Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Crafty Crafters: Easter (Colors of Christ Cross)






So how crafty are you?

What is your favorite religious craft you make for Easter?



Here is a craft that I like to make with my students using pony beads:




christiancrafters.com- The Colors of Christ Cross

*Tip: Hot glue the blue, white, and red beads together.


Each of the bead colors are intended to remind us of Biblical truths:


Black = Sin
The black bead reminds us of our sin which separates us from God and dooms us to eternal darkness. Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (see also Ephesians 2:11-13)

Red = Christ’s blood
The red bead symbolizes Christ’s’ blood shed for you and me. Romans 5:8-9 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us...we have been justified by his blood...”

White = Prayer of Repentance For Cleansing
The white bead represents the cleansing that occurs when a sinner repents and turns to God. Psalm 51:1-2 “Have mercy on me, Oh God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”

Blue = Water/Spirit Baptism
The blue bead represents baptism. Ephesians 4:5 “...one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” We are baptized with water to identify ourselves with Jesus. The Holy Spirit baptizes those who trust in Jesus and takes up residence in the believers heart. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. Romans 8:9

Green = Christian Growth
The green bead represents growth in our faith. Colossians 1:10 “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God...”

Gold = Eternal life
The gold bead represents eternal life with Jesus in Heaven. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”



Please comment so I can add the link to your blog to this post. We would love to see what you do!



Alicia made FiberOne Easter Egg Nests one year and discussed the new life of Easter- through-my-is.blogspot.com





Friday, March 13, 2015

Special Needs Ministry





As a special education teacher, I am always looking for new ideas and resources. Here are some that I found online that I thought I would share.

covchurch.org- Disability Resource Manual: A Practical Guide for Churches and Church Leaders

mintools.com- Special Needs & Disability Ministry Resources

specialneedsministry.com- Special Needs Ministry Handbook

oce.archindy.org- Resources and Materials for Inclusive Special Religious Education in all Parishes

lifeway.com- Special Needs Ministry
• Bible Studies for Special Needs Ministries
• FREE Special Needs Ministry Resources
• Adaptation Tips - Use these one-page articles to train your leaders and volunteers.

archkick.org- Religious Education for Children with Special Needs

loyolapress.com- Special Needs:
• Adaptive Finding God
• Adaptive Learning Kits
• Inclusive Faith Resources

fulleryouthinstitute.org- Refusing to Ignore Teenagers with Special Needs
Five Ideas for Inclusion

The Catholic Toolbox- Decorating & Organizing Your Classroom: Considerations For Children With Sensory Processing Disorders

The Catholic Toolbox- Inclusion of Special Needs Students in Your Classroom

The Catholic Toolbox- Special Needs Students: Information to Gather From Parents

The Catholic Toolbox- Staff Training for Special Needs Students

The Catholic Toolbox- Social Stories for Church

momsofspecialneedschildren1.blogspot.com- Visual Schedules
Children with ASD need predictability and therefore do not like change. Having a chart or visual schedule displayed of what they are going to do and activities in advance can provide security and keep inappropriate behavior down to a minimum. This technique can also be used to prepare for any change in the normal routine. Letting children that have ASD know of any schedule changes prior to the activity can prevent anxiety and reduce the likelihood of tantrums, rage, and meltdowns.



Special Needs Religious Products

loyolapress.com- Everyone has a right to catechesis, which is why Loyola Press has developed these kits for individuals with autism and other special needs.

comcenter.com- Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Program
Religious Education for Children and Adults with Special Needs



Saturday, March 7, 2015

How To Keep A Student On Task





When my son was in 6th grade, one of his teachers had a hard time keeping him on task. I then compiled a list from various sources and gave it to her which she found extremely helpful.

1. Since some students are visual learners, not auditory learners, consider using a model or picture of what you are talking about or what you want them to do exactly. Use graphic organizers (Venn Diagrams and the compare/contrast chart, semantic maps, etc.) to help student comprehend information necessary to complete a task.

2. Make the connections with previous skills or knowledge explicit.

3. Students often need to understand how or why concepts required for mastery are relevant. Teachers must tell the student (a) why the information is useful, (b) how the student can use it, and (c) where it fits in with the knowledge the student already possesses. Some students need to understand lesson rational before they can or will learn.

4. Show the student exactly what to do. The teacher demonstrates how to complete a worksheet, participate in a cooperative group activity, begin a project, and so forth. It is important for the teacher to demonstrate how to complete a task or assignment correctly, instead of telling the student what not to do. Many students know what they should not do but have no understanding of what is required of them.

5. Break down the information and present it in small increments. This type of instruction is active, with the teacher presenting information, asking questions, and providing corrective feedback.

6. Too much movement in the classroom. Try having the student work in a booth. You can make one out of corrugated cardboard.

