Background Notes for Parents/Carers

About the theme – Lent/EasterIn this theme the children learn about the seasons of Lent and Easter and how Christians live their lives because of the beliefs held.

Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday, a day of fasting, is the first day of Lent. According to the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert, where he was tempted by Satan. Lent began as a mirroring of this, fasting 40 days as preparation for Easter. Ash Wednesday gets its name from the practice of blessing ashes made from palm branches blessed on the previous year’s Palm Sunday, and placing them in the sign of the cross on the heads of people to the accompaniment of the words "Repent, and believe in the Gospel" or "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return". Catholics believe that they are called to continuously ‘turn back’ to God and live a holy life. The symbol is a reminder that this life is short and our real lives will begin when we are raised to New Life in the Communion of Saints.

LentThe three traditional practices of Lent are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Prayer: Catholics believe that more time given to prayer during Lent will draw them closer to the Lord. Fasting: Fasting is not just about developing self-control. It is often an aid to prayer, as the pangs of hunger remind Catholics of their hunger for God. Fasting should be linked to concern for those who are forced to fast by their poverty, those who suffer from injustice and those who are in need for any reason. It is linked to living out baptismal promises. By Baptism, Catholics are given the responsibility of showing Christ's love to the world, especially to those in need. Abstaining from meat traditionally also linked Christians to the poor, who could seldom afford meat for their meals. Almsgiving: This is a sign of care for those in need and an expression of gratitude for all that God has given to us. Works of charity and the promotion of justice are integral elements of the Christian way of life which is begun at Baptism.

Holy WeekFor the Church, Holy Week is the ‘greatest week’ during which the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus is remembered in special celebrations. On Passion Sunday which is sometimes called Palm Sunday (because palms are blessed and Christians hear the reading of the passion of Jesus), Christians celebrate Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem to face his suffering and death.

The Paschal or Easter Triduum (pronounced Trid-oo-um) begins on Holy Thursday when Jesus washes the disciples’ feet and ends on Easter Sunday in the evening.When Lent ends, Catholics stand in the centre of the Christian year. On the night between Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, Catholics keep the Easter Vigil. They gather to light a fire and a towering candle, to listen to their most treasured scriptures, to sing psalms and other songs. Then they go to the waters and baptise those who have been preparing for new life in Christ. The newly baptised are then anointed with fragrant oil and, at last, with these newly baptised, they celebrate the Eucharist.Catholics prepare for this Vigil in the washing of feet on Holy Thursday and in the veneration of the cross on Good Friday. They also prepare by fasting. The Church fasts – from food, from

entertainment, from chatter, from work – so that they have time to ponder deeply the death and resurrection of the Lord, the mystery of faith that they will celebrate in the Vigil.

Easter SeasonBegins on Easter Sunday and ends 50 days later on Pentecost Sunday.Easter Sunday is the beginning of the Easter Season which lasts for 50 days ending on Pentecost Sunday. The Easter season is to the year what Sunday is to the week. It is the heart of the Christian faith. St. Paul writes that without a strong, unswerving belief in the resurrection of Christ, then, “empty too is our preaching; empty too your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14.) Catholics are an ‘Easter People’ and make "Alleluia" their song because they delight to praise the Lord who is raised from the dead and now shares his new life. The Paschal candle, the giant candle that is lighted during this season whenever Catholics celebrate in church, shows that Jesus lives.

Overview

Key Vocabulary YEAR 2Opportunities

LENT/EASTER THEMEopportunities

Ash Wednesday

Lent

prayer

sharing

giving

Cross

crucifix

Easter candle

Easter

New Life

Sabbath

The forty days of Lent is an opportunity for Christians to turn away from what is bad and to seek ways to do good by prayer and by doing something extra to prepare for the celebrate of Jesus’ Resurrection at Easter.

Children will know and understand:

• Each day offers opportunities for good

• Lent, the opportunity to turn towards what is good in preparation for Easter

See the Background Notes for Parents and Carers

Week 1: Children will learn about good and bad choices and that there are always opportunities to make good choices. Children will learn about Ash Wednesday and they will understand that this is the beginning of Lent.

Week 2: In lesson 1, children will learn that Lent lasts for 40 days and create their own Lenten calendar. In lesson 2, they will learn about the events of Palm Sunday. They will write a letter to friend imagining that they were there when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem.

Week 3: Lesson 1 focusses on the events of Maundy Thursday (The Last Supper) and the children will consider how they can serve others during Lent. In lesson 2, the children will learn about the Stations of the Cross and why they are so important before designing their own cross.

Week 4: Lesson 1 focusses on Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday. The children will write a recount of the events of the most special event in the Church’s year. At the end of this topic look at the key vocabulary and use it to remember all we have learnt about opportunities.

Celebrate with a simple Act of Worship (see below).

