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Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter
Early Stage 1 Module (Draft)
Lent to Easter
Lent to EasterModule Focus
In this module students will explore the themes of Lent/Easter in a creative, integrated and relaxed way. Through participation and involvement in the module as well as in whole school Lent and Easter activities and celebrations, students will gain an awareness of the stories, actions and symbols of Lent and Easter.
This module has several components:1. On Ash Wednesday, children will be introduced to the Season of Lent.
This will include: changing the colour of the Sacred Space to purple, and discussing why; celebrating an Ash Wednesday Mass or liturgy; introducing the actions of Lent i.e. prayer, almsgiving and fasting; and focusing prayer in Lent and raising money for Project Compassion (ES1 children are too young to fast,
although the concept may be discussed with them). Whilst the Lenten theme runs in the classroom, teachers should complete teaching their first module of the year, and not begin the actual Lenten module until the third week of Lent (as they learn about Lent every year, it is important to give time to complete other modules).
2. In the fifth week of Lent and Holy Week, the focus will be on the Easter Triduum, through the story of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
3. For two weeks after Easter, children will continue by learning about the Easter Season. However, they must be aware that the Easter Season lasts for fifty days, and so class prayer should have the Easter theme for that period of time. As the “Alleluia” is returned, maybe, “Alleluia” banners could be prominent in the classroom or school. The sacred space might contain symbols such as flowers, butterflies or anything that represents new life.
Outcomes
PS ES1.4: Participates in ways Catholics communicate with and celebrate God’s presence.
S ES1.5: Identifies the Bible as a book containing special stories about God and God’s people.
CD ES 1.3b: Identifies examples of Christian behaviour
Learn About Learn To
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S ES1.5:
Stories whereby Jesus taught us ways to live.
The Church’s celebration of Palm Sunday
The significance of selected Easter Triduum stories
PS ES1.4:
Liturgical celebration
Lent as a period of preparing
Easter as a celebration of new life
CD ES1.3b:
How Christians demonstrate care for each other and especially for those who are left out.
How God invites people to love and care for themselves, others and the world.
S ES1.5:
Listen, retell and respond to stories recorded in the Bible
Represent Bible stories artistically
Name Good Friday and Easter Sunday as the days Jesus died and rose
Represent Easter Triduum stories
PS ES1.4:
Talk and listen to God
Participate reverently and appropriately in liturgies
CD ES1.3b:
Creatively present examples of Christian behaviours.
Show friendship, especially to those who are left out
DISCIPLESHIP CHALLENGE
Students are challenged to pray.
Students are challenged to hear and celebrate the Word of God.
Students are challenged to care for self and others.
.
Catholic Discipleship
Experiencing Lent is a good way to introduce young children to the concept of Catholic discipleship. The actions of Lent (prayer, almsgiving and fasting) were part of Jesus’ life and teaching and have been always followed by Christian disciples. Whilst young children will not be asked to fast during Lent, awareness may be created of fasting as a Christian action which allows disciples to relate to people who suffer in the world, especially those who are hungry. This awareness is further developed as we reach out in communion to those on the margins through almsgiving. Project Compassion provides a process whereby children can support people on the margins by “walking hand in hand’” with them (i.e. to feel a relationship with those they are supporting). Our journey as Catholic disciples will be supported by both personal and communal prayer, which helps us to form relationship with God.
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The emphasis of this module in the Easter Triduum is Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem and the great joy that many people felt at this time. The students are encouraged to explore why the ‘ordinary’ people loved Jesus so much. During Lent we mimic this love that Jesus shared by sharing our love with others through our words and actions. They will learn through their involvement in school Holy Week celebrations that Jesus’ love extended to the point of giving his life for us on the cross.
In the Easter Season, children will celebrate Jesus’ resurrection as an ongoing celebration of Jesus’ love for us. This will be reflected in the word “Alleluia” which returns in the Easter Season, which lasts for 50 days. Catholic disciples celebrate Jesus’ resurrection in a special way in the Easter Season, but also in every Mass.
Prayer Focus
Act of Sorrow (Contrition)
During Lent, our focus is turned to a change of heart, about forgiveness and compassion and being sorry for times we have hurt others. Children will be introduced to a simple act of contrition, which will be later developed in their experience of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Dear God, I am sorry that I have hurt you by not always being kind to people in my life. With your help I will try to be kind and to live in Jesus’ way. Amen.
Core Scripture
Mk 10:17-22 The Rich Young Man
Mk 11:111 Palm Sunday (Gold & Honey Bible pp 345-346, The Eager Reader Bible pp 338-341). Children need to have a bigger picture of Holy Week than a focus on Palm Sunday, it is recommended that teachers use the “To Know, Worship and Love” big book (yellow book), “A Journey to New Life” to give a picture of the journey from Lent to Easter.
