The Holy Spirit

SPIRIT of TRUTH

Grade 1 Sample Unit 1, Lessons 1 and 2

Included here are two sample lessons from the 1st grade Spirit of Truth teacher’s guide, followed by the corresponding pages from the 1st grade student workbook.

Order the full Grade 1 books at SophiaInstituteforTeachers.org/SpiritofTruth Who is God? The Trinity

UNIT 1, LESSON 1

Learning Goals Connection to the ӹӹ The mystery of the Holy Trinity is Catechism of the that God is three Persons in one God. Catholic Church ӹӹ The three Persons of the Trinity are ӹӹ CCC 200-202 ӹӹ CCC 571 God the Father, God the Son, and ӹӹ CCC 237 ӹӹ CCC 638 God the Holy Spirit. ӹӹ CCC 253-255 ӹӹ CCC 665 ӹӹ God has revealed Himself to us that He is a Trinity ӹӹ CCC 292 ӹӹ CCC 681-685 ӹӹ The Sign of the Cross and the Glory ӹӹ CCC 422-423 ӹӹ CCC 747 Be are Catholic prayers that invoke the Holy Trinity. Vocabulary ӹӹ Mystery ӹӹ Holy Spirit ӹӹ Trinity ӹӹ Shamrock ӹӹ Father ӹӹ Person ӹӹ Son ӹӹ Sign of the Cross

BIBLICAL TOUCHSTONES

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, It happened in those days that Jesus came from baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the the Son, and of the holy Spirit. Jordan by John. On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, MATTHEW 28:19 like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

MARK 9:1-11

5 Lesson Plan

Materials ӹӹ Holy Trinity ӹӹ Exploring the Trinity ӹӹ The Shamrock ӹӹ Marker, crayons, and/ ӹӹ God is a Trinity or colored pencils ӹӹ God is a Trinity Word Search Prayer Dear Jesus, I love you very much and know that you love me. Thank you for my friends at school and my family. Bless us all dear Jesus, myself included too. And with the special help you give keep us close to you. Amen.

DAY ONE

Holy Trinity Warm Up By Hendrick van Balen the Elder (1620) A. Begin by leading your students in the prayer for this lesson. B. Project the image from Holy Trinity (page 11) by Hendrick van Balen the Elder. Give students several minutes to quietly view the art before you say or ask anything. Allow them to come up and stand closer to the image to examine the details. C. Once several minutes have passed, ask: ӹӹ What do you first notice about this work of art? ӹӹ What do you like about it? 11 ӹӹ How does this painting make you feel?

ӹӹ Who is shown in this painting? God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), God the Holy Spirit, and angels. ӹӹ Ask your students to identify who is who in the image: God the Father is the older bearded figure wearing gold on the right, God the Son, Jesus, is on the left wearing red robes and holding a banner, and God the Holy Spirit is the shining dove in the center of the painting. The angels are the winged “baby-like” figures throughout the painting. ӹӹ Why do you think the artist chose to paint God the Father the way he did? God the Son (Jesus)? God the Holy Spirit? Accept reasoned answers. ӹӹ What are the Father and the Son standing on? The earth. This shows how all things are “under the feet” of the Father and Son, meaning, that they rule over all things.

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D. Explain to your students that this painting illustrates one of the most important mysteries of our Christian Faith: God is one God and yet three Persons. A mystery is something that is true that we can only know if God tells us about it. This painting shows us the mystery that God is three Persons in one God. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. They are not three separate gods, but one God. We believe in one God, who is three Persons. We call this mystery the Holy Trinity. Trinity is a word that means “three-in-one.”

Activity A. Have your students turn to The Shamrock The Shamrock

(page 12). Ask your student what the Directions: A shamrock is a traditional symbol of the Trinity. drawing on the page is of. A shamrock. On one leaf of the shamrock write, “The Father,” on another write, “The Son,” and on the third write, “The Holy Spirit.” Then color or decorate your B. Explain to your students that a shamrock is symbol of the Trinity. a traditional symbol of the Trinity. It helps us to remember that God is three Persons in one God, just like the leaves of the shamrock. A saint from Ireland name St. Patrick used the shamrock to teach people about the Trinity. It has three leaves which are each separate from each other. And yet, the three leaves together make up one shamrock. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are each unique Persons, but are also each fully one God, the Holy Trinity. 12 C. Make markers, crayons, and/or colored pencils available to your students. Have them write on one leaf of the shamrock, “The Father,” on another write, “The Son,” and on the third write, “The Holy Spirit.” Then, have them color or decorate their symbol of the Trinity.

