Fertile Question / Topic Unlocking the texts How can the bible guide my life? Class Context Differentiated learning Adjustments for Learners WHO ARE MY LEARNERS? 50 students: 80% Catholic; 8% No religion; 4% Not stated; 2% Eastern Orthodox; 2% Other Christian; 2% Seventh Day Adventist; 2% Uniting Church 1 student with ASD adjustments made accordingly (teacher and school officer to provide additional scaffolding and unpacking of ideas particularly in relation to the language used and imagery created in the Psalms) 12 ESL students Extra scaffolding to be provided by teacher / school officer where required
Learning Context - Significant Days and Celebrations What events/demands/celebrations are timetabled in the school for the duration of the unit? Religious Life of the School: Liturgies; Assembly Prayer; Feast days; Retreat Days; Social Justice Outreach etc Check Ways to Pray Calendar for significant dates in Liturgical Calendar Plan to integrate these things into learning, not add on top.
Year Level Description The Religion Curriculum involves four strands: Sacred Texts, Beliefs, Church and Christian Life. These strands are interrelated and should be taught in an integrated way; and in ways that are appropriate to specific local contexts. In Year 5, students begin to appreciate the significance of community for sharing and strengthening the faith of believers, past and present, including the Church in the Australian colonies (c.1850 CE - c.1900 CE). Using a range of Biblical tools, they begin to see how the Gospel writers shaped their Gospels for particular communities. They learn about the action of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers as they engage with a variety of texts, including Scriptural references to the Holy Spirit and the Catholic Rite of Confirmation. They develop their understanding of Christian charity and informed moral choice through an exploration of the experiences of individuals and communities, past and present. They broaden their appreciation of the significance of personal and communal prayer and worship (including the Eucharist, the Psalms, Sabbath rituals and prayers); and the wisdom of the Saints (including St Mary of the Cross MacKillop) for communities of believers. They learn about the significance of Marian prayers (including the Hail Mary, the Rosary and the Litany of Mary of Nazareth) in which believers praise God and entrust cares and petitions to Mary as mother of Jesus and mother of the Church.
Achievement Standard By the end of Year 5, students identify many ways in which faith is shared and strengthened in communities of believers, past and present. They analyse information from a variety of texts, including Scriptural references to the Holy Spirit and the words, symbols and actions of the Catholic Rite of Confirmation, to explain the action of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. They use features of Gospel texts to show how the Gospel writers shaped their Gospels for particular communities. They describe the significance of personal and communal prayer and worship (including the Eucharist, the Psalms, Sabbath rituals and prayers) and the wisdom of the saints, including St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, for communities of believers. They describe ways in which believers live according to Jesus new commandment of charity (love); and make and act upon informed moral choices. They locate and record information about the contribution of pioneering Catholics in Australia (c.1850 CE c.1900 CE) to the preservation of faith and the shaping of particular communities, including Indigenous communities. They examine Marys role as mother of Jesus and mother of the Church. They analyse the elements and features of some Marian prayers (including the Hail Mary, the Rosary and the Litany of the Mary of Nazareth) to describe the role of Marian prayer in the lives of believers past and present. They participate respectfully in a variety of personal and communal prayer experiences, including Marian prayers and meditative prayer.
Content Descriptions Cluster strands and sub-strands that make connections with the Unit topic. Sacred Texts Old Testament New Testament Christian Spiritual Writings and Wisdom Mandated Scriptural Texts Beliefs Trinity Human Existence World Religions
Religious Knowledge and Deep Understanding Skills Religious Knowledge and Deep Understanding Skills STOT9 The Psalms of the Old Testament are a model for personal and communal prayer. There are three main forms of Psalms in the Old Testament: Psalms of lament (Sorrow), Psalms of thanksgiving and Psalms of praise (Hymns).
STNT 12 The contexts of the Gospel writers (e.g. purpose of the writer, time of writing, intended audience, point of view) shaped their Gospels. The context of the Gospel writer is important in determining the nature of the truth revealed in the text (e.g. historical truth, factual truth, religious truth).