MK 16:1-16 The Resurrection It is recommended that the To Know, Worship and Love” big book (yellow book), “A Journey to New Life” is used which ties the resurrection story with our celebrations at Easter.
Scripture in Context
Mk 10:17-22 The Rich Young Man
In Mark’s story we see a good young man who appeared to be doing everything right. When he asked Jesus how he could gain eternal life, Jesus answered to give away all his money to the poor. This was quite a challenge for the young man who didn’t know how to react, and had to re-think the way he lived.
Jesus introduced his followers to the idea of sharing, which is much better than being miserable and selfish. Worldly possessions will never replace the love of God, of fellow human beings and of creation. Having or wanting too many things can become a burden which stops us from sharing love and sharing who we are with others.
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Mk 11:111 Palm Sunday
Jesus was with pilgrims who were travelling to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. At the gates of Jerusalem, Jesus sat upon a donkey, an animal symbolising Davidic kingship. Jesus’ kingship was not one of political power, but a kingship based on love. Jesus’ kingship calls us to accept one another, putting our personal prejudices aside. We are called not only to recognise this principle, but to live according to this truth, one that is expressed in the truth of the Cross and the Resurrection.
Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was the only time in Jesus’ life that he was honoured in such a way, as expressed in Ps 118 (Mt 21:9) “Hosanna to the Song of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest”. His glorification however was held in tension with the humiliation of his crucifixion. Jesus came to Jerusalem to be both glorified and humbled on the Cross (adapted from Homily of Pope Benedict XVI, Sun Apr 5, 2009, @ www.vatican.va)
The story of the resurrection must be seen in context of the whole story of Holy Week, and in fact of Jesus’ entire life and death. The resurrection brings to light our salvation in the midst of suffering. The cross and the resurrection are united, they cannot be seen alone. The mystery of new life comes from Jesus’ suffering.
The Paschal Mystery (the living, dying and rising of Jesus) is at work within us both individually and collectively as we embrace brokenness in our world, knowing that within the pain lives hope. Pope Benedict XVI says that the resurrection is a proclamation of life. “True life –our salvation- can only be found in the reconciliation, freedom and love which are God’s gracious gift. The resurrection holds a message of hope, of transformation and calls us like the people of Israel to “choose life” (Dt 30:19) Homily in USA, Apr 20, 2008 @ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/nyregion/20homily.html?ref=nationalspecial2
Catechism of the Catholic Church for teacher reference
nn. 1163-71 Lent/Easter – The Liturgical Year Compendium # 241 What is the centre of the liturgical season?
nn.1434-33, 1490 PenanceCompendium # 301 What forms does penance take in Christian life?
nn. 599-605, 620 The Death of JesusCompendium # 118 Why was the death of Jesus part of God’s plan?
nn. 613-617, 622-623 Jesus’ sacrifice on the crossCompendium # 122 What are the results of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross?
nn.618 The cross of Jesus’ disciplesCompendium # 123 Why does Jesus call upon his disciples to take up their cross?
nn.651-655, 658 Jesus’ ResurrectionCompendium # 131 What is the saving meaning of Jesus’ resurrection?
Background for Teacher (What the Teacher Needs to Know)
Ash Wednesday is a special day which is the first day of Lent
The liturgical year is designed to express and celebrate the different aspects of our lives. There are times of great celebration and joy, times when we celebrate the ordinary things of our lives and times of preparation forgiveness and healing. Lent is a season of preparation for the great feast of Easter, a time during which we focus on how we can best be disciples of Jesus. Lent presents us with its challenge to take stock of our lives, to see more clearly what is in our hearts, and to discover what might be calling us out of our comfort zones. It is a time for personal as well as group reflection, a time for entering into 'the wilderness' and grappling with the mysteries of life, through which we prepare for Easter when we renew our baptismal vows and celebrate the greatest mysteries of our faith. Lent encourages us to find the sacred in the ordinary as we look at our everyday relationships with God, with others and with creation.
On Ash Wednesday Catholics all over the world come to church to receive ashes on their foreheads. The name of the first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday, comes from the old custom of blessing ashes and marking the foreheads of the people with ashes on this day. The practice was adopted by early Christians from their Jewish heritage where ashes had been used as an expression of sorrow and humiliation. The custom was then often used privately by the early Christians. In medieval times, mourners and penitents often clothed themselves in sackcloth and sprinkled their hands and faces with dust and ashes. It was introduced into the liturgy and became a formal part of the Roman practice in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Today, the ashes are prepared by burning palms from the preceding Palm Sunday. It has become a public sign of communal faith through which Catholics express our connection in the Cross of Jesus, our connection with creation, our connections with those who are suffering and dying, and our place in the living, dying and rising of Jesus.