Year 2

In Year 2 the children learn that Christians use the opportunities of Lent to make a new start to prepare for the celebration of Easter. Lent is the opportunity to pray, to give up things and to do more. They may have made a promise to change. They will hear the Easter story.

Week 1: Lesson 1

Read Dogger by Shirley Hughes or this story:

James was looking forward to Saturday. His Mum had said he could invite four of his friends around to the flat for the afternoon, and she would take them out for tea. James was counting the days. It wasn’t often friends came to his house to play because he lived in a small flat in a high-rise block. His friends arrived and James showed them his games. They decided to make a list of which order to play them. The other children had brought either a game or a toy. Alice had brought an interactive game but decided she wouldn’t get it out in case the batteries got used up. It was one of the latest games that was very popular. The others tried to persuade her, but Alice decided she’d had enough and wanted to go home.

“But Mum’s going to take us out for our tea, and we need you for my game after tea. Even if you won’t let us play your game, we want you to play ours,” said James. But Alice went to get her coat, picked up her bag and left.

These questions are suitable whichever story you chose to share.Q What were the opportunities for good that could have been taken?Q What would you have said and done?Q What do you think about the characters in the story? Q Why do you think they acted as they did?Q What opportunities do you have to choose well? Q What helps you choose well?

Task: Compile a list of choices that would be made in a day e.g. what to wear, who to play with, who to sit next to at lunchtime etc. Sort them into good choices and bad choices.

Week 1: Lesson 2

(You may have spoken to your children about Ash Wednesday when it was celebrated, during the half term holidays. If so, a recap of how Lent begins, a reminder of any Lenten promises or a look at the Lenten calendar is sufficient.)

Talk about where Lent comes in the Church’s liturgical year and the symbol used to signify it. Discuss how Lent is a special time of preparation for Holy Week and Easter – the most important feast of the Church’s year. The time of Lent starts with Ash Wednesday. On Ash Wednesday Christians usually go to church where ashes, are put on their foreheads by the priest. These ashes are made from the burnt palms from last year’s Palm Sunday.

Task: Using the picture attached, write an account of what is happening. Add your own phrase that could be used when putting ashes on someone’s head. e.g. This is a sign that you are a follower of Jesus and say why this is a special time for Christians.

Week 2: Lesson 1

Lent lasts for forty days. Display Church’s Story 2 pages 66-67 and talk about how Lent is the opportunity for Christians to pray, to give up things and to do good. Ask the children for their ideas. Visit the CAFOD website and talk about opportunities to do good during Lent. https://cafod.org.uk/Give/Donate-to-CAFOD/Lent-Appeal?gclid=Cj0KCQiA1KiBBhCcARIsAPWqoSreu-4BXvUJe6bR_Ah03kCHvAOttJeGGpStua5t4u6m0mpF1HxDlfoaAoTrEALw_wcB

Task: Create your own Lenten calendar for the rest of Lent which outlines simple opportunities to do good each day.

Week 2: Lesson 2

Discuss the images below. The priest is wearing red not purple. Red signifies someone who has died for what they believe. On Palm Sunday there is a procession into Church, which remembers the story of Jesus going into Jerusalem just before he was put to death. Everyone has a Palm or a Palm cross. At Mass the story of Jesus’ suffering and death is read: this is called the Passion. This is the beginning of Holy Week in the Church, a week of remembering the events that lead to the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. It is a very special time.

Read the story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem below

Task: Imagine you were one of the crowd of people in Jerusalem at the time of the event. Write a letter to a friend in Galilee describing what you saw and heard and how it made you feel.

Week 3: Lesson 1

On Maundy Thursday during Holy Week a special Mass is celebrated. The priest washes people’s feet to remind everyone that Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. Jesus wanted to show his friends how they must behave towards each other – caring for and looking after each other. This is how the story of The Last Supper begins.

Task: Jesus showed us how to serve and do things for other people. Describe how you could take the opportunity to serve someone.

Week 3: Lesson 2Often during Lent, Christians remember Jesus’ death by praying the Stations of the Cross (station means stopping place). In the church there are fourteen plaques around the church

(sometimes fifteen if the Resurrection is included) depicting the journey of Jesus to His crucifixion and burial. Christians remember Jesus died for everyone.Task: On a template of a Cross create a series of pictures that depicts the events of Good Friday. Describe why you think the cross is important for Christians.

Week 4: Lesson 1Good Friday was not the end. After Jesus had died on the Cross his friends came and took his body and buried it in a stone tomb and rolled a big stone in front of the opening. They did not have time to prepare Jesus’ body as it was the Sabbath.Read the story of the women who went to the tomb (below)On Easter Sunday, people celebrate the Resurrection, the new life that God gave to Jesus. The church is decorated with lots of flowers, the priest wears a white or gold vestment and there is lots of singing, especially ‘Alleluias’, to show how happy everyone is.Task: Imagine you are one of those who went to the tomb. Retell the events of the Resurrection describing what happened and include the words Jesus spoke to you.

