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CHAPTER 1: God Sends Us His Own Son
In this chapter the children learn that we believe in the Blessed Trinity, three Persons in one God.
- Click here for the activity “Blessed Trinity Window.”
Distribute the activity sheets and discuss the symbol of the Blessed Trinity used on the window.
- Artists use a triangle with three equal sides to symbolize the Blessed Trinity. There is one triangle with three equal sides.
- Artists use three joined circles. A circle having no beginning and no end symbolizes the Blessed Trinity’s love having no beginning or end. The joined circles symbolize the three Persons of the Blessed Trinity joined in love.
- Saint Patrick used the shamrock to teach people about the Blessed Trinity because the shamrock is one plant with three leaves.
Suggest that the children tape the stained-glass window to a window at home. Say, Each time you look at the window, remember the Blessed Trinity’s love for you.
Multiple Intelligences: Visual-Spatial, Intrapersonal
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CHAPTER 2: Jesus Teaches Us About God's Love
In this chapter the children learn that Jesus’ greatest teaching was the way in which he lived.
Distribute the activity sheets. Ask for a volunteer to read the directions. When the children are finished writing, ask for volunteers to share their responses. (Answers will vary.) Have the children color the picture and bring their sheets to the prayer space. Provide time for volunteers to offer spontaneous prayers to Jesus or pray the Our Father together. Display the children’s pictures in the prayer space.
Answers will vary.
Multiple Intelligences: Interpersonal, Linguistic, Intrapersonal, Visual-Spatial
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CHAPTER 3: Christ Will Come Again
In this chapter the children read and discuss the Scripture account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.
Distribute the activity sheets. Read the directions, and suggest to the children that they refer to the Scripture account in the text. When the children have finished writing, ask them to color the scroll, making it light brown in color. Then have the children cut out the scrolls. Display the scrolls in your prayer space.
Answers will vary.
Multiple Intelligences: Linguistic, Visual-Spatial
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CHAPTER 4: The Church Begins
In this chapter the children learn about the roles that Jesus’ disciples had when the Church began.
Distribute the activity sheets. Have the children read the directions, and then ask a volunteer to read the text in each speech balloon. When the children have completed the activity, have them share their answers. (Answers: Paul; Stephen; Mary; Peter.) Then ask a volunteer to act out each person’s introduction, adding additional pertinent information.
Answer:
I am Paul. I saw a bright light and I heard Jesus speaking to me.
I am Stephen. The enemies of the Church had me put to death.
I am Mary. I waited for the Holy Spirit with my son’s apostles.
I am Peter. I spoke to the crowd of people on Pentecost.
Multiple Intelligences: Visual-Spatial, Linguistic, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Interpersonal
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CHAPTER 5: We Learn About the Early Church
In this chapter the children learn that Jesus’ disciples share his good news.
Distribute the activity sheets, and have a volunteer read the directions. Have the children work in pairs, taking turns being the reporter and the person interviewed. When the children have finished writing, ask each set of partners to act out their interview. Then pray together: “Jesus, help us to share your good news.”
Answers will vary.
Multiple Intelligences: Linguistic, Interpersonal, Bodily-Kinesthetic
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CHAPTER 6: The Church Year
In this chapter the children learn that the seasons of the Church year help us to grow as followers of Jesus.
Distribute the activity sheets and construction paper. Have a volunteer read the directions. Help the children complete the wheel. Encourage the children to use their wheels at home to mark the passing of each Church year season.
Multiple Intelligences: Intrapersonal, Visual-Spatial
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CHAPTER 7: Ordinary Time
In this chapter the children learn that in Ordinary Time, we celebrate the life and teachings of Jesus.
- Click here for the activity “Celebrate Ordinary Time.”
Distribute the activity sheets. Have a volunteer read the directions. When the children are finished writing, invite volunteers to share their prayers. Provide time for the children to color the leaves. Encourage everyone to use the leaves as a source of prayer for Ordinary Time.
Answers will vary.
Multiple Intelligences: Linguistic, Interpersonal, Visual-Spatial
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CHAPTER 8: The Church Has Four Marks
In this chapter the children learn that Jesus chose the apostles to lead the Church.
- Click here for the activity “The Twelve Apostles.”
