Take and Eat: Bible Stories for Kids about the Eucharist
On the night before he died, Jesus Christ celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples and told them to take and eat bread and drink the wine that is his body and blood. Then he told them to celebrate that meal in remembrance of him.
This collection of Bible stories explores the meaning of the Eucharist that we celebrate during the Catholic Mass. Children will explore Old and New Testament stories from the Garden of Eden to the Last Supper, the Resurrection, and the Book of Revelation. Along this journey they will gain a deeper understanding of the Eucharist and the Mass.
Each short Bible story in this book includes a brief introduction, an easy-to-read retelling of events, and reflection questions.
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Do Not Be Afraid: Bible Stories for Kids about Hope
Discover dozens of Bible stories your kids need to hear in these trying times.
Give your children the gift of hope by sharing this collection of Bible stories from the Old and New Testament. We all go through challenging days and fear-filled times. The stories contained in this book offer God’s hope within the darkness. You and your kids will read stories of hope in the lives of Old Testament heroes like Noah, Sarah, Moses, Ruth, David, Elijah, and Isaiah. You will reflect on the life and resurrection of Jesus and the many healing miracles he performed as well as the hope-filled parables he told.
Jared Dees, founder of TheReligionTeacher.com and author of Beatitales, uses his experience as a religious educator and father of young children to offer this collection of heart-felt stories of hope for young people. Each short Bible story in this book includes a brief introduction, an easy-to-read retelling of events, and reflection questions to share with children. Reading these stories will open up new ways for children to strengthen their relationship with God.
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Tales of the Ten Commandments: 50 Fables to Help Children Learn God’s Law
Help children learn to live out the Ten Commandments through the power of story. The fifty fables and parables in this short story collection for kids will inspire young people to grow closer to God through a deeper understanding and appreciation for the commandments given to Moses in the Bible.
Children will encounter stories told in the classic tradition of Aesop’s fables with birds, dogs, rabbits, lions, trees, flowers, and more. The collection also features modern parables with both children and adults who learn to live the Ten Commandments.
Parents can read stories to their children before bed or give their kids the chance to experience the stories themselves in their private reading time. Likewise, religious educators can share them with their students to help guide them in their faith formation.
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Beatitales: 80 Fables about the Beatitudes for Children
Help children understand the meaning of each of the Beatitudes through the power of story. The eighty fables and parables in this short story collection for kids will give young people a greater appreciation for the ways they can live out the teachings of Jesus from the Bible.
Children will encounter stories told in the classic tradition of Aesop’s fables with knights, kings, bears, birds, dogs, wolves, ants, worms, trees, flowers, pencils, household appliances, and more. The collection also features modern day parables with both children and adults living out the Beatitudes.
Parents can read stories to their children before bed or give their kids the chance to experience the stories themselves in their private reading time. Likewise, religious educators can share them with their students to help guide them in their faith formation.
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Christ in the Classroom: Lesson Planning for the Heart and Mind
OIf the goal of catechesis is to cultivate an encounter with Christ, why do religious educators spend so much time focused almost exclusively on ideas and not experiences? The reason is that many have never been shown a method that inspires the heart while also instructing the mind. Jared Dees, creator of the popular website The Religion Teacher, shows how applying the steps of lectio divina to teaching can reorient religious education toward encountering the person of Christ rather than merely sharing information about him.
In Christ in the Classroom, Catholic author and speaker Jared Dees applies the five steps of lectio divina—reading/learning, meditation, prayer, contemplation, and action—to the ministry of catechesis. He offers teachers and catechists a practical framework for preparing lessons that broaden the focus of teaching from mostly intellectual learning to also encountering Christ in prayer, reflection, and action. Using this method, students and catechists come to know intimately the person of Christ at the same time that they are learning the tenets and traditions of the Church.
Dees shares stories of success and failure from his own teaching experience and he offers dozens of field-tested strategies, tactics, and teaching methods to effectively integrate the steps of lectio divina into the classroom or other catechetical setting.
Outfitted with these tools, both experienced and new religious educators will feel confident in their ability to teach effectively and lead their students to a life-changing encounter with Jesus.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Ave Maria Press
Praying the Angelus: Find Joy, Peace, and Purpose in Everyday Life
The Angelus is a centuries-old Catholic devotion that recalls the annunciation of Christ’s birth by the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary. In Praying the Angelus, popular author and speaker Jared Dees reinvigorates the devotion, shares intimately from his own experience of it, shows us how to get started, and enriches the practice with original meditations to reflect on the words of both the Angelus and the Regina Caeli.
Jared Dees was twenty-seven and in his fourth year of teaching religion in a Catholic school when he first experienced the Angelus. He allows the devotion to anchor his prayer life and challenge him to daily conversion of heart and will.
