Secondary School Advent & Christmas Resources
Critique the Shopping Season
Spend some time discussing the values and consequences of spending so much at Christmas time. You might like to consider this prayer for holiday shoppers. Create a consequences web that reflects your thoughts about the commercialization of Christmas. Better yet, be counter cultural with these Christmas shopping ideas. Do your Christmas shopping ethically by purchasing gifts that support projects in developing nations.
Read Luke's Account of the Birth of Jesus
Ask the students to retell the story in their own words. Find a common nativity picture and run it through Blockposter. Allocate each student a part of the story and a piece of the picture. Check the accuracy of the story and draw some conclusions about what actually happened and how we tell the story.
Critique the Story
The Paperless Christmas website retells the nativity story using a modern context. The website allows users to view the story for a particular character's viewpoint. Use the link on the site to read either Matthew or Luke's infancy narrative and then as a class critique the authenticity of the website's interpretation_ of the story.
Busted Halo Christmas Articles
Busted Halo is a Canadian website that provides commentary and challenge for young adults in the Catholic tradition. You might like to share one of these articles with you class as a discussion starter or the as the beginning of an inquiry process:
5 Ways to Celebrate Christmas without spending a dollar
The Christmas Spirit Survival Guide
Why do we read so much from Isaiah during Advent?
Seven ways to really give this Christmas
5 Ways to Celebrate Christmas without spending a dollar
The Christmas Spirit Survival Guide
Why do we read so much from Isaiah during Advent?
Seven ways to really give this Christmas
ReSource
Clock to view website
ReSource provides an excellent introduction to the season of Advent. After reading the summary of the liturgical season provided by ReSource, consider engaging in some of the activities included on the site.
Critically Analyse a clip from a Christmas Movie
The web database, 'Hollywood Jesus' contains a list of movies searchable by religious theme. The site provides a brief synopsis, review and the opportunity to provide feedback via an on-line forum. Check out the list of their Christmas movies here. You can also try Wingclips and search by Scriptural reference or Christmas.
The Meaning of Advent
Discuss how Advent is a time to WAIT, PREPARE and BE READY for the birth of Jesus. Students use mindmaps, concept maps or Bubbl.us to brainstorm or recall times when they have waited for a special occasion such as birthdays, special visitors etc. Students describe how they felt when they were waiting and what preparations they made for the special occasion.
Retreats & Prayer Walks
Organise a student retreat or prayer walk on the theme of Journey. Focus on Matthew’s Gospel and the Journey of the Magi. The Magi began a journey, when they visited the infant child, they were changed; they went home by another route. How often do we begin a journey on one path, thinking we know the map, the way home, the way we are going in life, and then to have that changed, to then continue the journey on another path?
Advent and the Parish
Students design prayer cloths, banners, or lectern drapes for the Advent Season and sacred rituals using BlockPoster. Students use appropriate symbols and colours that help individuals and groups make meaning of the liturgical season. Students write a justification for their choice of colour and use of symbols in their designs. Students should make some reference to liturgical resources in their justification/s.
The Advent Wreath
The first candle represents the Old Testament prophets who foretold Christ’s coming. The second candle represents John the Baptist, who pointed to Jesus as the ‘Lamb of God.’ The third is for Mary who prepared herself and presented Jesus to the world. The fourth candle represents us, who are now called to prepare ourselves to be prophets and witnesses.
Create an Advent wreath. The circular shape of the wreath is a symbol of God and God’s love: without beginning or ending. Explain the significance of the five Advent candles. Name four actions you can undertake in Advent which focus on living out the message of Jesus. Try making a paper wreath send home.
Create an Advent wreath. The circular shape of the wreath is a symbol of God and God’s love: without beginning or ending. Explain the significance of the five Advent candles. Name four actions you can undertake in Advent which focus on living out the message of Jesus. Try making a paper wreath send home.
Silence and Stillness in a season of waiting
Schedule for times of silence and stillness in this very busy time of the school year. Advent is a time for preparing for Jesus. Students identify gifts that they can be for others e.g. kindness, courageous. Students create an Advent Tree of Kindness.
Make an Advent Bookmark or e-Card
Students design and create an Advent card, bookmark, Advent calendar. Students choose appropriate images, scripture quotes, symbols and colours. Be really creative and use the tips from this website. Bookmarks not your thing? Create an on-line Christmas e-card and send via your email service (you can animate cards on this site so they talk....awesome!)
Lectio Divina
Pray with scripture passages using Lectio Divina. Select a passage from one of the Infancy Narratives.
Luke's Infancy Narrative
Matthew's Infancy Narrative
Luke's Infancy Narrative
Matthew's Infancy Narrative
What do we know about Christmas?
“What do we know about Christmas?” Students are prompted to identify the liturgical colours, prayers, practices, symbols and traditions associated with Christmas. Student record their responses using a digital tool like Padlet.
The birth of Jesus
In learning teams students participate in a brainstorm of words associated with the birth of Jesus. Students can be assisted in this task by using Christmas cards as a visual device to prompt their brainstorm. Students read, or listen to the story of Jesus’ birth from Matthew or Luke’s gospel. Students analyse the stories by responding to a variety of Code Breaker questions [Four Resources Model]: What are the difficult words and what do they mean? What words are new to you? What words are about people / places / things? What words are repeated? Are there similes or metaphors? What do they mean? These types of questions are presented to students e.g. verbally, on charts or posters, using a simple online questionnaire such as Polldaddy or SurveyMonkey.
Infancy Narratives
Compare and contrast the two infancy narratives using a Venn Diagram to highlight the similarities/differences. Student use Wordle to visually compare the two infancy narratives. What are the prominent words/themes? What and why are there differences?
Set up a nativity scene according to one of the gospel writers. Investigate who the authors of the gospels were writing to.
Using an Interactive Whiteboard students manipulate images to reflect the gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth e.g. move images of shepherds under a Luke heading and move the star under Matthew’s heading.
Set up a nativity scene according to one of the gospel writers. Investigate who the authors of the gospels were writing to.
Using an Interactive Whiteboard students manipulate images to reflect the gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth e.g. move images of shepherds under a Luke heading and move the star under Matthew’s heading.
