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CATECHETICAL RESOURCE BOOK #2
For Youth - Adult The Editors of Celebrating The Lectionary Paper, $6.00 64 pages, 8½" x 11" ISBN 0-89390-614-X View Table of Contents View Excerpt |
This resource book for catechists and group leaders consists of prayers,
poem tips, cooperation games, group-building activities, and general crafts.
Covering the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary time,
it can be used with the Celebrating The Lectionary program or with
any other catechetical program. Users of the CTL Covenant People, Spirit
Alive, Justice & Mercyt, or Children's Catechumenate packets will receive
one of these booklets in each packet.
See also: Catechetical
Activity Resource Book for Ages 3-11
Table of Contents
Introduction to Skills and Methods
Storytelling and symbol
Drama
Biblical Costumes and Props
Using the Bible Creatively
How Symbols and Rituals Help Shape Our Faith
Advent and Christmas Symbols and Crafts
Lenten and Easter Symbols and Crafts
Biblical Images of God
Leading Guided Meditations
Poetry
Creating and Writing Prayers
Opening and Closing Prayers
Traditional Prayers
Journaling
Games and Activities
Get-Acquainted Games
Group-Building Activities
Cooperative Games
Games for Remembering Biblical Stories
Using Game Boards
Enabling Faith-in-Action
Outreach Tips
More Outreach Ideas
Mission Awareness Resources
"Welcome" in Other Languages
Debating Procedures
Letter-Writing Campaigns
Fund-Raising
Basic Supply Kit
Craft Ideas
Craft Recipes and Activities
Card-Making
Candle-Making
Craft Clay
Play dough recipes
Crafts
Puppet Making
Banner-Making
Music Resources
Songwriting Tips
Musical Instruments
Introduction to Skills and Methods
Welcome to the Catechetical Resource Book for Youth-Adult. We developed this book to offer new and experienced catechists a handy resource for enhancing catechetical planning and preparation. It is distilled from fifteen years of use in Celebrating The Lectionary, a lectionary-based, whole-parish catechesis curriculum for parishes and schools (published by Resource Publications, Inc.) This book contains a wealth of ideas in the areas of biblical costuming, crafts and games, as well as seasonal ideas and information. An alphabetical index is included for your convenience.
Storytelling
A key ingredient in our Judeo-Christian heritage and the transfer of our faith story has always been storytelling. The following are some approaches appropriate for catechesis.
Straight Narrative
This method can be difficult because it relies purely on the skills of the storyteller. Usually, it is better to tell a story in your own words than to read it from a book.
Storytelling Tips
Even with props, the story must come through the teller -- not only through the voice, but also through facial expressions, especially the eyes.
- Learn to tell the story in your own words so you can maintain eye contact with your audience. If you need to, occasionally glance at the story. For this purpose, mark five or six key words with a yellow highlighter.
- If you find you lose the attention of the group, ask some questions to bring the group back to you again.
- Visuals help keep individuals focused and help them remember the story. However, visuals should not remain static. Discuss the pictures. Ask questions about who is in the picture and what is happening.
- An overhead projector works well for illustrating a story through your own drawings or computer-generated visuals. You can copy graphs, charts, maps, and line art onto transparencies with a copy machine.
- If you ask a question, do not be afraid to wait for an answer. If no answer is forthcoming, rephrase the question. Use questions that cannot be answered with yes or no.
- Enliven your story with dialogue, action words, sound effects, and facial expressions. Make faces, cry, and laugh.
- Storytelling is an art that grows through practice. Try practicing in front of a mirror or with your own children to gain confidence. If you have access to a video camera, record yourself to see how you are doing.
Drama
Drama and storytelling are closely related. The following are some dramatic techniques you might find useful with your group:
Acting Out
After reading a story, the leader might ask everyone to act it out. This is a way of eliciting feedback and seeing if they heard the story. Try one of the following
Stories in Character: Encourage your group to listen to the Scripture carefully, and then act out the stories. Set the mood with simple biblical costumes that consist of robes, pieces of colorful cloth, and towels for headdresses. Using props can help activate the members' imagination.