STNT 13
A range of Biblical tools (including timelines, Biblical atlases, Biblical dictionaries, annotated Bibles, simple Biblical commentaries, online Bible search engines and Gospel parallels) is used to assist in deepening awareness of New Testament texts. Identify some life experiences of the psalmists (e.g. awe and wonder, feelings of abandonment, despair and anger, fear of the future, threatened by enemies) as communicated in a variety of Psalms. Explore the relationship between the psalmist and God as revealed in a variety of Psalms (e.g. parent/child; protector; trust/ doubt, praise, thanksgiving, dependence, humility, loyalty, grandeur of God). Use the Psalms as a model to create a personal or communal prayer. STNT 12 Compare and contrast parallel passages from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, including the infancy narratives (Luke 1:26-38, Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:1-14, Luke 2:15-20, Matthew 2:1-12, Matthew 2:13-15). Explore some features of Gospel texts (e.g. place, characterisation, vocabulary, dialogue, the narrative voice) that provide evidence of how the writers have shaped their Gospels for a particular community in a particular time and place.
STNT 13
Investigate and evaluate the usefulness of a range of Biblical tools for deepening awareness of New Testament texts.
Church Liturgy and Sacraments People of God Church History
Christian Living Moral Formation Mission and Justice Prayer and Spirituality Religious Knowledge and Deep Understanding Skills Religious Knowledge and Deep Understanding Skills
Learning Intentions Learning Intention By the end these learning experiences, students
Success Criteria Assessment Students explain the relationship between the psalmists and God as revealed in a variety of psalms. Explain how Scripture (including Jesus new commandment of Love) Highlight keywords and phrases from the psalm that reveal some feelings/attitudes of the psalmist and/or their relationship with God Students reword and visually present a Psalm for a particular helps people past and present to understand about caring for the wellbeing of others and the faith of the community of believers Compare and contrast parallel passages from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke Explain how Scripture (including Jesus new commandment of Love) helps people past and present to understand about caring for the wellbeing of others and the faith of the community of believers
contemporary setting (e.g. buddy). Describe the significance of the psalm for that particular community. Use an online tool to identify the similarities and differences in some parallel passages from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke (such as the Beatitudes, references to Holy Spirit, references to Mary) Students reword the Beatitudes for a contemporary setting (students at OLOL) e.g. Happy are those who following the Golden Rules, for they
Connections What connections can be made with other Curriculum areas (eg History, Geography, English)?
Religious Life of the School General Capabilities Cross-Curricular Priorities Religious Identity and Culture Ethos and charism (ICE) Authentic Christian community (ICC) Sense of the Sacred (ICS) Social Action and Justice Justice in the school community (SJS) Action for justice (SJA) Reflection on action for Justice (SJR) Evangelisation and Faith Formation Living the Gospel (EFG) Spiritual Formation (EFF) Witness to the wider community Literacy Numeracy Information and communication technology (ICT) capability Critical and creative thinking Personal and social capability Ethical understanding Intercultural understanding.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and spiritualities Asia and Australias engagement with Asia in a multi-faith context Sustainability and ecological stewardship.
(EFW) Prayer and Worship Christian prayer (PWP) Celebration of liturgy and sacraments (PWL) Ritualising everyday life (PWR)
Infancy narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke:
Announcement to Mary Luke 1:26-38 Announcement to Joseph Matthew 1:18-25 Birth of Jesus Luke 2:1-14 Visit of Shepherds Luke 2:15-20 Visit of Magi Matthew 2:1-12 Flight to Egypt Matthew 2:13-15
Supplementary texts: The Beatitudes Matthew 5:1-12 Luke 6:20-36
A-Z Learning Strategies
Prayer Chart Melbourne RESource, Together at One Altar; ResourceLink Caritas Ways to Pray
Learning Experiences - Select a relevant Inquiry Process Explore Elaborations Tuning In
What is the topic? Why should we study this topic? Frame manageable questions. What do I already know about this topic? I think I know x,y,z. How is this relevant to me? Finding Out
Identify possible sources of information Identify skills necessary for the investigation. How did it happen? Who was there and what were the facts? Sorting Out
What do we want to find out? How can we do this best? How will we gather the information? Does what I knew before still apply? Does my first idea still make sense? Communicating
Extend and challenge students understandings Offer more information Is there something else I need to deepen my knowledge understandings? What difference does this make to me? Reflecting and Evaluating
So what have I learnt? If I know this, how can I connect it with my world?