Formative Assessment A. As your students decorate their shamrocks, read aloud Mark 1:9-11 (the Baptism of Jesus) and John 16:12-15 (Jesus’ promise to send the Holy Spirit). B. After reading the Scripture passages, ask your students what in each story referred to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In Mark 1:9-11, Jesus, God the Son, was being baptized. When He came up from the water, the Holy Spirit came upon Him, and God the Father spoke to Him from the heavens. In John 16:12-15, Jesus, God the Son, spoke of the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Truth) who would come to speak the truth and glorify Him. Jesus tells us that everything that belongs to the Father is His too.

Unit 1, lesson 1 7 LESSON PLAN

DAY TWO Warm Up A. Begin by leading your students in the prayer for this lesson. B. Explain to your students that as Catholics, when we pray, we begin by blessing ourselves with the Sign of the Cross. This is a short prayer that asks for the blessing of the Holy Trinity. We make a sign of the cross over our bodies while we say “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” C. Have your students stand up and practice making the Sign of the Cross over their bodies, without saying the words. Use the following reflection to walk your students through making the sign of the Cross: ӹӹ First, have your students hold out their right hand and bring together their thumb, forefinger, and middle finger. Then, with the tip of these three fingers together, have your students touch their foreheads. Have them hold this position while you explain the following: We begin the Sign of the Cross by saying “In the name of the Father…” The Father is the first Person of the Holy Trinity. He is the almighty Creator who made all things by His Word and His wisdom. ӹӹ Second, have your students move their hand, finger tips still together, to touch their lower chest. Have them hold this position while you explain the following: We continue the Sign of the Cross by saying “and of the Son…” The Son is the second Person of the Holy Trinity. He is our Savior who has always existed with the Father. The Father sent the Son into the world to become human in the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus gave His life on the Cross to save us from sin. He rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven. He will come again. ӹӹ Third, have your students move their hand, finger tips still together, to touch each shoulder, first the left, then the right. Have them hold their position on their right shoulder while you explain the following: We finish the Sign of the Cross by saying “and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Holy Trinity. He makes us holy and guides us to become more like Jesus. He strengthens our faith inside of us. D. Have your students make the Sign of the Cross again, slowly, while saying the words along with the motions. Do this a few times with your students for practice.

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Activity A. Have your students work individually to read God is a Trinity God is a Trinity (page 13). Then, have them God is a Trinity. This means that God is three Persons in answer the questions and complete the word one God. God is Father, Son, search from the God is a Trinity Word Search and Holy Spirit. God is a Trinity WordThe Father Search is God. He is the Creator. He (page 14). Make markers, crayons, and/ is almighty. He made all things by His Word. Directions: Fill in the blanks. Then, ﬁ nd the answers in the or colored pencils available for your students word search.Words Circle ThetheFather answers Son inis different God.Spirit colors.He is our Savior. The God Trinity Father sent the Son into the world. He became Jesus to circle the answers in the word search in 1. ______i shuman F a t h e r , Sin o nthe , a n Person d H o l y S pof i r i t .Jesus Christ. He gave (Circle the answer in yellow.) His life on the Cross to save us from sin. He different colors. FATHERQG 2. T h e ______rose i s tfrom h e C r ethe a t o r .dead and went back to Heaven. B. When your students have completed the (Circle theWGODQTIK answer in greenHe will.) come again. 3. ______NJTFIRSK i s o u r TheS a v i oHoly r . Spirit is God. He makes us reading, review the correct answers. (Circle the answer in redholy..) He helps us be more like Jesus. JESUSIPH

4. T h e H o l y ______m a k e s u s h o l y . VONJWNIC (Circle the answer in orange.)

TYLGTIRT 13 Formative Assessment 5. T h e ______is t h r e e P e r s o n s i n o n e G o d . (Circle the ZNHZBTIFanswer in blue.)