Role-Playing: Members act out, without rehearsal, the role of someone in a biblical story, and saying what each thinks the person might have said in this situation. It could also mean acting out the part of someone in a modern-day scenario.
Roving Reporter: This technique interjects a reporter who interviews participants about what happened. Another version of this is the panel show, with a host quizzing the panel for details and insights.
Microphone for a Roving Reporter
Materials
- aluminum foil, black yarn, long cardboard tube, tape, marker
Instructions
Roll the foil into tight ball so it fits on one end of the cardboard tube. Attach an 8-to-10-inch piece of yarn to the inside of the tube at the opposite end. Write the name of the station on the side.
Forms
Mime: Members can entirely mime stories or mime them over a narrative. The latter technique allows them to concentrate on their actions instead of their lines.
Simulation Exercises: Here you create a situation that everyone acts out. Sometimes they know it is a simulation -- which was the case one Easter week when some groups recreated what it was like to be an early Christian. Sometimes they do not know -- which was the case one time when a leader deliberately set up a projector with a broken bulb.
Tableaux: The leader tells a story through a series of freeze-frames.
Members strike a pose at each pause in the story.
Biblical Costumes and Props
Having members dress up in biblical costumes helps set the stage for the use of imagination. The stories become more real as the group dramatizes them in their own words. If you do not sew, this is a wonderful time to enlist the help of others in your parish who want to contribute to the program by sharing their talents. If possible, keep a biblical "Costume Box" to store a variety of props. Include costumes, jewelry, pouches, sandals, fishnet, and make a campfire prop around which you can tell the story as exciting additions for dramatizations.
Tunic
The basic garment for both men and women was the tunic. It was often woven in a single piece on a wide loom. The loose tunic allowed air to circulate and helped keep the body cool.
Materials
- Use old sheets.
Instructions
Spread out a sheet, and draw the simple pattern as per illustration. Cut it out. Fold it in half, and cut a hole out of the center for the head.
Cloak
The cloak was a sleeveless garment that was worn over the tunic. It became a robe by day and served as a blanket by night.
Materials
- Use old sheets.
Instructions
Cut a length of sheet from the participant's shoulders to his or her midcalf. The width should be approximately 1 yard (or a meter). Fold the two lengthwise edges in toward the middle, and mark the neckline/shoulderline with a pencil. Sew the seams of the shoulders and the side (leaving space for the armholes).
Headdress: Men
Men wore a variety of headgear in biblical times. The headgear indicated their economic status. Men of poorer circumstances sometimes wore brimless caps. Those of higher status wore turbans. Men sometimes wore head scarves, mainly for warmth. They draped these loosely over the head and held them in place with a headband of narrow twisted strips of fabric wound around the head.
To make a headscarf:
Materials
- large square of fabric, strips of cloth or a nylon stocking
Instructions
Cut nylon stocking (or other scrap fabric) into 1-inch strips. Place square of fabric over the head. Stretch the nylon over the square of fabric to secure the cloth on the head.
To make a brimless cap:
Materials
- black felt or paper
Instructions
Cut felt into a 10-inch circle. Fold into fourths and trim as shown. Tape each "seam" closed to form a small brimless cap. (Option: Glue a small button in the center.)
Headdress: Women
Women usually wore a long head cloth or veil. Often a padded ring was attached to the top of the headdress so they could comfortably carry a pitcher of water.
Materials
- lightweight cotton fabric, self-stick closures
Instructions
Cut a rectangle of fabric (depending on the length required) from shoulder
to ankle length. Place the fabric over the head, and determine where to
place the self-stick closures so the scarf feels secure on the head. (Tip:
Pull edges of the fabric away from face, the and hold it at the back of
the neck. Sew the self-stick closures along the edges of the fabric where
they meet at the back of the neck.)