Grade Seven Links

Temperament: Different Drums, Different Drummers
http://keirsey.com/
This site has a personality assessment tool which is available for free online. It takes a look at peoples temperament (‘temperament being a set of inclinations that each of us is born with; a predisposition to certain attitudes and actions’). There is a really good ‘Temperament Sorter’ which asks approximately 80 multiple choice type questions. Each question has two responses to choose from. At the end, the sorter evaluates you as one of four temperaments; Artisan, Guardian, Idealist, or Rational. Each one comes with its own explanation as well. Each temperament is compared/likened to a character in “The Wizard of Oz’ (which is also a primary activity in the Grade 7 religion unit itself). This is a great supplemental activity for the children to try. At the very least it will make them ask some questions about who they think they are (sample questions: (1) Do you tend to: say right out what’s on your mind , OR , keep your ears open (2) It is worse to be: hard-nosed, OR, a softy). It may be worth making a hard copy of the questions and discussing them with the class as they fill it out, as some of the terms may need further explanation. Students can then fill in the information on the website much faster. In total it will take them between 10 to 20 minutes. Needs a little navigating to get from the home page to the actual ‘ Temperament Sorter’. -- Steve DiGiacomo

Behind the Name: the etymology and history of first names
http://www.behindthename.com/nmc/eng.html
This site can help students find out some history behind their name. Included in the information for each English name is it’s origin(s), definition, and, other notables in history with the same name (ie., Saints, Kings/Queens etc). This could be a valuable resource for the teacher to use for activities like “Coat of Arms”, or, simply having each student reflect upon how they identify with their given names (ie., Do you think you are really a ‘Steven’, or are you more like a ‘Christopher’?). Very simple site to use. Students can navigate themselves through it easily. It shouldn’t take more than 5 to 10 minutes for each student to find and print out their information. Make sure they copy what they want to print and paste it into a word processor, otherwise, a lot of paper will be wasted while printing. I faccess to computers is an issue, all the names could be printed on a hard copy and have the students use that as a resource. -- Steve DiGiacomo

Exploring A Life Of Prayer -Jane E. Vennard http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=296
The author gives us activities to help us affirm our student's relationship with God. One of the five questions she poses is: Make a list of all the things you do that nurtures your relationship with God? This shows us ways to teach our students how to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of their prayerful journey in the life of prayer. The aurthor continues to describe different forms of prayer. Each one can be related to the needs of our students. After reading these two articles, I feel alot more comfortable in helping students design thieir own personal prayers. --Mary Anne Dakin

The Call For God - Theordore W. Jennings http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=1705
In this article the author addresses who we pray to - not to Jesus but to God. We pray not because we are strong but we are needy. He describes three forms of prayer- innovation, petition and intercession. This article will be helpful in teaching the unit "Who Am I? Unit 1" because the author shows us ways to convey to our students that "Prayer is no refuge for useful thinking, no flight for reality, no refuge from the truth." This information will be a guide for teachers to help students formulate their own prayers as well as help to create a deeper understanding of the Lord's Prayer and the Apostles Creed. --Mary Anne Dakin

These websites correspond to Activity 3 in the “Action 4”, section of the unit. Students are responsible for writing a prayer to their parents or guardians, with the objective of making their own love more visible to oymbols and their meanings, which can be utilized in the students prayers. This also provides a cross-curricular resource for teachers, since in both the grade 7 and 8 language arts program, students learn about literary devices such as symbolism and metaphors.--Rita Mastangelo thers. The aforementioned websites are beneficial to teachers because, they provide students with a step-by-step approach to writing your own individual prayers.

Creating Cartoons http://english.unitecnology.ac.nz/resources/units/cartoons/home.html
The Cartoon Network http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/

These websites correspond to Activity 1 in the “Application 3”, section of the unit. Students are responsible for choosing or illustrating two cartoons that depict one of the Ten Commandants. The first cartoon depicts the actual Commandment, while the second cartoon demonstrates how the Commandment is being broken. The objective is for students to explore the implications of the Ten Commandants in their relationships. The aforementioned websites are beneficial to teachers because, they provide students with useful tips with regards to creating cartoons based on the characteristics they embody. Furthermore, these websites include unit plans if a teacher wishes to extend the activity to include poetry, which is studied in both the grade 7 and 8 language arts program. This is an excellent activity and website for visual learners and provides teachers with an Oral visual assessment mark as well. --Rita Mastangelo