A. Have your students stand again and make the FZHRDYTU

Sign of the Cross. Pause at each motion and ask 14

your students the following: 15 ӹӹ When touching their foreheads: What does God the Father do? He is the Creator of all things. ӹӹ When touching their chest: Who is God the Son? Jesus Christ. What does He do? He saves us from sin. ӹӹ When touching their shoulders: What does the Holy Spirit do? He makes us holy.

DAY THREE Warm Up A. Begin by leading your students in the prayer for this lesson. B. Explain to your students that there is a common Catholic prayer called the “Glory Be” that gives praise and glory to the Trinity. It is very similar to the Sign of the Cross. When we give glory to God, it means that we tell Him how great He is just for being God, and we show Him honor and worship Him. C. Project the words of the Glory Be on your board and teach them to your students. Then, pray the prayer together. Glory Be to the Father, Is now, And to the Son, And ever shall be, And to the Holy spirit. World without end. As it was in the beginning, Amen.

Unit 1, lesson 1 9 LESSON PLAN

D. Ask your students the following questions: ӹӹ What does it mean that God is a Trinity? He is three Persons in one God. ӹӹ Who are the Persons of the Trinity? God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. ӹӹ Who are we giving glory to in the prayer “Glory Be”? The Trinity: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Activity

Exploring the Trinity A. Have your students turn to Exploring the Trinity (page 16). Project an image of the Directions: Color the Trinity diagram. Then on the lines below, write what you have learned about the Trinity. Trinity diagram from this worksheet as a visual aid. FATHER IS NOT SON

IS B. Explain to your students that the image on IS the page is a diagram of the Trinity. As we’ve IS NOT GOD already talked about, the Trinity is a mystery, IS NOT IS which means it is something that we cannot fully understand on our own. God had to reveal HOLY SPIRIT this truth to us. Jesus fully revealed the Trinity to us when He spoke to His Apostles for the last I have learned that…

______time. ______C. Read Matthew 28:19 aloud to your students: ______

16 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, D. Ask your students the following questions: ӹӹ What did Jesus tell His Apostles to do? Make disciples of all nations. ӹӹ Whom did Jesus tell His Apostles to baptize in the name of? The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. E. Continue to explain to your students about the mystery of the Trinity. Use the projected diagram of the Trinity to point out the various things you are talking about. Use the following points for your discussion: ӹӹ The mystery of the Trinity is that God is three Persons in one God. ӹӹ A person is a unique individual. Each of us are persons. We are unique individuals. I am not you, and you are not me. You are you and no one else every can be or will be you.

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ӹӹ God as Trinity is three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each are unique individuals. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Father, nor are they the Holy Spirit. Each is a unique Person. ӹӹ Each Person is 100% fully God. God is not three gods, nor is each person only partly God. The Father is fully God, the Son is fully God, and the Holy Spirit is fully God. ӹӹ This mystery is difficult to fully understand, how something can be both three and one at the same time. But, we know that with God, anything is possible. He has divinely revealed to us that He is Trinity, so therefore, it is true.

Assessment A. Make markers, crayons, and/or colored pencils available to your students. Give them a few minutes to color the diagram of the Trinity from Exploring the Trinity. Then, help them write a brief response on the lines telling in their own words what they have learned about the Trinity in the past few lessons. If needed, have them say their answers aloud. B. Conclude by praying with your students the Glory Be.

Unit 1, lesson 1 11 Holy Trinity By Hendrick van Balen the Elder (1620)

12 © SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS The Shamrock

Directions: A shamrock is a traditional symbol of the Trinity. On one leaf of the shamrock write, “The Father,” on another write, “The Son,” and on the third write, “The Holy Spirit.” Then color or decorate your symbol of the Trinity.

Unit 1, lesson 1 13 God is a Trinity

God is a Trinity. This means that God is three Persons in one God. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The Father is God. He is the Creator. He is almighty. He made all things by His Word.

The Son is God. He is our Savior. The Father sent the Son into the world. He became human in the Person of Jesus Christ. He gave His life on the Cross to save us from sin. He rose from the dead and went back to Heaven. He will come again.

The Holy Spirit is God. He makes us holy. He helps us be more like Jesus.

