UNIT PLANNER

Topic: Initiation Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation

Key understandings and learning
intentions
In Baptism Christians are welcomed
into a new life in the Church.
In Confirmation they are
strengthened to be a sign of Jesus
Christs Holy Spirit in the world today.
Through the Eucharist Christians are
nourished to live as Jesus Christ did
and are united as one people.
How is Christ presented through
these symbols, actions and rituals

Year Level: 4

Term: 3

Week: 6-9

Date:

Coming to Know, Worship and Love:

CKWL Level 3 AusVELS level Four year 4
Unit Title:

Initiation Baptism, the Eucharist and Confirmation

Religious Education Standards:

In this unit students explore the relationship between the sacraments of Initiation. Students examine the symbols and
rituals which are used in these celebrations. Students are invited to reflect upon and monitor their learning in relation to the
sacraments of Initiation.

Students interpret key actions, signs and symbols of liturgy and sacrament by providing a meaningful explanation of their
significance. Students collaboratively plan liturgy using appropriate symbols, words and actions, following a given liturgical
form.

Key Vocabulary:
Baptism: priest, font, water, lectionary, candle, oil of catechumens, godparents, chrism, people, white garment, candidate,
baptismal promises, Sign of the Cross, stole, alb.
Confirmation: bishop, sponsor, lectionary, candidate, people, laying on of hands, chrism, baptismal promises, mitre, staff,
chasuble, Sign of the Cross.
The Eucharist: bishop/priest, people, lectionary, Sign of the Cross, bread, wine, altar, chasuble, communicant, alb, stole, chalice,
paten, corporal, ciborium.

FOCUS
(what you want the
children to come to
understand as a result
of this lesson short,
succinct statement)

TUNING IN

INVESTIGATIONS SESSION

(WHOLE CLASS FOCUS)

(INDEPENDENT LEARNING)
(extended opportunity for students to work in pairs, small groups or individually)

(a short, sharp task relating to the

focus of the lesson; sets the scene/
context for what students do in the
independent aspect)

REFLECTION &
MAKING
CONNECTIONS
SESSION

ASSESSMENT
STRATEGIES

(WHOLE CLASS FOCUS)

(focused teacher questions and
summary to draw out the main ideas
and themes)

(Should relate to objective. Includes

what the teacher will listen for,
observe, note or analyse; what
evidence of learning will be collected
and what criteria will be used to
analyse the evidence)

Session 1
Students will
reflect on their
prior knowledge
of Baptism,
explore the
importance of
this ritual and
understand how
the fruits of the
Holy Spirit
coincide with
this ritual

As a whole class,
students will share their
experiences with Baptism.
Students will reflect on
their knowledge of their
own Baptism, as well as
any other Baptisms they
may have seen when they
were older.

Students will then be sent off in pairs to discuss and record:

- The importance of Baptism
- What this ritual means for Catholics
- How Baptism relates to Jesus and how he wanted to live our
lives
- How the sacrament of Baptism is a gift are any of the gifts or
fruits of the Holy Spirit given to us through Baptism?

Students will come

together at the end and
share the information they
have discovered about
Baptism. A final
brainstorm will be made
to display in the
classroom.

Observational notes will

be taken of the students
and their knowledge of
Baptism. In particular, any
misconceptions will be
noted down to ensure
these are addressed
before moving on.

Session 2
Students will
explore the
significance of
scripture,
symbols,
images, signs
and actions
associated with
Baptism

As a class, the students

and teacher will have a
class discussion about:
- How have you
seen Baptism in
the bible?
- What symbols are
associated with
Baptism?
- Are there any
images that come
to mind when
thinking about
Baptism?
- What signs and
actions are used
through the

Group activity rotations

Students will engage in

rotation stations to share
their findings about the
symbols, scripture,
images and signs and
symbols.

Observational notes will

be taken of the students
and their knowledge of
Baptism. In particular, any
misconceptions will be
noted down to ensure
these are addressed
before moving on.

