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Elzee
Guest
Anybody know anything about the “Faith First” series for religious education? My parish is considering it. They rejected my suggestion to use “Faith and Life”.
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kage_ar
Guest
We went from Faith First to Faith and Life - this year will be my third F&L year.
Faith First is not bad, as long as the teacher is well founded - I never saw anything “heretical” in it. I always brought along my CCC and my Bible - to add to the teachings. It was more “fluffy” than my personal taste, but not bad. It is good for someone who is not an experienced teacher.
They have a website, you can go through chapter reviews, etc on line faithfirst.com/
Faith First is not bad, as long as the teacher is well founded - I never saw anything “heretical” in it. I always brought along my CCC and my Bible - to add to the teachings. It was more “fluffy” than my personal taste, but not bad. It is good for someone who is not an experienced teacher.
They have a website, you can go through chapter reviews, etc on line faithfirst.com/
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puzzleannie
Guest
who is the publisher? If, as I believe, it is RCL, I would run screaming in the opposite direction. What publishers and series are approved by your diocese? that is the first question to ask.
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Elzee
Guest
It’s approved by our diocese - along with dozens of other books (Sadlier, Christ our Life, Silver-Burdett (hope I got that name right), Faith and Life, etc.)
Faith First is published by RCL by the way.
I’m not familiar with them. Can you enlighten me some?
Here is their site: www.faithfirst.com
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puzzleannie
Guest
I am more familiar with RCIA materials from RCL and with their catechist formation program, Echoes of Faith. I find it extremely problematic, my pastor agrees. examples: liturgy video features prominently footage of Masses conducted by the priest sitting on a blanket on the ground, including a ritual with a smoking pipe, and other rituals that are not part of the rite of Mass. Morality video presents moral decision making as primarily a subjective judgment by the individual who weighs biblical and church teaching as one of several factors in such decisions. The sacramental video (the same clips are used in some of their videos on teaching sacraments to children and parents) are based largely on teens and others discussing their experience of the sacraments, and their feelings, rather than on the actual theology of the sacraments. The scripture video leans heavily on private interpretation, feelings, and “the OT is a collection of myths” and the “NT is a record of the collective faith experience of the early Christian communities”.
The sacramental programs are not wrong as far as they go, but they do not go far enough, and leave out or de-emphasize critical truths about Mass and the sacraments.
your best bet is to go to the website. most of what is on there from previous years still applies as the textbooks have not been updated this year (although Echoes has).
The sacramental programs are not wrong as far as they go, but they do not go far enough, and leave out or de-emphasize critical truths about Mass and the sacraments.
your best bet is to go to the website. most of what is on there from previous years still applies as the textbooks have not been updated this year (although Echoes has).
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1ke
Guest
Our parish uses Faith First. I have found nothing heterodox in the two books I’ve seen-- 5th and 6th grade. They are fluffy-- I don’t like all the “draw a picture of what God means to you” stuff. And, while their doctrine is sound, it’s too light. One paragraph each on Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory at the 6th grade level! Yikes.
Basically, I didn’t even use the books. I just did my own thing, but then I’m well enough versed to do so.
Our parish used to use the Faith and Life books, which in my opinion are far superior. HOWEVER, in a one hour CCD program F&L is too much-- it’s a textbook. It’s really better suited to a Catholic School where they have Religious Ed every day and homework assignments. FORGET gettting CCD students to do homework or read outside of class. And, there is NO support from parents.
That’s why our parish switched (before I moved here) to the Faith First. It’s got some tear out pages that they can take home, little snippets about Saints, etc. While the content is light, it does fit well in a a once-a-week-for-an-hour program. No reading outside of class is required. You can read and discuss the very brief text in an hour.
I also don’t like that it’s a little bit of everything instead of a concentrated study of one thing. For example, Image of God from Ignatius Press spends a whole year on Old Testament, one on New Testament, one on Sacraments, etc. They retain that better. In my old parish, we had a similar program where it was a whole year on one topic. Faith First has only a couple of chapters on Sacraments in 5th grade, then you don’t see it again until 6th grade, where they introduce a little more about Sacraments (forget it-- the kids can’t remember what they learned the previous year and you have to reteach it).
Basically, I didn’t even use the books. I just did my own thing, but then I’m well enough versed to do so.
Our parish used to use the Faith and Life books, which in my opinion are far superior. HOWEVER, in a one hour CCD program F&L is too much-- it’s a textbook. It’s really better suited to a Catholic School where they have Religious Ed every day and homework assignments. FORGET gettting CCD students to do homework or read outside of class. And, there is NO support from parents.
That’s why our parish switched (before I moved here) to the Faith First. It’s got some tear out pages that they can take home, little snippets about Saints, etc. While the content is light, it does fit well in a a once-a-week-for-an-hour program. No reading outside of class is required. You can read and discuss the very brief text in an hour.
I also don’t like that it’s a little bit of everything instead of a concentrated study of one thing. For example, Image of God from Ignatius Press spends a whole year on Old Testament, one on New Testament, one on Sacraments, etc. They retain that better. In my old parish, we had a similar program where it was a whole year on one topic. Faith First has only a couple of chapters on Sacraments in 5th grade, then you don’t see it again until 6th grade, where they introduce a little more about Sacraments (forget it-- the kids can’t remember what they learned the previous year and you have to reteach it).
