Teaching Grammar and Reviewing Theology with the Apostles' Creed Prayer

As promised, we have been focusing our home learning efforts on the learning and memorizing the new form of the Apostles' Creed.  To that end we have done grammar study, art work, memorization, copywork, catechism and spelling too.  I will pass along what we have done briefly and give you links to gather the resources for yourself from the new faith area of our resource website.

Memorization
To help with memorization of the Creed and help children learn some of the other prayers said at Mass, I made some new Learning Prayer Cards sets.  The new form of the Apostles' Creed is featured in one of the learning card sets as well as the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel for Protection, which is said after daily masses.  Another learning card set features the Sanctus or Holy. Holy, Holy in Latin and also in English.  The new form is provided.


Grammar
In the grammar department I typed out the new form of the Apostles' Creed as well as the old form and put them on separate sheets.  We then began comparing and contrasting the prayers grammatically.  The Apostles' Creed prayer sheets (plus the text from this lesson) are very useful for reference with many of the activities below.  We made some unique observations.

1. The new form has only two sentences.  The old form has nine sentences.   Don't believe me?  See for yourself. Together the kids pointed out the subject and predicate of each of the long sentences.  Presented in a Who or what/Does what format, it is very simple to pick out the subject (noun portion) and predicate (verb portion).  You will also see the change in the number of pronouns as well.  Because of the reduction of sentences, there isn't the need to use the pronoun "he" very often. 
2. The new form uses quite a few semi-colons and to a lesser degree, commas.  This is the perfect opportunity to highlight the functions and differences in both of these punctuation marks.  The semi-colon is used to separate complex ideas within the sentence - in its simplest explanation, but using your favorite grammar text will help you give further examples of proper use of both the semi-colon and comma.
3. Another addition to this form of the Apostles' Creed includes the use of italics to signal the need for reverence to be given by the person or persons praying. The line which uses italics is: "who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary,"
4. This is a great opportunity to discuss plural nouns. 

Apostles (more than one apostle)

Apostle's (belonging to one apostle)

Apostles' (belonging to more than one apostles or a group of apostles) 

Note the position and proper use of apostrophe.*

Spelling/Handwriting
For our spelling practice this week I selected ten words that best represent the prayer to use as spelling list words for the week.  With only ten words, it can be easily accomplished by kiddos.  I also created a set of Ten Words about the Apostles' Creed copywork sheets.  This set includes trace work in print and cursive as well as a blank version for learners with better handwriting skills.  I simply printed out one sheet to use daily and gave a quick spelling check at the end of the week.

For other copywork, handwriting practice and also as an aide to help learn the prayer, I created copywork sheets for the Apostles' Creed.  Styles include a set for the Apostles' Creed in trace print, a set for the Apostles' Creed in trace cursive, and for more advanced writers, the Apostles' Creed in non-trace style.  With only a few lines per page, one sheet could be given out daily until the entire prayer is completed.


Catechism
One of the easiest things to do with the Apostles' Creed is to pick out the twelve points on which our faith is based as it was proclaimed from the twelve apostles so many centuries ago.  Use the prayer sheets from above to look throughout the prayer.  Have children underline the points with different colors.  Here are the points distinguished with different colors below.  You can also find these in the CCC as well.

I believe in God,

the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, 
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried; 
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
 

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.  Amen.

Art

These coloring art sheets help to distinguish and illustrate some of the important parts of the Apostles' Creed.  Each sheet gives a title, summary of what is occurring in the image as well as a line from scripture or the prayer itself.  Here are the sheets I used:

The Descent of the Holy Spirit Coloring Sheet

The Holy Trinity Joined by the Saints Coloring Sheet - This sheet depicts the Holy Trinity but also the communion of saints.  See if you can note the heavenly Father, the Son (the lamb) and the Holy Spirit (dove), the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Queen of Heaven , St. Joseph, St. Peter, St. Stephen, St. Mary Magdalen, the Holy Innocents, St. Michael the Archangel, St. Gabriel the Archangel, St. John the Baptist, the terms "Ave" (Hail) and Ecce Agnus Dei (Behold the Lamb).

Easter, The Resurrection Coloring Sheet - This last sheet features a portion of the Apostles' Creed in image and words.  Mary Magdalene meets Jesus just outside His tomb.  The angel is present as well.  Note the beautiful pious halo that is above Christ's head.

So, this is what we did this week to begin getting ready for the transition for the New Roman Missal. 