14 © SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS Answer Key 1. God

2. Father God is a Trinity Word Search

Directions: Fill in the blanks. Then, ﬁ nd the answers in the 3. Jesus word search. Circle the answers in different colors. 4. Spirit

5. Trinity 1. ______i s F a t h e r , S o n , a n d H o l y S p i r i t . (Circle the answer in yellow.)

2. T h e ______i s t h e C r e a t o r . (Circle the answer in green.)

3. ______i s o u r S a v i o r . (Circle the answer in red.)

4. T h e H o l y ______m a k e s u s h o l y . (Circle the answer in orange.)

5. T h e ______is t h r e e P e r s o n s i n o n e G o d . (Circle the answer in blue.)

Unit 1, lesson 1 15 Words Father Spirit God Trinity Jesus

FATHERQG

WGODQTIK

NJTFIRSK

JESUSIPH

VONJWNIC

TYLGTIRT

ZNHZBTIF

FZHRDYTU

16 © SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS Exploring the Trinity

Directions: Color the Trinity diagram. Then on the lines below, write what you have learned about the Trinity.

FATHER IS NOT SON

IS IS

IS NOT GOD

IS NOT IS

HOLY SPIRIT

I have learned that…

______

Accept reasoned answers

Unit 1, lesson 1 17 Notes ______

______

18 © SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS The Attributes of God

UNIT 1, LESSON 2

Learning Goals Connection to the ӹӹ God is love and He made us out of love. Catechism of the ӹӹ We show God’s love when we love Catholic Church others. ӹӹ CCC 51 ӹӹ God is all-powerful and all-knowing. ӹӹ CCC 101 ӹӹ Even though God is all-knowing, He ӹӹ CCC 214 calls us to Himself and wants us to share ӹӹ CCC 221 with Him our joys and sadnesses. ӹӹ CCC 268 ӹӹ CCC 271 ӹӹ CCC 296

Vocabulary ӹӹ Love ӹӹ All-Knowing ӹӹ All-Powerful

BIBLICAL TOUCHSTONES

Whoever is without love does not know God, for “Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings God is love. this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” 1 JOHN 4:8 MATTHEW 19:26

19 Lesson Plan

Materials ӹӹ I Am Loved ӹӹ Let the Children Come to Me ӹӹ Shaun’s Story ӹӹ Crayons, markers, and/ ӹӹ We Love Each Other or colored pencils ӹӹ The Rich Young Man ӹӹ Play-Doh, Legos, or blocks ӹӹ Nothing is Impossible for God ӹӹ A shirt with a button missing ӹӹ A needle and thread

Prayer Dear Jesus, I love you very much and know that you love me. Thank you for my friends at school and my family. Bless us all dear Jesus, myself included too. And with the special help you give keep us close to you. Amen.

DAY ONE Warm Up A. Begin by leading your students in the prayer for this lesson. B. Ask your students to name some people who love them. Accept all answers and consider keeping a list on the board. C. Explain to your students that there are different kinds of love. We love our parents, our siblings, and other family members. We love our friends. I Am Loved We love our pets. We also love our toys and our things, our favorite movies and TV shows. We even love pizza! The kind of love we have for our parents, for example, is different than the ______is love. kind of love we have for pizza. D. Have your students turn to I Am Loved (page ______17). On the blank line inside the smaller loves me. heart, have your students write the name of one person who loves them. Make crayons, markers, and/or colored pencils available and have your students color and decorate the smaller heart. I show my love for God when I…

______E. Next, point out to your students the larger ______heart. Tell them that the small heart represents

17 our human love, the love we have for each other, our pets, and our things. The large heart represents God’s love. His love is bigger,

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deeper, and greater than any other kind of love.

God’s love is perfect love! It will not fail, or go Shaun’s Story

away. God’s love is so great and perfect, in fact, Directions: beenRead the afraid story theybelow, might not like him. So, he had or follow along as your pretended he liked to be alone in order to keep the Bible tells us (1 John 4:8) that God IS love. teacher reads it aloud. them away. Lydia ate lunch with Shaun and His love is His most important and defining Shaun wasasked a new him student about hisin Mrs. favorite Jones’ things. ﬁ rst They ate attribute (characteristic). grade class.lunch His together family had every just day moved for the to nextthe week. neighborhood.Shaun Shaun and didn’t Lydia know became anyone fast in friends. F. On the blank line inside the larger heart, have his class Withyet. He her was help, scared Shaun to made make a new lot of new your students write “God.” Then, have them friends. Hefriends. spent Shaunmost of felt the really day byhappy himself. inside. Now he He acted enjoyedlike he liked playing being with alone all his so new no one classmates. color and decorate the larger heart. would talkHe to hadhim. his very own friends to love!

