Resource Package for the Sacrament of Penance for K-2 Children Aged 8 - Speech or Presentation Example

? Resource Package for the Sacrament of Penance for K-2 Children Aged 8 RESOURCE PACKAGE FOR THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE FOR K-2 CHILDREN AGED 8 The following resource package is meant to teach Catholic School students at K-2 level aged 8. It seeks to open up the Church’s treasures to young Catholics who seek peace and healing with the Church community and God. Teacher Background knowledge on the Sacrament of Conversion The sacrament of conversion is also referred to as the sacrament of penance, confession, penance, forgiveness, or reconciliation (Ellis, 2008). RE is vital as a component of a Catholic education. It is essential for a teacher to be aware of what to teach during RE classes and why to teach it. In most Catholic schools, RE is accounted for in timetables and programs for teaching for over two hours every week. For the time spent in RE classes, the students will learn about the life of Jesus Christ and about Catholic traditions. Learning about the seven sacraments and practicing them will aid the students in exploration of the traditions of the Catholic Church and the way it works in their lives. Christian life should be about the seven sacraments (Holy Spirit Interactive, 2009). For this reason, the seven sacraments have a vital place in all Christians’ lives, which necessitates teaching them to young Christians. In the Christian journey of faith, the seven sacraments act as the signs of the presence of God (Bausch, 2003). Therefore, the community, parents, and teachers of Catholic communities must play their role and be responsible for the provision of opportunities to learn and engage in these sacraments to Catholic K-2 level students. Sacrament of Conversion allows Catholic Christians to renew their baptism and follow Jesus Christ’s example. The Sacrament is a fundamental aspect of every Catholic Christian’s life and it highlights the essential nature or renewing and restoring individual relationships and relationships of individuals with God (Dwyer, 2005). Definition of a Sacrament The Catholic Church’s Catechism defines sacraments as efficacious signs of grace that were instituted by Jesus Christ, which he then entrusted to his Holy Church. Through the Sacraments, Jesus Christ dispenses divine life to man through the Holy Ghost’s work (Fosarelli, 2012). Sacraments are Jesus Christ’s extensions because they are symbolic of Jesus’ actions and extensions of the actions of God. These actions are an oath via which Catholic Christians seek witnessing and verification from God. Catholics ask for verification and witnessing that all they do is good and true, which is what the Sacraments call Christians to do (Crowe, 2005). Every Sacrament is a dispensation of life in the comprehension that we are born, or renew our Christian beliefs and life through the Sacrament (Fosarelli, 2012). The Sacrament of Conversion’s importance comes through the effect that it has on individuals. According to the Catholic Church’s Catechism, the Sacrament of Penance has several effects including (Williams, 2008); Reconciliation with the Catholic Church Reconciliation with God Increasing of spiritual strength required in the battle of Christianity Spiritual consolation and serenity and peace of conscience Reconciliation with God’s Church Partial remission of temporal punishment that comes from sin Remission of God’s eternal punishment because of mortal sin Resources for Background Knowledge Books White, J. D., & White, A. A. (2004): Teach it: Penance and reconciliation. This book is especially meant to be used in RE programs for teachers. It follows the teachings of the Catholic Church and is based on the Bible and the Catholic Church Catechism. In addition, the authors dwell in their introduction on the role that teachers and parents have to play in preparing the children for their first and subsequent Sacrament of Penance, while also including practical ways that seek to involve teachers and parents more in the RE program. Majority of the activities in this book are easy to carry out at school. Fosarelli, P. (2012). Celebrating your child's First Reconciliation This book is refreshing read for parents whose children are about to receive the Sacrament of Conversion for the first time. It has detailed explanations and practical advice for what they should prepare their children for before, during, and following reception of the sacrament. The author explains the Sacrament of Conversion with detailed steps for the sacrament. It is valuable for K-2 schoolteachers to teach about different faiths and cater for various student requirements. Leichner, J. T. (2008). Making things right: The sacrament of reconciliation. This book deals with all aspects of Penance without the deep catechism meanings of the sacraments. The back of the book contains a well-written guide for teachers that will aid them in the elucidation of various mysteries that children may find difficult to explain in the Sacrament of Penance. It is meant to be a resource for the reinforcement of primary teachings about Penance and is written for an audience of children between the ages of seven and nine. The activities and puzzles in the book are not challenging. Texts for Students Wild, M., & Argent, K. (1998): Miss Lily's fabulous pink feather boa. Ringwood, Vic: Viking. Wild, M., & Vivas, J. (2004): The very best of friends. Lindfield: Scholastic Press. Websites/Audio Visuals: Preparing Children for Reconciliation: Four Creative Ways – DVD The third installation of the CD Ricky’s First Reconciliation, will help the students through the Sacrament of Penance whether for the first time or at any other time. http://www.holyspiritinteractive.net/ The website offers history of each sacrament accompanied by a description, symbols and meanings, and a link to appropriate sections of the Catholic Church’s Catechism. Justification about the Relevance of these Materials to the Unit The Catholic Church holds the Sacrament of Reconciliation as a fundamental element of its teachings and so should the curriculum of the religious Catholic education. The content of the material and resources that are contained in this package has the objective of improving the knowledge of the teacher to teach his/her students. This will help in development, interpretation, and implementation of what the curriculum requires (Brady & Kennedy, 2010). Religious Education in Australian Catholic Schools for