No. 4B The Con·fraternity of Christian Doctrine Publications Department ~~~~~ 1312 Massachusetts Ave., N. W ., Washington, D. C. · Copyright, 1941, by Confraternity of Christian Doctfine INSTRUCTIONS FOR LAY TEACHERS "Whoever carries them [the commandments} ·out and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom· of heaven" ( ¥atthew 5: 19) . The Chairman · of Lay Teachers. \Vhen impracticable for a priest or religious to · be superintendent of school year religious instruction classes, the Chairman of Teach- ers may be superintendent under the priest's direction. He or she consults with the priest director and cooperates in his plans for recruiting lay teachers. College and high school graduat~s, Catholic public school teachers, and per- sons w.ho qualify by attendance at demonstration lessons are all prospects for the teachers' division of the Confra~ ternity. Lay teachers att.end the regular meetings of the parish unit of the Confraternity in order to have a clear under- standing of_its purpose and_ organization. At the first_ divi- sion meeting of teachers, read and discuss the Confra- ternity Constitution and Plan for Organizing Parish Units. r ? ScHO.OL YEAR RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION , The lay catechist has an impottl!,nt place, as it is hard to staff the instruction schools with an adequate number of religious . . The lay teachers make it possible to group the [1} children properly by grades and to adapt the program to their individual needs and interests. The standard which the Confraternity is endeavoring to establish for the school-year instruction classes calls for a minimum of one and one-half holirs of instruction, in one or two periods, each week for thirty-six weeks. In the Confraternity course of study, as embodied in the School YearReligious Instruc- tion Manuals (Grades I, n; ui;v; VI-vm), the lessons of the Catechism are enriched with picture ~ study, sacred stories, liturgy and suitable ,applications to everyday life. The goal of the catechist must be, not only to. impart knowledge, but also to develop • ideas, to instil ideals, to foster -spiritual growth and to train in the ·practice of Christian virtue. Lay teachers who are privileged to take part in this apostolic work should study carefully_ the courses outlined and familiarize themselves with the ma- terials designated by the Diocesan Office. ·· , ., · ~. J1 ACATION SCHOOLS ... "The vacation school seeks to impress th'e 'message of religion through· every faculty of· 'the .chiJd itapable ~ of re- ceiving it. Only one short period a day is~ devote~ to the recitation of the Catechism. Teachers must be sougQ.t· and trained to explain the simple prayers in ·a -simple manner; to interpret sacred pictures to··the 'children; -to_ lead them in ·sacred musiG; to recount' ·. the Biblical' stories and the lives 'of the saints ·in a way that will interest the ,children and at 'the same time point a message; to dramatize the Sacred History; to awaken the children to the beauty of the round of the .Churcli' s year;- to develop an understand- ing love for the Mass and reverence for the privilege of serving at Mass·;· to cultivate · taste and capacity foi the ·care of the Altar and the sacred vestments.:__ all ~this in addition to explaining -simply the lessons of the Catechism; [ 2 J mor.eover, to promote and supervise recreation and games, which may not be' neglected as a religious influence ... " (Most Rev. Edwin V. O'Hara, B!shop of Great Falls). A working knowledge of the Manuals of Religious Vacation Schools, Grades I, II; m-v; VI-VIII, and of the ma~erials listed therein,. should be ~acquired. CURRICULUM - ' The Confraternity suggests for the religious instruc- tion curriculum of Catholic children attending public schools the courses indicated in leaflet No. 3B (The Re- ligious Vacation _ School). Of course the schedule is pos- sible only in the religious vacation school, with its half-day - sessions. Grading. Grading of classes follows general school grading. -Grade grouping in ' small schools should follow the plan of the year-round smal1 school grouping; rotating the . courses of study within the group. - POINTS ON TEACHING Prayer. The catechist should teach only · ~ small part of each prayer at a time, and should take special pains to see that the child knows well what the words mean so- that h~j may have an understanding, according to his ca- pacity, of what the prayer conveys. The teacher will find it most satisfactory to correlate the prayers with the Chris- tian Doctrine topics being discussed: for example, the Act of Contrition with instruction being given on the Ten Commandments and Sin, and on the Sacrament of Pen- ance. Picture Study and Sacred Story. We know that what- ever enters the mind comes through the senses. The sense of sight and the sense of hearing are engaged in learning [3]' through picture and story. Biblical, hi!itorical and liturgical pictures are avlj.ilable in abund;mce (the_ Con£raternity Manuals contain lists of publishers) . The ·lessons of the Manuals indicate also the Scriptural sources of the doc- trines taught and point to other sources- for stories of saints' lives, etc. _Teachers shoqld be encouraged to. famil- iarize themselves with the Biblical sources of doctrine, and to give the children