Dees introduces the Angelus devotion and explores its rich history and significance for the Church. As spiritual companion and guide, he offers meditations on the words and images of both the Angelus and the Regina Caeli, which is prayed during the Easter season. We find lessons about the power of repetitive prayer, the humility of being a disciple, the importance of admitting time belongs to God, the wisdom of taking time with discernment, and the joy of resting in the Lord’s presence. He shares personal stories of the life-change power of the Angelus and guides both newcomers and those already familiar with the prayer to contemplate the mysteries of salvation that lie at the heart of the devotion—the Annunciation, Incarnation, and Resurrection.
Named for the opening words of the devotion’s first prayer in Latin, “The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary,” the Angelus is typically prayed at 6:00 a.m., noon, and 6:00 p.m. each day. Likewise the Regina Caeli is named for the opening lines of its prayer, “Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia.”
Praying the Angelus is supported by Dees’s website, TheAngelusPrayer.com, where people can gather online to participate in and share this devotion with others.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Ave Maria Press
To Heal, Proclaim, and Teach: The Essential Guide to Ministry in Today’s Catholic Church
Jesus had a threefold ministry on Earth: to heal the sick and wounded, proclaim the Good News, and teach those who became his disciples. It’s an approach imitated by the saints throughout history and continues to be the cornerstone of successful ministry in parishes, Catholic schools, and other vibrant programs today.
Jared Dees—author of 31 Days to Becoming a Better Religious Educator—will help you understand how Jesus’ ministry transformed lives through biblical examples such as Paul, Bartimaeus, the centurion’s servant, and the woman at the well. He shares the importance of healing through the ministries of saints, such as Mother Teresa, Br. André Bessette, Ignatius of Loyola, and Fr. Damien of Molokai.
In To Heal, Proclaim, and Teach, Dees offers practical examples of how to apply Jesus’s threefold ministry to everyday life: allow yourself to be constantly evangelized; learn to help others through both good and bad times; and root yourself in community. He also suggests examples of ministries that are effectively reaching the faithful of all ages today, including Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Life Teen, Teens Encounter Christ, Theology on Tap, FOCUS, and Christ Renews His Parish. Dees will guide you with practical ways to imitate Jesus’s ministry in your own classrooms and faith formation programs at all levels.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Ave Maria Press
31 Days to Becoming a Better Religious Educator
Creator of the popular website The Religion Teacher, Jared Dees shares practical, easy-to-use teaching strategies and exercises for spiritual growth in his book 31 Days to Becoming a Better Religious Educator. These components are designed to improve the effectiveness of any busy religious educator.
Volunteer catechists and professional religion teachers are responsible for two unique and challenging tasks: sharing (and assessing) information and the spiritual formation of their students. This succinct, practical resource helps busy catechists and religion teachers with both tasks and is designed for use either over consecutive days in one month, or by specific themes that encourage personal improvement in areas of discipleship, service, leadership, and overall teaching. Each of the thirty-one days includes a clear title that gives the lesson theme, a quotation from Scripture, an introduction to the exercise, step-by-step actions to take for the day, and spiritual enrichment ideas for the educator.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Ave Maria Press
The Lumen Fidei (Light of Faith) Study Guide: A Companion to Pope Francis’s First Encyclical
Reading and understanding the deeply theological work of papal encyclicals can be a challenge for the everyday Catholic, yet understanding the lessons in Pope Francis’s first encyclical at this time in the Church’s history has never been more important.
The Lumen Fidei (Light of Faith) Study Guide includes summaries of each section, in depth commentary, reflection questions, a glossary of key terms, and suggestions for integrating the encyclical into personal or community prayer. Perfect for personal study or group discussions, this study guide is the essential companion to the “work of four hands,” Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
Find out more: lumenfidei.com/study-guide/
Individuals: Purchase and download the eBook on from Amazon Kindle.
Groups: Purchase the PDF License from Ave Maria Press to print out multiple copies for use in groups.
The Religion Teacher’s Guide to Lesson Planning
The Religion Teacher’ Guide to Lesson Planning provides a framework for lesson planning and 250 essential activities and teaching strategies that will save valuable hours planning lessons and provide a treasure chest of ideas that will last the whole year. This free eBook provides a step-by-step process to lesson planning that anyone can easily implement.
What is in this free eBook?
- A Four Step Lesson Planning System that most teachers fail to follow
- Unit planning and lesson planning templates that make lesson preparation easy and organized
- SWBAT lesson objective starters that will move students beyond simple tasks
- Assessment ideas for students with various learning needs and multiple intelligences
- The Learning PROCESS framework for designing instruction that will engage students and help them perform better on tests and assessments
- 250 activities and teaching strategies that will provide so much variety, students will never complain, “Oh, not that again!”
Sign up for free at www.thereligionteacher.com/guide-to-lesson-planning.
