Beginning Our Journey An Introduction to the Concept Art and Theme Song of the Growing in Faith, Growing in Christ Program FOCUS QUESTION How can I learn more about God through art? Opening Lesson Learning Focus RELIGIOUS EDUCATION EXPECTATIONS SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS CL2.2: Identify the various ways we express our thanksgiving to God through our participation in the liturgy of the mass (i.e. symbols, songs, words, ritual actions). [CCC 1345 1355] ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING EVIDENCE OF LEARNING/ I CAN STATEMENTS Students will/i can identify symbols of the Catholic faith as expressed in the art of Fernando Llort and explain how both his art and the program theme song help them know God better/show what I know about God in a picture and learn a song about growing in my faith CATHOLIC SCHOOL GRADUATE EXPECTATIONS 1. A Discerning Believer Formed in the Catholic Faith Community Who: (f) Seeks intimacy with God and celebrates communion with God, others and creation through prayer and worship. CROSS-CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS The Arts Visual Arts: Apply the critical analysis process to communicate feelings, ideas, and understandings in response to a variety of art works and art experiences; Demonstrate an understanding of a variety of art forms, styles, and techniques from the past and present, and their social and/or community contexts. Music: Demonstrate an understanding of a variety of musical genres and styles from the past and present, and their social and/or community contexts. A Moment of Reflection When God created humanity, He provided us with an innate gift of knowing ourselves and the world He created for us through the gift of senses. Our deepest memories can often be stirred by seeing a picture, by hearing a piece of music, or by the smell or taste of certain foods. Symbol and song are traditional and important parts not only in the celebration of our faith, but also in helping us learn about and pass on the sacred story that is Christianity. Stimulating our senses through sight and sound can bring us to a deeper personal understanding of our relationship with the God that created us. By exciting the senses of students in our care, we can motivate them to learn more about their Creator and develop a deep and lasting love for Him. Unit 1: I Am a Child of God 13
INFORMING YOUR FAITH AND PREPARING TO SHARE YOUR FAITH Background Information The use of artistic imagery dates to the earliest liturgical expression of the Church. Depictions of the Last Supper believed to have been created in the second and third centuries have been found in ancient catacombs. Throughout the history of the Church, iconography has been a critical component in teaching and passing on the faith. For early Christians, symbolism became a language the faithful knew and used to identify and communicate their faith in Jesus Christ. Music has always been important in Jewish worship, as evidenced by the psalms. (Psalm 98:1: O sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things. ) Following the Jewish tradition, music has played an important part of liturgy since the beginning of the Christian Church. The leadership of music is considered a ministry of the Church a method of assisting the faithful to fully express their faith. Like sacred art, music also assists Christians in learning about and articulating their faith. It deepens the spiritual experience in worship. Through musical expression, we join in the liturgy with our fellow Catholics and express our praise as a spiritual family united in a single purpose. All artists who, prompted by their talents, desire to serve God s glory in holy Church, should ever bear in mind that they are engaged in a kind of sacred imitation of God the Creator, and are concerned with works destined to be used in Catholic worship, to edify the faithful, and to foster their piety and their religious formation. (Sacrosanctum Concilium: Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, December 1963, Chapter VII, #127) In every age the Church has called upon the arts to give expression to the beauty of her faith and to proclaim the Gospel message of the grandeur of God s creation, the dignity of human beings made in his image and likeness, and the power of Christ s death and resurrection to bring redemption and rebirth to a world touched by the tragedy of sin and death. (Pope Francis, Vatican City, Oct. 19, 2013, during a private audience to the Patrons of the Arts of the Vatican Museums) Learning Goal: We are learning about the art on the cover of the Student Book and the theme song of our Religious Education program and how they both help us know God. Before Post the Learning Goal in the classroom and discuss with students what they will be learning about today. Gather students together in a comfortable arrangement, for example, on a carpet or in a grouping in an open area of the classroom. Recall with students 14 Growing in Faith, Growing in Christ Grade 1 Teacher Resource
