SPIRIT of TRUTH - Sophia Institute for Teachers · This is a short prayer that asks for the ... ask...

Included here is one sample session from the 1st grade Spirit of Truth, Parish Edition catechist’s guide, followed by the

corresponding pages from the 1st grade student workbook.

S P I R I T of T R U T H

Grade 1 Sample Session 1

Order the full Grade 1 books atSophiaInstituteforTeachers.org/SpiritofTruth

PARISH EDITION

SESSION 1

Who is God? The Trinity

What students will learn: ӹ The mystery of the Holy Trinity is

that God is three Persons in one God.

ӹ The three Persons of the Trinity are God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

ӹ God has revealed Himself to us that He is a Trinity.

What students will do: ӹ Look at sacred art.

ӹ Learn how to say the Sign of the Cross and the Glory Be.

ӹ Perform a Holy Trinity word search.

ӹ Color a shamrock.

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Vocabulary your students will learn: ӹ Trinity: “Three in one.” God is three Persons in One God: God the Father, God the Son, and

God the Holy Spirit. God revealed to us that He is a Trinity.

ӹ Father: The First Person of the Holy Trinity. He is the almighty Creator, who made all things by His Word and His wisdom.

ӹ Son: The Second Person of the Holy Trinity. He is our Savior, who has always existed with the Father. The Father sent the Son into the world in the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus gave His life on the Cross to save us from sin. He rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven. He will come again.

ӹ Holy Spirit: The Third Person of the Holy Trinity. He makes us holy and guides us to become more like Jesus.

ӹ Person: A unique individual. God is three Persons in one God.

Workbook pages your students will complete: ӹ Holy Trinity (page 11)

ӹ The Shamrock (page 12)

ӹ God is a Trinity (page 13)

ӹ God is a Trinity Word Search (page 14)

Other materials you will need: ӹ Marker, crayons, and/or colored pencils

Session at a Glance

Prayer for this lesson:Glory Be to the Father, And to the Son, And to the Holy spirit. As it was in the beginning,

Is now, And ever shall be, World without end. Amen.

© SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS6

Session Plan Choose from a warm-up and activities.

Warm Up

A. Begin by leading your students in the prayer for this session.

B. Have your students turn to Holy Trinity (page 11) by Hendrick van Balen the Elder. Give students several minutes to quietly view the art before you say or ask anything.

C. Once several minutes have passed, ask:

ӹ What do you first notice about this work of art?

ӹ What do you like about it?

ӹ How does this painting make you feel?

ӹ Who is shown in this painting? God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), God the Holy Spirit, and angels.

ӹ Ask your students to identify who is who in the image: God the Father is the older bearded figure wearing gold on the right, God the Son, Jesus, is on the left wearing red robes and holding a banner, and God the Holy Spirit is the shining dove in the center of the painting. The angels are the winged “baby-like” figures throughout the painting.

ӹ Why do you think the artist chose to paint God the Father the way he did? God the Son (Jesus)? God the Holy Spirit? Accept reasoned answers.

ӹ What are the Father and the Son standing on? The earth. This shows how all things are “under the feet” of the Father and Son, meaning, that they rule over all things.

D. Explain to your students that this painting illustrates one of the most important mysteries of our Christian Faith: God is one God and yet three Persons. A mystery is something that is true that we can only know if God tells us about it. This painting shows us the mystery that God is three Persons in one God. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. They are not three separate gods, but one God. We believe in one God, who is three Persons. We call this mystery the Holy Trinity. Trinity is a word that means “three-in-one.”

Holy TrinityBy Hendrick van Balen the Elder (1620)

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SESSION 1: WHO IS GOd? THE TrINITy 7

SESSION PLAN

Activity 1

A. Explain to your students that as Catholics, when we pray, we begin by blessing ourselves with the Sign of the Cross. This is a short prayer that asks for the blessing of the Holy Trinity. We make a sign of the cross over our bodies while we say “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

B. Have your students stand up and practice making the Sign of the Cross over their bodies, without saying the words. Use the following reflection to walk your students through making the sign of the Cross:

ӹ First, have your students hold out their right hand and bring together their thumb, forefinger, and middle finger. Then, with the tip of these three fingers together, have your students touch their foreheads. Have them hold this position while you explain the following:

We begin the Sign of the Cross by saying “In the name of the Father…” The Father is the First Person of the Holy Trinity. He is the almighty Creator who made all things by His Word and His wisdom.