Distribute the activity sheets. Have the children read the directions. Tell the children to look in Chapter 8 of their text for the paragraph listing the apostles’ names. (Horizontal: third row, Simon; eighth row, Peter; eleventh row, Philip. Vertical: from top to bottom-- first row, Thaddeus; fifth row, Matthew; eighth row, John; from bottom to top—ninth row, Thomas; eleventh row, James. Diagonal: from top to bottom—Andrew and James; from bottom to top—Bartholomew and Judas.)
Answer: The apostles are Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James, Thaddeus, Simon, and Judas.
Multiple Intelligences: Linguistic, Visual-Spatial
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CHAPTER 9: The Church Teaches Us
In this chapter the children learn that the Church is the Body of Christ and the people of God.
- Click here for the activity “A People of God Quilt.”
Distribute the activity sheets. Have a volunteer read the directions. When the children have completed their patches, ask them to share what they have drawn or written. Invite the group to work together to assemble the quilt. Display the quilt in the prayer space. Gather there and sing “They’ll Know We Are Christians" (Grade 3 CD, #7).
Answers will vary.
Multiple Intelligences: Visual-Spatial, Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Musical
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CHAPTER 10: The Church Prays
In this chapter the children learn that the Church prays at all times and that there are different kinds of prayer.
Distribute the activity sheets. Have volunteers read “A Prayer Treat.” Then ask the children to work in pairs to write their own prayers. Invite the pairs to share their prayers with the entire group, holding their arms as shown.
After prayer, share a pretzel treat. You may wish to share commercially prepared pretzels, or have the children make their own. There are many recipes on the Internet.
Answers will vary.
Multiple Intelligences: Interpersonal, Linguistic, Bodily-Kinesthetic
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CHAPTER 11: The Parish is Our Home
In this chapter the children learn that a parish is a community of believers who worship and work together.
Distribute the activity sheets. Have a volunteer read the directions. Lead a discussion about team or community logos. Then have sets of partners design their own logos.
When the children are finished working, have the partners show and explain their logos to the entire group. Have the children cut out their logos and glue them to sheets of construction paper. Display the logos in the parish hall or back of church.
Answers will vary.
Multiple Intelligences: Visual-Spatial, Interpersonal
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CHAPTER 12: God Calls Us to Holiness
In this chapter the children learn that each baptized person has a vocation to love and serve God.
Distribute the activity sheets. Ask volunteers to read the first paragraph and the directions. Give the children time to complete their vines. Join the vines together and display the large vine in the prayer space.
Answers will vary.
Multiple Intelligences: Linguistic, Interpersonal, Visual-Spatial
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CHAPTER 13: Advent
In this chapter the children learn that the season of Advent helps us to prepare for the coming of the Son of God.
Distribute the activity sheets. Tell the children to lean heavily on the crayons when they are coloring the window. Encourage the children to display their stained-glass windows at home.
Multiple Intelligences: Visual-Spatial
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CHAPTER 14: Christmas
In this chapter the children learn that the Church celebrates important feasts during Christmas time.
Before class, prepare a gift card for each child in your class. Give the cards to the children and thank them for helping you to grow in God’s love.
Then distribute the activity sheets. Have volunteers read the first paragraph and the activity directions. As the children are working, play Christmas carols.
Answers will vary.
Multiple Intelligences: Linguistic, Visual-Spatial, Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Musical
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CHAPTER 15: We Celebrate the Sacraments
In Chapter 15 the children learn about the seven sacraments as the special signs of God’s love.
- Click here for the activity "Designing BillBoards."
Before beginning the activity, review the sacraments of Christian initiation, the sacraments of healing, and the sacraments of service to others. Then distribute the activity sheets and read the directions aloud. Encourage the children to use their We Believe texts to help them find visuals that tell about these sacraments and that will help them in designing their billboards. You may want to display the children’s completed work in the form of a bulletin board.
Answers will vary.
Multiple Intelligences: Visual-Spatial
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CHAPTER 16: Celebrating the Eucharist: The Mass
In Chapter 16 the children continue to learn about the sacrament of the Eucharist.
Distribute the activity sheets and read the directions aloud. Demonstrate how to determine the correct letters to fill in the blanks by using the code. Provide assistance when needed. (Answers 1. Body; 2. Passover; 3. meal; 4. celebrate. Unscrambled word: assembly.)