As these young children receive the ashes on Ash Wednesday they will learn that the special sign on their foreheads is to remind them to be good and kind to everyone during this time of waiting for Easter to come.
Palm Sunday
The sixth Sunday of Lent is ‘Palm Sunday of the Passion of Christ’ which leads us into the beginning of the Easter Triduum. The Liturgy of Palm Sunday begins with the blessing of the palm branches. This ceremony recalls the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, but the mood quickly changes as the gospel of the Passion is read (Year A: Matthew, B: Mark, C: Luke). The days of Holy Week continue the same mood by reflecting on the sufferings of Christ.
Symbols of Lent and Easter
Symbols: The liturgy of the church depends on the use of symbols. It is important to note the difference between symbols and signs. Signs convey a message or information. Symbols point beyond themselves to a deeper reality and can carry many meanings simultaneously, but there is always a level of unified meaning that the symbol possesses. Symbols gather layers of meaning over time and in a sense their meaning is inexhaustible.
Palms: The palm tree was significant in the Old Testament e.g. both Solomon and Jeremiah used the palm tree as a symbol of straight stature. In Leviticus, the Lord tells Moses to keep the festival of the Lord for seven days with rest on the first day and afterwards on the eighth. “ On the first day you shall take the fruit of majestic trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy willows of the brook and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days” (Lev 23:40). The city of Jericho, an oasis in the desert, was also known as the “City of palm trees”.
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Palms were considered as princely trees, were used to symbolise victory and were also an adornment in temples. Palms were a sign of welcome, of public homage and of journey’s end. They were a sign of public acceptance and were waved and strewn in triumphal processions. Palms also provided food and shade for desert travellers, and were probably the first sign of an oasis seen by these people. As such, they became a symbol of finding water by desert travellers.
Carrying palms is seen as a faithful symbol of Christ’s presence. Not only a sign of Jesus’ kingship, they are a connection with the gift of creation and a reminder of the humility of Jesus’ kinship. Displaying palms in our homes and school throughout Lent is a reminder that Jesus daily enters our lives.
Cross: During Lent, Christians focus on the cross, one of the primary symbols of Christianity. From a tree which brought death, life sprung forth anew. Through the cross, Jesus made himself vulnerable and assumed the condition of a slave so that we may have life. Through his cross of death, Jesus’ majesty was revealed. Our journey as we pray the Stations of the Cross in Holy Week reminds us of our won journey to new life with Jesus.In a way, we sit at the foot of the cross every day. Suffering is a universal part of life, an inescapable part of human existence. However, it is through suffering that we are called beyond ourselves into God’s mystery of love, as expressed through Jesus. Children in a simple way may begin to understand that when we are hurt, sad, sorry or lonely, we grow in special ways. Often we come to feel love from someone who reaches out to us. Jesus knows how we feel and is there with us. Often we learn from our hurt and sadness new ways to behave e.g. we might come to learn how other people feel when they are in pain.
Alleluia: Symbols come to life when we participate in their reality. As the Alleluia is returned to the liturgy, after the Season of Lent we experience the joy and celebration of the Easter Season. “When a person experiences great joy, he/she cannot keep it to him/herself. He/ she has to express it, to pass it on. But what happens when a person is touched by the light of the resurrection, and thus comes into contact with Life itself, with Truth and Love? He/she cannot merely speak about it. Speech is no longer adequate. He/she has to sing. At the Easter Vigil, year after year, we Christians intone this song after the third reading, we sing it as our song, because we too, through God’s power, have been drawn forth from the water and liberated for true life.” Pope Benedict- Easter Vigil Homily, 2009
Other Symbols of Lenten and Easter Season: Whilst ES1 children will not study all the symbols of these seasons, they will become aware of some symbols through their participation in school and parish liturgies. There may be occasions when they are discussed in a simple way in class. A brief theology of some of these is included here:
Water has two opposed meanings: In one sense it is a symbol of death. The destructive power of water has been seen in tsunamis. And so it becomes the symbolic representation of Jesus’ death on the Cross: Christ descended into the sea, into the waters of death, as Israel did into the Red Sea. Having risen from death, he gives us life. We are called by our baptism to rise again as new creatures. The other meaning of water is that of the fresh spring that gives life. Without water there is no life. Jesus, water of life gives us the meaning of true life.
Light “At the Easter Vigil, the Church represents the mystery of the light of Christ in the sign of the Paschal candle, whose flame is both light and heat. The symbolism of light is connected with that of fire: radiance and heat, radiance and the transforming energy contained in the fire — truth and love go together. The Paschal candle burns, and is thereby consumed: The cross and the resurrection are inseparable.”
