| Year Levels Focus: | God invites me to love and care for myself and others. (TCREK015) |
| Aims: |
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| Content Statement: |
Students will be invited to discover and celebrate that each of them is unique, precious and loved by God and to recognise that this is so also for every other person. They will explore God’s invitation to care for themselves and each other. Students will consider how God’s love is experienced and shared in times of happiness and of sadness. They will investigate decision making and explore how choices and actions affect others. Students will consider Jesus’ example in making loving choices that showed care and respect for all of life and will identify ways in which they can do the same. |
The entire Christian spiritual, ethical and moral “system” is Christian insofar as it begins with God loving us in and through Christ, and ends in our becoming one with that Love, which is nothing less than God’s own self, given to us and known by us as the Holy Spirit. How we address all the spiritual, ethical and moral questions in life as Christians is what happens in between. Or, as St Augustine put it: “Love, and then do what you will”.
Real love is about moving out of oneself towards another in self-gift, while at the same time opening oneself up to another’s gift of themselves to oneself. Christian spirituality and Christian ethics/morality are both grounded in real love really lived.
Real love is about vulnerability, which takes an enormous amount of courage, strength and commitment (or “fortitude”). Real love begins in a kind of wonder before the awe-inspiring, indeed terrifying, mystery of another who loves us. It grows and takes possession of one’s whole being with a profound sense of respect, indeed reverence, for the Other who loves us. And this awe and this reverence are what give rise to the courage, the “fortitude”, to risk everything in committed giving of oneself to that Other in love—which is precisely what is meant by Christian spirituality and ethics/morality, or “the Christian life”.
Real love is about desiring the good of those we love, wanting and working towards the very best for them, desiring that they may flourish according to their nature as the image of God.
In GNFL this understanding of Christian life is developed with emphasis on these theological and anthropological principles:
- Christian ethics/morality is one with Christian spirituality; and both are grounded in the God who loves us, and who therefore enables us to grow in love.
- Real love—God’s love—costs. Real love isn’t cheap. Real love costs, but it is God whom it costs. And God “pays the price”, as it were, in person: Jesus, giving himself even unto death for love of us.
- At its deepest core, the Christian life (spirituality and ethics/morality) is about God and the Spirit.
- Our ethics/morality flows from our spirituality, our encounter with God in Christ; it flows from who we are as Christians, from our life in Christ, from who we are as creatures alive through and with and in the Holy Spirit, the very Self and Life of God loving us.
- To speak of Christian life in a meaningful way, to do Christian moral and mystical theology properly, or to work out a genuinely Christian ethics, we must always begin where we mean to end: in God loving us.
- To do anything less than that—to start with principles, ideals, the law, virtue, values (even “gospel values”), etc.—is to focus on ourselves as though we were anything less than loved-by-God, anything less than destined for communion with God, and with one another in God. To start with any of these things is to reduce our ethics to ideology, our morality to legalism, our spirituality to selfishness, and therefore our theology to idolatry, by reducing ourselves to our egos, and our lives to a meaningless existence between the cradle and the grave.
URL link to Theological Conversation chapter (PDF).
- God gives life to every person.
- Every human person is unique and loved by God.
- All people and all of life deserve respect.
- Like Jesus we can show how to care, and show respect, for all of life.
- By our loving choices we follow Jesus’ example.
God invites me to love and care for myself and others. (TCREK015)
Students will be invited to discover and celebrate that each of them is unique, precious and loved by God and to recognise that this is so also for every other person. They will explore God’s invitation to care for themselves and each other. Students will consider how God’s love is experienced and shared in times of happiness and of sadness. They will investigate decision making and explore how choices and actions affect others. Students will consider Jesus’ example in making loving choices that showed care and respect for all of life and will identify ways in which they can do the same.