ӹ Second, have your students move their hand, finger tips still together, to touch their lower chest. Have them hold this position while you explain the following:

We continue the Sign of the Cross by saying “and of the Son…” The Son is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. He is our Savior who has always existed with the Father. The Father sent the Son into the world to become human in the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus gave His life on the Cross to save us from sin. He rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven. He will come again.

ӹ Third, have your students move their hand, finger tips still together, to touch each shoulder, first the left, then the right. Have them hold their position on their right shoulder while you explain the following:

We finish the Sign of the Cross by saying “and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. He makes us holy and guides us to become more like Jesus. He strengthens our faith inside of us.

C. Have your students make the Sign of the Cross again, slowly, while saying the words along with the motions. Do this a few times with your students for practice.


SESSION PLAN

Activity 2

A. Have your students turn to The Shamrock (page 12). Ask your student what the drawing on the page is of. A shamrock.

B. Explain to your students that a shamrock is a traditional symbol of the Trinity. It helps us to remember that God is three Persons in one God, just like the leaves of the shamrock. A saint from Ireland named St. Patrick used the shamrock to teach people about the Trinity. It has three leaves, which are each separate from each other. And yet the three leaves together make up one shamrock. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are each unique Persons, but are also each fully one God, the Holy Trinity.

C. Make markers, crayons, and/or colored pencils available to your students. Have them write on one leaf of the shamrock, “The Father,” on another write, “The Son,” and on the third write, “The Holy Spirit.” Then have them color or decorate their symbol of the Trinity.

D. As your students decorate their shamrocks, read aloud Mark 1:9-11 (the Baptism of Jesus) and John 16:12-15 (Jesus’ promise to send the Holy Spirit).

E. After reading the Scripture passages, ask your students what in each story referred to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In Mark 1:9-11, Jesus, God the Son, was being baptized. When He came up from the water, the Holy Spirit came upon Him, and God the Father spoke to Him from the heavens. In John 16:12-15, Jesus, God the Son, spoke of the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Truth) who would come to speak the truth and glorify Him. Jesus tells us that everything that belongs to the Father is His too.

F. Continue to explain about the mystery of the Trinity. Use the following points for your discussion:

ӹ The mystery of the Trinity is that God is three Persons in one God.

ӹ A person is a unique individual. Each of us are persons. We are unique individuals. I am not you and you are not me. You are you and no one else ever can be or will be you.

ӹ God as Trinity is three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each are unique individuals. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Father, nor are they the Holy Spirit. Each is a unique Person.

ӹ Each Person is 100% fully God. God is not three gods, nor is each person only partly God. The Father is fully God, the Son is fully God, and the Holy Spirit is fully God.

ӹ This mystery is difficult to fully understand: how something can be both three and one at the same time. But, we know that with God, anything is possible. He has divinely revealed to us that He is Trinity, so therefore, it is true.

The Shamrock

Directions: A shamrock is a symbol of the Trinity. On one leaf

of the shamrock write, “The Father.” On another

write, “The Son.” On the third write, “The Holy

Spirit.” Then color or decorate your symbol of the

Trinity.

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SESSION PLAN

Activity 3

A. Read aloud God is a Trinity (page 13) to your students. Then, have them answer the questions and complete the word search from the God is a Trinity Word Search (page 14). Make markers, crayons, and/or colored pencils available for your students to circle the answers in the word search in different colors.

B. When your students have completed the reading, review the correct answers.

C. Have your students stand again and make the Sign of the Cross. Pause at each motion and ask your students the following:

ӹ When touching their foreheads: What does God the Father do? He is the Creator of all things.

