Devising Your Religious Lesson Plans

By Jose McDonald


People who have positions as teachers in faith-based or private schools as well as people who volunteer to teach Sunday school once a week are required to create religious lesson plans to teach their students. When you are unsure of how to create such outlines, you might wonder what factors to take into consideration and how to make an impact on the pupils in your class. Using these guidelines, you could create lessons that your students can understand easily. You also can impart the more important facets of the faith or church doctrine that your students are expected to learn this year in school.

The type of lessons you make up will depend on how old the kids in your class are. For example, if they are only five or six years old, they cannot understand complex concepts right now. However, they can start to learn basics like the names of the faith's leaders, saints, and other iconic components that they might need to know before moving on in sacramental learning. You might try making the learning fun and more of a game than straightforward lecturing because the youngest of students learn better through play.

Younger students also can learn basic movements that might be affiliated with your faith. For example, if you are teaching Catholic kindergartners up to third-graders, you may show them how to make the sign of the cross and genuflect with their right knee. These movements allow them to participate in the Mass.

Middle school, high school, and university students already know these basics. However, they may struggle with some of the guidelines of the church, such as the ones that frown upon premarital sex or using drugs. They might want to know why the church even cares about what they do in the privacy of their own homes. Your lessons may need to be geared toward tackling those issues.

Adults likewise might struggle to understand the principles of the church with which you are affiliated. They may want to know why the church does not condone divorce or why couples are encouraged to stay together even in the face of infidelity. These difficult questions might be answered by referring to church doctrine.

The most straightforward way to reach your students could be just to outline your points of instruction and to tackle each one individually. You could be as factual as possible. You also may reference catechism teachings to back up your own instruction.

You may find the catechism online today. Many churches have uploaded their basic tenants to the Internet. You also could refer to websites dedicated to faith-based teaching. These online examples could be incorporated into your own teaching.

Creating plans for lessons based on religious teachings may be a challenge. You can make it easier by keeping these basic principles in mind. You also might confidently address concerns and questions without running afoul of church doctrine. The Internet could be your best resource and source of help.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment