In another life I did a bit of consulting in my field, science education. I worked with teachers understanding how inquiry education invigorates instruction. Guess what? I believe this strategy works with every subject. Ok, it doesn’t mean every lesson has a hands-on craft; although many do! One tip is to have loads of changes during every lesson. Look at the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska’s fourth grade, Chapter 28 Lesson. There is a guide, slide deck, and video. (No, I didn’t use it.). I’m subbing. I stick to the teacher’s lesson. Well, I do add and adapt, just a bit.
How did I structure class? First we pray. Always. The fourth grade teacher wants the class to memorize seven prayers, including the Nicene Creed and the Acts of Contrition, and Faith, Hope, and Love. Next, Mr. P. plays hang man with a vocabulary term. (I chose confirmation; I was tempted to use transubstantiation.). Next, we reviewed the seven sacraments. I do this by letting each kid give me an answer. We teased my husband who could only come up with five. Next, we read the chapter, taking turns. Many of the CCD classes have quizzes on the lesson. We had one today. I like everyone to earn 100%; so, we went over the quiz together before they took their tests. Just before they started the test, I went over the agamographs with the kids to complete whenever they finish their quiz. The kids handed in their quizzes and worked in the craft. In all we had seven different activities; this method helps keep class moving, the kids engaged, while following the lesson. Our class was about 70 minutes. Kids can pay attention for about ten minutes. They are engaged for a longer period with the craft. Why? It’s relatively novel. They could talk with their neighbor. It’s hands-on. Consider how you structure your class time. Could it use a revamp? Try breaking things up!
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