the siffiplified Bible stories. Doctrine is the very heart of the work. All the ·other f 1 ,. activities must center around it. The catechist should in \ conscience be well prepared for this . imparting of ·the teachings of Christ. No teacher can hope for results in the matter of religious instruction from the old, parrot-like question-and-answer method. The catechist, imbued with a deep religious spirit and having the needed basic knowl- edge, must take time to see that each child understands as fully as he can the cont~nt of the doctrine. Conduct and Religious Practice. The Manuals 'suggest practices for each lesson designed to apply to life the teaching of that lesson. A child must make use of the truths he learns in religion lessons by the daily practice of those truths, if religion teaching is not to be in vain. Prac- ticing the fundamentals of English grammar makes for correct speech and writing; practicing the fundamentals learned in religion lessons makes for character building, for the formation of Christians who know their obligations as members of the Mystical Body. This is essential to the success of the program. One of the greatest means for making the child's religious practice fruitful is to ha'\Te him }',, offer up the particular practice he is engaged in for some definite purpose. Liturgy. When the child is old enough to appreciate that every year the. Church in her Liturgy lives through [4] all the great events ili the life of Christ, and honors the saints, he should be taught the temporal and sanctoral cycles, especially by using the Missal. The Confraternity Manuals suggest liturgical teaching for each lesson. PRoJECT BooKS .:1 The Value of Making a Religious Project Book. 1. The development of a project gives the- child an excellent opportunity for creative activity. After two hours of instruction and recitation in the vaca- tion school, the child finds joy in applying the infor- mation he has acquired. He learns through doing. 2. The child remembers his lesson longer through having written the text m his book. It is a- con- stant reminder and a review of the lessons. 3. The project book is often referred to by the child's parents and proudly shown to friends who visit the home. A well-made project book recalls again and again the religious truths which it presents. -1· Pictures for the projects· have been choseri for their teaching value, and since they are selected from masterpieces, they also cultivate an appreciation for religious art. Teacher's Model Project Book. It is essential that teachers develop in advance a model of the project book they are to use, not only to gain experience, but also to be able to present clearly_to the pupils the work they are to undertake. General Plan. Children -are classified by school grades, so that those with like backgrounds of preparation will be grouped together. A project with accompanying instruc- tions is provided for each class. Prayers, hymns, stories [5] and projects all correlate with the day's. religious instruc- tion. · Using the Project .Book. Each book is designed for twenty lessons. The content of eaeh is taught when the lesson is presented; otherwise the benefit of the project will be lost. Before the children put the day's lesson in the book, question them to see that they understand what they are doing. · · · The day's work sho~ld . be put on the blackboard. When none is available, wrapping paper and crayolas make a fair sub$titute. Careful instruction should be given to the children before they begin work, and a completed book should be shown th~m. Help them to realize the kind of book they are going to make, to t~ke pride in it, ~d to do the very best . they can; even though this best does not compare with the work . done by the more talented mem- bers of the class. Some of the children write or print very slowly, and for these it is often necessary to shorten the lesson. Others, who are very quick, can be given crayolas to color and decorate the pages. ·. Materials needed. _Each child should have a booklet, pencil, eraser, ruler, crayolas, and an envelope in which to keep the work. · Pictures, paste and patterns are sup- plied as needed. Ruler- Na_rrow strips of cardboard 6 inches long may be used. Mark off lengths of 1, lf2 and 1,4 inch. Envelope- Keep each child's work in a separate en- velope. These can be ~ade from wrapping paper or strong wall paper. Make them 2 inches longer than the project book. Write the child's name plainly in the upper right-hand · corner. - Patterns- A sheet of patterns usually accompanies each project. [6} Pictures- If each child cannot be supplied with scis- sors, it is a good plan to have all the pictures that will be needed for one lesson cut and trimmed. Keep pictures of the same kind in a separate envelope or box. Nihil obstat. Henry J. Zolzer, Censor librorum. Imprimatur. + Thomas H. McLaughlin, Bishop of Paterson. This and other literature issued by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Publications Department, 1312 Massachusetts Avenue, N. W., Washington, D. C., may be ordered direct from the publisher, St. Anthony's Guild, Paterson, N. J. The cost of this leaflet is $2.00 per 100. In ordering, designate Form No. 4B. [7] 883391-001 883391-002 883391-003 883391-004 883391-005 883391-006 883391-007 883391-008