Our Lady Star f the Sea Religius Educatin CIRCLE OF GRACE LESSON PLAN - Grade 1 Opening Prayer: (ech prayer) Hly Spirit (ech) Shw us the way (ech) Be with us in all we think.. d and say (ech) Amen GETTING STARTED Shw symbls ne at a time t the children. Ask what each represents. Make the pint that the symbls are a way f telling us smething r reminding us f smething. Write they term symbl n the bard. State the definitin f a DISCUSSION 1. Shw the children the Circle f Grace Symbl. The Circle f Grace symbl reminds us that Gd lves us and His lve is always all arund us. Each f us everyne has a circle f grace. 2. Review what each part represents. a. In the picture, the large blue circle is the wrld we live in; the wrld all arund us. i. Wh made yu? Gd and wh made the wrld? Gd and Gd thinks yu are s special and s lved that Gd wuld have made all this wnderful wrld if yu were nly ne living in it. Gd gave us many gifts and ne f these gifts are ur feelings. b. The bird in the picture is a dve which is a symbl f the Hly Spirit f Gd yu knw when we say in the Sign f the Crss In the name f the Father, the Sn and the Hly Spirit this dve means the Hly Spirit and can yu read the wrds which are clse t it? Circle f Grace and they are n tp f the yellw circle that circle surrunds the figure and that figure is YOU the child f Gd c. The yellw means the warmth f Gd s lve which is all arund yu we can als call that lve Grace and the child is within it. Gd is that clse t yu always in yur circle. ACTIVITY This is ne way t talk abut the Circle f Grace anther is t act it ut s watch me fr a minute: When I talk abut this Circle f Grace maybe it wuld be easier if I fund a way t draw it fr yu but I am nt ging t use the blackbard r pen and paper I am ging t draw it wund me and then ask yu t d the same.
I raise my hands abve my head and then bring them slwly dwn keeping arms utstretched. I then extend my arms in frnt f me and behind me embracing all the space arund me and then slwly dwn t my feet. This is my CIRCLE OF GRACE. I am inside this imaginary bubble it ges wherever I g and inside with me is Gd in a very special way. Gd is always this clse t me inside my Circle f Grace. I belng t Gd and yu all belng t Gd and all f us are always in this very special hly place. We are surrunded by Gd s lve. I am in it but even mre imprtant Gd is within it the Hly Spirit is with me always this clse t me. S stand up nw and mve away frm each ther s n ne bumps and draw that Circle f Gd s lve all arund yu raise yur hands up nw waist high mve them in circle arund yu nw place them in frnt f yu and bend dwn and pull that circle dwn t the grund this is where Gd is this clse t yu always. DISCUSSION Nw we will talk abut why it is imprtant that we knw abut ur Circle f Grace. D yu remember that Jesus tld us hw he wuld always lve us and always be with us? If Gd is always with us, we are always in a special, hly place. That place is ur Circle f Grace. When we remember that we are in a Circle f Grace, with Gd and surrunded by Gd s lve, we will als remember t make gd chices that shw respect fr urselves and respect fr ther peple. Gd gave us many gifts and ne f these gifts are ur feelings. Can yu name sme feelings? happy, sad, nervus, scared. Feelings are gifts and I am allwed t have them. If smene is mad at yu that is a feeling. What smene des with a feeling is my chice and can be right r wrng. Nw if that persn hits yu because they are mad that can be wrng because I used my feeling the wrng way. What if I feel nervus abut ging dwn a slide because it is really big? That feeling can be Gd reminding me t be careful when I play s that I dn t get hurt. Often ur feelings can be Gd helping us t make gd decisins. They can be the Hly Spirit in ur Circle f Grace helping us. They are nt right r wrng, gd r bad. They may be Gd s signals abut what is ging n in ur lives. Presenter will then g thrugh a feelings chart with the names f different feelings and faces assciated with them. ACTIVITY Nw sit dwn again and lk at anther symbl what is this? A traffic light r a traffic signal what are the clrs in a traffic light? Red-yellw green what d they mean?