I hope you find this lesson very helpful!

Blessings,
Kalei

What's up, Doc? Carrot Contractions!

Going through my homeschool closet today, I came across one of my youngest child's favourite games.  It's called Carrot Contractions.  Inspired a few years years ago by our favourite carrot loving cartoon bunny, this game pairs contractions, paper carrots, and a brown shoebox for fun with a Montessori flare. 

Learners practice reading 32 pairs of contractions and/or matching up the words to the contractions. So on one carrot you may have 'has not' and 'hasn't'.  If you pulled a carrot with a worm on it, it may only have 'has not' and the child would have to supply the 'hasn 't' contraction.  I couldn't believe what a great game this turned out to be for my kiddos. 

Assembly takes just a bit of effort, but it is so worth it.  Print out and prepare carrots and word pairs by cutting out the shapes and gluing the word to the white back of the carrot.   Kiddos pick carrots and read word sets. Carrots with a worm provide only one side of the contraction set, providing challenging fun. Alternate methods and challenge levels for game provided.

For real fun, laminate the carrots up and have the learner pull them from the ground -a brown cardboard box with a slit in it.  The plain brown craft shoe boxes from your local craft store work very well.  (The brown, of course, represents the dirt that carrot is growing in.)  Use an exacto to cut thin slits in the cover of the box.  Poke carrots into the box so that the tops are showing.  It makes the game so much more fun.  Alternately you could pull them out of a brown paper grocery bag as well.


Click Here to download Carrot Contractions now.

Hope you have fun as you get ready to head back to formal learning shortly - if you haven't already!! :)

Blessings,
Kalei

A Few More Mystery Themed Resources

Bookmark, reading log sheet and worksheet help bring mystery stories to life.

Since we began sharing resources about mystery stories yesterday, we thought that we should highlight a few of our other mystery themed resources in case you would like to take some time to focus on this literary genre.

If you or your learner likes to keep a reading log in on a full sized sheet or in a folder, then our Mystery Reading Log sheets may be just what you have been looking for.  Each page has a space for the date, title, author, amount read and completion column.  Pages are available with a definition of the genre as well as a simpler version with just the genre and graphics.

Click HERE to see these and other reading log sheets.

Our Reading Log Book Mark (left) can help readers keep track of the mystery stories or books they read.  It also highlights some details about the specialized genre.  Children can easily fill in the info and gain confidence and practice in reading.

Click HERE to see this and other reading log bookmarks.

Have a child who really loves to read and loves a good challenge?  How about trying our Book Detective Report?  This report requires learners to meet different grammatical tasks using the text of their story.  For example, learners may need to find a proper noun, tell what page it is on or find and list three adverbs.  You get the idea.  It is fun and always challenging.

Picture books, chapter books and novels could easily be used in succession to build confidence.  This could be a great grammar review for older learners.

 
Click HERE to see this book report and others in our collection.
 
 
May you and your children always explore the mysterious fun of reading!
 
Blessings,
 
That Resource Team
 

Christmas Themed Worksheets to Make Grammar, Phonics and Math Festive Fun

Christmas themed worksheets make learning about nouns, adjectives, phonics and math fun and festive.

Many families are finishing off their lessons this week and the beginning of next week.  As we get closer to the big day of the celebration of the nativity of our Lord, it is harder for children to stay focused.  As homeschoolers and teachers, we know that we need to finish off what we had previously started, either to be accountable to someone else or to ourselves.  This week we thought that we would try and share a few schooly helps to keep things on track.  These fun printables are holiday themed and easy to use.  Let's see what we can share here. . .

How about a nice review of adjectives?  This is one of the faves here in our little homeschool.  Because writing as well as drawing skills can be used to complete these sheets, they are always fun to do.  This template could be laminated and used over and over.  Children simply draw or write a noun for a person, place or thing in the boxes provided and write a few adjectives for each.  There are three Christmas designs to choose from including the little boy on the left, St. Nicholas, and a Christmas tree.

Click HERE to get this and other sheets focusing on adjectives.


Thinking of the upcoming visits of relatives during the season?  How about using our Proper Names worksheet?  Children draw pictures of family members and practice using their proper names remembering of course to capitalize titles etc.  This is one of those sheets that you may end up adding to your proof of learning folder for the year.  It will bring smiles in the years to come as you all reminisce of your homeschooling days. 
Click HERE to get this and other sheets focusing on proper nouns.

