The Department of Christian Education has provided three new resources for church school directors, teachers, and students. Because this year's theme is about St. Raphael and does not involve a Biblical quote, some have found depicting the theme to be a bit more challenging than usual. These three new resources can be used to inspire students and give them concrete examples they may want to utilize.
The first resource, "Help for Drawing" answers the question, "How do I draw a...?" by providing pictures of some of the churches founded by St. Raphael, photos of St. Raphael, pictures of modes of transportation St. Raphael may have used, an image of The Good Shepherd, sheep and their shepherd, maps, and icons of St. Raphael. Duplicates of popular images are provided on one sheet so they may be cut apart and given to the students for reference.
The second resource, "Great Writing!" gives students the tools they need to compose an entry for the creative writing or poetry festivals. It suggests ideas for choosing subject matter, lists various writing methods, poetry techniques, and describes six different types of poems.
The third resource, "Poetry Forms" is a poster containing the six types of poems mentioned in "Great Writing!" with an example of each for easy reference. The poster is available in two sizes: 8.5 x 11, which can be displayed in the classroom or given to the students as a handout, and 8.5 x 14, which can be downloaded and taken to a copy store or printer to be used for a larger classroom display.
As we remember St. Raphael and his wonderful accomplishments, having the students express themselves in art, writing, and poetry will reinforce the lessons they've learned about him and hopefully, inspire them to serve others.