TCREI004
Responding to questions about religious ideas, events or rituals and recording our thoughts and feelings (TCREI004)
- developing questions about the Mass, its meaning, structure and symbols
- at a class/parish Mass making a photo story of the parts of the Mass using information and communications technology (ICT), and sharing this with parishioners at a morning tea
- brainstorming questions about how to pray, and inviting people from the parish to tell us how they pray
- remembering that whenever we pray, Jesus is praying within us through his Holy Spirit uniting us with God the Father in love
- researching the story of our parish church: using a photo time line, make a noticeboard display for the front office to tell the story of our parish
- using the “Explain Everything” app or equivalent to devise a question for God and give an answer in images and text drawing on Scripture or church teaching
TCREI005
Listening to and viewing stories from the Scriptures, and discussing characters (TCREI005)
- gathering Scripture quotations around a series of themes and making a class mural, story maps or a class big book
- using glossaries to learn the meaning of religious and theological terms
- choosing verses from the Psalms that inspire thanksgiving prayers
- exploring the first creation story (Genesis 1) as though it were a ritual (which it was!) and bringing out the symbolism in the numbers 3, 6 and 7 (first 3 days mirrored in the second 3 days; 6 days of creation; the 7th day, the Sabbath, as containing all time—past, present and future)
TCREI006
Expressing personal responses and ideas in various ways (TCREI006)
- creating Godly play dolls
- sharing Godly play with other classes
- creating artworks that reflect spiritual ideas or religious questions
- ritualising biblical stories and noting how they are full of symbolism
TCRED004
Cultivating a spirit of reflective silence and stillness, and naming important ideas or questions (TCRED004)
- using an icon or cross, inviting written prayers for the world on sticky labels and placing them under the cross or icon (to include in class prayer)
- asking hard questions and posting them on a “Mood Wall” in the classroom
- writing reflective responses to lines of Scripture (e.g., “be still and know that I am God”, “Speak Lord, I am listening”, “Come, follow me”, “ ‘I have called you by your name, you are mine’, says the Lord”)
- using Christian meditation to practise openness to God’s love
- expressing gratitude following meditation, e.g., by singing songs of thanks and praise
- learning to listen in silence and stillness to the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, minds and bodies, leading us to discover God’s loving purpose for us
TCRED005
Listening to and responding to others’ ideas and thoughts, and wondering and asking questions about ourselves and how we are connected to God and our world (TCRED005)
- examining individually and in small groups questions and thoughts about God
- being open to the Holy Spirit by listening to each other share ideas, thoughts and feelings in circle time
- singing songs that give thanks to God and acknowledging the connectedness of all things in his Holy Spirit
- resting in silence, pondering how God loves us and wants us to know him embraced by his Holy Spirit
TCRED006
Sharing some ideas and helping design plans of action that might lead to making loving choices towards improving specific situations at school or beyond (TCRED006)
- sharing and discussing how classroom rules and attitudes encourage, protect and guide everyone for the good of all
- constructing posters and signs to build a culture of gratitude in the classroom
- pondering how to be more loving, generous, forgiving, joyful, patient by relaxing into the loving embrace of the Holy Spirit
- creating affirmation paper bags / envelopes to affirm when others have made loving choices towards us as their response to God’s love for them
- exploring ways that the mystery of God’s love, the life-giving presence of the Holy Spirit, is revealed through the community of faith in the Church (e.g., by exploring, using the web, Pope Francis’ humility and kindness)
- creating a blessings meter or a gratitude box in the classroom to encourage kindness, positive attitudes and gratefulness
By the end of Year 2, students can identify God’s Holy Spirit as giver and sustainer of all life and recognise that his love for us is revealed in the Person of Jesus, the centre of faith for Christians. They can acknowledge that we experience God’s loving presence in prayer, in Scripture, in themselves and other people and in the world around us. They are aware that we are invited to grow in relationship with God and to care for ourselves, others and all of life. They can identify the Gospels as the Good News about Jesus, telling us about Jesus’ life and the people who believed in him. They can reflect on Jesus’ example in making loving choices that show care and respect for all life. They can describe the Church as a believing community that celebrates Jesus’ presence in the sacraments and witnesses to him by sharing his love. They can recognise the Sacrament of Baptism and identify its symbolic elements as the basis for the Christian life and as an invitation to live in friendship with Jesus.
Students can reflect on and respond to experiences of prayer, engagement with sacred texts and stories, their own experiences, people and the world around them and record observations, thoughts, feelings and ideas. In diverse ways they can express their emerging understanding of and engagement with religious events and rituals. They can practise stillness, reflect on their connection with God and their world and develop a response to apply at the personal level, within and beyond the school setting.
Pre-unit assessment
Ask students to develop a list of God’s loving gifts to us.
Learning Hook
Create a display of student photos on small gift boxes—one box per student; add a gift tag to each box with the name of a gift the particular student received for his/her last birthday/Christmas. Continue to add gift tags to the boxes. As the unit progresses the focus will move from material gifts to the personal values and personal qualities of each student.
Surface
(Giving language, facts, and basic concepts structure to lead into deeper learning)
What is a gift? Who gives gifts? How does it feel to receive/give a gift?
Life: a gift from God’s love. Ask students to share stories of special gifts they have received or given.
- Discuss the thinking behind the gifts: the choices made in selecting them, and the reason/s for their being given.
- Talk together about what it’s like to give, to receive … how others react to receiving a present.
- Introduce God as the giver of gifts—and all of life as a gift from his love.
- From a decorated box, draw out names or pictures of the wonder of all aspects of creation. Display the box with the title “A Gift from God’s Love”.
- Share a story, song or clip about the gift of all of life.
- Respond in song or in “Thank You” prayers and use the prayer response “Thanks be to God”.
- Pick up the idea of treasuring gifts … who gave the gift, why it is so special, how we show we value a gift and how we care for it. Considering integrating with concepts from Scripture units for Year 1 & 2, ‘treasure’ Thread.
- Consider the wonder of the human being as God’s wonderful gift of love. (Listen on YouTube to the song, Thank You God for Making Me)
- Identify the gifts of body, mind, spirit, will (cf. the picture storybook, Forever You, by Nicole Lataif).
- Every person is unique and loved by God (possible resource: You Are Special, by Max Lucado, which reinforces this message.)
