L5 Lesson Plans Mar. 30, 31 & Apr. 1
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This catechist lesson plan was developed using the Alive in Christ online publisher’s resources. It can be adapted for home school use in completing Chapter 20, the last chapter assignment on our spring calendar.
Lesson Plan – Level 5
Chapter 20- The
Last Things
Lesson Overview- Faith in the
Resurrection is the source of hope in eternal life and happiness with God in
Heaven. The Church cares for the dying though prayer and celebration of last
Eucharist, known as viaticum.
Lesson Objectives- The children
will:
·
Discuss Jesus’ teaching on the Last Judgment,
using Matthew 25.
·
Understand that at the time of death, each
person will be judged and God will decide where he or she will spend eternity.
·
Identify how Christians prepare for eternal life by serving God and one another right now.
Identify how Christians prepare for eternal life by serving God and one another right now.
·
Relate the symbols used at Mass of Christian
Burial with our Baptism and Jesus’ Resurrection.
Catechist Tip- This lesson may bring up difficult or confusing
emotions in children who have experienced a recent death in the family. Be
sensitive to individual needs. Some children may wish to share their
experiences of mourning while others might prefer to keep the subject private
or ignore it completely. Remind the children to be respectful of the other
children’s emotions. Part of human life is learning to let go. Remind the
children that in any overwhelming situation in which they feel out of control,
they can let go and let God sustain them. Assure those who are grieving that
there is no “right” way to mourn; they can take all the time they need to let
go of their sadness while holding on to their memories.
Table Time-
·
Begin with the prayer on page 267, (Psalm
116:8-9, and Luke 20:37-38). Discuss “What do you wonder?” questions:
1.
How is everyone alive for God?
2.
How does the Church help her members at the time
of death?
·
As a
conversation starter ask the following questions:
- How does the Church help us live good lives? (List responses on the board or on chart paper)
- What would it be like if there was no Church? How would your life be different?
Then tell the students: One of the
things that the Church does for us is she gets us ready to die and go to
Heaven.
·
Have young people turn to the Catholic
Faith Words feature on page 270. Write the word viaticum VIA TI CUM on
the board or chart paper. Invite a volunteer to read the text for viaticum.
Point out that the definition uses the word journey. We believe that
death is a part of our spiritual journey to life forever. We even call the
Eucharist by a different name. If you break the word down to three syllables
(point them out on the board), in Latin it means the way with you. Jesus
in the Eucharist accompanies us on our journey to eternal life.
Tell the children that Saint Joseph is
the patron saint of a happy death. Many people pray every day to him that they
will have a happy death.
·
Read pages
268-269. Proclaim, or have a student proclaim, “The Judgment of the Nations,” on
page 268. List the actions that the blessed will do as Jesus describes them in
Matthew 25:31-40. Ask the students to share stories of someone who took care of
other people, perhaps even in the exact ways Jesus described. It can be a
Saint, someone on the news, a friend or relative, or someone they heard about.
When finished, give them a brief quiet time to think of some way they want to
imitate one of these people and silently ask God to help them carry this out.
·
On page 269-
Discuss: What does Jesus teach us about Heaven and Hell? Discuss the faith terms:
Heaven, Hell, eternal life, Purgatory, and Particular Judgment.
·
After
completing the Catechist Edition instruction for page 269, play this video of
Pope Francis explaining how the love of God leads us to Heaven. Say: Pope Francis tells us we
need an increase in love and sharing in our time. How do we make that happen,
and work with God as he builds his Kingdom? Then have the children complete the
Share Your Faith activity. YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/0B1vJnpBEG4
·
Move on to page 270. Ask the children to listen as you read the
page. Listen for an explanation of why humans experience death. Why is death of
the body not the end of life?
·
Go to
“People of Faith” on page 263 and read about Saint Stephen, martyred c. 36 A.D.
Discuss: Why shouldn’t Christians be
afraid to die?
Optional Activities- - Heaven Activity- Organize the class in pairs. Assign each pair one or two of the Beatitudes to illustrate. Ask the children to draw rewards in Heaven for those who are blessed in the assigned Beatitudes. (The Beatitudes are listed on page 317 of the student workbook.)
- Play “Lamb of God” by Matt Maher, with lyrics, at this link: https://youtu.be/_UZRFE7WXQ0
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