Answer:
1. The Eucharist is the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ.
2. Jesus celebrated Passover and the Last Supper.
3. The Mass is a sacrifice and a meal.
4. We celebrate Mass each week.
What do we call the people gathered to worship in the name of Jesus Christ? Assembly
Multiple Intelligences: Logical-Mathematical
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CHAPTER 17: We Worship at Mass
In Chapter 17 the children learn about the parts of the Mass and how we are sent forth from Mass to serve God and other people.
Before beginning the activity, you may want to review the four parts of the Mass. Ask volunteers to name each part of the Mass and what happens during each part. Then distribute the activity sheets and read the directions aloud. Provide crayons or markers, scissors, paste or glue, string or yarn, and a plastic hanger for each child to construct the mobile. Help the children match the labels for each part of the Mass before pasting or gluing the label to the church pattern. Remind the children that they can use their We Believe texts to help them identify what happens during each part of the Mass.
Help the children assemble the mobile using string or yarn and the plastic hanger. Display the completed mobiles in the classroom or hallway.
Answer: The part of the Mass in which we become one as we prepare to listen to God’s word and to celebrate the Eucharist is the Introductory Rites.
The part of the Mass when we listen and respond to God’s word is the Liturgy of the Word.
The part of the Mass when the bread and wind become the Body and Blood of Christ, which we receive in Holy Communion is the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
The part of the Mass that reminds us to continue praising and serving God each day is the Concluding Rite.
Multiple Intelligences: Visual-Spatial, Bodily-Kinesthetic
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CHAPTER 18: Celebrating Penance and Reconciliation
In Chapter 18 the children learn how we celebrate God’s forgiveness in the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation.
Distribute the activity sheets. Ask volunteers to read the directions and words aloud. Provide assistance as needed.
Multiple Intelligences: Linguistic
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CHAPTER 19: We Pray for Healing and Eternal Life
In Chapter 19 the children learn about the strength and healing that we receive through the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.
- Click here for the activity "Make a Prayer Chain."
Before beginning the activity, talk about ways Jesus cared for all people and ways we can remember our call to follow Jesus by loving and caring for people who are sick.
Then, distribute the activity sheets. Ask a volunteer to read the directions aloud. Provide assistance with the stapler as needed when children connect their completed prayer links. You may want to use the children’s completed prayer chain in future prayer services and/or place the prayer chain in the prayer space for reflection.
Answers will vary.
Multiple Intelligences: Intrapersonal, Interpersonal
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CHAPTER 20: Lent
In Chapter 20 the children learn that the season of Lent is a time of preparation for Easter.
Distribute the activity sheets and read the directions aloud. Have the children use scissors to cut out the booklet pattern before they begin writing. Remind the children to use their We Believe texts to find information about Lent. Encourage the children to be creative and include illustrations in their booklets. If possible, provide time for children to share their completed booklets with children from another class or age group.
Answers will vary.
Multiple Intelligences: Linguistic, Intrapersonal, Interpersonal
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CHAPTER 21: The Three Days
In Chapter 21 the children learn that the Three Days celebrate Jesus’ passing from death to new life.
Before beginning the activity, ask: What are the holiest days of the Church year? (the Three Days) What does the Church celebrate during these three holy days? (Jesus’ death and Resurrection) Review with children the liturgical celebrations that take place during this time. You may want the children to use their We Believe texts to review information and see images of the celebrations. Then, distribute the activity sheets and read the directions aloud. Encourage the children to be creative, they can use torn paper to make a mosaic, paint with cotton swabs, and so on. Remind the children to include a caption for each frame. If possible, display the children’s work in the parish during Holy Week.
Answers will vary.
Multiple Intelligences: Visual-Spatial
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CHAPTER 22: We Continue the Work of Jesus
In Chapter 22 the children learn how we share in Jesus’ mission as we live out his message of peace and justice each day.
Before beginning the activity, write the following points on slips of paper:
God made all people in his image. God loves and cares for everyone. God so loved the world that he sent his only Son who showed us how to live and saved us from sin. Jesus taught us to love God above all else and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Jesus worked for justice and peace and he asks all of us to do the same.