Deep
(Learning experiences that lead on from beginning experiences to questioning more deeply and exploring ideas in different ways to lead to making connections between faith and life)
What makes me unique? What about others?
Explore qualities that make people unique.
- Consider wonderful examples of uniqueness: snowflakes, giraffes’ and zebras’ markings, fingerprints, DNA (cf. Understanding Faith [UF], Unit 17, Part 2, pp. 1ff.; on YouTube: Snowflake Bentley; Snowflake Watching, and for fun, The Life of a Snowflake).
- Focus on the uniqueness of every human person (cf. UF, Unit 9, Part 2).
- Support each student to explore his/her own uniqueness: appearance, features, personality, qualities. See storybook and YouTube clip: Pearl Barley and Charley Parsley, and/or The Day God Made You, by Rory Feek.
- Identify and discuss similarities and differences.
- Investigate what it means to respect and value differences.
- Create a Y Chart to show what it looks like, sounds like, feels like ... and what the opposite looks, sounds and feels like.
- Prayerfully reflect on one’s own actions through a simple examen practice (see on YouTube: Tips on Praying the Daily Examen by St. Ignatius of Loyola or The Daily Examen Prayer.)
- Discuss talents, special strengths.
- Identify and reflect on individual talents in self and in others.
- Recognise how these talents are used for self and to help others (cf. UF, Unit 9, Part 2, p. 6, Venn diagram activity).
- Discuss one’s feelings when helping and/or being helped and respected. Link to the “natural law”: we know when we are making loving choices and doing loving actions.
What did Jesus show us about respecting all people and all of life?
Explore examples of what Jesus did to show us about respecting all people and all of life.
- Recall examples in the life of Jesus when he demonstrated care and respect for all of life and for people.
- Identify the qualities or virtues he displayed in these actions.
- Discern what his words and actions show us about the gift of life.
- Share stories of students experiencing others treating them and/or nature in the ways Jesus did.
- Identify the qualities shown ... Link these to Paul’s list of the fruits of the Spirit of Jesus.
- Through story, activities and discussion, explore examples of Jesus’ Spirit alive in us ... when we show fruits of the Spirit of Jesus in the way we act towards people and creation (cf. UF, Unit 17, Part 2; on YouTube: Go Fish; The Fruit of the Spirit Song for Kids, and/or Fruit of the Spirit - Uncle Charlie or others).
Transfer
(Learning experiences that help students engage with deeper understandings that can be applied in their own lives)
How do I live with respect for all people and all of life?
Discuss examples of how people live with respect for all people and all of life (e.g., show the fruits of the Spirit in their actions), using their gifts for good and for God.
- Involve students in comparing and contrasting various simple scenarios related to respecting and protecting life and people.
- Ask students to recall experiences similar to those in the scenarios, and to discuss and reflect on how they responded.
- Tease out how our responses are a way of using God’s gift to us “for good and for God” (listen to the song, A Gift to You—Angel 1911).
- Ask students to identify, individually or in groups, the ways in which they can respect, protect or celebrate God’s gifts of life, people and our world. Caring for God's Earth from the Wonderings series may be useful.
- Consider that students’ responses may be related to personal gifts, to reaching out to others, to protecting or celebrating an aspect of our wonderful world (cf. YouTube songs: The Earth Is My Home—Kids for Saving Earth; Count on Me, by Bruno Mars; Go, Make a Difference in the World, by Steve Angrisano and Tom Tomaszek, St Helen Music; and the YouTube report, 10 Year Old Girl Assembles “Kare Kits 4 Kids”, Humankind).
Resources
10 Year Old Girl Assembles “Kare Kits 4 Kids”. Humankind. YouTube.
Angrisano, Steve, and Tom Tomaszek. Go, Make a Difference in the World. St Helen Music. YouTube.
Blabey, Aaron. Pearl Barley and Charley Parsley.
Blabey, Aaron. Pearl Barley and Charley Parsley. YouTube.
Casanova, Mary-Ann. Caring for God's Earth. Wonderings Series.
Feek, Rory. The Day God Made You.
The Fruit of the Spirit Song. Go Fish. YouTube.
Fruit of the Spirit. YouTube.
Fruit of the Spirit. Uncle Charlie. YouTube.
A Gift to You. Angel 1911. YouTube.
Kids for Saving Earth. The Earth Is My Home. YouTube.
Lataif, Nicole. Forever You.
Lucado, Max. You Are Special.
Lucado, Max. You Are Special. YouTube.
Mars, Bruno. Count on Me. YouTube.
Snowflake Bentley. YouTube.
Snowflake Watching. YouTube.
Thank You God for Making Me. YouTube.
The life of a Snowflake. YouTube.
The Daily Examen Prayer. YouTube.
Tips on Praying the Daily Examen by St. Ignatius of Loyola. YouTube.
Understanding Faith. Unit 9, Part 2. Online Subscription.
Understanding Faith. Unit 17, Part 2, pp. 1. Online Subscription.
Venn Diagram Activity. In Understanding Faith. Unit 9, Part 2, p. 6. Online Subscription.
* Unless otherwise noted, items listed under “Resources” are books.