Signs, actions and images

Video analysis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LB5zL2apiw
Photograph analysis
http://www.catholicaustralia.com.au/images/Baptism_2.jpg
https://bishopcampbellsblog.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/baptismofthelo
rd3.jpg
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/52666884e4b03cb52f5b33a3/t/526
67bfbe4b05199f0582846/1382448126215/BaptemeFotosearchsmall(1).j
pg
http://www.carmelapologetics.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/287anointing-with-oil.jpg

This may have to be done

the following lesson if
there is inadequate time.

sacrament of
Baptism?

Students will watch a provided video of different signs and actions being
performed in the sacrament. Students will analyse what might be
happening and the meaning behind these actions. Students will
complete a twy chart based on the different senses felt through
baptism.
Symbols:
Mystery Box
(Priest, font, water, lectionary, candle, oil of catechumens, godparents,
chrism, people, white garment, candidate, baptismal promises, Sign of
the Cross, stole, alb)
Students will be given a mystery box containing different symbols.
Students will analyse these symbols in what they represent, their
significance and how they are used.
Scripture:
Analysis of passage
Baptism: Mk 1: 711 John Baptises Jesus Christ in the Jordan
Students will be given a piece of scripture relating to the particular
sacrament. Students will then be asked to draw the main themes from
the passage and complete the following chart.

Characters
in the Story

Session 3
Students will
reflect on their
prior knowledge
of Confirmation,
explore the
importance of

Students will engage in

an independent Know,
Wonder and Learn chart
in regards to confirmation

Main
Events
of the
Story

Key
Actions,
Words
and
Symbols

What Does
This Story
Remind You
Of?

Students will then return to the floor and discuss their findings,
completing a group brainstorm.

A video will based on

confirmation will be
shown to the whole class.
Any other information we
discover will be added to
the brainstorm.
https://www.youtube.com/

Observational notes will

be taken of the students
and their knowledge of
Confirmation. In particular,
any misconceptions will
be noted down to ensure
these are addressed
before moving on.

this ritual and

understand how
the fruits of the
Holy Spirit
coincide with
this ritual
Session 4
Students will
explore the
significance of
scripture,
symbols,
images, signs
and actions
associated with
Confirmation

watch?v=Qt32SyDWuW8

As a class, the students

and teacher will have a
class discussion about:
- How have you
seen
Confirmation in
the bible?
- What symbols are
associated with
Confirmation?
- Are there any
images that come
to mind when
thinking about
Confirmation?
- What signs and
actions are used
through the
sacrament of
Confirmation?

Rotation group activities

Signs, actions and images
Video analysis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj_JmdOCJQM
Students will watch a provided video of different signs and actions being
performed in the sacrament. Students will analyse the confirmation
ceremony through the five senses twy chart.
Photograph analysis
http://stmarysalton.com/pictures/confirmation.jpg
http://www.catholicfaith.org.uk/var/storage/images/catholic-faithcentre/catholic-faith-centre-media-library/images/confirmation/184719-1eng-GB/Confirmation.jpg
http://img.forministry.com/C/C1/C1E45D0A-CBDF-4A01B1298273D86052DB/9B85FA47-7B86-4420-B06AEBD77C75C61C.jpg
Symbols:
Mystery Box
(bishop, sponsor, lectionary, candidate, people, laying on of hands,
chrism, baptismal promises, mitre, staff, chasuble, Sign of the Cross)
Students will be given a mystery box containing different symbols.
Students will analyse these symbols in what they represent, their
significance and how they are used.
Scripture:
Analysis of passage
Confirmation: Acts 8: 1417 Confirmation in Samaria
Students will be given a piece of scripture relating to the particular
sacrament. Students will then be asked to draw the main themes from
the passage and respond to the scripture through a creative response.

Students will then move

into rotation groups where
each group shares with
another what they have
learnt in their
investigation.
This may need to be done
in the next lesson if there
is inadequate time.

Observational notes will

be taken of the students
and their knowledge of
Confirmation. In particular,
any misconceptions will
be noted down to ensure
these are addressed
before moving on.

