Palma Junior High School 2008-2009 / Ms Marsh

Understanding Catholic Christianity / 7th Grade Religion

 

Course Objective: This course is designed to help students understand the major elements of the Catholic Church.  Students will explore their faith and the faith of the founders of the church as well as, historical facts, church dogma and doctrines, that have shaped the Catholic Church today.

 

Course Goals: To understand the Catholic Church and the main elements.

 

Learning and Teaching Strategies:  Since each student that enters my class has many different levels of understanding of religious faith/education and some have no background in religious education, various teaching methods (individual discussions, lecture, group discussions and projects, movies, speakers and power point presentations) will be employed.  Every effort will be made to help each individual from their current point in understanding to their highest level.

 

Expected Schoolwide Learning Result  (ESLRÕs):  As with every course at Palma Junior High School, 8th Grade religion requires that all students learn and grow in these four areas: Spiritual/Moral (prayer, and an understanding of God in their life), Intellectual (class material and projects), Physical (reaching out to others and being active in their church as well as their Palma community), and Social (classroom behavior and interaction with students and teachers).

 

Grades:  The percentage of distribution is as follows:

Quarter:                                   Semester:                                

Homework    30%                   1st Quarter                   40%

Evaluations   50%                   2nd Quarter                  40%

Project           20%                   Semester Exam            20%

 

Letter Grade assigned follows the standard Palma % scale.

 

Homework:  Weekly homework will be assigned.  Homework will be written on the board in the classroom and on the website.  All students must write the homework assignment from the board in their time trackers in the event that the class work gets off the website schedule.

 

Projects:  There will be several large and small Projects every quarter.  The projects grade is worth 20% of the quarter grade.

 

Materials:  Text, ÒUnderstanding Catholic ChristianityÓ, The New American Bible, and a Religion Notebook.  Students must have a pen or pencil for class at all times.

 

 

 

 

Course Outline:

 

Unit I:  Identity and Development

A. We are unique in all the world

B. Personality Inventory

C. The Journey of our life

D. Adolescence: From childhood to adulthood

E. Crucial tasks of adolescence

F. Living life on the edge

G. Finding answers to lifeÕs longings

 

Unit II:  Faith: Responding to GodÕs Invitation

A. The meaning of Faith

B. Trust and Belief

C. When we do not have all of the answers

D. How can we know about God?

F. Revelation

G. Faith and Religious Practices

H. The way we express our Faith

 

Unit III:  Judaism: Discovering our Religious Roots

A. People of the Promise

B. Covenant

C. Abraham: Father of Our Faith

D. Moses

E. The Promised Land

F.Babylonian Exile

G. Jesus: Fulfillment of the Longing for a Messiah

 

Unit IV: Jesus: Revealing God in Humanity

A. Preacher, Prophet

B. Truly God, Truly Man

C. Parable

D. Really God?  Really Human?

E. JesusÕ Life and Mission

F. JesusÕ Public Ministry

 

Unit V: Jesus and the Paschal Mystery: Finding Life through Death

A. The Last Supper

B. Accepting Death on a Cross

C. The Resurrection

D. What does the Resurrection mean for Us?

 

 

 

 

Unit VI:  The Church: Gathering in the Spirit of Jesus

A. Jesus promises His Spirit

B. The Ascension

C. Pentecost

D. Early Christian communities

E. What is the Church?

F. Models of the Church

G. Saints

 

 

Unit VII:  The Scriptures: Hearing the Inspired Word of God

A. What are the Sacred Scriptures?

B. Sacred Writings

C. Hebrew Scriptures

D. The Christian Testament

E. The Development of the Scriptures

F. Religious Truth in the Scriptures

G. Catholic Insight 

 

Unit VIII:  Tradition: Handing on a Living Faith

A.  Tradition: The One Faith

B. Scripture and Tradition

C. The ChurchÕs Teaching Voice

D. The Apostles Creed

E. The Trinity

F. The Catholic Tradition

G. A sense of the Sacramental

H. A commitment to Both Faith and Reason

 

 

Unit IX:  The Sacraments: Celebrating the Grace of God

A. Sacramental Faith

B. Grace

C. Symbols

D. Rituals

E. The Seven Sacraments

 

 

Unit X:  The Liturgical Year

A. A Year of Grace

B. Advent

C. Christmastime

D. Ordinary Time

E. Lent and Holy Week

F. Easter and Pentecost

G. Sacred Days Throughout the Year

 

 

Unit XI: Spirituality and Prayer: Growing in Life with God

A. Prayer: Nourishing Our Relationship with God

B. Different Forms of Prayer

C. Community Prayer

D. The Fruits of Spirituality and Prayer

E. Catholic Devotions

 

Unit XII:  Christian Morality: Living in the Spirit of Jesus

A. Christian Morality

B. The 10 Commandments

C. Themes in Catholic Moral Teaching

D. Responsibility

E. Sin

F. Virtue and Character

G. Habits

H. The Law of Love