Have the children form small groups. Give each group a slip of paper. Have the group read aloud the point on the slip of paper. Then, as a group, have the children list ways that they can share this point with others. Allow time for the children to complete the task and to share their ideas.
Distribute the activity sheets and read the directions aloud. Ask children to recall the good news of Jesus Christ that the apostles shared. You may want the children to paste a piece of construction paper or oak tag paper to the activity sheet before cutting out the pattern. Invite the volunteers to use the phones to dramatize their text messages.
Answers will vary.
Multiple Intelligences: Interpersonal, Bodily-Kinesthetic
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CHAPTER 23: The Church Respects All People
In Chapter 23 the children learn that the Church respects all people in the world.
Distribute the activity sheets and read the directions aloud. Provide children with crayons, markers, and colored pencils. Encourage the children to be creative and to use their We Believe texts, magazines, and/or the Internet to learn about people of faith to include in their murals.
Answers will vary.
Multiple Intelligences: Intrapersonal, Visual-Spatial
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CHAPTER 24: The Church Is Worldwide
In Chapter 24 the children learn that Catholics all over the world share the same faith and celebrate the faith in different ways.
In advance, compile examples of different icons that are found in churches of Eastern Rites. (There are many images of these colorful icons available on the Internet and liturgical catalogs.) You may want to provide the following crayon colors gold, red, blue, and orange for the children, or ask that they bring these colors to class for this activity.
Display the examples of different icons. Point to each icon and ask the children to identify the colors the artist used in the icons. Say the following: The word icon comes from a Greek word that means “image.” Icons are found in many Easter Rites Churches and homes. They are usually painted on panels of wood. The colors an artist uses in an icon have a special meaning. For example: the color blue reminds us of heaven, the color green reminds us of youth and life, and the color white reminds us of purity. Distribute the activity sheets, and read the directions aloud. Direct the children to read the list of colors and their meanings. Guide the children to color the icon using the colors that are listed. While the children are coloring the icons, say: The artist always prays while making the icon. After you finish coloring your icon, pray a Hail Mary very quietly.
If possible, display the completed icons in the form of a bulletin board.
Multiple Intelligences: Linguistic, Visual-Spatial
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CHAPTER 25: We Are God’s Holy People
In Chapter 25 the children learn about Mary and the saints as models of happiness.
Distribute the activity sheets. Ask volunteers to read the crossword puzzle clues aloud. Provide assistance as needed. Encourage the children to use their We Believe text to help solve the crossword puzzle.
Answer: Across:
1. The Immaculate Conception is the belief that Mary was free from original sin from the very first moment of her life.
3. those who lived a life of holiness and now share in eternal life with God—saints.
4. Mary is the greatest of all the saints.
5. The communion of saints is the union of the baptized members of the Church on earth with those who are in heaven and in purgatory.
Down :
2. the belief that, when Mary’s work on earth was done, God brought her body and soul to live forever with the risen Christ—Assumption
Multiple Intelligences: Linguistic
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CHAPTER 26: The Kingdom of God Continues to Grow
In Chapter 26 the children learn what Jesus taught his followers about the Kingdom of God, and that it continues to grow today.
Distribute the activity sheets. Ask a volunteer to read the directions aloud. As a group, discuss what it means to be a witness of Jesus Christ. If possible, provide examples of comic strips from newspapers and magazines for students to use as a model for style. Encourage them to use their We Believe text to help them gather information for subject matter.
Answers will vary.
Multiple Intelligences: Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Visual-Spatial
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CHAPTER 27: Easter
In Chapter 27 the children learn that the Easter season goes on for fifty days, until Pentecost Sunday.
In advance, gather the materials needed for each child: 12 sugar cubes, glue, and small springs of silk spring flowers (optional). *You may want to make an Easter cross to use as a model for the children. Distribute the activity sheets and read the directions aloud. Demonstrate the steps in the directions for the children. Provide assistance when needed. Remind the children to allow time for the base to dry before attaching the vertical row. While the children are working, play inspirational Easter songs, such as Glory and Praise to Our God, # 22 on the Grade 3 CD.
Multiple Intelligences: Bodily-Kinesthetic
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CHAPTER:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27
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