Keeping Mary’s Story

Overview

Year level: Years 1–2

In this Catholic Religious Education lesson, students learn about the Feast of the Assumption of Mary and why feast days are important. Students hear a simple story, look at pictures, talk, move, sort pictures, and draw. They learn that Catholics believe Mary was taken to heaven, body and soul, after her life on earth. Feast days help Catholic people remember and pass on important stories and messages.

Learning intentions

IALA: that feast days are ways of preserving the stories/messages of our Catholic stories.

Students will:

• Learn that Catholics celebrate the Feast of the Assumption on 15 August.
• Learn that Catholics believe Mary was taken to heaven, body and soul, after her life on earth.
• Learn that this is different from Jesus rising and returning to heaven.
• Talk about how feast days help people remember and pass on important stories and messages.
• Make a drawing and sentence about what a feast day helps us remember.

Success criteria

SC:

• I can say one thing about Mary or the Feast of the Assumption.
• I can say that Catholics believe Mary was taken to heaven, body and soul.
• I can tell one difference between Mary’s Assumption and Jesus rising and returning to heaven.
• I can explain that feast days help Catholic people remember and pass on important stories and messages.
• I can draw and complete: “A feast day helps us remember…”

Prior knowledge

Students may know that Mary was Jesus’ mother, that Jesus rose, and that people celebrate special days. Ask students what they notice in a picture of Mary, a calendar, or a celebration. Accept different family and faith experiences respectfully. No student needs to share a personal belief.

Vocabulary

• Mary: the mother of Jesus.
• feast day: a special day when Catholic people remember an important person or story.
• Assumption: Catholics believe Mary was taken to heaven, body and soul, after her life on earth.
• Ascension: Jesus rose and returned to the Father in heaven.
• heaven: being with God.
• faithful: trusting God and trying to follow God.
• Catholic: a person who belongs to the Catholic Church.
• Gospel: a special book in the Bible about Jesus.

Curriculum links

• Religious beliefs and culture: the importance of religion, including gods, temples, and festivals.
• Religious beliefs and culture: the importance of art, architecture, literature, and drama in expressing belief.
• History: similarities and differences in the role religion plays in societies and across periods.
• Supports Te Mātaiaho capabilities including thinking, using language, symbols and texts, relating to others, and participating and contributing. This is a cross-curricular Social Sciences connection to religious beliefs and culture.

Resources

• Assumption introduction and teaching deck with large, simple pictures
• Picture cards: Mary, Jesus, a calendar marked 15 August, heaven, a feast or celebration, and people sharing a story
• Two simple picture sequences: Mary’s Assumption and Jesus’ rising and returning to heaven
• Board or large paper and markers
• Drawing paper or an accessible worksheet
• Pencils and coloured pencils
• Word and picture cards for vocabulary and sentence frames
• Optional Bible or approved Catholic children’s Bible
• Prayer space with a cross or image of Mary

Brief prayer/karakia option

Invite students to sit quietly, look at the image of Mary, and take one slow breath. Say:

“Mary, thank you for your faithful life. Help us to remember good stories and share them with care. Amen.”

Students may join in, listen quietly, or use silent reflection. A teacher may use an appropriate local karakia according to school practice.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Welcome and movement hook. Show a picture of an older person telling a story to a child. Ask, “Why do we tell important stories again?” Students turn and talk, then make a “remember” action, such as touching their heads. Gather simple answers: “so we remember”, “to teach us”, and “to pass it on”.

2. 5–10 min · Learning intention and prior knowledge. Show the IALA and success criteria with pictures. Show pictures of Mary, Jesus, a calendar, and a celebration. Ask, “What do you notice?” and “What do you know?” Repeat and clarify key words. Students show thumbs up, sideways, or down to share what they know.

3. 10–25 min · I DO: model and explain. Tell the story using three or four pictures. Explain: “The Feast of the Assumption is on 15 August. Catholics believe that after Mary’s life on earth, God took Mary to heaven, body and soul.” Explain respectfully that this is a Catholic belief. Say: “Jesus rose and returned to the Father in heaven. Mary was taken to heaven by God. These are not the same event.” Model the sentence: “A feast day helps Catholics remember Mary’s faithful life and pass on her story.” Students practise the words with actions: Mary, heaven, remember, and pass it on. Check understanding with two picture choices: “Which picture shows Jesus rising?” and “Which picture shows Mary’s Assumption?”

4. 25–40 min · WE DO: picture sort and sequence. In pairs or small groups, students sort picture cards into “Mary’s Assumption”, “Jesus rising and returning to heaven”, and “feast day helps us remember”. Groups put three or four cards in order for one story. Students move to the matching sign or picture when the teacher says “Mary”, “Jesus”, or “feast day”. Build a class sentence together: “Feast days help Catholic people remember and pass on important stories and messages.” Use sentence frames: “I see…”, “This picture goes first because…”, and “A feast day helps us remember…”.

5. 40–53 min · YOU DO: drawing and sentence. Give each student paper or a worksheet. Students draw a picture and complete: “A feast day helps us remember…” They may draw Mary, a calendar marked 15 August, people sharing a story, or another suitable picture. Students may copy from a word bank, tell an adult what to write, or have an adult scribe. Confident Year 2 students may add: “Mary’s Assumption is different from Jesus’ Ascension because…”

6. 53–60 min · Prayer, reflection, and exit ticket. Offer the brief prayer or quiet reflection. Students complete an oral, drawn, pointed-to, or written exit ticket: “Mary was…”, “The Assumption means Catholics believe…”, or “A feast day helps us…” The teacher listens to each student or checks the drawing and notes whether the student can identify Mary’s belief, distinguish the two events, and explain the purpose of a feast day.

Assessment

• During discussion and movement, listen for students using the words Mary, feast day, heaven, and remember.
• During the I DO, use picture choices and thumbs signals to check whether students can distinguish Mary’s Assumption from Jesus rising and returning to heaven.
• During the WE DO picture sort, observe whether students can place a simple sequence and explain one picture.
• Use the drawing and sentence to check whether students understand that feast days help Catholic people remember and pass on important stories and messages.
• Use the oral, drawn, or written exit ticket to identify students needing more support or vocabulary practice.

Differentiation

• Support emerging readers with large pictures, repeated oral language, actions, matching games, a small word bank, and one-to-one or partner rehearsal.
• Support English language learners with picture vocabulary, gestures, modelling, home-language discussion where possible, and sentence frames: “I see…”, “Mary was…”, “Catholics believe…”, and “A feast day helps us remember…”.
• Allow pointing, drawing, oral answers, dictation, adult scribing, tracing, or copying a sentence.
• Give students who need more structure a choice of two pictures, a pre-drawn calendar, and a completed first part of the sentence.
• Extend confident Year 2 students by adding a comparison sentence about Mary’s Assumption and Jesus’ Ascension, or explaining how a prayer, picture, song, or family celebration can pass on a story.

Home-school connection

Students may show their drawing to someone at home and say: “A feast day helps us remember…” Invite families to talk about a special day, celebration, story, or memory that is important to them. Sharing is optional and should respect different faiths, cultures, and family traditions.