OSV acquires Harcourt Relgion

[puzzleannie]

this is good news. got my Our Sunday visitor catalog today of catechetical resources and see that Harcourt Religion is now a division of OSV. I hope that means their textbooks series which have been problematic in the past will be edited under the guidance of the much more orthodox OSV publishing arm. Harcourt is currently not one of the approved RE textbook series in our diocese but maybe that will change. I am looking for good things out of this. In general it is preferably that any RE publisher be owned by a Catholic house rather than a trade publisher. for reference Harcourt’s current series is Call to Faith.

 

[judechild]

Strange, I haven’t found Harcourt to be unorthodox in my experience; I use Harcourt with my 5th grade RE class. The only thing I found truely objectionable in the book I’m currently using is that it has the song “How Great Thou Art” in it; I hate “How Great Thou Art”

 

[churchsecretary]

I also use Harcourt in my 2nd grade class. I do have one complaint: some of the glossary definitions (Words of Faith) are not to my liking, particularly one for Eucharist: something about blessed bread. Eucharist = Jesus, not blessed bread. We are not Protestants!!! Hopefully, the merger with OSV will help out with some of these types of problems.

I understand that there is probably no textbook series out there that is perfect. I do have to say, however, that the series by Seton (used by homeschooling families) is very orthodox. Our 3rd grade catechist used it several years ago for her 1st communicants. However, a new DRE has said that she may not use it as we all have to use the same textbook series, & it doesn’t come in a Spanish language version (even though we have only 2 or 3 Spanish speaking families in the program, and this year none of them have requested a Spanish language version). We also liked that the series gave clear, concise info. about the subject matter, and then a series of questions that the students could do for homework each week.

And so, instead, I jump around between the 2nd grade and the 3rd grade text & from chapter to chapter in order to get all the info. in that the diocese requires! And I also add in worksheets, coloring pages, etc. that I find on the 'net.

 

[Alfalfa]

Harcourt Call to Faith seems to be watered down Catholicism. This is my first year teaching RE (fourth grade). I struggle with it (Call to Faith) but, I read the book and then use the good old CCC and scripture in class to explain the lessons. I hope OSV will evalulate Call to Faith and make the necessary changes. Kids really want to know the truth and need to be fed spiritually, and not with watered down Catholicism.

The bottom line - I’m not imperssed with the Harcourt Call to Faith series.

 

[kage_ar]

Praying this will make the Catholic version of VBS that Harcourt does ROCK solid!!! (Instead of this years “Sola Scriptura Adventure” - ugh).

 

[judechild]

The bottom line - I’m not imperssed with the Harcourt Call to Faith series.

Hello Alfalfa,

I do not quite agree with your analysis of Call to Faith.

I use the series, and have not found “watered down catholicism”. A young child cannot think as abstractly as an adult, and so it focuses on images, rather than metaphysical abstractions; this is not necessarily because of an attempt to dilute the teachings of the Church, but rather to make the subject relavent to the child.

This is a problem I run into often: how do I present the faith simple enough for my fifth graders to understand, but not over-simply it to the point that what I teach is no longer Catholic? The presentation in allegory seems to be the most effective. Perhaps a child cannot understand every facet of a teaching, but he or she can learn a bit of that teaching, and it can be expanded upon later.

 

[kage_ar]

This is a problem I run into often: how do I present the faith simple enough for my fifth graders to understand, but not over-simply it to the point that what I teach is no longer Catholic? The presentation in allegory seems to be the most effective. Perhaps a child cannot understand every facet of a teaching, but he or she can learn a bit of that teaching, and it can be expanded upon later.

The 5th grade “Faith and Life” from Ignatius is wonderful! The kids love the challenge, they want to be taught as intelligent people - F&L has Aquanis Five Proofs in one of the first lessons. It ROCKS