One day Shaun was eating his lunch all alone. A girl in his class came over to him. Her Activity name was Lydia. She pulled up a chair and sat down. Lydia said, “What are you afraid of?” A. Have your students turn to Shaun’s Story (page Shaun was surprised! She was right! He had 18). Working individually, have your students been afraid of making new friends. He had

read the short story about Shaun and his new 18

school. 19 B. When they have finished reading, explain to your students that Shaun really needed someone to love him. When he met the little girl she showed him what it means to have someone who cares. She taught him the value of love. C. Then, ask your students the following questions: ӹӹ Have you ever felt afraid to make new friends? What did you do about it? Accept reasoned answers. ӹӹ Who are the people who love you? Accept all answers. ӹӹ What do they do to let you know you are loved? Accept reasoned answers. ӹӹ Why is it important to show others that we love them? Accept reasoned answers. ӹӹ What can we do to show our love for others? Accept reasoned answers. ӹӹ How can we help others to be more loving? Accept reasoned answers. D. Read aloud to your students 1 John 4:8: Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. E. Explain to your students that as we talked about at the beginning of the lessons, God is love. God wants us to love one another. When we love each other, we are really making God known to others. Like the Bible says, whoever is without love does not know God. Therefore, when we know love we know God, because God is love. F. Have your students turn back to I Am Loved. Help them complete the following question on the bottom of the page by writing about a time they showed love for someone at school or at home. I s h o w m y l o v e f o r G o d w h e n I ______.

Unit 1, lesson 2 21 LESSON PLAN

Formative Assessment We Love Each Other Have your students turn to We Love Each Other

Directions: Fill in the blanks with ways that we can show love (page 20). Help your students fill in the blanks Drawto one each way other. we Then, can draw show a picture in the box of loveone way to thateach we other.can show love to each other. with ways that we can show love to each other.

When we love each other we: Then, have them draw a picture of one way that we ______can show love to each other. ______

When we love each other we:

______DAY TWO When we love each other we: ______Warm Up ______A. Begin by leading your students in the prayer for this lesson.

20 B. Distribute to each student Play-Doh, Legos,

21 blocks, or some other medium with which they can build something. Tell your students that they will be given three minutes to make anything they want out of the material you have given to them. Then, set a timer, and allow your students to create using the material given to them. Circulate the room to observe and assist as needed. C. After your students have finished their creations, have your student turn to a partner and share what they made. Ask them to tell their partner what it is and why they chose to make that thing. Then, call on a few students to share their creation with the entire class. (Alternatively, instead of sharing with a partner, you may choose to have every student stand and share their creation with the entire class.) D. After sharing, conduct a discussion with your students by asking the following questions: ӹӹ How did you create what you made? Accept reasoned answers, which will likely resemble “by using Play-Doh, Legos, blocks, and so forth,” “with my hands,” “by putting the pieces together,” and so forth. ӹӹ Did you think this was an easy or difficult task that you were asked to do? Why? Accept reasoned answers. ӹӹ Were there some things that you couldn’t do or make with the material you were given? What? Why? The correct answer is yes. Students could not make living things, or fully functional things such as cars, or TVs, nor could they make full size versions of certain things, and so forth. There were clear boundaries of what they could and could not create with the material they were given.

