Teachers and Learners · Week 4 · Grades 6–8
Guided Notes: St. John Bosco
- Name
- Date
- Class
Follow along as your teacher presents. Fill in each section when its slide is on the screen.
A poor boy with a plan
John Bosco was born in blank 1 at Becchi, a cluster of farmhouses in Piedmont, in northern Italy. His father died when John was two. His mother, Margaret, raised three boys in poverty.
John later wrote that at about age nine he had a dream. In it he learned that he would win young people over through blank 2, not with his fists.
He learned juggling and acrobatics to draw a crowd, then led the crowd in prayer. To pay for his studies he worked many jobs. He was ordained a priest in blank 3.
Don Bosco’s life
Write what happened in each year.
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1815 | Write your answer |
| 1841 | Write your answer |
| 1846 | Write your answer |
| 1859 | Write your answer |
| 1872 | Write your answer |
| 1875 | Write your answer |
| 1888 | Write your answer |
| 1934 | Write your answer |
Check the facts
Why did young John Bosco learn juggling and acrobatics? Circle one.
- A To earn the money for his seminary studies
- B To draw a crowd he could then lead in prayer
- C To escape farm work and join a traveling fair
- D To entertain his brothers after their father died
Why is that the right answer?
A city full of forgotten boys
Turin was growing fast in the 1840s. Factories and building sites drew boys from the blank 4. Many arrived alone, worked long hours for low pay and slept wherever they could.
As a young priest, Don Bosco visited the city’s prisons and saw boys locked up there. He decided to reach young people before they got that far.
His blank 5 offered Mass, classes, games and friendship. He started evening schools and workshops for shoemaking, tailoring and printing. He also wrote contracts with employers so that apprentices would be treated fairly.
Cause and effect
What did Don Bosco decide after visiting boys in Turin’s prisons? Circle one.
- A To ask the city to build larger and safer prisons
- B To send the boys back to their farms and villages
- C To leave Turin and work as a country pastor
- D To reach young people before they landed in jail
Why is that the right answer?
Present or just watching?
Don Bosco stayed with his boys in the classroom, the chapel and the playground. Sort each action: is it real presence, or just looking on? Check one box for each.
| Item | Real presence | Just looking on |
|---|---|---|
| Messaging a friend who has gone quiet to ask how they are | ||
| Watching someone get mocked in a group chat and saying nothing | ||
| Putting your phone face down when a friend is talking | ||
| Viewing a classmate’s posts but never speaking to them | ||
| Inviting a new student to join your team or game | ||
| Filming a fight instead of getting help |
Think it through
Which choice best matches Don Bosco’s way of guiding young people? Circle one.
- A Be present, be kind, and explain your reasons
- B Set strict rules, then punish each offense
- C Let the young decide everything on their own
- D Reward the best students and expel the rest
Why is that the right answer?
Think, pair, share
Don Bosco went to the streets, workshops and prisons because that is where the boys were. Where do people your age spend their time today, including online? Who is alone there, and what could you do about it?
Think: my idea before we talk
Sentence starters: “People my age spend the most time ...”“Someone can be surrounded by people online and still ...”“One thing I could actually do is ...”
Pair: something my partner said
Let us pray
Lord Jesus, you are the Good Shepherd who leaves no one behind.
Give us eyes to notice the lonely and the courage to welcome them.
St. John Bosco, pray for us.
Amen.
My own prayer or intention:
Well done!
Don Bosco began with a few boys and a shed. Today the Salesian family serves young people in more than 130 countries.
One thing I learned today:
One question I still have:
How could the example of St. John Bosco shape the way I live, online and offline?
Challenge: Be present to one person this week: phone away, full attention, for one whole conversation.