Washing of the Feet “What does 'washing of the feet’, concretely mean? Every deed of goodness for our fellows, especially for the suffering and those held in low regard, is like the service of the washing of the feet. The Lord calls us to do this, step down [from our pedestal], learn to be humble, have the courage to be good and available to accept refusal, and yet trust goodness and persevere in it. http://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/17/world/europe/pope-francis-washes-feet-of-disabled-people/
The Breaking of Bread Having given thanks and praise, the Lord then breaks the bread and gives it to the disciples. Breaking the bread is:
the act of the father of the family who looks after his children and gives them what they need for life.
the act of hospitality with which the stranger, the guest, is received within the family and is given a share in its life. Dividing and sharing brings about unity. Through sharing, communion is created. In the broken bread, the Lord distributes himself.
nourishment for the journey , as Christians we are nourished for our journey of mission representative of the broken body of the “lamb of God”.
“Giving thanks and praise, Jesus transforms the bread, he no longer gives earthly bread, but communion with himself. This transformation, though, seeks to be the start of the transformation of the world – into a world of resurrection, a world of God.”
Non Liturgical Symbols of Easter:
Children will be familiar with common symbols such as eggs, butterflies, chickens and flowers etc. which are used commercially in the Easter Season. Teachers are challenged to demonstrate how these symbols are representative of the new life that we experience through Jesus’ resurrection. The symbols should therefore be used throughout the fifty days of the Easter Season, so that children come to know that Easter is much more than receiving Easter eggs.
The Liturgical Seasons
The whole mystery of Christ unfolds through the liturgical year. The Paschal Mystery is our core understanding of life ~ we live, die and rise with Jesus Christ every day. We live our lives experiencing many of the things that Jesus did, we die in our pain, worries and suffering and we rise in our hope that Christ is always with us. The liturgical year discloses God as a possibility NOW.
Jesus comes to tell us how to be fully present to God. God’s kingdom is about hungering for fragmented humanity to be brought into one life by the death and resurrection of Jesus. We live that hungering in the cycles of our lives. The Liturgical Year invites us into that hungering. The disclosure of God through Jesus offers a new quality of life.
We live out daily lives in chronos time (forward movement), but religious time is kairos time (time thick with power and meaning). Our liturgical time is fundamentally sacred. Time is itself a gift of grace.
The liturgical year in a way reflects our lives:
There are times of high celebration and joy (in our lives like weddings and birthdays). In the church they are captured in the colour white, Easter and Christmas Seasons and other solemnities.
There are times of preparation, healing and forgiveness. In the church, the colour purple is used in the seasons of Lent and Advent.
There are times of great sadness, but these times are always balanced against the hope of resurrection. In the church different colours are used e.g. red is used on Good Friday.
Most of our lives are lived in order, carrying out the things of day to day lives. Just like the colour of grass and trees, the liturgical colour for ordinary time is green. This is the time when we hear the God’s story as reflected in the stories of the Old Testament people, the stories of Jesus and the stories of those who carried on Jesus’ work in the days of the early church.
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Lent
EasterTriduum
EasterSeason
Christmas Season
Advent
OrdinaryTime
Solemnities, feasts and memorials
THE LITURGICAL YEARTHE LITURGICAL YEAR
The Seasons of Lent and Easter
In the present calendar, Lent lasts from Ash Wednesday to the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday evening. There are only two days that are set down by the Australian Conference of Bishops as strict days of fasting: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
While Sunday is the weekly celebration of Christ’s death and resurrection, there emerged over time an annual celebration of the events that made up the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. Today we call that annual commemoration the Easter Triduum.
The Easter Triduum is the culmination of the entire liturgical year. It begins with the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, reaches its high point in the Easter Vigil and closes with evening prayer on Easter Sunday. Although the events of the Lord’s Supper, the passion, death and resurrection are celebrated as distinct moments in the life of Jesus, they are essentially one event, the paschal mystery. We are not simply remembering past events, rather we are entering into the Paschal mystery of Christ, as we do in every Mass , in such a way that the unique saving of Christ’s death and resurrection becomes present to us now.
The Celebration of Easter Triduum
The structure of the Triduum as we know it has a long history. At first the early Church celebrated the total Easter event of the death and resurrection of Christ in the course of a single Easter vigil. Over the centuries the three day celebration emerged to include Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday commencing with the celebration of the Easter Vigil. For the purposes of this module the focus should be on the joyful resurrection of Jesus as a sign of God’s approval for Jesus’ life.
Student ContextPlease cater for the student context of your class in your planning of this module.
Developing the PartnershipPlease make connections between the learning in this module and parents and the wider community.
Curriculum LinksPlease note connections with other KLAS and cross curricular perspectives in your planning.