Week 4 Lesson 2

Look back at the key vocabulary and help your child to remember what they have learnt.

Celebrate together with a simple Act of worship (see below)

ResourcesWeek 1 – Lesson 2Describe what happens during Mass on Ash Wednesday

What happens the day before Ash Wednesday and why? Why is Lent a special time for Christians?When does Lent begin?Where do the ashes for Ash Wednesday come from?

Week 2 – Lesson 1

Design your own Lenten calendar.

What opportunities does Lent offer?

Which opportunity for doing good will our class choose during Lent? How will we do this?

How might Lent help Christians to be better people?

What good things can we do to help our wider community during Lent?

Week 2 – Lesson 2

What happens in church on Palm Sunday? What are we remembering?

Write a letter to a friend in Galilee describing what you could see and hear as Jesus arrived in Jerusalem.

Why do you think the people were cheering? How do you think Jesus felt?How would you have felt if you had been there? What is Palm Sunday the beginning of?Why is Holy Week so special?

Week 3 – Lesson 1Describe how you could take the opportunity to serve someone.

Why did Jesus wash their feet?

How do you think the disciples felt?

Why do you think Peter reacted like that?

Why does the priest wash people’s feet today?

What does the story tell you about how we should be with others?

Week 3 – Lesson 2

They listen to the story of Good Friday.

How do you think Jesus felt?

How does listening to the account make you feel?

How do you think the other people present felt?

Design a cross showing the events of Good Friday.

Week 4 – Lesson 1

Write a recount describing the events of Jesus’ resurrection.

How do you think the women felt before they went to the tomb?

What did the angel have to tell them?

What do you think the women said when they saw the disciples?

What is most important about Easter Day for Christians?

Week 4 – Lesson 1

Act of Worship

“OPPORTUNITIES”Year 2

‘Lent, the opportunity to turn towards what is good in preparation for Easter’’

’

You might like to set up a Focal table with some of the following:Candle, Bible (if possible), a cross, sandals, bowl, towel, a picture of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet (from the internet)

We begin our prayer by making the sign of the cross – a sign which reminds us of how much God loves us… In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

We have been looking at the opportunities there are in each day to choose what is good. We have also been learning how Lent, which lasts for 40 days, is a special time in the Church’s year which provides Christians with the opportunity to choose to pray, to give up things and to give money to people in need.

In the country where Jesus lived the roads were dusty and dry so it was the custom to wash your feet before a meal, usually it was a lowly servant who did this. The disciples were very surprised by what happened at the beginning of the meal we now know as the Last Supper. The story is found in John’s gospel. Here is what happened.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St JohnGlory to You, O LordWe make the sign of the cross on our forehead, lips and heart, in preparation to hear the Good News of the Gospel. We make the sign of the cross on our foreheads to show we believe in God’s Word, on our lips to show we try to speak God’s Word to others, and on our hearts to show we love God’s Word and will try to live a good life.

So Jesus rose from the table, took off his outer garment, and tied a towel around his waist. Then he poured some water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel around his waist. He came to Peter, who said to him,‘Are you going to wash my feet, Lord?’Jesus answered him, ‘You do not understand now what I am doing, but later you will’Peter protested, ‘You will never wash my feet!’‘If I do not wash your feet,’ Jesus answered,‘you will no longer be my disciple.’Peter answered, ‘Lord, do not wash only my feet, then! Wash my hands and head, too!Jesus said, ‘It is enough to wash your feet.’After Jesus had washed their feet, he put his outer garment back on and returned to his place at the table.‘Do you understand what I have just done to you?’ he asked.‘You call me teacher and Lord, and it is right that you do so, because that is what I am. I, your Lord and teacher, have just washed your feet. You, then, should wash one another’s feet. I have set an example for you, so that you will do just what I have done for you.’

Gathering together

The Word of God

The Gospel of the LordPraise to You Lord, Jesus Christ

On Maundy Thursday during Holy Week a special Mass is celebrated and the priest washes people’s feet to remind everyone that Jesus did that. Jesus wanted to show his friends how they must behave towards each other – caring for and looking after each other.

The response to our prayer is Lord, help us to take opportunities to do good.

That we will remember to thank God each day for loving us.Lord, help us to take opportunities to do good.

That we may be kinder and more loving to friends and family.Lord, help us to take opportunities to do good

That we may appreciate all those who help us Lord, help us to take opportunities to do good

That we may be grateful for Jesus’ love for usLord, help us to take opportunities to do good

That we may be more helpful in the classroom.Lord, help us to take opportunities to do good

Let us pause for a moment and think of one opportunity we will take to do good before Easter to help us grow to be more like Jesus….

Bless us each day. Give us all we need to choose to be more like you, for you have made us and know us and love us. Amen

In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Response to the Word

Going Forth