any of the prayers they remember from Kindergarten. Choose one of the familiar prayers to recite with them. Ask students to tell you why we say prayers. Allow several students to express their ideas. Remind them that when we pray, we are telling God how much we love Him and asking Him to be with us during our day. During Explain to students that today the class is going to talk about art. Ask them to give you some examples of what they think a piece of art is. Help them to understand that art can take many forms a drawing, a painting, a sculpture, a song, a dance, or even a performance. Ask why they think an artist would draw or paint a picture or create a dance, a piece of music, or a play. Lead them to understand that art helps people tell something about how they think or feel to another person. Tell students that you are going to share with them a special piece of art. Display the cover of the Student Book or project the image on an interactive whiteboard. Print the name Fernando Llort on chart paper or an interactive whiteboard. Explain that this is the name of the artist who created the picture they are looking at. Help students say his name. Explain that Fernando lives in El Salvador. You may wish to point out El Salvador on a world map or globe. Allow students to take a few moments to look at the image. Tell them to look carefully at what the artist put in the picture he painted. Ask: What do you see? Allow students to relate all of their ideas about the picture. You may wish to use some of the following or similar questions to guide the discussion: What shape has the artist used for this painting? Why do you think he chose the shape of the cross? Why is the cross an important image? (The cross reminds us of Jesus, who is God s son.) Remind students that when we begin prayers, we often make the Sign of the Cross. Have students who know the Sign of the Cross make it with you. Ask students whether there are any images in the painting that help us to remember God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Students may speculate here. It is not important that they understand all of the imagery but they should recognize the Christian association.) What other smaller images do you see inside the cross? (Record these in a list for students to reference when they do their own drawing.) Why do you think Fernando included these images in the painting? What do you think Fernando wants to tell us when we look at his picture? (He wants us to know that he loves God, and he wants us to love God too.) Unit 1: I Am a Child of God 15
How do you think Fernando wants us to feel when we look at the picture? (happy or joyful) What in the picture makes you feel happy or joyful? (bright colours and happy images) Remind students that art can take many forms. Have them recall some of the other forms of art. Explain that a musician writes music to help tell other people something. When we listen to music, it can make us feel happy or sad or even excited. Explain that today we are going to listen to a special song that goes with the art of Fernando Llort. Ask students to listen carefully. Play the song Growing in Faith, Growing in Christ. Ask students how the music makes them feel. Ask students how they think the music and the painting are connected. (They both talk about God. The art of Fernando Llort paints a picture with colour and images, while the song paints a picture with words and music. Both the art and the music make us feel happy.) Ask students what words or phrases they heard in the song. Print some of the phrases that students recall on chart paper or an interactive whiteboard, and help them to understand what each phrase means. (They need not pick up all the words or phrases at the beginning. As the song is played throughout the year, help students make connections to the lessons they are learning.) Play the song a second time and invite students to sing along on the parts that are repeated. Invite them to keep the beat of the music by tapping their two pointer fingers together. Ask students to tell you what they think the title of the song is. Display the cover of the Student Book again and have students find the words on the cover. Ask students what happens to them as they grow. (They get taller; they learn new things.) Ask: What do you think it means to grow in faith and to grow in Christ? (We learn more about our faith and what it means to be Catholic. We learn more about the life of Jesus, and we learn about how much God loves us.) After Provide students with a piece of paper and crayons, markers, or coloured pencils. Have them make a large outline of a cross. (You may wish to supply a template for students to trace.) Explain that they are each going to make a picture like the one Fernando Llort made. Ask students to name some symbols that Fernando used in his picture (refer to the list made previously). Have them identify some other symbols that remind them of God. Add these to the list. Explain to students that they can use any of these images in their pictures. Encourage students to plan their pictures and to use bright colours. Remind them to fill in all of the space inside their cross with colour. Play the song Growing in Faith, Growing in Christ in the background as they work on their pictures. 16 Growing in Faith, Growing in Christ Grade 1 Teacher Resource
Collect the pictures and display them in the classroom. You may have students glue their finished pictures inside their notebooks when they are distributed later. Ask students, What did you learn today? Revisit the Learning Goal that you posted with students. Unit 1: I Am a Child of God 17