Planning a Quality Learning Sequence for your class
Quality religious education will be achieved only by deep thinking about where you are going and how you plan the learning journey to get there. Begin with the end in mind and then consider how you will build field to meet your goals. Remember that you cannot expect children to develop deep knowledge and understanding, unless you as teacher have deep knowledge and understanding yourself. According to the Quality Teaching Framework, quality teaching will occur when you ask yourself four questions:
What do you want the students to learn?
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Why does the learning matter? What are you going to get the students to do (or produce)? How well do you expect them to do it?The suggested learning sequence has been planned through such a process. However, it cannot be written with the understanding of the student context of each class and relationship to other learning that is happening in the class. It is therefore necessary for you as teacher to plan your own unit, using this module as a support. Doing so is part of your role as an “activist professional” (a teacher who actively works to improve their professionalism).
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Suggested Teaching, Learning and Assessment Experiences
These are suggested teaching and learning experiences. The essential part of teaching this module is that you, as teacher have deep knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. Reading in depth the “Background for the Teacher” and “Scripture in Context” will give you the basic understanding you need.
It is essential to use the whole module to plan your own unit. You might like to change the questions to suit your class. Your unit should be written in acknowledgement of the student context of your class. The suggested learning experiences are meant to be adapted for this purpose. You should design learning experiences for the purpose of formative and summative assessment. When designing quality learning experiences and assessments, they must address the outcomes, learning intentions and success criteria based on the enduring understandings of the module.
Having a change of heart in Lent as we get ready for Easter, a time of great joy
Resurrection Eucharist Thanksgiving Easter Season Waiting
What is important for Students to Know and Do
The church celebrates different seasons, just like there are seasons in our year.
The season of Lent lasts for 40 days.Lent to Easter Early Stage 1 Page | 11
In Lent, we pray, we give to people in need and sometimes fast as a sign of our change of heart.
The liturgical colour of Lent is purple.
On Holy Thursday we celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper
The Mass of the Lord’s Supper is the beginning of three special days called the Easter Triduum.
In Holy Week, we remember the journey to Jesus’ death on the Cross and celebrate his resurrection.
We celebrate the Easter Season for fifty days.
The liturgical colour of the Easter Season is white (the church’s colour for celebration).
The joyful word, “Alleluia” is not used in Lent, but is used with great joy during Eastertime.
Participate in the actions of Lent.
Pray with a Lenten and then an Easter focus.
Support Project Compassion
Enduring Understandings
Lent is a special time to focus on having a change of heart When we donate money to Project Compassion, we think of the people we are helping as being part of God’s family,
just like us. During Lent especially, we think about saying sorry and about forgiving people who may have hurt us. Holy Week and Easter is a very special time for Christian people We celebrate Easter for fifty days as Jesus’ resurrection is very important to Christians. Easter is a season of great joy and love for Jesus, each other and creation.
Suggested Big Question
How can we have a change of heart as we get ready for the season of Easter?
Suggested Essential Questions
What are seasons in the church?
What is the Season of Lent and how does it help us in our lives?
How does the story of Palm Sunday begin the Holy Week story?
How and why do we celebrate the Season of Easter for fifty days?
Review Big Question by evaluating if there has been any change of heart in Lent and Easter
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Suggested Teaching, Learning and Assessment Experiences
What are the Liturgical seasons of Lent and Easter?
***The teaching of this module will include 3 days preparation in the week of Ash Wednesday. This will allow children to complete their first module. As Lenten modules are taught every year, K-6, it is not necessary to spend a full 6 weeks on Lent and Holy Week. However, it will be necessary to celebrate Ash Wednesday, change the liturgical colour to purple, introduce Project Compassion and have a Lenten prayer theme throughout the season.***
On Shrove Tuesday:
Children may cook pancakes, perhaps to support Caritas, as a celebration before Lent begins (KLA link English-Procedure).
Have a class prayer that centres focus on what will happen on Ash Wednesday:
Shrove Tuesday Prayer
Preparation: An alleluia banner is needed for this prayer. If the school has a ceremony to burn palms then a palm from last year should be part of this prayer.Teacher: Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Today we say goodbye to the alleluia. We will not sing the alleluia in Lent as we think about how we grow and change during Lent. We will say sorry for things we have done wrong and ask for God’s forgiveness. When Lent is over and it is Easter, we will sing the alleluia again with joyful hearts. Put the alleluia banner away.Tomorrow, a cross of ashes will be placed on our foreheads. This cross reminds us that Jesus wants us to be good and kind as we get ready for Easter.Children make the sign of the CrossIf a palm is being used, then the prayer can be continued:Lord God, please bless this palm as it is sent to be burnt into ashes, which tomorrow will remind us that we should be sorry for our mistakes, be forgiving to others and especially that we should love God and love others.
