level 1: kinder/prep
Church
Background Notes for Teacher Reflection and Preparation
ELEMENTS
CHURCH: Body of Christ, Community of Disciples, Witness to Unity and Justice.
AIMS
Participation In The Prayerful, Liturgical And Sacramental Life Of The Faith Community
Making Connections
CONTENT STATEMENT
Students will begin to develop an understanding of Church as a welcoming and
caring community that gathers together to celebrate.
STANDARD
See Good News For Living Refresh Document 2014
Strand
Core Doctrinal Concepts
Catechism Reference
God
2. God loves each of us.
5. We experience God in other people’s love for us.
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Church
1. Jesus invites people into community.
2. The Church is a community that celebrates and shares the life and work of Jesus.
3. Baptism welcomes people into the Church.
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LINKING WITH OTHER RESOURCE BANKS
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Church
Welcome to Community
Church-Community of Believers
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Church
level 1: kinder/prep
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STUDENT
CONTEXT
Students come to school knowing that they belong to a family and other communities. Their understanding of ‘family’ will have been shaped by their experience. To have an understanding of the Church the children need to understand that they can belong to more than one family or community e.g. the school/parish community and that such communities can be groups of people who work, play and/or celebrate together. This sense of belonging will be developed by their experience of their class as a welcoming, celebrating community. This understanding can then be extended to the school and parish.
At this stage children love stories and their daily life structured by routines and rituals. They are able to explore their experiences of belonging and of being welcomed. Their ability to use symbols, words and images in communication is rapidly developing. The concepts developed throughout this unit are of interest to them and are appropriate as they become involved in the school community.
THEOLOGICAL
BACKGROUND
FOR TEACHERS
• Early followers of Jesus emphasized that families were the key building blocks of the spiritual family of God’s chosen ones. In a sense they saw the entire Christian community as the household of God’s family. Most primitive Christian gatherings for prayer and celebration of the Eucharist occurred in ‘house churches’, with ordinary Christian householders hosting and presiding over the sacred rituals.
• In recent decades, Catholic congregations have been actively reclaiming and re-emphasizing the traditional notion of the family household as a ‘church of the home’ and a ‘church in miniature’. This is an appropriate point from which to develop a sense of the church as community. The church is often referred to as a true community of Christ’s followers, especially in the celebration of the sacraments and in other communal acts of worship and through the living witness to Christian values. (Ekstrom, 2000, p 52).
SCRIPTURE
Mark 10:13-16 – Jesus Blesses the Little Children
Some people brought their children to Jesus so that he could bless them by placing his hands on them. But his disciples told the people to stop bothering him. When Jesus saw this, he became angry and said, “Let the children come to me! Don’t try to stop them. People who are like these little children belong to the kingdom of God. I promise you that you cannot get into God’s kingdom, unless you accept it the way a child does.” Then Jesus took the children in his arms.
Isaiah 49:15b-16a - The Lord’s Love
Even if a mother could forget, I will never forget you. A picture of your city is drawn on my hand. You are always in my thoughts!
PLANNING
A L EARNING
S EQUENCE
Level Focus
The Church is a celebrating community that shares God’s love.
Knowing: Students will begin to understand that to be in the Christian community is to be in God.
Thinking: Students engage in celebrating in God as a Christian Community. Connecting: Learning about God and engaging in God deepens our encounter with all creation.
Essential Questions
Example:
What does belonging in a community tell me about God and God’s love?
Enduring Understandings
• We are invited to be aware of God’s presence when we make the Sign of the Cross. • We gather as the Church, in the church building to celebrate God’s presence and activity.
• The building is a symbol of the community we call Church.
• The building has many symbols of God’s presence.
• Jesus’ mother, Mary is the model of the Church because of her love for God.
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Evidence of Learning
Students should be able to:
1. Make the Sign of the Cross.
2. Articulate some of the meaning of the parts of the
prayer.
3. Reflect on how outer sacred space is a mirror of
our inner sacred space of the heart.
4. List the main symbols we see in the church building
that reflect the local and the universal nature of the
Church.
5. Explain some of the ways Mary teaches us how to
love God.
Church
level 1: kinder/prep
Suggested Assessment Tasks
• Draw a picture with the heading ‘I belong to…’
Children can include school and parish groups as
well as family and sporting groups. They could label
these groups or have an adult scribe for them.
Focusing Activity
• Set up a photo display of families. Try to include a
variety of families doing a variety of things e.g.
picnics, birthday parties, a baptism etc. Children
could add to this collage during the following weeks.
• Listen to and reflect on appropriate songs/hymns/
contemporary music.
• Share a poem or story about belonging and families
from the list of Literature Resources.
Learning activity:
• Paint/draw family pictures. Discuss what families do
together and create a word web or an acrostic
poem about families.
• Explore family rituals (use “Let’s Eat”)
• Make a plaque ‘I belong to the _________ family’.