Session 5
Students will
use their
knowledge of
Baptism and
Confirmation
and make
connections
between these
two important
rituals and how
they contribute
to discipleship

Session 6
Students will
reflect on their
knowledge of
the Eucharistic
ritual and
explore the
importance of
this ritual for
Catholics

As a class
students and the
teacher will
engage in a
conversation
about Baptism
and Confirmation
and how they
connect.
Students will
explore the
symbols, actions,
images and
scripture and see
if there are any
similarities or
differences.

Students will engage in

an independent Know,
Wonder and Learn chart
in regards to the
Eucharist

Students will engage in a personal activity which will require them to fill
in a Venn diagram of confirmation and baptism.
Students will then be asked to write a response:
- How do these sacraments provide us with the gifts and fruits of
the Holy Spirt?
- How does Confirmation and Baptism contribute to us being good
disciples of Jesus?
- How do these sacraments improve our lives and how we live?

Students will share their findings and contribute their knowledge to a

class brainstorm.

Students will return to the

floor to reflect on their
learning, understandings
and further questions of
Baptism and Confirmation

Observational notes will

be taken of the students
and their knowledge of
Confirmation. In particular,
any misconceptions will
be noted down to ensure
these are addressed
before moving on.

Students will share any

questions they have
about the Eucharist and
these questions will be
kept to see if they are
answered through the
next session

Observational notes will

be taken of the students
and their knowledge of
Confirmation. In particular,
any misconceptions will
be noted down to ensure
these are addressed
before moving on.

Session 7
Students will
explore the
significance of
scripture,
symbols,
images, signs
and actions
associated with
the Eucharist

Independent group activities

Scripture:
Analysis of two passages
Students will complete a Venn Diagram of the two passages

Video:
Video analysis
Busted Halo

Students will then move

into rotation groups where
each group shares with
another what they have
learnt in their
investigation.
This may need to be done
in the next lesson if there
is inadequate time.

Observational notes will

be taken of the students
and their knowledge of
Confirmation. In particular,
any misconceptions will
be noted down to ensure
these are addressed
before moving on.

Symbols:
bishop/priest, people, lectionary, Sign of the Cross, bread, wine, altar,
chasuble, communicant, alb, stole, chalice, paten, corporal, ciborium.
Students will complete a chart on the symbols:
- What they are?
- What they represent?

Session 8
Students will
reflect on the
three
sacraments of
initiation and
discuss how
they contribute
to being good
disciples of
Jesus Christ

Students will brainstorm

the meanings and
messages behind
- Baptism
- Confirmation
- Eucharist

Students will then create their own interactive prayer with symbols and
actions that reflect the sacraments of initiation and discipleship.

Students will share their

prayer with another
student.

The prayer will be

observed to determine the
deep understanding of the
sacraments of initiation.

Reflection of unit planning, teaching and assessment:

Baptism:
Coming into this unit, students had knowledge of baptism as many of them are baptised and have often seen other baptisms take place. I
recognised through the pre-assessment brainstorm that students were aware of symbols of baptism such as the water and white garment but
didnt necessarily know what they symbolized. Through the rotation stations students began to deeply understand:

The symbolism and meaning behind the baptism story in the bible
The appearance of the symbols and images seen through mass and questions they have surrounding them
The actions, symbols being acted out and the order of the baptism sacrament