On Ash Wednesday:
Students attend Ash Wednesday Mass/liturgy. After the Ash Wednesday Mass/liturgy, change the liturgical cloth on prayer table to purple. Set up the Project Compassion box.
Discuss how things will change during Lent. We will focus on getting ready to remember in a special way how Jesus died on the cross for us and then rose again to life, letting us know that we have hope even when things worry us.
We will do special things to remind us of how we can have a change of heart. Brainstorm what these might be ( e.g. give up something we like to put money in the Project Compassion box, so that we share the worries of people who are suffering in the world; we try to be kind to each other; we pray ).
After the Ash Wednesday liturgy, complete a Y-Chart about what children saw, heard and felt in the liturgy. Discuss how the church helps us to experience Lent in a special way through what happens in the Ash Wednesday liturgy. Sing Ash Wednesday song e.g. “Out of Ashes” (Michael Mangan, “Renew and Rejoice”)
With their senior buddies, children think of something positive they can do in Lent, buddies record this on a scroll which is rolled and hung on a Lenten tree (just branches in a pot). These can be unrolled at the end of Lent and children can think about how they went with their promise.
Throughout Lent:
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Focus prayer on Lent.
Encourage children and families to support Project Compassion
Encourage children to continue with their change of heart promises (being kind etc).
Begin the module in the third week of Lent.
Home School Connector: Ask families to set up a sacred space for Lent in their homes, or to have special Lenten prayers before meals.
What are seasons in the Church?
Ask children if they know what season of the year it is. It is likely to be early autumn. Take children outside to see if they can see or feel any changes (e.g. leaves changing colour, beginning to get cooler). Brainstorm childrens’ knowledge about the seasons. Ask them to think about what’s special about each season e.g.
SUMMER: going to the beach, Christmas, long holidays, playing late outsideAUTUMN: Seeing and smelling Autumn leaves, playing in the leaves, Easter, some lovely mild daysWINTER: Snuggling up near a fire, going to the snow, hot chocolate and warm soupSPRING: New flowers everywhere, it starts getting warmer
Make a wheel of the seasons; children in groups can be divided to do the art work for each of the four seasons.Tell children that just like nature, the church has seasons. Like nature it’s a cycle, that keeps repeating itself. In the cycle we hear the stories of God and God’s people as they waited for Jesus, we hear stories about Jesus and about the people who spread Jesus’ Good News after he died. We keep listening to the stories year after year so we learn them and think about what they mean to us, and learn ways to live like Jesus.
Like the seasons of nature, the seasons of the church have things that are special to each season e.g. different colours, things we do, things we celebrate. However, they’re all part of the whole story (just like the wheel of the seasons- the seasons are different but are all part of our belonging to God’s story).
Tell children that the church’s seasons have special colours, ask if they know any of these colours. Look at the colour of your sacred space (which should have been changed on Ash Wednesday). Ask children if they have noticed the colour that Father wears at Mass at the moment. The colours have special meanings:
Purple is a colour for getting ready for something special. It is a time for saying sorry, forgiving others and changing our lives for the better. Purple us used in Lent as we get ready for Easter and in Advent as we get ready for Christmas
White is the colour for special celebration, times of joy. It is used in Easter and Christmas. Green is the colour of everyday, just like green grass growing. In green times, we hear stories of Jesus and of
the people who waited for him and learn how to live in Jesus’ way of love.
Make a simple liturgical calendar showing the seasons of the church (see model in teacher background). Note where Lent is, and how it is the season before Easter.
Home School Connector: If children make their own, they might like to take it home and talk to their families about the seasons.
What is the Season of Lent and how does it help us in our lives?
Recall Ash Wednesday: What happened? What did the cross on our foreheads remind us of? What are we trying to do in Lent? What are we getting ready for? How do you feel about what we are doing? Is it hard trying to have a change of heart? How can we help each other to have a change of heart?
Tell children that we are on a journey towards a very special time when we remember that Jesus lived, died and rose for us and think about how that can change our lives for the better. Choose or make a cross and place in the sacred space.
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Make a roadway to the cross out of pebbles. Each child writes his/her name on a card and places it on the roadway to show that they are on the journey to Easter. Discuss the cross:
Where have you seen crosses? Are they always religious such as on rosary beads or in churches? Why do you think some people use crosses just as decoration e.g. on tee shirts?
Do you think that a cross means something special to Christians? Why? How do you feel when you see a religious cross? When you see a cross does it remind you that Jesus is with us every day?
Remind children that in Lent we live in special ways to get ready for Easter. There are three main ways that we can do this: FASTING, PRAYER, GIVING TO THE POOR
Fasting: Tell children that when they are young, they are not asked to give up food because their bodies are growing very fast. Old people are not asked to give up food because they need their food to help their older bodies. However, adults who are fit and healthy are asked to give up food on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, we call this fasting. Why do you think that we fast in Lent? It helps us to think about how Jesus suffered for us and about people who are hungry and suffer every day. Young children can do things that remind them of how some people suffer. Have a simple food day, where children bring no treats to school.