Resources for Teaching about Bullying http://w3.rcs.sk.ca/ss/adaptations/bullying.htm

This website would be useful for teachers that would like to bring in examples of real life issues that the students are probably facing. This is a web site about bullying that has a variety of activities that would work well in this unit. This unit requires students to explore God’s love as the model for human relationships. Also students learn that they have the choice to make their own decisions – God gave us free will. Students look at the “observe, judge, act” model for moral decision-making. This web site provides activities that get students thinking about what it means to respect others and themselves. In addition it allows students to work through several scenarios to practice and become confident at making good decisions. --Jill Brennan

The Ten Commandments – Resources for Catholic Educators http://www.silk.net/RelEd/10comm.htm

This website is useful for teachers that need more background information on the Ten Commandments. This website has several links. The links provide a detailed explanation of each Commandment. It also has a link that discusses how the Commandments relate to us today. In this unit the students look at the Ten Commandments and put them into present day form and make them relevant to their own lives. It is an easy to use website that allows the students to gain a better grasp of the Ten Commandments.--Jill Brennan

Food and water in Peru http://www.catholicrelief.org/kids/lesson.cfm?ID=20
This web site deals with the story of Andres Arancibia, a farmer from Peru living in an ecologically-sensitive area, who received assistance from a Catholic Relief Agency. Before receiving that assistance, Andres used 85 bags of chemical fertilizer to produce 1.5 tonnes of corn. The relief agency showed Andres how to use ecologically sensitive sustainable techniques to increase his corn output by using organic fertilizers. These techniques permitted him to increase his corn yield to 5 tonne, while decreasing the total amount of fertilizer used by half, all of it organic. The site includes a student-ready handout detailing Andrea’s story, as well as suggested lesson plans. The story and plans will serve to supplement the theme of the unit--that it’s possible to care for the world God has created for us, while still meeting our human needs--while providing an opportunity to explore the problems faced by contentious Catholics in other parts of the world. Moreover, it reinforces the notion that actions taken in one part of the world will impact others in a faraway land. Globalization is a a reality.-- Anthony Arcadi

Poverty, Food in United States http://www.catholicrelief.org/kids/lesson.cfm?ID=15
This web site will help support the concept of dignity which is a central tenet of Unit 4.3 of the grade 7 programme. This site relates the story of a Madison, Wisconsin man who lived in poverty for a number of years. So poor was he, in fact, that he often had difficulty getting enough to eat. One day, he learned of the existence of programme run by the Diocese of Madison. This programme included the preparation of meals for those in need, people very much like himself. Indeed, the Sisters who ran the programme also began to look after his health and spiritual needs. This site is especially useful because it details poverty in the richest and most powerful country in the world, which serves to drive home the point that it’s not just people in some remote part of the world who require assistance--it’s often our neighbours and people who live in our own communities. The site is very teacher-friendly. It includes suggested lesson plans, a printable version of the story, and links to other sites which may also be useful. -- Anthony Arcadi

Statistics Canada http://www.statcan.ca/english/kits/hae2000/eprac1.htm

With the help of this website, both student and teacher are able to use information collected by Statistics Canada and become aware of the impact people have on their environment. Students will learn the harmful effects of human activity on the environment with relation to the government, businesses and the public, and what may be done to prevent this. Most importantly, at the end of the activity, students are asked to complete a ‘Personal Goal" activity sheet, on which they are asked to describe how, and create personal goals related to the lesson, and their role and responsibility in protecting their world.--Jamie Travis

Sustainable Forestry Teacher Resource Center http://sftrc.cas.psu.edu/forest%20_lessons/Who%20Cares%20About%20the%20Forest.htm

After reading the various examples of what people are doing to help their environment, teachers are able to utilize this website in order to further instill this message of stewardship. By means of incorporating Native American culture and stories, students become familiar with idea of the environment being fundamental to Native American culture and the genuine respect they have for it. Students are engaged in a lesson that supports the W.H.E.R.E teaching method; Where are we headed? Hook, Explore, Reflect and Exhibit. Through a series of reflective questions and visual teaching strategies, students are encouraged to think about their environment and how human activity has impacted their surroundings. Though the site is American, it may be modified to suit Canadian environmental issues as well.--Jamie Travis