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Activity A. Hold up a shirt with a button missing. Tell your students that as you were dressing for school this morning you put on your shirt and noticed there was a missing button. In your rush to get ready and out the door for school you didn’t have time to repair it. So, instead, you brought it to school with your needle and thread to mend it now. Show your students the needle and thread and attempt to thread the needle. Demonstrate how difficult it is to place the thread in the small “eye” of the needle and ask a student to assist you. Ask for a student volunteer to try. As a student is trying to thread the eye of the needle tell the students that this problem reminds you of a story from the New Testament: a story of a young rich man. B. Have your students turn to The Rich Young Man (page 22). Read aloud the story of the The Rich Young Man Rich Young Man to your students as they follow Directions: ReadThen, the story the below, Young man said to Jesus, “I or follow along as your have done all those things since I was a young along. Then, ask your students to answer the teacher reads it aloud. The Apostles were surprised by what boy.Then answerWhat elsethe questions do I need to do to?” questions at the bottom of the page. at the Jesusend. said. They wondered who could be Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be saved. A young manperfect, came go, up sell to whatJesus. you He have asked and give to the C. Now hold up the needle and thread and Jesus looked at them and said, “For Him, “Whatpoor, good and deeds you will must have I do treasure to enter in the Heaven. human beings this is impossible, but for God demonstrate again how difficult it is to pass kingdom Thenof heaven?” come, follow me.” all things are possible.” thread through the eye of the needle and ask Jesus toldWhen him thatthe younghe must man live heard his life this it made accordinghim to thesad. Commandments. He was a rich man and owned many students how a camel can pass through the tiny things. The young man couldn’t imagine giving The young1. man Why asked, was the “Which young ones?”man sad? hole. Is Jesus saying that the young man will everything he owned to the poor. He turned Jesusfrom began Jesus ______to list and the walked Ten away. Commandments.______He said, “You shall not kill; not go to Heaven? As Christians we want to do Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Amen, you shall not steal; you shall not bear false I say 2.to you, What itdid is Jesuseasier tell for His a camelApostles to waspass possible the will of God, but God understands that we witness; honor your father and your mother; through withthe eyeGod? of a needle than for one who and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” are human and make mistakes. God is telling is rich to______enter the kingdom of God.” ______us that it is possible for the rich man to go to 22 Heaven, because nothing is impossible for God. 23

24 D. Project and read aloud to your students Colossians 1:16: For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created through him and for him. E. Ask your students the following questions: ӹӹ What does this Bible verse tell us that God created? All things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible. ӹӹ What did we learn in the last lesson that God used to create all things? Nothing but His Word. God spoke and it was. ӹӹ How is this different from how you made what you made? Your students made their sculptures using already existing material. And they only created one small thing. God made everything out of nothing.

Unit 1, lesson 2 23 LESSON PLAN

F. Explain to your students that the Bible tells us that God created everything that exists. Nothing is Impossible for God And that He did so with only His Word. He Directions: Complete the sentence with something only God can do and then draw a picture of it. did not use anything that already existed,

Only God can… like Play-Doh, or Legos. Out of nothing, God

______created everything. This tells us that God is ______all-powerful. Because He is God, He has the power to do anything and to create anything. He made everything. Nothing that exists came from someplace else. Which means He is all- powerful, or almighty.

Formative Assessment Have your students turn to Nothing is Impossible for God (page 25). Make crayons, markers, and/ 25 or colored pencils available. Have your students complete the sentence “Only God can…” by filling in the blank. Then have them illustrate a picture of something only God can do.

DAY THREE Warm Up A. Begin by leading your students in the prayer for this lesson. B. Project and read aloud Psalm 139:1-5, 13-14: LORD, you have probed me, you know me: you know when I sit and stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. You sift through my travels and my rest; with all my ways you are familiar. Even before a word is on my tongue, LORD, you know it all. Behind and before you encircle me and rest your hand upon me. … You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! My very self you know. C. Ask your students what this Psalm tells us about how well God knows us? It tells us that God knows everything about us, even from before we were born. D. Explain to your students that not only is God all-powerful, but He is all-knowing. Since God made everything He also knows everything because He made it. That means He knows you and everything about you. The Bible even tells us that He knows every hair on your head (Luke 12:7)! Sometimes it’s easy to feel small and insignificant. Sometimes we wonder if God hears us or even knows we’re here. But the Bible tells us very clearly the answer to that question is yes! God knows you and everything about you!

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Activity

A. Have your students turn to Let the Children Let the Children Come to Me Come to Me (page 26). Read aloud to your Directions: Answer the questions below. Then, write a letter to students Mark 10:13-16: God telling Him why you love Him.