Would you like to focus on the Jesus' Holy Family instead of your own?  We've got a sheet for you there as well.  Children use this sheet and others to learn about common nouns in families as they learn about our Lord`s family here on earth.  A word bank is provided for learners.  Learning about the Holy Family is essential at this time of year.  You will find examples for Jesus`s father, mother, grandmother, grandparents, and cousin.

Click HERE to get this and other sheets focusing on common nouns.

How about some phonics help?  Our Christmas vowel tree worksheet set is perfect for learners of many different ages and is simple to use.  Simply select a vowel sheet and fill in the missing blanks to create words.  Some vowels have been provided and learners need to put in the additional letters.  The vowel sounds could be for long or short vowel words.  This template could also be heat laminated and used over and over using a wipe off pen, dry-erase pen, fat washable marker, or even a simple crayon.

Click HERE to get this and other sheets focusing on vowel sounds. 

Counting down to Christmas can be difficult for all of us with the anticipation and excitement continually brewing in our hearts and minds.  We can at least make counting up to a hundred a bit easier.  If you need Advent math counters, then we have a set for you.  This set features Christmas trees with purple numbers from 0-100.  This is a simple set and does not feature any mathematical symbols.

Click HERE to get this counter set and see other sets as well.

 

Need even more counting practice? How about using our 100 Math squares counting set.  We have a new blank themed sheet (pictured left) as well as a sheet with numbers provided.  Answers are provided on a separate sheet.  These can easily be laminated and used over and over again.

Click HERE to download this set now.

We hope that these sheets help bring smiles to your school day while still providing solid practice in language arts, phonics and math skills.  Join us tomorrow for Christmas themed writing resources.

Blessings,

That Resource Team

June 30 - Syllable Symphony of Saints Game

Play a game to help children learn about the saints and practice counting syllables.

Here is another version of our well received syllable symphony that focuses on the names of saints.  This game helps children practice counting the syllables in the names of some fairly popular saints including Joseph, Luke, Anthony, Peter, Mary, Joan, Elizabeth and other.  Names contain 1-5 syllables.  There are 8 game boards and any age can play this game.  Reading is not a requirement as parents could read the names to players and children need simply match up the number of syllables in the names to the number of notes on the game board.  Download includes all playing pieces and instructions.

Click Here to download Syllable Symphony of Saints game.

Blessings,

That Resource Team

June 22 - Play a Syllable Symphony for Fun!!

Play a simple Bingo style game with a twist to help children learn about animals and syllables at the same time.

Introduce or review the concept of syllable sounds with children as they learn to say and spell the names of animals.  This game has a neat twist to it in that it is played like bingo but uses a specific number of musical note graphics to represent the syllable sounds in a word.  It is simple to make and play.  This game can even be useful for non-readers as the parent could read the words and the child would only need count the syllable sounds using clapping if necessary.  It is fast to complete and several rounds could be played within 15 minutes.  Animal words utilize 1-5 syllables.

This game is designed for 2-6 players of any age and includes game boards, cards, reference list, and instructions.  More game sets will follow with different themes.  Our themes come from what we are currently studying right now in our little homeschool or will be covering in the very near future.

What a fun way and joyful way to learn about language arts and animals at the same time! :)

Click Here to download our Syllable Symphony game.

Blessings,

That Resource Team

May 23 - Mother Mary Poetry and Prayer Bookmark

We love to multi-task.  Actually that isn't true, we multi-task out of necessity...lol.  When we create resources we try to utilize multi-subject learning as much as possible to keep our learners enthusiastic and engaged.  We have found through our experience, that many times our children will become overwhelmed with a larger quantity of learning tasks which in turn reduces the joy and fun in learning.  So we try to be creative not only in our approach to teaching and learning but also in the materials we create around our faith.

Today we share our new My Mother Bookmark resource.  Look at the learning possibilities in this little resource:

1. This resource displays a beautiful image of our Holy Mother exposing her Immaculate Heart.
2. This piece uses Victorian era graphics with flowers suitable for a Mary Garden (Roses and Sweet Peas).
3. It teaches The Memorare prayer.
4. It provides an opportunity for a child to write an acrostic poem about Mary, mothers, or their own mother.
5. Oh yes, it's also a bookmark. :)

This resource is simple to use - just print, cut apart, fold and glue.  There are two per page and they can easily be laminated to create a nice little keepsake for years to come.

Click Here to download our Mother Mary Bookmark.

Blessings,

That Resource Team