KEY LEARNINGS/

EXPECTATIONS

SAMPLE DEMONSTRATIONS/

ACTIVITIES

LANGUAGE FOR REPORTING

UNIT 1

We

–      explain the overall structure of the Bible

–      understand the Bible as the story of the Christian community and its relationship with God

–      discover how we are called to be an active part of the Christian community helping one another grow

–      understand that the Apostle’s Creed is the belief statement of the Catholic Faith, which shapes who we are and the choices we make

–      locate Old and New Testament passages

–      demonstrate skills for relating one’s story to that of the Christian community through oral discussion and written reflection

–      use our unique gifts to help others grow in wholeness, e.g. service activities, write stories or read with younger students, do music performance for elderly people

–      volunteer at food bank

–      visit retirement home

–      be ministers of hospitality at school masses

–      discussion of Creed

–      written reflection of prayer

·     (name of student)  understands that the Bible is the story of the Christian community and its relationship with God

·                             can identify major themes of Old Testament stories such as the Exodus

·                          recognizes how the 10 commandments help us to love God and neighbour

·                            can articulate some implications of covenant relationship

·                            can distinguish, evaluate and describe examples of authority that assist decision making in daily living

·                          understands that the Apostle’s Creed is the belief statement of the Catholic Church, and can identify the implications of this statement in daily life

UNIT 2

We

Believe

in

God

–      understand the story of Abraham as a story about trust

–      recognize God’s fidelity as revealed in the Exodus story

–      discover signs of God’s faithfulness in today’s world

–      Reader’s Theatre of the Story of Sara and Abraham (S.T. p. 28, 29)

–      demonstrate skills and attitudes needed to build trusting relationships through written reflection of Abraham and St. Teresa’s prayer of trust (T.M.       p. 95)

–      creation of a mandala (T.M. p. 95) as a personal prayer reflection upon the theme of trust

–      recognize God’s faithfulness in the world around, through small group presentations

–      retell the Exodus story in small groups (T.M. p. 102)

–      written reflection by each group after Passover meal is complete

–      participate in developing a class prayer-litany of thanksgiving (model T.M. p. 107)

UNIT 3

We

Believe

In

God

The Father Almighty

–      appreciate and discover that God wants us to experience a covenant relationship with the creator both giving and receiving love as between parent and child

–      discover how God gave the ten commandments as part of the covenant to free us and allow for greater love

–      recognize how the commandments state what is required in love of God and love of neighbour

–      experience a relationship between covenant and moral behaviour

–      oral discussions and written reflections demonstrate understanding of God as parent

–      give examples of how God as parent guides us and sets us free

–      in small groups, and in chart form identify ways we experience God’s love through others

–      show appreciation for God’s gift of our freedom to choose by describing or illustrating choices from stories, experiences, films, music, personal reflections

UNIT 4

We Believe in God – The Creator of Heaven and Earth

-    know that Advent, which means “coming”, is a time to prepare with open hearts for the coming of Jesus now and in the future

-    recognize that as creative beings people are called to share in God’s work of creation

-    experience the challenge to act together to encourage creativity

-    grow in awareness of the ways that human beings disturb the order in creation

-    understand the relationship between biblical stories, science and history

-    recognize that both the scriptural creation stories and science call people to take care of the environment

-    deepen awareness of how people are called to accept and value people as they are

-    recognize the need to challenge anything that takes away the dignity of self and/or others

-    enter into the spirit of the season through participation in Advent activities

-    reflect upon creativity based upon Genesis 2 through discussions and mime

-    write a haiku poem about creation and the wonder of creating

-    write an imaginary letter from God inviting participation in God’s creative activity

-    develop an activity for the class that provides the opportunity for students to use their creative gifts

-    engage in activities which highlight environmental issues of concern

-    explore the creation stories in Genesis 1 and 2

-    articulate the fact that the creation stories in Genesis are not intended to be scientific and therefore do not conflict with science

-    explain how the Bible calls people to work with God in creation

-    explore realistic ways students can care for creation

-    brainstorm environmental problems in the local community and choose a response to one of these issues

-    explore difficulties people face in responding to the call to accept and value others

-    define the dignity of each person and some of the things that undermine it

-    reflect on scripture stories, which show how Jesus respected the dignity of all people

-    contribute to a list of suggestions for making the classroom a place where dignity is enhanced

·       (name of student)  knows the meaning of the Advent season along with its symbols and traditions

·      _______________ recognizes how human beings are called to share in the ongoing work of creation

·      _______________ has grown in awareness of the ways that people disturb the order in creation

·      ________________ understands that scripture and science are not in conflict with regard to creation

·      _______________ has deepened awareness of the need to defend and value the dignity of all people

UNIT 5

We Believe in Jesus Christ His Only Son

-    discover ways names and titles shape relationships

-    investigate names and titles of Jesus

-    choose a personal title for Jesus expressing student’s current understanding of and relationship with Jesus

-    examine ways Jesus challenges people’s expectations

-    discover ways people’s lives have been changed in response to Jesus

-    recognize encounters with Jesus in the lives of people today

-    see in the temptation story of Jesus an example of living in the kingdom of God

-    deepen awareness of how modern culture can both encourage and discourage living according to God’s way

-    explore students’ personal names and titles and how they affect their relationships with the people who use them

-    choose a title of Jesus and design a symbol expressing its meaning

-    write a paragraph explaining how a particular title makes Jesus more understandable

-    explain in poetry, song or essay a chosen title for Jesus and the relationship it expresses

-    through role-play enter into and discuss stories in which Jesus challenged and changed people’s expectations of God

-    express in story, song or role-play ways Jesus might challenge people’s expectations and behaviour today