• Give a ‘news’ talk describing a group they belong to.
• Display a whole school photograph help the
children to find their buddies.
• Complete a series of Y charts, ‘Belonging to a
Family’, ‘Belonging to a Class/School community’,
‘Belonging to a Church/Parish community.’
• Role play some of the things different family
members do.
• Children create a patch to contribute to a class
paper patchwork quilt that illustrates what it means
to belong to their Church/Parish community.
• Make a mural of people who make up the school/
parish community.
• Plan a prayer celebration. Make invitations to their
family members and members of the Church/Parish
community.
• Children take an active part in a class celebration
by singing, reading, praying. Children draw the
different way they participated in the celebration.
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Suggested Learning Experiences
• Visit the Church and make a chart to show the
similarities between the church building and a house.
• Visit another Catholic Church (or exchange photos
with another Parish) and compare and contrast the
contents.
• Invite the parish priest or member of the parish to
talk about the parish community.
• Make a ‘Y chart’ about belonging.
• Make ‘gift vouchers’ for your family.
• Sing and learn songs about belonging. (see
suggested resources below)
• Plan a prayer celebration. Make invitations to their
family members and members of the parish
community.
• Invite children to bring family photo albums to school.
• Read contemporary stories which reflect a theme of
belonging.
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Resources
NB: OP means “Out of Print’
Community Resources
Parish Priest or Pastoral Associate.
School Principal.
Member/s of the parish.
Teacher Resources
Student Resources
McCallen, A.J. (1976). Listen! Themes from the Bible retold for children. London: Harper Collins.
McCallen, A.J. (1979). Praise! Songs and poems from the Bible. London: Harper Collins. [OP]
Church
Literature
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level 1: kinder/prep
Catechism of the Catholic Church. (2000). (2nd ed.). Homebush, N.S.W.: St Paul’s Publications.
Hari, A., & Singer, C. (1993). Experience Jesus today: Understanding the Gospel. Strasbourg: Editions du Signe. [OP]
Hari, A., & Singer, C. (1993). Discover the Old Testament today. Strasbourg: Editions du Signe. [OP]
Hari, A., & Singer, C. (1997). Alive in the Spirit today. Chelmsford: Matthew James. [OP]
Liddy, S., & Welbourne, L. (1999). Strategies for teaching Religious Education. Katoomba, N.S.W.: Social Science Press.
The Jerusalem Bible. (1966). London: Darton, Longman & Todd.
Wintour, R. (1998). Sacred celebrations: Liturgies for children. Brisbane: Mountjoy Enterprises.
Bourgeois, P., & Clark, B. (1989). Hurry up, Franklin. Sydney: Ashton Scholastic
Graham, B. (1997). Queenie the bantam. London: Walker.
Graham, B. (c1985). First there was Frances. Port Melbourne: Lothian.
Graham, B. (2001). Let’s get a pup! London: Walker. [OP]
Gleeson, L., & Smith, C. (1997). Where’s Mum? Norwood, S. Aust: Omnibus Books.
Goldsack,G. & Walker,S. (2004).My dad is great. Bath,UK:Bright Sparks
Hunt, N., & Niland, D. (1990). Families are funny. Sydney: Collins. [OP]
Loh, M., & Rawlins, D. (1997). Tucking mummy in. Gosford, N.S.W.: Scholastic.
Watson,J. (2003). Grandpa’s shed. Gosford, N.S.W.: Scholastic.
Watson, J., & Hodder, W. (1989). Grandpa’s slippers. Sydney: Scholastic. [OP]
Whybrow, I. & Birmingham, C., (1999). A Baby for Grace. London: Kingfisher.
Wild, M. (1998.). Rosie and tortoise. St. Leonards, N.S.W: Allen & Unwin.
Zamorano, A., & Vivas, J. (1996). Let’s eat. Norwood, S.A.: Omnibus.
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Music
Farrell, B. (1997). Circle song. On Great gifts [CD]. Dee Why: Willow Connection.
McRae, M. (1985). God’s circle of love. On As one voice for kids [CD]. Manly Vale: Willow Connection.
Millward, M. & Halloran, D. (2001). Joy for you and me. On Great stories and songs [CD]. Brookvale: Willow Connection.
Walker, C. (1991). We are the Church. On Calling the children [Tape]. Portland: OCP Publications.
Walker, C. & Freeburg, P. (1994). Jesus loves the little children. On Stories & songs of Jesus [CD] Portland: OCP Publications.
World Wide Web / Internet
Church
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level 1: kinder/prep
Treasures, New and Old. http://vision.cangoul.catholic.edu.au
Scripture: a search engine for the NRSV translation.http://www.devotions.net/bible/00bible.htm
The Vatican: includes a detailed index for the Catechism of the Catholic Church. http://www.vatican.va/