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Catechist guide a good classroom tool |
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By Bob Zyskowski
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Wednesday, 25 August 2010 |
“Praying and Planning Guide 2010-2011” by Catholic Catechist. $5.95 with bulk rates, available at www.creativecatechist.org.
 Book Review
Bob Zyskowski
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So your Catholic parish is asking you to be a catechist. Say “yes” with help from this planning aid.
If you’ve ever been asked to teach a faith formation class and
hesitated because you didn’t know if you could do it well, there’s an
inexpensive booklet that will not only give you the confidence to do so,
but will also assist you all throughout the class year.
Creative Catechist’s “Praying and Planning Guide” for 2010-2011 is
readable for any adult, and as a teacher’s aid it offers ideas that are
simple to put into practice.
It’s just 40 pages, but it includes:
» Record-keeping pages for 25 students with an attendance chart.
» Two helpful calendars — one a list of well-known saints’ feast days and the other a walk through the church year.
 » Five no-fail suggestions for starting the year off right.
» Tips for planning lessons.
» More than a handful of good ideas for activities.
» A very good breakdown of the Nicene Creed that would be a great beginning for any class.
Three keys for success
The bulk of the booklet is its most useful part. For each month there is
an example of a lesson plan to give catechists ideas about what to
teach, what to stress, what to discuss and how to help that lesson be
better absorbed. The three keys are focus, activity and materials.
Each week there is a blank space for catechists to write in the focus,
activity and materials they need for that week’s lesson. It’s a great
organizational tool that channels the focus on a lectionary-based path,
but its greatest benefit may be that it has the potential to draw out
the creativity of both catechists and their students.
There’s a real emphasis on prayer, too.
Not every idea will be everyone’s cup of tea, of course. But using
Creative Catechist’s methodology can’t help but give the most nervous
volunteer the confidence to take on the great ministry of sharing the
faith with young people.
Bob Zyskowski is associate publisher of The Catholic Spirit.
Think a good book is hard to find?
Read more book reviews by Bob Zyskowski at the Bobz Book Reviews blog.
Recent reads include “Night Crossing” by Don J. Snyder, “The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Anything” by James Martin, SJ, and “Jesus: A Biography from a Believer” by Paul Johnson. |
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