ABCs of creating GSR in the Classroom resources

A screen on a tablet shows Global Sisters Report while a person takes notes in a notebook are visible. (GSR photo illustration/Teresa Malcolm)

(GSR photo illustration/Teresa Malcolm)

Educators can find a wealth of material in the many and diverse Global Sisters Report (GSR) articles about Catholic sisters, and columns written by sisters around the globe who are modeling faith, hope, charity and justice in their wide-ranging ministries. While GSR has developed many GSR in the Classroom resources, you may find an article or column you want to share with your class that has not been formally adopted in our classroom resources.

We encourage instructors to develop their own resources and share these with other educators. Another possibility is to have student groups work on developing a "GSR in the Classroom" resource and then share it with the entire class — or small groups can work on different parts of one resource that can be combined for a classroom experience. You may want to condense or take out some steps depending on your time frame and the needs of the students.

Guide to developing GSR in the Classroom resources

A. Identify an article about a sister or group of sisters that your students would respond to; it may be related to a part of your curriculum, or to interests that the students have brought up.

B. Develop the Lesson resource for students:

  1. Before you read: Ask if students have any knowledge about the issue or injustice the sister(s) are responding to in the article.
  2. Keep in mind: Note some central themes and teachings from Scripture and Catholic social teaching that readers should keep in mind as they read. See: 
    Justice and Peace: Catholic Social Teaching — U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
    Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching — U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
    Catholic Social Teaching 101 — Catholic Relief Services
  3. Vocabulary: Note any words that may be unfamiliar for the reader and provide simple definitions.
  4. After you read: Develop several open-ended questions that can help focus students on key themes in the article. (Avoid questions that can be answered yes or no.)
  5. Scripture Spotlight: Identify a few relevant Scripture passages that speak to the ministry of the sister(s). Develop questions that can help students reflect on these passages.
  6. The church's call: Identify relevant quotes from Catholic social teaching and other church sources. Develop questions to relate these to the article.
  7. Synergy with sisters: Discuss some ways you can support the sister(s) in their ministry or support similar ministries in your own area.
  8. Act: How can students become part of the solution? Identify some connections to Catholic groups or organizations that work for justice and peace in your area and/or to Catholic national or international organizations working to promote a just and peaceful world. (Some examples: Network Lobby for Catholic Social Justice (started by Catholic sisters); Catholic Relief Services; Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns.)
  9. Pray: Write a short prayer that reflects what has been learned through this process and responds to the Gospel challenge to promote human dignity, human rights, care for creation, etc.

C. Develop an Instructor's Guide:

  1. Background: Do some basic research so you and the students can understand the injustice or issue the sister(s) are addressing in their ministry. Keep the background short but provide a current overview and some context.
  2. Focus: What is most important about the situation from the perspective of people of faith? What do you want students to take away from the reading, activity and discussions? State these succinctly.
  3. Activity: Review the kinds of activities in current GSR in the Classroom resources and other resources you can identify. Consider what kind of activities engage students; you may ask them to recommend activities they have enjoyed. You can consider games, role-plays, web quests, etc. Develop an activity that meets the students' needs and the time limits you have.
  4. Discussion questions: What do you want students to consider and reflect on about the injustice or issue after going through the activity? Develop open-ended questions that have no right or wrong answers but help students think about aspects and implications of the activity.
  5. Prayer: Identify a prayer on the issue, or write a short prayer that helps summarize the ministry of the sister(s), that refers to the church's call to all people of faith to focus on the issue, and that offers hope in solidarity with the sisters and the people they serve.