Why d we have stplights? Pause fr answers. The reasn we have stplights is t prtect peple and keep them safe. What des each clr f the stplight mean? (Add STOP, BE CAREFUL, and GO AHEAD.) Mst f the time yu knw what is safe and gd t allw in yur Circle f Grace. Smetimes, thugh, yu need thers wh respect yur Circle f Grace t help yu knw what is safe and what is nt, peple like ur parents r teachers. Gd has given each f us ur wn kind f signal t keep us safe and prtected. Smetimes these signals are called feelings. Our feelings are ne f the main ways the Hly Spirit helps t guide us. Let s review hw the three clrs f a stplight can remind us f the signals Gd gives us t help keep us safe and prtected. Green signal Means GO AHEAD. Sme things are definitely safe. Sme examples are telling the truth, being kind and respectful, helping thers, and caring abut thers. Yu are als safe when thers respect yur bdy and feelings. Culd yu name sme ther things that wuld always be safe t d r let smene else d with yu? Red Signal Means STOP. Sme things are unsafe and always mean truble. Sme examples are being mean r bullying, lying, hitting, fighting, etc. Can yu help me think f ther things that are never gd t d r let smene d t yu? When this happens, tell smene that yu trust, like yur mm, dad, leader, r ther trusted adult. Yellw Signal Means BE CAREFUL. Smetimes yu can t tell if a situatin is safe r unsafe. Yu might feel cnfused r unsure abut it. These are like a yellw signal. It may seem like just a funny feeling in yur heart r tummy. The use f the wrd signal (instead f light ) is intentinal in rder t pint t the fact that a signal can be bth internal and external. A stplight, hwever, is nly an external reality. S, t review Green means G Ahead it is Safe Red Means Stp it is Unsafe Yellw means be careful yu can t tell if things are safe r unsafe and yu need t be careful a gd thing here is t Stp until yu knw if yu are safe Remember Gd always wants us safe in ur Circle f Lve. S nw, s I am ging t give yu sme things t think abut, and fr each example I want yu t hld up yur green card if it is safe thing, yur red card if it is nt safe, and yur yellw card if it means yu shuld be careful r are nt sure. Listen carefully and hld up a Red r Green r Yellw card
With sme f the answers, refer t the feelings chart and ask them what feelings that evkes in them. Yur Mm gives yu a hug when yu feel sad. Yur friend is mad at smene in class s he wants yu t call them a name Yu tell yur teacher when yu accidentally break smething in the classrm. Yu are playing at a neighbrhd park and a man yu dn t knw says, Hi and ask yu t cme with him t help him find his puppy (see abve) A neighbr next dr that yur parents knw asks yu t help him carry his garbage can t the backyard. Yur parents tell yu never t g int a neighbr s huse withut yur parent s permissin, but the man next d asks yu t cme inside and have sme ckies. Yur grandmther wipes yur face because yu were crying. Yu push smene ut f line s yu can be first. Yur big brther s friend wants yu t watch a mvie that yur Mm r Dad tld yu nt t watch. Yur friend s big brther r sister wants yu t d smething yu dn t feel cmfrtable ding. Yu are at a family part and yur uncle starts tickling yu and wn t stp when yu ask him t stp. Yur Mm r Dad takes yu t the dctr because yu need a check up and the dctr examines yur bdy t see if yu are healthy. Yur little sister is crying and yu give her a hug. Yu are at a relative s huse and smene wants yu t sit n their lap but yu dn t want t. Anther time when we can get funny feelings insides is when we have a secret. A safe secret is ne that that des nt hurt thers r me. A secret is unsafe when I think that smene, including me, might be hurt r get in truble if I d nt tell. A gd way t
decide if a secret is safe r unsafe is t ask urselves can this secret hurt me r smene else? S, we are ging t read mre situatins, and we want yu t hld up yur cards again and tell us if these are safe, unsafe, r nt sure. Yur dad wants t have a surprise birthday party fr yur Mm and tells yu it s a secret. Yur friend says, I stle mney frm my Mm s wallet, but dn t tell anybdy. An adult asks yu t g smewhere with him but he desn t want yu t tell yur parents. He says it is just yur secret. stress cautin f peple saying just ur secret sme secrets kay sme dangerus hw tell difference? Yu parents plan t get a puppy but dn t tell yu until they bring it hme Smene tells yu that yu will get int truble if yu tell yur mm r yur dad WRAP-UP Review the imprtant cncepts: Feelings are nt right r wrng, gd r bad Feelings may be Gd s signals abut what is ging n in ur lives Review the feelings activity Clsing Prayer: ech Thank yu, Gd Fr always being with me in my Circle f Grace. Thank yu fr the gift f the Hly Spirit Wh helps me knw what is gd. Thank yu fr giving me peple wh care abut me And want me t be safe. Amen