Prayer: Prayer is an important part of our lives as disciples of Jesus. In Lent we focus our payer on our journey towards Easter. We pray that we will have a change of heart. We ask Jesus to help us to treat others well. We pray for people who are poor and hungry. The colour purple reminds us that we are doing all these things. Continue the Lenten prayer theme for class prayer times. Include Lenten songs e.g. “Choices” (John Burland in “Let’s Celebrate”), “Turn Back to God”, “Song for Change” (Michael Mangan in “Renew and Rejoice”). Introduce the prayer of sorrow (contrition) to focus attention on how during Lent we try to have a change of heart. This prayer may be said regularly in prayer times. Dear God, I am sorry that I have hurt you by not always being kind to people in my life. With your help I will try to be kind and to live in Jesus’ way. Amen.
Giving to the Poor: Jesus always reached out to those who were lost, hungry, left out, sick or disabled. We are asked to give to people who are poor and left out, by wondering what it would be like to be them. We should never think we are better than them. We should never give what’s left, think we’ve done our bit and forget about these people. We should in our own ways “walk hand in hand” with our brothers and sisters in need. Project Compassion materials assist us to do so. These will be used in the classroom.
Tell children that Jesus both showed and taught us ways to live. Introduce the story of the Rich Young Man, Mk 10:17-22. Children might like to dramatise the story using a digital camera and turn it into a movie or Photo Story.
Discuss what might happen next in the story. Maybe the young man gave away lots of his possessions to the poor, or maybe he didn’t change at all. What would you wish would have happened? Perhaps draw a sequence of the story including your own ending.
Discuss what we learn from this story:
Did Jesus really mean that the rich young man had to give everything to the poor? (Jesus doesn’t really put down rich people, he doesn’t put down anyone- he doesn’t want people to be slaves to their possessions and care more about their possessions than about people).
How can we stop thinking about everything we own and everything we want and be giving people in our lives? Why do you think that Jesus always cared so much for the poor and left out people and made them feel loved?
How should we act towards people who are left out? Why does it matter to do the small things in love? What can we do to make good changes in our lives,
especially in Lent?
Write / draw something that you can give away in Lent (it mightn’t be a thing, it might be something you like eating, it might be a behaviour that’s not so nice) so that you are reminded that like Jesus said people are more important than
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things. Place it in a basket as a reminder of how this story lets us know not to be tied to things.
Use the year’s Project Compassion kit (Lower Primary K-2) to learn stories of people who Caritas is supporting. Try to encourage children to see these people as being real, just like us. Additional resources are available at http://www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion . Children may be divided into groups to make posters about these people, set goals for raising money, and complete some of the activities suggested in the Project Compassion folders. Discuss how if you give up something that you really want, like your tuckshop money, then you are being like the poor widow (Lk 21:1-4).
Assessment SS ES 1.5, CD Es 1.3b: Give students a paper that is divided into three columns, with the heading “Jesus taught us about giving”. In the first column, they are to draw the rich young man thinking about giving up some of his possessions; in the second column they are to draw the little things they give up especially in Lent to make a difference to other peoples’ lives; and in the third column draw some of the differences that our giving to Project Compassion might make in peoples’ lives.
How does the story of Palm Sunday begin the Holy Week story?
As Holy Week approaches, tell the children that at this time we hear and celebrate lots of stories that happened to Jesus. It’s really one big story that is all part of telling us how Jesus died for us and then rose again and how we should always have hope in Jesus. In the Holy Week liturgies at school and in our parish we will experience these stories. We are going to spend time learning especially about the Palm Sunday story.
Brainstorm childrens’ knowledge of what stories they know in Holy Week. Introduce the story of Palm Sunday using the “To Know, Worship and Love” book, “Stories about Jesus”. Tell children that this is the only time in the Gospels when Jesus was showed such honour. As Holy Week begins, we join in the story by standing on the sides and watching Jesus like the people did at the gates of Jerusalem. Re-tell the story using symbols: a toy donkey/ picture of a donkey, a palm, faces of people, a piece of material to represent Jesus’ cloak, a picture of Jesus.
Children might like to innovate on the story by experiencing the story from the donkey’s point of view “Hannah’s parade”, the story of Hannah the sick donkey who took Jesus to Jerusalem at http://matneywoodard.com/2011/animal-parables/hannas-parade/
Children wonder about the story:
I wonder how Jesus felt as he entered Jerusalem. I wonder if he felt okay with people waving palms to honour him. I wonder if he knew that in a few days these same people would turn against him.