-    identify attitudes or expectations Jesus would challenge in students’ school community and develop a plan as a class to bring about the change Jesus would want

-    enter into Scripture stories of people who encountered Jesus and believed in him

-    explore ways Jesus has shaped students’ lives or the lives of people they know

-    express in writing a situation of being challenged to believe in Jesus

-    reflect on how Jesus shows his followers that living in the Kingdom of God is to live according to God’s way

-    write an analysis of songs or ads identifying what supports God’s way and what is opposed to it

-    develop a list of “dos” and “don’ts” for healthy life-giving relationships

·      ________________ knows the meaning of several titles of Jesus and the relationship they express with the followers of Jesus

·      ________________ has a growing knowledge of ways people’s lives have changed in response to Jesus

KEY LEARNINGS/

EXPECTATIONS

SAMPLE DEMONSTRATIONS/

ACTIVITIES

LANGUAGE FOR REPORTING

UNIT 6

We Believe

in

Jesus

Our

Lord

-    deepen awareness of what is required to be happy

-    show understanding of Jesus’ guidelines for happiness as found in the Sermon on the Plain

-    experience how Jesus used parables to change the way people thought about God and God’s desires for everyone

-    apply the concept of living in the kingdom of God to modern day life

-    increase understanding of the challenge to live in the kingdom of God expressed in the Lord’s prayer

-    write a recipe for happiness

-    interview an adult or young child about what is needed for happiness

-    share songs expressing different understandings of happiness

-    write a definition of true happiness based on Luke 6.17-42

-    design a poster calling people to live in a way that will make them truly happy

-    write a letter of encouragement to someone who is unhappy, sharing some of what Jesus taught

-    enter into the parable of “The Labourers in the Vineyard” through dramatic reading

-    reflect on what this parable says about unity and sharing in the kingdom of God

-    explore various parables and express their revelations about what the kingdom is and is not

-    develop a modern day parable and present it in a skit, poem, song, picture board or small picture book

-    develop a “Kingdom of God” newspaper in which stories, cartoons, editorials, etc. give readers an idea of what it means to live in the kingdom of God

-    identify the petitions found in the Lord’s Prayer and seek ways for each to become reality in students’ lives and the lives of all people

-    communally pray the Lord’s Prayer in a variety of ways (e.g. Song, dialogue, etc.)

·      ________________shows understanding of Jesus’ guidelines for happiness as found in the beatitudes

·      ________________  is aware of how Jesus used parables to change the way people thought about the kingdom of God

·      ________________ has a deeper awareness of the challenge to be open to living in the kingdom of God expressed in the Lord’s prayer

UNIT 7

We Believe in Jesus…

Who Was conceived by the Power of The Holy Spirit and Born of the Virgin Mary

-    understand the meaning of grace

-    identify ways to follow Mary’s example of co-operating with the grace of God

-    learn the meaning of the terms “virgin birth” and “Immaculate Conception”

-    discover ways people can co-operate with God in the difficult moments in their lives

-    understand the meaning of the term “Incarnation”

-    deepen appreciation for the humanity of Jesus

-    become aware of the things students have in common with the historical Jesus

-    identify with Jesus’ humanity and see how his life can be a model for our own

-    create a symbol of grace to share and explain to others

-    read and reflect upon “What Mary Might Tell Us”, a narrative of Mary’s story from the Annunciation to the birth of Jesus in her own imaginary words

-    describe how Mary is an example of one who hears the word of God and responds to it wholeheartedly

-    briefly explain the meaning of “virgin birth” and “Immaculate Conception” as found in student text

-    explore through interviews, media search, etc. situations of something negative producing positive results

-    as a class choose a way to make a bad situation better or reach out to someone in difficulty

-    define what is meant when the term “Incarnation” is used in reference to Jesus: In Jesus, God became human, fully human and fully divine

-    create an acrostic using the word “Incarnation” in which each letter begins a characteristic valued in human beings

-    explore the political and cultural circumstances in which Jesus lived through group and/or independent reading and research

-    write a story of an imaginary encounter with Jesus in first century Palestine

-    write a composition about students’ image of Jesus and his life

-    create a silhouette and write on it one thing which the student has in common with Jesus

-    identify things students think Jesus understands about young people their age

-    write an introduction for Jesus to friends explaining why they would get along with Jesus

-    in imitation of Jesus’ understanding of other humans reach out to someone in the community who may be misunderstood

-    ________________ appreciates the role of Mary in the Church as an example of openness to the word of God

-    ________________ has an appreciation and knowledge of the humanity of Jesus and how his life can be a model for all people

UNIT 8

He Suffered under Pontius Pilate…

descended to the dead

-    understand the issues that led to Jesus’ crucifixion

-    discover some possible reasons for Jesus’ refusal to change his convictions even in the face of death

-    recognize the courage and determination needed to take a stand for truth and justice

-    deepen awareness of Jesus’ passion and death

-    appreciate sacrifice as the gift of oneself for the benefit of another

-    recognize the relationship of Jesus’ sacrifice to Old Testament sacrifices and to the Eucharist

-    understand reasons for and consequences of excluding others

-    - understand more fully that Jesus’ offer of redemption is for all people

-    through co-operative learning explore specified groups’ opposition to Jesus

-    working in groups, prepare a brief speech giving Jesus’ response to his opponents’ demands

-    role play situations in life where acting as a Christian demands taking a risk

-    identify the criteria for taking or refusing to take risks and connect these to the risk of being and acting as a Christian in daily life

-    prepare and participate in mime, drama, song or slide presentation to explain the scripture passages connected to the Stations of the Cross

-    explore the meaning of sacrifice through various activiti