a long time has been based on teaching the catechism (Buchanan, 2003). Teachers are required to be conversant with the catechism of the Catholic Church for which the Sacrament of Penance is a fundamental part of. Within the context of the school and broader parish, the Sacrament of Penance will have a significant impact. Religious teachers must acknowledge that religious education has diverse facets and that it is suitable to cater for a diverse array of students. One crucial aspect of teaching about the sacraments in the curriculum for religious education is that its content relates to the students’ experiences. This package has material of various types that are geared towards improving the teacher’s comprehension of what sacraments entail, especially as they are a major part of the Catholic Catechism (Ryan, 2006). As well as the impact it can potentially have on a student of the Catholic faith. Finally, the resources, as well as the material they carry, will enable the educator to support students enjoy being Catholics as they pursue broader comprehension and knowledge of the seven sacraments. Specific Reference to Local Religious Education Curriculum Documentation Unit 2.6 Reconciliation Link: http://www.ceosyd.catholic.edu.au/Parents/Religion/RE/recurr/tres-curr-2.6.doc http://www.ceosyd.catholic.edu.au/Parents/Religion/Documents/Resource Summary/guide-reresource-2.doc Students, by the completion of the first stage of the second year, should understand the following aspects related to the Sacrament of Conversion: Demonstrate a familiarity with several formal Catholic prayers Pray and compose single prayers on sorrow, praise, and thanks Show basic and practical comprehension of the Sacrament of Conversion Show an understanding of Jesus and God as forgiving and loving Reconciliation in the curriculum of religious education is fundamental and portends a significant impact on the wider school and parish community. It will allow the students have wider comprehension of confession and penance in their everyday lives, while allowing students to reflect the attitudes and Behaviors of Christ as they find their way in the journey of faith. Idea/Resource for Teaching this Unit The unit will involve the story of the lost sheep in Luke 15:1-7, which will use visual props like a presentation chart and 2D material. The lost sheep in the parable is depictive of the love that God has for his people on earth (Cooke & Macy, 2005). Through study and exploration of the parable, the educator should encourage students to think of God as a Caring God and as a protector. This activity will also be geared towards increasing the students’ knowledge concerning parables. Primarily, this activity lesson will be about the lost sheep, although it will also contain references to the parable of the lost coin. This activity lesson’s main lesson will be to teach the students to be repentant. Because the terms forgiveness, repentance, and sin can be difficult for the children to grasp, they will have to be explained within the course of the activity. By the end of the activity, the students will be expected to u8nderstand the concept of the Good Shepherd and that Jesus cares for all of us as our shepherd. The children will first be reminded of the parable of the lost sheep, as well as Jesus’ saying that all persons are of importance to God with an angel in heaven assigned to all of them. A man on losing one of his sheep among his one hundred leaves the rest and continues to look for the lost one. The students will be made to understand that the shepherd was happier on finding the one sheep that was lost and felt gladder about them than the other 99. In the activity, the students will be arranged in twos and the teacher will invite them to tell their friend about an item that they misplaced or lost and then found after searching for a long time. They should also describe how they felt after they found the lost item. They will then switch places and repeat the exercise. Following the activity, the teacher will remind the students that God is never happy when we are lost and he always looks for us. Like the lost sheep, he is not happy when any of his children are lost and he feels overjoyed when he finds us, forgiving us for what we have done and accepting us back like the lost sheep. References Bausch, W. J. (2003). A new look at the sacraments. Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications. Brady, L., & Kennedy, K. J. (2010): Curriculum construction. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W: Pearson Australia. Retrieved from: http://www.academia-research.com/filecache/instr/d/o/894935_document_6.pdf Buchanan, M. (2003). Survey of current writing on trends in religious education. . Journal of Religious Education , 51 (4), 22-30. Retrieved From: http://www.academia-research.com/filecache/instr/d/o/894935_document_8.pdf Cooke, B. J., & Macy, G. (2005): Christian symbol and ritual: An introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Crowe, N. (2012). Sacraments: Christ's Gift of the Spirit . Retrieved October 9, 2013, from Order of Preachers: http://www.op.org/en/content/sacraments-christs-gift-spirit-0 Dwyer, E.J. (2005). Rite of penance: Rite of reception of baptized Christians into full communion with the Catholic Church: English translation. (n.d.). Sydney: E.J. Dwyer Ellis, C. (2008). The life of grace: San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press. Fosarelli, P. (2012). Celebrating Your Child's First Reconciliation. Mystic, Connecticut: Twenty-Third Publications, Holy Spirit Interactive. (2013, October 09). Sacraments . Retrieved October 9, 2013, from http://www.holyspiritinteractive.net/ Ryan, M. (2006). Catholic Tradition and the Classroom Religious Program. In M. Ryan, Religious Education in Catholic Schools (pp. 170-186). Ringwood: David Lowell Publishing. Retrieved From: http://www.academia-research.com/filecache/instr/d/o/894935_document_2.pdf Ryan, M. (2012): Learning links to the sacraments of healing: Teacher resources for the religion classroom. Hamilton, Qld: Lumino Press. The Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. (2010). The Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church . Retrieved October 9, 2013, from http://www.christusrex.org/www1/CDHN/p6.html Williams, W. W. (2008). Moral Theology of the Sacrament of Penance. Whitefish, Montana: Kessinger Publishing, . Leichner, J. T. (2008). Making things right: The sacrament of reconciliation. Huntington, Ind: Our Sunday Visitor, Inc. Read More