Grade 1

Faith Fair Lesson Ideas

Grade One

Opening Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus fill us with your grace today.
Please help us to pass on this grace to others and show those around us the gift of Your love through our words and actions.
Lord, we thank you for every gift and talent that is present among us today. Let us learn from each other and help us to not
be afraid in trying new things through You.
Amen

1. Believing
Fundamental Concept: BL1
Gods Self-Revelation in the person of Jesus Christ, Sacred Scripture and Tradition
BIG IDEAS:
*God reveals himself to humankind in creation, our first parents, in the promise of salvation an in his
covenant with Noah, Abraham, and Moses [CCC nos.70-72]
Suggested Ideas:
-make The Jesse Tree
-Ten Commandments --- make a tablet (or story scroll) have the children, in small groups, create, in
picture form and a sentence strip, a commandment. Each group is to illustrate one of the Ten
Commandments.
2. Celebrating
Fundamental Concept: CL1
The Seven Sacraments of the Church
BIG IDEAS:
*Through the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist), the baptized become members
of the Body of Christ. They are strengthened in their witness of Christ, in forming the community of the
Church and in the participation of its mission in the world.
Suggested Ideas:
-make an I Belong memory scrap book

3. Living a Moral Life

Fundamental Concept: ML3
Grace, Virtue, Holiness and Sin and Forgiveness
BIG IDEAS:
*We are called to grow in holiness and to express this in a life of charity and perfection.
Suggested Ideas:
-do an inquiry on how to raise money in mathematics. Then root it back to giving all proceeds to charity
4. Living in Communion
Fundamental Concept:
BIG IDEAS:
Suggested Ideas:
-Read the Catholic childrens bible draw a picture of the scene
-Introduction to the saints--Make Saint puppets

5. Living in Solidarity
Fundamental Concept:
BIG IDEAS:

Suggested Ideas:
-God made human persons in His own image and likeness and we share a special relationship with God.
Make personal, unique foot prints to make a pathway of peace and justice to the Faith Fair (Other
suggestions for titles on the footprint: Walk in Justice; Walk in Fairness; Walk in Holiness; Walk in Love;
Walk in Unity; Walk Together; Walk with Christ)
6. Praying
Fundamental Concept: PR2
The Way of Prayer: Forms and Expressions of Prayer
BIG IDEAS:
*Prayer is structured and spontaneous, individual and communal, and is enriched by a variety of
elements that deepen the experience of prayer (silence, symbols, gospel reading, reflection, images,
music, etc.)
Suggested Ideas:
-create a sculpture using Play-dough of a sign of new life and students print a sentence describing their
model to praise God for new life

Grade 1
Title/theme

Materials
Noahs Ark (Genesis chapter 6)

Religion Curriculum Expectation

Ontario Catholic Graduate Expectations

Fundamental Concept: BL1

Gods Self-Revelation in the person of Jesus
Christ, Sacred Scripture and Tradition
BIG IDEAS:
*God reveals himself to humankind in creation,
our first parents, in the promise of salvation an
in his covenant with Noah, Abraham, and Moses
[CCC nos.70-

Guided Questions

Teachers and students may develop additional questions to guide their learning inquiry.

Learning Goals
At the end of this lesson, students will:
retell the story of Noahs Ark
describe ways that we can obey God like Noah
explain that God always keeps His promises
explain the meaning of the rainbow
Success Criteria, based on the Learning Goals, can be con-constructed as a class in language meaningful
to students. The success criteria help students understand what to look for during the learning and what it
looks like once they have learned. They identify the significant aspects of student performance that are
assessed and/or evaluated (i.e., the look-fors) in relation to curriculum expectations.