ӹ When touching their chest: Who is God the Son? Jesus Christ. What does He do? He saves us from sin.

ӹ When touching their shoulders: What does the Holy Spirit do? He makes us holy.

God is a Trinity

God is a Trinity. This means that

God is three Persons in one God.

God is Father, Son, and Holy

Spirit. All three are one in who they are.

They are one in what they do. Each has a special

way of showing God’s love.

The Father is God. He is the Creator. He is

almighty. He made all things by His Word.

The Son is God. He is our Savior. The Father

sent the Son into the world. He took on a human

nature. He gave His life on the Cross to save us from

sin. He rose from the dead and went back to Heaven.

He will come again.

The Holy Spirit is God. He makes us holy. He

helps us be more like Jesus.

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F A T H E r Q G

W G O d Q T I K

N J T F I r S K

J E S U S I P H

V O N J W N I C

T y L G T I r T

Z N H Z B T I F

F Z H r d y T U

Father Spirit God

Trinity Jesus

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God is a Trinity Word Search

Directions: Fill in the blanks. Then fi nd the answers in the

word search. Circle the answers in different colors.

1. ____________________________________ is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Circle the answer in yellow.)

2. The ____________________________________ is the Creator. (Circle the answer in green.)

3. ____________________________________ is our Savior. (Circle the answer in red.)

4. The Holy ____________________________________ makes us holy. (Circle the answer in orange.)

5. The ____________________________________ is three Persons in one God. (Circle the answer in blue.)

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SESSION PLAN

Activity 4

A. Explain to your students that there is a common Catholic prayer called the “Glory Be” that gives praise and glory to the Trinity. It is very similar to the Sign of the Cross. When we give glory to God, it means that we tell Him how great He is just for being God, and we show Him honor and worship Him.

B. Write the words of the Glory Be on your board and teach them to your students. Then pray the prayer together.

Glory Be to the Father, And to the Son, And to the Holy spirit. As it was in the beginning,

Is now, And ever shall be, World without end. Amen.

C. Ask your students the following questions:

ӹ What does it mean that God is a Trinity? He is three Persons in one God.

ӹ Who are the Persons of the Trinity? God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

ӹ Who are we giving glory to in the prayer “Glory Be”? The Trinity: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

D. Conclude by praying with your students the Glory Be.

Get Ready for the Next Session � Bring Play-Doh, Legos, or blocks; shirt with missing button along with needle

and thread; and crayons, markers, and/or colored pencils.

� Review the upcoming session.


Student Pages and Answers


11

The Shamrock

Directions: A shamrock is a symbol of the Trinity. On one leaf

of the shamrock write, “The Father.” On another

write, “The Son.” On the third write, “The Holy


Trinity.

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God is a Trinity













He will come again.



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Warm-Up Activity 2

Activity 3



Directions: Fill in the blanks. Then fi nd the answers in the







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Answer Key

1. God

2. Father

3. Jesus

4. Spirit

5. Trinity

F A T H E r Q G

W G O d Q T I K

N J T F I r S K

J E S U S I P H

V O N J W N I C

T y L G T I r T

Z N H Z B T I F

F Z H r d y T U

Father Spirit God

Trinity Jesus

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Grade 1 Student Workbook

Sample Pages


SESSion 1: WHo iS God? THE TriniTy 11

The Shamrock

Directions: A shamrock is a symbol of the Trinity. on one leaf

of the shamrock write, “The Father.” on another

write, “The Son.” on the third write, “The Holy


Trinity.


God is a Trinity













He will come again.





Directions: Fill in the blanks. Then find the answers in the








F A T H E r Q G

W G o d Q T i K

n J T F i r S K

J E S U S i P H

V o n J W n i C

T y L G T i r T

Z n H Z B T i F

F Z H r d y T U

Father Spirit God

Trinity Jesus


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SPIRIT of TRUTH - Sophia Institute for Teachers · This is a short prayer that asks for the ... ask...

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