Catholic Educator's Resource Center http://www.catholiceducation.org

This website offers articles on a varity of social issues including the environment, media, and social justice (all of which are covered in Unit 4). The website is very easy to manage as students type in the URL and use the side bar to find the issue they are discussing. Once selected, thestudents click on the article they want to read. I like the website because it is user friendly, and it provides many articles that can be used in debates, discussions, or presentations. The added bomus is the section that allows students to ask experts questions on the issues.--John Koci

Bible History Online http://www.bible-history.com

In this Unit of the Grade 7 Program, students will express their understanding of the meaning in a name and the ways we use names to classify people. To name someone is to establish a particular relationship with him or her. This unit explores and explains the significance of the many titles for Jesus; who had many titles - which we may use to shape our relationship with Jesus.
The focus of this site, Bible History Online is history and the Bible, which addresses the "titles of Jesus". The Bible is about God's activities in history. It deals with actual people in an actual geographical area during actual specified historical times who had contact with other actual peoples and empires whom we know of from sources outside the Bible. Knowledge of the historical background of the Bible is essential to any serious student of the Scriptures.

Behind the Name http://www.behindthename.com/

This site will aid the teacher in preplanning for this unit. Students are encouraged to research their own names in preparation for exploring the titles and various names of Jesus. The teacher may wish to look up all his/her students’ names prior to the Unit, or encourage the students themselves to research and present visually or orally the etymology of their name, or their own personal history as to how they came to be named.

Jesus Titles and Characteristics http://home.att.net/~dennisschmidt/qv-pap/jesusnam.htm

One expectation for this unit is that students investigate names and titles of Jesus. The site lists all the names that Jesus has been referred to by in the Bible in alphabetical order. Next to the name is an explanation of the characteristic of that name. The meanings and applications of names shows attributes of Jesus' essence and purpose. Each name includes a reference to where that name can be found in the Bible and in what context it was used.

The Mary Page http://www.udayton.edu/mary/questions.html

I find this site, which is presented in a very simple question-answer format, to be relevant and supports this particular grade 7 unit, because it lists many questions that my students in the past, have asked about Mary- questions that I didn't always have the answer to.

The questions and answers presented on this site are quite interesting and informative, but those questions that I find most significant and believe to support this particular unit, are those specifically under the subtitiles: Dogma, Liturgy, Prayer, Images/Art, and Ecumenism. I also like how the site provides differeny prayers to Mary, other than the one most teachers and students know and practice: The Hail Mary.

Learning a different prayer to Mary could be something you can consider having the students do. As well, the site has a great link to the Holy Rosary, which is a site that tells you how to say the rosary if you choose to do so with your class. Another link worth viewing is "The Mary Resource Page". I think the site is helpful to any teacher teaching this unit, and I recommend that the teacher gathers and uses the information that they might find useful for their lesson, but adapt it in such away that is suitable for the learning styles of his/her students.

I recommend that the teacher browse the site and choose the questions-answers that they believe would fulfill the unit's outcomes, rather than having the students search for the answers themselves. I think this is best, because I think the information provided needs to be adapted for the grade seven student.--Loretta Barone

Jesus: The Complete Story http://dsc.discovery.com/covergence/jesus/photo/photo.htm

This site is very interesting. It is a site provided by the Discovery Channel and presents many interesting questions and answers about Jesus, questions I believe relate to this particular unit. Questions like, "What did Jesus look like?" (therefore providing different pictures of the different interpretations of what Jesus looked like), "How can we verify Jesus' existence?" etc.

"Jesus: The Complete Story" is a movie that was previously shown on the discovery channel, and will be shown again. The video can also be purchased, which would be a good idea so that, rather than just reading about Jesus' life; getting to know him and learning a bit more about him as a child, adolescent, and adult, and his life experiences and struggles, parts of the video (once its been viewed by the teacher) can be shown so that students can have a better understanding of the historical Jesus, especially if they are visual learners. This site, however, is appropriate for the high school student, so I would recommend that the intermediate teacher browse the site rather than their intermediate student, and choose information they find relevant to reinforce and support the unit. --Loretta Barone

The Israeli Government’s Official Website http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il

This site supports the “factual” side of the unit. The unit explores Jesus’ homeland, its landscape, political situation, etc. The website gives nice overviews for students in terms of history, geography (landscape and climate) etc. Also provides nice photos for students to get a sense of what the area is like. --Craig Phillips