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puzzleannie
Guest
1ke’s whole post is good, and makes the point I have state before, for an experienced catechist, the book is a guide, a starting point, not the whole ball of wax.
what he is describing is the “spiral curriculum” a buzzword that came in the 90s with texts revised to follow the CCC and get USCCB approval. For instance every year sacraments and liturgy, Creed and Trinity, Mary and saints, morality and so forth are taught, but with different emphasis. 1st graders for instance learn what places and things in the church and on the altar are, 2nd graders learn about the Mass focused on the Eucharist, 3rd graders learn the parts of the Mass, and so on.
F&L and IG avoid this, retaining the older approach of teaching thoroughly each topic, appropriate for the age and grade. FL is definitely a Catholic school textbook, and the same book takes twice as long to cover in CCD. Image is edited by an experienced catechist and DRE (who helps run the Steubenville catechist certification program, by the way) and is more adaptable to parish use, altho also of couse a good school text. I personally find it more approachable than FL. Kids here read for the most part below grade level and FL is beyond the ability of many.
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1ke
Guest
Ah, yes, Annie mentions another issue-- comprehension and vocabulary.
I have to spell, explain and define every other word out of my mouth. And, the kids can’t read worth a darn.
Faith First is very basic and the kids can read it. Which is good and bad at the same time.
I have to spell, explain and define every other word out of my mouth. And, the kids can’t read worth a darn.
Faith First is very basic and the kids can read it. Which is good and bad at the same time.
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puzzleannie
Guest
another factor in evaluating purchase of textbooks for the parish is the catechist manual, and the support offered on-line. We use Christ our Life by Loyola, best of the approved series in our diocese (the other two being Sadlier and Silver-Burdett This we Believe–Blest are we has not yet been evaluated). The on-line support is terrific, as is the catechist manual, and we spend several formation sessions on how to get the most out of the manual and other resources, planning the lesson, evaluating the lesson etc.
the reason our diocese chose Echoes as its formation program is that so many parishes are very poor, the catechists speak English as a second language and often have not completed either their formal academic education nor Christian formation. It is an easy to use, easy to comprehend program for the basics. anyone who is “up to speed” is going to be very disappointed. It is strong in the methods and classroom techniques, week on doctrine.
the text alone is not the only think the parish must look at, as catechist formation will do more in the long run to determine the quality of religious education the children actually receive. The best texts and the best catechists however cannot compensate for parents who do not bring their children to Mass and do not practice the faith at home.
the reason our diocese chose Echoes as its formation program is that so many parishes are very poor, the catechists speak English as a second language and often have not completed either their formal academic education nor Christian formation. It is an easy to use, easy to comprehend program for the basics. anyone who is “up to speed” is going to be very disappointed. It is strong in the methods and classroom techniques, week on doctrine.
the text alone is not the only think the parish must look at, as catechist formation will do more in the long run to determine the quality of religious education the children actually receive. The best texts and the best catechists however cannot compensate for parents who do not bring their children to Mass and do not practice the faith at home.
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Lepanto
Guest
I used the Faith First series and found it very lacking. The 6th grade book’s chapter on “Women in the Bible” read like a feminist manifesto.
Stick to the Baltimore Catechism.
Stick to the Baltimore Catechism.
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puzzleannie
Guest
for a quickie review process, find the chapters usually in the 2nd grade and 5th grade texts that teach the Eucharist, as well as the 1st communion materials. If you don’t find the words “sacrifice” and “Real Presence” or worse, if you find words contradicting these teachings, add it to the pile for book-burning. Then look in the teaching on commandments, usually in the 1sp penance book, and in the 4th grade book. If sins against the 5th and 6th commandment are limited to “disrespect for others” keep it moving, this just does not cut it.
then look at the various saints profiled, and if the articles sound like a political party platform, forget it.
the RCIA materials from RCL as far as doctrine and immediate prep for sacraments are concerned are deficient to a degree that they are dangerous IMO. since presumably the same people write the children’s sacramental prep resources, the same problems will exist.
then look at the various saints profiled, and if the articles sound like a political party platform, forget it.
the RCIA materials from RCL as far as doctrine and immediate prep for sacraments are concerned are deficient to a degree that they are dangerous IMO. since presumably the same people write the children’s sacramental prep resources, the same problems will exist.
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Rome_Always
Guest
At my parish, we also went from using Pflaum to using Faith First. Pflaum was “too fluffy” I also find this problem with Faith First. I use a lot of resources. One of them is “100 Activities from the Catechism of the Catholic Church” by Ignatius Press. I remember growing up with Harcourt Religion. So, I use that and other books that I have collected over the years. I guess I would be what you call a “traditional” Catholic. I believe in them knowing the Our Father, the Hail Mary by the time they are in the 2nd grade. Sadlier is a really good program to. However, as long as a person is a well versed catechist, they can add their own ideas and really enhance the program. The challenge I find now is that with kids starting school earlier at younger ages you almost have to teach them a 1/2 a grade to a full grade above depending on that particular group of children. I have been blessed with very bright groups of children and this has helped me. So, it is up to you. God will give you the wisdom and insight. God Bless you.
P.S.- I am teaching 5th grade this year
P.S.- I am teaching 5th grade this year
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