I wonder if you’ve ever felt honoured in a special way, maybe when you won a merit award at school. What was it like?
I wonder why Jesus rode on a borrowed donkey instead of a great white horse like a king, and yet the people still called him king.
Prepare a Holy Week liturgy based on the Palm Sunday story. (Appendix 1) Some suggestions to contribute :
Songs: Michael Mangan ( Renew and Rejoice: “Praise to Jesus”; Blessings on our King”; “Jesus is our King”; “Sing it Hosanna!”)
Richard Cootes (Remember Me~ Catholic Mission) “Sing Holy Lord”
Suggested Assessment SS ES 1.5 and PS ES 1.4 Make a template of a cross. Tell children that they are going to tell the Holy Week story in this cross. Talk to children about how the stages of the story work together. Turn the cross into a jigsaw by dividing it into 6 pieces. Children draw the stories of Holy Week (or a symbol to represent each story) as experienced in the Holy Week liturgies at school, one story in each piece. On the back of the children draw their joy because of Jesus.
How and why do we celebrate the Season of Easter for fifty days?
After the Easter break, in a special prayer time, return the “Alleluia” sign to the classroom. Ask children if they remember when the Alleluia was put away at the beginning of Lent. Ask if they know what it means that it has been returned (Alleluia is an expression of great joy, we are expressing our joy that Jesus rose from the dead and gives us hope in our lives).
Look at the liturgical calendar and notice that the colour has changed from purple to white. Remind children that white is the colour of joy and celebration in the church. Decorate the prayer table with signs of celebration (flowers, butterflies, ribbons etc).
Tell children the resurrection story from the “To Know. Worship and Love” big book. Remind children that the resurrection story is about hope in Jesus. Remember the stories of the people in the Project Compassion Kit, ask if our action for Project Compassion has given them more hope in life. Make a cardboard opening tomb. Behind the opening stone, ask children to make a collage of ways that they can live out the joy of Jesus’ resurrection and keep giving hope to those who are poor, hungry or left out.
Continue to celebrate Easter for fifty days, reminding the children that we are Easter people. Include looking at the symbols used in our society e.g. eggs, baby animals, flowers. Why do these symbols help to express the meaning of Easter? Does everyone think about new life in Jesus with these symbols? Do you think it’s right to eat lots of chocolate at Easter time when many poor people aren’t paid properly by big, rich companies to grow cocoa beans?
Review Big Question by evaluating how the children have shown a change of heart in the Lent and Easter seasons.
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Appendix 1
Liturgy Outline
Liturgy Definition: “work of the people” (in this case - the children)
A liturgy to celebrate module learning usually has four parts of which these can contain all or some one of the suggestions.
Before you begin some other considerations!! Where will the liturgy be celebrated? Does not have to be celebrated in the church or the classroom. Outdoors is a possibility - weather permitting. Consider the placement of chairs and sacred space. Who to invite? (parents, staff, priest etc)
WE GATHER: Setting the scene Sacred Space (cloth, candle, Bible, icons etc) to be created in this part. Procession Hymn or songs of welcome Welcome and introduction to celebration Opening prayer
WE LISTEN: Stories From the Bible Outline of what has been learnt Multimedia presentations Dramatisation/ dialogue of story Hymns Liturgical Movement of story Stories of their life and families Related narratives (eg Dreamtime story)
WE RESPOND:Responding to the stories Hymn or songs Liturgical movement Prayers of Intercession Prayer Multimedia presentations Sharing work from module (eg artwork)
WE GO FORTH:Sending Forth Recessional hymn or songs Liturgical movement Prayer Thank you statement
Liturgy can be followed by offer of hospitalityResources
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Children’s Liturgy of
Note: The resources indicated below are recommended but not essential to assist with the teaching of this module. Please locate those available in your school and add to those below.
Hari, A. & Singer, C. 1993. Experience Jesus today. Strasbourg, France: OCP Publications.
Leninger, J. 1989. The beginner's Bible. Oregon: Questar.
O’Brien, Kate & White, Dan. 2001. The Thinking Platform. Strategies to foster Whole Brain Thinking in the Cooperative Classroom. Marayong: K.D.Publications.
O’Brien, Kate & White, Dan. 2003. Into the Deep. Marayong: K.D.Publications.
Mangan, Michael & Hehir, Paul. 1995. 'Out of ashes' in Renew and rejoice. Albany Creek: Litmus Productions.
Walker, Christopher. 1992. 'We hear God's word', 'The good news of God's salvation' and 'Jesus you love us' in Calling Mangan, Michael. 1995. Renew and Rejoice. Albany Creek, QLD: Litmus.
As One Voice for Kids.
Chinn, Andrew. 2000. ‘Bless Our King’ in These Hands’ Butterfly Music.