Lesson Plan

Word Wall Words (write words on the board and discuss with class)
Ark- a very large boat built by Noah for his family and all the animals
Noah - a man who built the ark when God told him to
Flood - a very large amount of water covering land that used to be dry
Dove -a small bird from the pigeon family
Rainbow - a multicoloured arc (half circle) of light that is separated into bands of colour
Plan:
(i)
Read story: Noahs Ark. Using Reading Comprehension StrategyQuestioning, have the
children all come up with 3 questions each about the story. Use the 5 Ws and the Q-chart to
assist.
(ii)
Activities: (choose 2 or more activities listed below)
-Who built the Ark?
www.sermons4kids.com/plan_for_success.htm
-make animal masks
-ark animals pantomime (children choose a name from an ark-basket and try to pantomime the animal that
they chose. Talk about the animals that went into the ark.)
-build Noahs Ark and include animals and his family
-Do an inquiry on construction or transportation. First introduce inquiry with prevocational pieces/ props (an
ark or boat, pairs of animals, water, pictures of floods, and storms). Then after the inquiry root all work back
to the Creation story
-sing and dramatize the story of Noahs Ark (Gensis chapter 6)
-Ark and Rainbow creation (cut a paper plate in half and decorate the bottom section to look like an ark
with windows and draw animals inside the window. Decorate the top portion to look like a rainbow and
write GODS PROMISES on the rainbow portion and write GODS PLAN on the ark portion. Glue to
construction paper or poster board.)
Play-Dough Animals (Let children use their creativity in making animals out of Play-Dough and place in a
large brown ark that you create together as a class)
-ark art (On very large mural paper draw a large ark. Let the children write a title such as GOD HAS A
PLAN or WE PUT OUR TRUST IN GOD etc. Children can each draw a pair of animals on the ark)
-perform song Arky, Arky (traditional)
-play animal sounds using the Activinspire, students are to identify the animal by hearing only the sound.
Use stretchy snake to spell the animals names. Then each student illustrates one animal and prints a
message about how God asks us to keep our promises. Tell the students, We are going to use our ears to
listen very carefully to the word of God. Tell them the teacher will read the story of Noahs Ark. The
students are to listen very carefully to when the bible says from all living creatures, from all living things,
then all children will make the sound of the animal that they illustrated. Also when the bible says, Every
species of birds at this point all those who drew a type of bird will make the birds sound; when it says
every kind of creature that creeps along the ground then all who drew a creep make the animals sound.

Assessment

Grade 1
Title/theme

Materials
Baptism of Jesus (Matthew chapter 3)

(Accommodation: if not baptized, use first birthday celebration)

Religion Curriculum Expectation

Ontario Catholic Graduate Expectations

Celebrating
Fundamental Concept: CL1
The Seven Sacraments of the Church
BIG IDEAS:
*Through the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism,
Confirmation, Eucharist), the baptized become
members of the Body of Christ. They are
strengthened in their witness of Christ, in
forming the community of the Church and in the
participation of its mission in the world.

Guided Questions

Teachers and students may develop additional questions to guide their learning inquiry

Learning Goals
Teachers and students may develop additional questions to guide their learning inquiry.
At the end of this lesson, students will:
retell the story of the Baptism of Jesus
identify who baptized Jesus
identify who was pleased that Jesus was baptized
discuss why you get baptized
Success Criteria, based on the Learning Goals, can be con-constructed as a class in language meaningful
to students. The success criteria help students understand what to look for during the learning and what it
looks like once they have learned. They identify the significant aspects of student performance that are
assessed and/or evaluated (i.e., the look-fors) in relation to curriculum expectations.

Lesson Plan
Word Wall Words (write words on wall discuss the meaning and significance of each word in the bible)
Baptism
Baptismal gown
Baptismal candle
Baptize
Chrism
Dove
Honey
Jesus
John the Baptist
Locust
River
Water
Plan:
(i)
Read the story of when Jesus was baptized in the bible. Using Reading Comprehension
StrategyVisualizing, have the children all draw what they visualize as the teacher reads the
story from the bible.
(ii)
Activities: (choose 2 or more activities listed below)
-Taking Flightcreate a dove that you make out of white paper that has been traced using
each childs handprint
-make 3-D baptismal mobile of the symbols of Baptism
-Holy Spirit
-dove
-do an inquiry on water. First introduce inquiry with prevocational pieces/ props (baptismal
gown, baptismal candle, pitcher of water, chrism). Then after the inquiry root all work back to
the story of Jesus baptism.

Assessment

Grade 1
Title/theme

Materials
Mary is the Mother of Our Church

Religion Curriculum Expectation

Ontario Catholic Graduate Expectations

Living a Moral Life

Fundamental Concept: ML3
Grace, Virtue, Holiness and Sin and
Forgiveness
BIG IDEAS:
* Mary is the perfect model of holiness for she
was constantly obedient to the will of God.