The Real Face of Jesus http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/research/1282186.html

This site is a link to the fulltext of an article that appeared in Popular Mechanics magazine in 2002. The article is a fascinating account of how British and Israeli forensic scientists have “reconstructed” the face of Jesus. The article is a nice way to introduce students to the concept of our Westernized version of Jesus, and also the Shroud of Turin. Also a nice tie in to the forensics section of the grade seven science program.--Craig Phillips

Jerusalem as Jesus Saw It. http://www.time.com/time/2001/jerusalem/map/html
This website provides an interactive map of Jerusalem. On this map,students can click on sections of Jerusalem and see a modern picture of that area. This website also has a timeline of the city, and divulges into the issue of who claims ownership of the city (Arabs and Jews). Students can read about each side's claims which is great for a debate on worship rights to the city. Finally, students can go to the resource centre for more information on Israel. This would be a good visual presentation to the Unit 7 map provided in Believe in Me Year 7 as well as a valuable aid for teaching the history of Jerusalem.--John Koci

Stations of the Cross http://www.silk.net/RelEd/ezinelstations2.htm
This is a great change to the teaching manuel direction on this activity. It includes all three areas of The Arts - drama, music, and visual arts. There is also a suggestion for the use of technology. The plan allows many opportunities for all levels of learners to contribute and be sucessful.--Maria Pugliese-Trentadue

Stations of the Cross-Catholic Education Webzine http://www.silk.net/RelEd/ezinelstations.htm
This site gives four different examples and scripts to re-inact the Stations of the Cross. This goes along with the section in the unit that describes each station with a verse from one the Gospels. The site also gives activities for students that go with each station. It suggests dividing the class into groups and assigning a station to draw on poster paper and writing a meditation. This site would be very useful during Holy Week and re-creating the Stations of the Cross with your class. --Christin Comper

History and Time Line of Jesus http://www.jesus-institute.org/jesus-history.shtml
This site gives a thorough and historical description of Jesus' life and time in which he lived. It provides students with information, maps, and historical data of the region in which Jesus lived before and after his death. It details Jesus' life and ministry and gives information about where he was in the world. It also gives a detailed account of Jesus' last week on earth. This site may provide students with a more concrete and factual account of Jesus' life which might give more context and understanding to the times in which he lived.--Christin Comper

Encounter Christianity: In Questions about Jesus lesson plan 10
http://www.encounterchristianity.co.uk/lesson/qaj10.htm

This website is an excellent resource to use as an extension to this unit and the issues raised through learning about Jesus’ suffering and crucifixion. It offers ideas for lesson plans that will focus on human emotions such as sadness, despair, anguish, distress, crying, darkness, helplessness, hopelessness and devotion. It also offers ideas for cross-curricular involvement such as music, visual arts, language, and drama. By bringing emotions as a topic into this unit, students will be better able to reflect on the relevance of these events for Christians today. This website also provides useful links to other websites that may aid in the teaching of other units in the Religion program as well as other programs. --Giuseppina Rabbito

Christians response to suffering http://www.seeking-god.co.uk/id88.htm

This website offers a lesson plan which explores some of the ways Christians today respond to suffering and death e.g. support to the bereaved, etc., and helps us to realize that such experiences raise questions for Christians about the love and power of God. It supports the unit by focusing on 6 reasons why people suffer in this world and relates the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus to the suffering of people today. This site offers many questions to consider throughout this unit as well as many links to other sites that may also be of interest.--Giuseppina Rabbito

This website could apply for any collaborator teaching in elementary school with various modifications. It focuses on alternatives to violence, celebrates racial diversity and challenges students to put the Gospel call to peace into practice at a critical moment in human history. There are many useful activities and ideas that explore peace and social Justice which could also encompass anti-bullying. --Franco DiMarco

Learning and helping: Tools for kids, schools and families
http://www.greatergood.com/newsroom/ths/FamilyHomePage.html

This website focuses on assisting students to become more aware of what they can do for others in need. It deals with Africa and specific organizations that assist children. The 'Activities' link suggests many different books to read, how to raise money for donations and example contracts for kids and parents to sign in order to commit to helping African children. There are suggestions of ways families and schools can make people more aware of the problems in Africa and simulations activies to do with students to raise awareness. This website will empower students to become responsible and take action against injustice and encourage them to help others. --Amanda Mendonca