The rotation stations worked harmoniously, effectively and efficiently. The scripture story was challenging to understand, but another teacher
acted out the scripture so that students could achieve a deep understanding of the meanings and messages behind it.
Assessment:
After all the rotation stations were completed, students had time to finish off any work needed. After that, we engaged in a class brainstorm to
revisit some of the knowledge we have achieved through these rotation stations. Students contributed a large volume of information to the class
discussion and by doing this demonstrated engagement and understanding.
After concluding the lesson, through a discussion with Trish, it was highlighted to me that by asking What further questions do we have about
baptism?. By asking this question it will help guide a further discussion into some other areas. I decided to ask this question before I
commenced the confirmation lesson. Students had many questions about what the symbols of baptism represented as well as other questions
about the importance of baptism, age etc. We then watched a busted halo video on baptism and it answered many of the students questions.
The students were also attending a class mass during the week, so I ensured that this message was delivered to our parish priest so baptism
could be discussed further in the context of a church.
Through analysing the students work samples I have come to see that the see, think, wonder chart allowed them to ponder these types of
questions, however there was limited discovery. Perhaps there should have been another box available with information regarding each symbol,
after the students have wondered about the symbol they could find out if their prediction was correct. Through analysing the TWY chart I can
see that students have listed all the things they may experience through their senses in a baptismal ceremony. Students simply listed each
aspect but to develop this further they could be asked to use adjectives for each of these aspects. Through the story analysis chart I can see that
they have filled the chart to the required level however it could go much further with the symbols, key actions and words section. Perhaps
students can describe what these aspects mean in relation to the story and their importance.
Confirmation:
In the pre-assessment of confirmation doing the KWL chart students demonstrated little knowledge of confirmation. They questioned why we
had to learn about confirmation if they were doing in in grade 5 and 6. From this pre-assessment, I explained the importance of learning the
sacraments of initiation together baptism, Eucharist and confirmation as they are all interconnected.
We watched a busted halo video together that explains confirmation in great detail. This video broke down the symbols and meanings behind
confirmation allowing for any of those questions to be answered.
During the rotation stations, students worked at the same quality level as they did in the Baptism stations. The creative element associated with
the scripture passage helped the students be engaged deeply and assisted them with imagery of the passage.

Assessment:
Through observing the students work I have recognised that students gained a great amount of knowledge through the scripture story. They were
able to visualise what was happening and the symbolism behind these images. I can see through their See, think, wonder chart they were still
confused with the symbols. They needed guidance on what these symbols were and an added section to the table to explain the meaning behind
each symbols. I could also see through the TWY chart that students found it difficult to list all the elements they might experience through
confirmation. I believe a clearer video needed to be shown so that they could see the actions of confirmation.
Eucharist:
One of my main goals through teaching Eucharist is to share with students Jesus died for our sins and Jesus was a sacrifice therefore I
shared with them the story of Moses pouring blood on the altar before the new covenant and the last supper. I wanted them to make connections
with these stories as these actions marked a new direction and covenant for our religion. I asked students to connect the sacrifice of the lamb
and the sacrifice of Jesus, and what this meant for Jesus dying for our sins. I explained in detail what this meant, I believed some students
understood this deeply but others were still lost.
I believed the Eucharist rotation stations needed to be altered slightly so that the students did not get tired of the same pattern. A different sheet
was offered to the scripture story, the see, think, wonder remained the same, and students simply wrote dot points from the video. However, I
felt that the students were disengaged in the activities, perhaps this was because the students had been doing the same rotation stations for too
long. Some students could not even recognise that we have moved on from Confirmation and thought the rotation stations were still based on
previous sacraments, this tells me that they were too similar.
The video I selected delved deeply into concepts in regards to what Catholics believe in regards to the Eucharist. This video was far too complex
and long, therefore students became quite disengaged. In the future I will ensure that a video is selected that the students will truly understand
Assessment:
Through observing the students books it became aware that the video was too difficult as there was limited information written down. The see,
think, wonder chart was more detailed than the other two sacraments as students experienced Eucharist last year, therefore they knew the
names of the symbols and briefly what they represented. The sheet that was used for the Last Supper story analysis worked really effectively. It
was clear what students needed to do in each section, therefore students could confidently complete the chart independently.
Post-assessment:
In the post-assessment students were required to create their own prayer which reflects their personal interpretation and meaning from baptism,
Eucharist and confirmation. I wrote a sample prayer for students to read which reflected the meaning, importance and future implications for all

sacraments. Through my observations, some students found it difficult to write their prayer however these were the students who normally
struggle with writing. Some prayers were quite deep, insightful and covered all aspects of the sacraments of initiation. I was very proud with the
final products the students produced. To continue on with this learning, the students will use these prayers in their class prayer book for term 4.