7. Classroom over decorated and confusing. Minimize displays.

8. Do not give too much work to the students at once. Chunk/modify assignment as appropriate with frequent teacher checks for accuracy.

9. Give frequent feedback. Students often do not see what they are doing as they are doing it. Do not wait until he is almost done with a paper or activity and tell them that
they are not doing it correctly.

10. Prioritize what the students need to know. If it is not relevant, do not dwell on it. Highlight material that the student must know.

11. Ask the student what will help him. Students are often very intuitive. They can tell you how they can learn best, if you ask them. They are often too embarrassed to volunteer the information.

12. Teachers need to write down the directions of what they want the students to do. Give specific directions in small chunks (one at a time) and simplify them.

13. Since some students learn better visually than auditorily, teachers need to write down what they are saying on the board (key words might suffice), this can be most helpful. This kind of structuring glues the ideas in place.

14. Simplify choices.

15. A point system is a possibility as part of behavioral modification or a reward system for students. Students respond well to rewards and incentives. A daily self-control checklist that the teacher fills out daily to provide information about how well the child was able to focus is beneficial (example: paid attention in class, did not disturb other students, worked independently, completed assignments, handed work in on time, followed instructions, work was neat, work was complete, etc.). The child would be encouraged to aim for a minimum daily score. The target score can be raised as they develop more self-control and self-discipline. Another example: measure how long the student is on task and then reward when they are on task that long, and then reward when they are on task a bit longer, etc. Or tell the student to do a certain amount of problems in a certain amount of time and that you will be back to check. Reward if the student complies with the request. Make sure the rewards are meaningful to them (something that they like or want, etc.).

16. Provide more immediate feedback. Example: A chart with a happy face and sad face with columns is placed on the student’s desk. When the teacher notices that the child is paying attention and getting work done, she could put a check in the happy face column. When the student is distracted, the teacher could put a check in the sad face column. A reward for improvement should be established in school and at home (a minimum of ten happy face checks in one day can be used for an extra half hour of TV, etc. or have a menu of rewards that he can pick from). The target score should be realistic and the expectations reasonable. Never take away earned points for poor performance. Encourage student to raise the target score in small increments, and praise them for even small gains.

17. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Review last week’s lesson prior to today’s lesson.

18. Give cues to the student before an important point to be made (example: “This is a major point. This will be on the test.” Etc.).

19. Check that the student actually knows what to do. The student needs to be able to paraphrase instructions, not repeat them.

20. Student must be actively engaged throughout the instructional process. Students should be provided physical cues to attend to relevant stimuli and be asked frequent questions.

21. Make sure you have the student’s attention before giving a direction.

22. Have hands-on lessons to facilitate comprehension of word-object, word-action, and object-action associations, and to promote comprehension beyond the level of the simple object label.

23. Chunk/modify assignment as appropriate with frequent teacher checks for accuracy.

24. If you want the student to understand, remember, and follow directions, begin by writing them down. For example, provide student with step-by-step directions that tell him how to complete a specific task. To help student follow steps in order, provide small boxes by each step so he can check off each step as it is completed. Take care to write directions clearly, spacing them apart so each step is visually clear to the student.

25. Seat the student that is having problems staying on task at the front of the class and direct frequent questions to him/her to help them attend to the lesson.

26. Teachers could write instructions they give to the whole class on the chalkboard so that if a student is not paying attention for a moment or cannot process the verbal instructions quickly, they will have a record and reminder of what to do.

27. Teachers might also provide the student with individual instructions in the form of a written prompt or reminder on an index card that can be taped to his desk.

28. Show a model of the final goal or completed product. It is often easier to work toward the conclusion when the student can see what he is supposed to be doing than if the end product is abstract or otherwise intangible.





Thursday, March 5, 2015

Teaching Strategies for Catechists






How do you keep your students interested and engaged in learning? Here are some ideas that might help:


thereligionteacher.com- Teaching Strategies

thereligionteacher.com- Using Inductive Teaching Strategies to Get Students’ Attention

catechist.com- Best Practices for Teaching Religion

archomaha.org- Tips For Catechists Who Teach Children With ADHD

The Catholic Toolbox- What Every Catechist Needs To Know

The Catholic Toolbox- What do students like to do in CCD?
Keeping students involved and engaged in activities that have them moving, working in groups, and discovering information for themselves allows students to become excited about their learning and they are motivated to come to class.

The Catholic Toolbox- Assessing Student Progress
How to test students can be a tricky matter. Since students learn in different ways, they must be tested in different ways to find out if they have learned the information taught in class. Assessment must include a variety of methods that will enable the catechist to determine how successfully your students are learning to live out their faith in their daily lives and in communion with the Church.