The Creed & Notebooking

Notebooking can be a great way for CCD kids to collect a visual model of what they are learning throughout the year.  I think that the short, once a week format of most CCD programs tends to make it tough for kids to pick up where they left off. Notebooking could help.  Here are some ideas that could be used for any concept, but all of my examples are about the Creed.  I think that it would be kind of a cool way to start the CCD year, with the Creed as a base, and then move on to the curriculum.  You could then readily tie the Creed into everything that you are learning.

Click on anything black and white for a printable to get you started.

Start with a good cover.  I thought that "I Believe" is a good statement.  Then kids can look at their notebook and say that they believe everything that is contained inside.   This time, I used a Composition style notebook, but a spiral bound notebook works fine.  (I do recommend glue sticks, tape, and staples over liquid glue for obvious reasons.  A notebook that ends up only having one page because they are all glued together isn't much of a notebook.)

 

Add a copy of the Creed, with a twist.  Print a copy of this two-page, word by word Creed, have the students cut it apart, mix it up, and see if they can glue it back in order.  I don't recommend cutting each word apart unless you have very dedicated, detail oriented students and a lot of time.  Instead, cut it into strips, which is much more manageable.

 

Glue in a KWL Chart, to assess what students know before you begin (Know), as you learn (Want to Know), and as you complete your lesson (Learned).

To make the Creed a little more accessible, you can do a shrinking summary.  Hand the kids a large index card and have them write a summary of the important points of the Creed.  Then give them a smaller index card and have them par down the summary even further.  Finally, have them limit it to only a few words on a post it note or half an index card.  It can be very powerful to discover what the key words are that convey the meaning of such a large amount of text.

Try Wordle. I love Wordle.  Paste in or type a bunch of text and it randomly creates this cool word art.  Students can change the colors, fonts, layouts, etc. 

 The size of the words is proportional to the number of times the word appears in the text.  On this one, I intentionally made "The Nicene Creed" large, but the rest of the words help us to see what words are used most often.

Add some flip books or other fun things.  Directions and printable for this one abut tough words in the Creed can be found here.

Add some lift-the-flap-facts about connections between the Creed and Scripture.  There is also a blank area for writing notes.  You also could add Catechism references.

Finish up the section with a "Yes" flow chart.  Since "I Believe" is the theme, have the students add things that they can say yes, they believe.

 There are some ideas to get you started, but the possibilities are endless!

The Creed-Words to Know

 Not only is the Creed jam packed with Mysteries and Theological Concepts, but it also contains some pretty tough words, especially in the translation of the Creed for the Third Romal Missal.  Here are a few ideas for getting the meaning of those important words through to your students.

These are just the tools to use as a vehicle for discussion, but hopefully they prove helpful.

Idea One: Popsicle Sticks in a Cup
I know, creative title.  No directions needed, gather some popsicle sticks, throw them in a cup.  Take a minute to write some of the heavier words from the Creed on each stick.  Don't just worry about begotten and consubstantial, use other theological terms we sometimes take for granted kids know, like Christ, Scriptures, sins, glory, etc.

Use the sticks as a way to introduce or review words.  You could have each child randomly pick one, for example, and then challenge them to come up with a working definition using the dictionary, Catechism, and Bible.  They then have to share their definition with the class, etc.

Idea Two: My favorite beach balls. I have already written about this, but you could do a very similar concept by writing important words or phrases on the beach ball and tossing it around.

FYI, don't look too closely at this picture...because it is not a Creed Beach Ball!  I need to take a new picture :)

Idea Three: Make a vocab flip book.  These are fun, and easy to paste into a notebook (more on that later) or lapbook (folder) or hang on the wall.  I've got an example for you, but you can use this concept for anything.

Click on the document at the bottom of this post to get a printable with seven tough words from the Creed and their "workable" kid definitions.  You might not agree that these are the toughest seven words, but they were the ones that I chose because I think that kids have the least context for them.

So, to make a flip book, get several sheets of paper, preferably in different colors. (It is much prettier)
For this flipbook, I had four sheets of paper roughly 5 x 8.5".

 Line up those sheets of paper with roughly an inch between them.

Fold the stack in on itself so that the top folds down to roughly an inch from the highest flap on the bottom, making a continuous row of flaps.

 Fold, staple at the top to keep it secure, and glue into a notebook or lapbook if you like.

 Cut out the printable.

 "Seven Tough Words" label goes on the top flap.  The seven words get their own flap below.

Add the definition inside the flap, making sure it doesn't show from the outside.  This one is designed so that the definition shares a flap with the word.  You could also put in on the underneath of the flap, so it has to be flipped up to be read.

You can use this strategy for virtually any other topic or grade level- add pictures, notes, more flaps...

The Creed + Tetris

Yes, you read that title right.  The Nicene Creed and Tetris. Curious?

This is an easy activity that can be used to help memorize groups of text, in this case, the Nicene Creed.

First step- Explain to a new generation what Tetris is.  Pull up a website or app if need be.  Or better yet, a circa 1992 game console.

Just kidding.  Knowledge of Tetris is not necessary, but it is a little cooler than saying "various shaped interlocking colored block puzzle."

Real step one- Print out the Creed file below, which separates each word into it's own row and column.  It takes up three pages, and works better if printed on cardstock.

Step two- color various shaped sets of rectangles.

Step three- cut out on the lines in between colors.

Step four- throw in a ziploc bag, shake up, and had to a kid to unscramble.  This is harder than it looks- for sets of squares this small, I would try 4th grade and up.  If you want to use it with younger kids, color larger blocks of squares.  It also might be handy to have a copy of the Creed nearby to check.

 Yay, Tetris! :)

***Update*** 
Click here for a pdf of the APOSTLES Creed, per request. 

I Believe Mobile

"…They called the church together and reported what God had done with them and how he had opened the door of faith..." ~Acts 14:27

Last October, Pope Benedict declared that a "Year of Faith" will be celebrated from October 11, 2012 to November 24, 2013.  With this overarching theme, some fellow DREs and I decided to run with the idea by providing resources surrounding the Creed at our upcoming training night.  So, I am working on creating some activities that emphasize what we believe based on the Nicene Creed.

Project One: A mobile that draws attention to the Trinity in the structure of the Creed.  It contains the entire text, and shows what we believe about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

 Directions:
1. Print out the document linked below on cardstock, one set for each child.
2. It is easier to copy the circles back to back, but if you can't do that, cut them out and glue them together.
3.  Color all of the pieces.  The top piece gets folded in half.
4. Then use a small hole punch to add a hole everywhere there is an X.
5.  Cut out the center circle of a paper plate and punch five holes in it according to this diagram:

6. Two holes equally spaced along the inner circle are where you attach the top triangle:

7. Three holes spaced like an equilateral triangle along the outside circle are where you attach the three circles.  It should balanced when you hang it.

 Here are the links to the printables: