroom in the fourth grade, most of them know basic prayers such as the Lord’s Prayer, the Hail Mary, and the Glory Be to the Father. Most have also...
View ArticleWhy Do We Pray?
By Lisa Jones Have you ever asked kids why they pray? We spend a lot of time teaching children to say their prayers, teaching them about different ways to pray, and even spend time teaching them to...
View ArticleHow to Fill Extra Time at the End of Class
By Lisa Jones In a recent faith-formation class, we did something that I have never done in my many years of teaching: we finished 15 minutes early. While 15 minutes may not seem like a lot of time,...
View ArticleUnderstanding the Sacramental Seal of Confession
By Lisa Jones In a recent lesson on the Sacrament of Reconciliation, my fourth graders once again surprised me with their questions. After teaching and discussing the sacrament, our discussion turned...
View ArticleIdentifying Our Gifts
By Lisa Jones At our Baptism each of us receives a call to service from Christ. In our lesson this week, we focused on how God enables each of us to fulfill that baptismal call. As fourth graders, the...
View ArticleWhy Do We Observe Lent?
By Lisa Jones Lent is one of my favorite times of the year. It forces me to slow down and focus more intently on Jesus for 40 days. But when teaching fourth graders, slowing down is not the optimal way...
View ArticleGood and Bad Choices
By Lisa Jones During this week’s lesson, I asked my fourth-grade class if they had a choice to love God. Many confused faces stared back at me. Can a person decide for themselves to not love or follow...
View ArticleDrawing the Joy of the Easter Season
By Lisa Jones With the end of Lent and the beginning of Easter, we transition from a season of penance into a season of joy, and I wanted to help my fourth-grade class think about this transition. I...
View ArticleReuse and Review at the End of the Faith Formation Year
By Lisa Jones As I approached the last faith formation class of the year, I was looking for ways to review the material we had covered during our time together. In the past I’ve used some kind of game...
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