5 Educational Sites for Learning about the Papal Election

As the Papal Conclave gets underway, the web is rich with sites and resources for teaching about the process.  Sorting through the sites for the most accurate and education ones can be quite a challenge. A number of good sites were shared recently in the weekly twitter chat #CatholicEDchat. In this post, I explore some sites and offer a few suggestions for those looking to use them in the classroom.I recently worked with teachers from a local Catholic school on a professional development day. We explored the of the links below.

How Do They Choose the Pope

This video from Busted Halo explains both the tradition and the process involved in the papal conclave. It tells process succinctly and in an engagingly, interesting way. 

Adopt a Cardinal

www.adoptacardinal.org - This site allows visitors to randomly generate the name of or 'adopt' a Cardinal. It gives facts about the selected Cardinal such as age, location and more. Thanks to @barbinnebraska for this one!

Visual Papal Conclave

http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/come-si-elegge-il-papa/ -This interactive by the Vatican Insider provides a visual tour of the Vatican along with the conclave process included. It is beautifully done, concise and informational.

 Electing a Pope

http://electingthepope.net/ - This is an educational site created by a group of bloggers, writers and educators. This site is both comprehensive and informative and is a valuable resource for those exploring the topic.

Cardinals Active on Twitter

This list of Cardinals on Twitter is set up by Fr. Roderick. It is an easy to 'follow' list which is broken down by country.

Sadlier Prayer Cards -

Classes can download these prayer cards and use them in prayers supporting the Cardinals in the conclave.

As we explored the sites, teachers creatively shared many ideas on how they could use these sites. Also, thanks to Dave M for telling us about the video above!

Ways to Use Papal Conclave Resources in the Classroom

1. Younger Students - Share the Visual Papal Conclave on a large screen or smartboard. Students can listen and learn visually. They can generate questions and explore answers as a class.2. Teachers can work with a classroom students or groups of students 'adopt' a cardinal. They can then do further research on that cardinal and the area he is from. Students can pray for their selected cardinal.3. Teachers can use the How To Choose video or the comprehensive www.electingthepope.net to use as a springboard for further research. Students can fill out a KWHL chart to check their knowledge and explore questions they may have.4. Students can role play or re-enact the process to form a deeper understanding and connection. Any of the above resources can inform their work.5. Students and teachers can follow twitter accounts of cardinals. Although media updates may be at a minimum during the conclave itself, these tweets can prove a valuable resource going forward as the new pope is elected and takes his place in Rome.I hope these sites are helpful. Please share any sites or lessons that you have found for this purpose.