And people were bringing their children I am happy when… ______

to him that he might touch them, but the I am sad when… ______

disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this I am afraid of… ______

he became indignant and said to them, “Let I know God loves me because... the children come to me; do not prevent ______them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to Dear God, I love you because… such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever ______does not accept the kingdom of God like a

child will not enter it.” Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. B. Explain to your students that God loves us –Mark 10:14 when we are happy and He shares our joy. 26 God loves us when we are sad and He feels our sorrow. God loves us when we are afraid and He brings us comfort. C. Ask students what makes them happy? What makes them sad? And what makes them afraid? Have your students write or dictate an answer to these questions on the lines provided on Let the Children Come to Me. As they do so, remind your students that God loves them and calls each of them to come to Him. Remember, that God knows everything about us. He knows what makes us happy, what makes us sad, and what makes us afraid. Even though He knows these things, like the good Father that He is, He wants us to come to Him and tell Him these things. When we do, even though He already knows, it shows how much we trust in Him and love Him. D. Finally, help students to fill in the last section of the chart: I know God loves me because…

Assessment A. Explain to your students that we can think of the Bible as a letter from God telling us that He loves us. Now it’s our turn to write a letter back to God telling Him how much we love Him. B. Have your students write a letter to God in the space provided at the bottom of Let the Children Come to Me. Tell them that in their letter they should tell God why they love Him. They can look at their answers on the worksheet they just completed for ideas and correct spelling.

Unit 1, lesson 2 25 I Am Loved

______is love.

______

loves me.

I show my love for God when I…

______

Accept reasoned answers

26 © SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS Shaun’s Story

Directions: Read the story below, or follow along as your teacher reads it aloud.

Shaun was a new student in Mrs. Jones’ ﬁ rst grade class. His family had just moved to the neighborhood. Shaun didn’t know anyone in his class yet. He was scared to make new friends. He spent most of the day by himself. He acted like he liked being alone so no one would talk to him.

One day Shaun was eating his lunch all alone. A girl in his class came over to him. Her name was Lydia. She pulled up a chair and sat down. Lydia said, “What are you afraid of?” Shaun was surprised! She was right! He had been afraid of making new friends. He had

Unit 1, lesson 2 27 been afraid they might not like him. So, he had pretended he liked to be alone in order to keep them away. Lydia ate lunch with Shaun and asked him about his favorite things. They ate lunch together every day for the next week.

Shaun and Lydia became fast friends. With her help, Shaun made a lot of new friends. Shaun felt really happy inside. Now he enjoyed playing with all his new classmates. He had his very own friends to love!

28 © SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS We Love Each Other

Directions: Fill in the blanks with ways that we can show love to each other. Then, draw a picture in the box of one way that we can show love to each other.

When we love each other we:

______

When we love each other we:

______

When we love each other we:

______

Accept reasoned answers

Unit 1, lesson 2 29 Draw one way we can show love to each other.

30 © SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS The Rich Young Man

Directions: Read the story below, or follow along as your teacher reads it aloud. Then answer the questions at the end.

A young man came up to Jesus. He asked Him, “What good deeds must I do to enter the kingdom of heaven?”

Jesus told him that he must live his life according to the Commandments.

The young man asked, “Which ones?”

Jesus began to list the Ten Commandments. He said, “You shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Unit 1, lesson 2 31 Then, the Young man said to Jesus, “I have done all those things since I was a young boy. What else do I need to do to?”

Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven. Then come, follow me.”

When the young man heard this it made him sad. He was a rich man and owned many things. The young man couldn’t imagine giving everything he owned to the poor. He turned from Jesus and walked away.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Amen, I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

32 © SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS Answer Key 1. Jesus told him to sell all he had and The Apostles were surprised by what give to the poor. Jesus said. They wondered who could be 2. All things. saved.

Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”

1. Why was the young man sad?

______

2. What did Jesus tell His Apostles was possible with God?

______

Unit 1, lesson 2 33 Nothing is Impossible for God

Directions: Complete the sentence with something only God can do and then draw a picture of it.

Only God can…

______

Accept reasoned answers

34 © SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS Let the Children Come to Me

Directions: Answer the questions below. Then, write a letter to God telling Him why you love Him.

I am happy when… ______

I am sad when… ______

I am afraid of… ______

I know God loves me because... ______

Dear God, I love you because…

______

Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

–Mark 10:14

Accept reasoned answers

Unit 1, lesson 2 35 Notes ______

______

36 © SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS Grade 3 Student Workbook Sample Pages

Unit 1, Lessons 1 and 2 plus Scripture Copywork Holy Trinity By Hendrick van Balen the Elder (1620)

Unit 1, Lesson 1 11 The Shamrock

12 Unit 1, Lesson 1 God is a Trinity

God is a Trinity. This means that God is three Persons in one God. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The Father is God. He is the Creator. He is almighty. He made all things by His Word.