Guided Questions

Teachers and students may develop additional questions to guide their learning inquiry

Learning Goals
Teachers and students may develop additional questions to guide their learning inquiry.
At the end of this lesson, students will:

Success Criteria, based on the Learning Goals, can be con-constructed as a class in language meaningful
to students. The success criteria help students understand what to look for during the learning and what it
looks like once they have learned. They identify the significant aspects of student performance that are
assessed and/or evaluated (i.e., the look-fors) in relation to curriculum expectations.

Lesson Plan
Word Wall Words (write words on wall discuss the meaning and significance of each word in the bible)
Mary
Plan:

Joseph

Jesus

baby

manger

star

donkey

sheep

(I) Read the story the Annunciation Luke 1 26:38 And the angel appeared to Mary.

(ii)Spirituality in Action
Mary provides us with an example of how God loves the less fortunate in a special way.
When we assist the poor, we are acting as God calls us to act.
Anything we do for them, we do for God.
With your students establish a special box containing items that can be donated to a shelter in your
community. Place things such as mittens, hats, socks, toothpaste, toys, and books into the box and donate
the contents from time to time throughout the year.
(i)
Activities: (choose 2 or more activities listed below)
-the living Rosary (children light tea candles in shape of rosary. Every time you say a Hail Mary you light
one more tea candle until the whole living Rosary is lit) the students learn the Hail Mary. Pray the prayer
together often as a family, and talk about what it means to say yes to God as Mary did.
-make a rosary out of beads, or noodles, or clay home-made beads and do a mini inquiry on patterning
-read the Robert Munsch book Love you Forever then relate it back to the bible reading of Mary who loves
God and Jesus then do a tableau of cradling baby Jesus
-From Born in The Spirit Series play one of the following songs from the Religion program:
Mary of Nazareth song # 2 on the Grade 1 CD, We Belong to God
-sing and record the children caroling: Away in the Manger, Silent Night, What Child is This, Joy to the
World, The First Noel, Oh Little town of Bethlehem. Then play the recordings at the Faith Fair. Burn the
recording onto CDS. Children make a cover sleeve title A Night Like No Other
-Assign each student to make a model of one piece of the nativity scene (such as, Mary, Joseph, Jesus,
shepherds, Angel Gabriel, sheep, and other livestock etc.) Then it is assembled together to make a class
nativity set to be displayed as the prayer center centerpiece and then on display later in the year at Faith
Fair. The students are to describe the significance of the piece they modelled, either in writing on a
sentence strip or orally. Then they could collaborate to retell the story. Record the retelling and play at Faith
Fair.
- Each student makes a mini nativity Diorama
A diorama is a miniature, three-dimensional scene placed in a box with a painted background. Dioramas
bring pictures and stories to life. Start with an empty shoebox or tissue box. Spread natural materials, such
as dried grass, twigs, and leaves, on the bottom of the box for the manger floor. Paint a scene in the back of
the box, adding the night sky and the town of Bethlehem. Cut a star from construction paper and attach to
the top of the box. Decide which nativity characters and animals you want to add to your diorama. Use oven
baked or air dry clay to make the nativity figurines. Family Fun magazine created an alternative to the classic
clay figurines by wrapping pipe cleaners with yarn to create the characters.

-make an angel Gabriel

You will need:

Wooden spoon
Pink paint
White and pink felt
Yellow wool
Wiggle eyes
Gold card
Gold pipe cleaner (chenille stem)
Pink pen
Glue
Sticky tape
Instructions:

Paint the spoon pink and leave to dry.

Make the dress by cutting a quarter circle of white felt. Roll into a cone around the spoon. Glue around the
neck and up the back of the cone to secure.
Cut two arms from white foam and two hands from pink. Glue one hand to the end of each arm and the other
ends of the arms to the body.
Glue on some wool as hair.
Make a halo by twisting a pipe cleaner into shape and taping it to the back of the head.
Cut wings from gold card and glue them to the angels back. Finally, add two eyes and draw on a face.

-Do an inquiry -- bring in Prevocational Pieces to spark an inquiry. You could bring in: a stable, a donkey, a
baby blanket, a star, straw. Let the children lead the inquiry and wondering. Then root the inquiry back to
bible reading,

Assessment