1st+Grade+Lesson+Plans


 * St. Francis Info:**

In a walled city on the side of a mountain lived a mischievous boy. He played in nearby caves with his friends; he sang in the streets and set the dogs to barking; he dreamed of becoming a knight and going to battle on a white horse of his own. St. Francis loved the birds, the animals, the flowers, and the trees; most importantly, he loved his brothers and sisters: the children of God all over the world. As a real boy, his story was beset by mischief and torn by doubts. As a real man, he was inspired by love and dedicated to kindness and unselfishness.

Biography Early Life Going to Battle Visions from God The Franciscan Order Other Orders Love for Nature Death Interesting Facts
 * Italian Catholic friar and preacher
 * Gave up a life of wealth to live a life of poverty
 * Grew up leading a privileged life as the son of a wealthy cloth merchant
 * Loved to learn and sing songs as a boy
 * His father wanted him to become a businessman and taught him about the French culture
 * About the age of nineteen Francis went to battle against the nearby town of Perugia
 * Was captured and taken prisoner
 * Was held prisoner in a dungeon for a year before his father paid the ransom and he was set free
 * Over the next few years Francis began to see visions from God that changed his life
 * The first vision was when he was sick with a high fever: at first he thought that God had called him to fight in the Crusades
 * However, he had another vision that told him to help the sick
 * Finally, when praying in a church, Francis heard God tell him to "repair my church, which is falling in ruins"
 * Francis gave all his money to the church
 * His father became very angry with him
 * Francis then left his father's home and took a vow of poverty
 * As Francis lived his life of poverty and preached to people about the life of Jesus Christ, people began to follow him
 * By 1209, he had around 11 followers
 * He had one basic rule which was "To follow the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ and to walk in his footsteps"
 * He and his followers traveled to Rome to get the approval for their religious Order from the pope
 * At first the pope was reluctant: these men were dirty, poor, and smelled bad
 * Eventually he understood their vow of poverty and blessed the Order
 * The Franciscan Order grew as men joined and made vows of poverty
 * hen a woman named Clare of Assisi wanted to take similar vows, Francis helped her start the Order of the Poor Ladies (Order of Saint Clare)
 * He also started another order (later called the Third Order of Saint Francis) that was for men and women who didn't take vows or leave their jobs, but lived out the principals of the Franciscan Order in their daily lives
 * Known for his love of nature and animals
 * It is said that one day he was talking to some birds when they began to sing together...then they flew into the sky and formed the sign of a cross
 * It was also said that Francis could tame wild animals
 * One story tells of a vicious wolf in the town of Gubbio that was killing people and sheep. The people of the town were frightened and didn't know what to do. Francis went to the town to confront the wolf. At first the wolf growled at Francis and prepared to attack him. However, Francis made the sign of the cross and told the wolf not to hurt anyone else. The wolf then became tame and the town was safe.
 * Francis became ill and spent the last few years of his life mostly blind
 * He died in 1226 while singing Psalm 141
 * He was declared a saint of the Catholic Church only two years after his death
 * His feast day is October 4th
 * It is said that he received the stigmata (the wounds of Christ from the cross including his hands, feet, and side_ two years before he died
 * Francis traveled to the Holy Lands during the Crusades hoping to conquer the Muslims with love rather than war
 * Francis set up the first known Nativity scene to celebrate Christmas in 1220
 * He believed that actions were the best example, telling his followers to "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words"


 * __[]__**

**Date: Monday,** **June 9 Grade: 1**
March in to **When the Saints Go Marching in**

__songs__
 * **Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord**
 * **I'm on God's Team**

__Lesson Plan #1__

 * The Greatest Commandment- MT 22:34- 40; 5:19
 * Read "Song of St. Francis": Chapters 1 & 2

__Objective:__

 * Teach that we are all a part of God's team. As a member of a team, we need to try our best and cheer on our teammates.

__Warm-up:__

 * Read rules and teach a song

__Activities:__

 * craft: banner making

__Closing:__

 * Review what we learned about saint francis and the greatest commandment.
 * Practice songs.
 * "What will you tell mommy and daddy you learned today?"

__Materials Needed:__

 * Markers, scissors, glue, construction paper, pencils

**Date: Tuesday,** **June 10 Grade: 1**
__songs__
 * **Awesome God**
 * **Father Abraham**
 * **I Can Count on God**

__ Lesson Plan #2 __

 * God Takes Care of Us- LK 12:6- 9; 28- 34
 * Read "Song of St. Francis": Chapters 3 & 4


 * Our efforts lead to our successes

__Warm-up:__

 * quickly review yesterday.
 * Teach a new song
 * talk about what we will learn about today: Jesus will never leave our side.

__Activities:__

 * begin saint skit
 * Megaphones

__Closing:__

 * Review songs
 * How do we know we are apart of God's team?

**Date: Wednesday,** **June 11 Grade: 1**
__songs__
 * **Jesus Loves Me**
 * **Mercy Is Falling**

__Lesson Plan #3__

 * Peter Denies Jesus: MT 26:69- 75
 * Read "Song of St. Francis": Chapters 5 & 6

__Objective:__

 * We fix poor choices we make...

__Warm-up:__

 * Review yesterday
 * practice songs
 * Talk about Peter's denial. Ask, "what happens when we sin? How do the people react around us? What does God want us to do?"

__Activities:__

 * Work on Saint Skit

__Closing__:

 * What happens when we turn away from God?

**Date: Thursday,** **June 12 Grade: 1**
__s____ongs__
 * **This Little Light of Mine**
 * **Joy, Joy, Joy**

__ Lesson Plan #4 __
>
 * Simile of Light: MT 5:13
 * Simile of Salt: MT 5:14- 16
 * Read "Song of St. Francis": Chapters 7 & 8


 * Explain what it means to do our best. We must be successful, supportive players on God's Team.­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

__Warm-up:__

 * Play the theme song
 * review yesterday
 * "If we are the salt of the earth, why are we warned of what may happen if we loose our taste?"

__Activities:__

 * saint skit

__Closing:__

 * practice songs
 * why are we the salt of the earth? How can we make the world better by being the salt of the earth?
 * why are the fans rooting us on?

**Date: Friday,** **June 13 Grade: 1**
__songs__



__ Lesson Plan #5 __

 * Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand MT 14:13- 21
 * Read "Song of St. Francis": Chapters 9, 10, & 11

__Objective:__

 * Review everything learned from this week.
 * why must we work together? What are some situations in which positive thought could give us strength?

__Warm-up:__

 * Talk about what it means to on a team.

__Activities:__

 * Skits
 * __ songs __

__Closing:__

 * certificates of completion?