The Holy Spirit is God. He makes us holy. He helps us be more like Jesus.

Unit 1, Lesson 1 13 God is a Trinity Word Search

Directions: Fill in the blanks. Then, find the answers in the word search. Circle the answers in different colors.

1. ______i s F a t h e r , S o n , a n d H o l y S p i r i t . (Circle the answer in yellow.)

2. T h e ______i s t h e C r e a t o r . (Circle the answer in green.)

3. ______i s o u r S a v i o r . (Circle the answer in red.)

4. T h e H o l y ______m a k e s u s h o l y . (Circle the answer in orange.)

5. T h e ______is t h r e e P e r s o n s i n o n e G o d . (Circle the answer in blue.)

14 Unit 1, Lesson 1 Words Father Spirit God Trinity Jesus

F A T H E R Q G

W G O D Q T I K

N J T F I R S K

J E S U S I P H

V O N J W N I C

T Y L G T I R T

Z N H Z B T I F

F Z H R D Y T U

Unit 1, Lesson 1 15 Exploring the Trinity

Directions: Color the Trinity diagram. Then on the lines below, write what you have learned about the Trinity.

FATHER IS NOT SON

IS IS

IS NOT GOD

IS NOT IS

HOLY SPIRIT

I have learned that…

______

16 Unit 1, Lesson 1 I Am Loved

______is love.

______

loves me.

I show my love for God when I…

______

Unit 1, Lesson 2 17 Shaun’s Story

Directions: Read the story below, or follow along as your teacher reads it aloud.

Shaun was a new student in Mrs. Jones’ first grade class. His family had just moved to the neighborhood. Shaun didn’t know anyone in his class yet. He was scared to make new friends. He spent most of the day by himself. He acted like he liked being alone so no one would talk to him.

18 Unit 1, Lesson 2 been afraid they might not like him. So, he had pretended he liked to be alone in order to keep them away. Lydia ate lunch with Shaun and asked him about his favorite things. They ate lunch together every day for the next week.

Unit 1, Lesson 2 19 We Love Each Other

Directions: Fill in the blanks with ways that we can show love to each other. Then, draw a picture in the box of one way that we can show love to each other.

When we love each other we:

______

When we love each other we:

______

When we love each other we:

______

20 Unit 1, Lesson 2 Draw one way we can show love to each other.

Unit 1, Lesson 2 21 The Rich Young Man

Directions: Read the story below, or follow along as your teacher reads it aloud. Then answer the questions at the end.

A young man came up to Jesus. He asked Him, “What good deeds must I do to enter the kingdom of heaven?”

Jesus told him that he must live his life according to the Commandments.

The young man asked, “Which ones?”

22 Unit 1, Lesson 2 Then, the Young man said to Jesus, “I have done all those things since I was a young boy. What else do I need to do to?”

Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven. Then come, follow me.”

When the young man heard this it made him sad. He was a rich man and owned many things. The young man couldn’t imagine giving everything he owned to the poor. He turned from Jesus and walked away.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Amen, I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

Unit 1, Lesson 2 23 The Apostles were surprised by what Jesus said. They wondered who could be saved.

Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”

1. Why was the young man sad?

______

2. What did Jesus tell His Apostles was possible with God?

______

24 Unit 1, Lesson 2 Nothing is Impossible for God

Directions: Complete the sentence with something only God can do and then draw a picture of it.

Only God can…

______

Unit 1, Lesson 2 25 Let the Children Come to Me

Directions: Answer the questions below. Then, write a letter to God telling Him why you love Him.

I am happy when… ______

I am sad when… ______

I am afraid of… ______

I know God loves me because... ______

Dear God, I love you because…

______

Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

–Mark 10:14

26 Unit 1, Lesson 2 1 John 4:8 God is love.

8 Unit 1 Copywork Matthew 28:19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit.

Unit 1 Copywork 9 Psalm 103:8 Merciful and gracious is the LORD, slow to anger, abounding in mercy.

10 Unit 1 Copywork