Teaching and Learning Sequence Focus/Question How can the bible guide my life?
Resources Adjustments for Learners Psalms - In learning teams, students are given a selection of Psalms to analyse. They then highlight (using Awesome Highlighter) keywords and phrases from the psalm that reveal some feelings/attitudes of the psalmist and/or their relationship with God - In learning teams, students locate Psalms (using Bible Gateway) and classify them into categories: lamentations, thanksgiving or praise. Students justify their answers with the class. After justifying, students use Related resources to deepen their understanding of the Psalm. - Could you be a Psalmist? Beth Nolan activity - Students choose a Psalm (from previous activity) and communicate the life experiences, Lamentation: Psalms 3 -7; 25 28
Praise: Psalms 95 100; 144 150; 113, 114 feelings, relationships with God represented in the Psalm via a visual art or dramatic representation - Psalms of Praise activity - Psalm for My Buddy task (See assessment)
Gospel writers - Students are handed information cards on each of the Gospels (writers, background etc.). Individually, they analyse set scripture passages and try to identify the author. They choose one they are certain about and write a written response to justify their choice. - Students compare and contrast text features of parallel passages from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke (e.g. place, characterisation, vocabulary, dialogue, the narrative voice) that demonstrate they were intended for different audiences (e.g. Announcement to Mary, Luke 1:26-38, Announcement to Joseph, Matthew 1:18-25; birth of Jesus, Luke 2:1-14, visit of shepherds, Luke 2:15-20, visit of Magi, Matthew 2:1-12, flight to Egypt, Matthew 2:13-15). Teachers use http://www.rec.bne.catholic.edu.au/Pages/Theological- Background-Details.aspx?tbid=284 for theological background (world behind the text, the world of the text and the world in front of the text) - Using an online tool (Bible Gateway), students identify the similarities and differences in some parallel passages from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke such as the Beatitudes, Matthew 5:1-12//Luke 6:20-36); The Lords Prayer (Matthew 6:9-15//Luke 11:1-4); the Passion narratives; the Resurrection narratives
Announcement to Mary Luke 1:26-38 Announcement to Joseph Matthew 1:18-25 Birth of Jesus Luke 2:1-14 Visit of Shepherds Luke 2:15-20 Visit of Magi Matthew 2:1-12 Flight to Egypt Matthew 2:13-15
The Beatitudes
- Students analyse the context and textual features of The Beatitudes. They highlight key words/phrases within the text. - Students identify the key values and the groups of people mentioned within the Beatitudes (e.g. the meek, pure at heart). In learning teams, they identify groups in contemporary society that parallel groups mentioned in the Beatitudes (relevance to todays society) - Students, in eight learning teams, are given four interpretations of a line from the Beatitudes. Students read the interpretations, investigate any vocabulary that is unknown to them and, using a Round Robin Placemat Strategy i collaboratively write a fifth The Beatitudes Matthew 5:1-12 Luke 6:20-36
interpretation which has meaning for them. Each team devises a dramatic interpretation of their beatitude using a Liquid Pictures Strategy
Post Unit Evaluation Thoughts about the unit e.g suitability of activities, assessment tasks Time constraints and content consideration saw the Gospel Writers section of the unit moved to Term Fours unit on Mary. It was felt that the teaching of the infancy narratives was more appropriate closer to Advent/Christmas. The Psalm for My Buddy activity was thoroughly enjoyed by the students and helped us to gauge the childrens understanding of Psalms. The collation of a Psalm Big Book further enriched the activity.
Evaluation of Resources- additional resources PLUS: The Psalms of Praise activity was particularly useful. MINUS: Awesome Highlighter was blocked by the servers Bible Gateway and a table in the workbook were utilised instead.
Considerations for next time The Gospel Writers component is best suited to the Mary unit in Term Four The Beatitudes component will fit in best with Term Ones Class Covenant unit The Psalms component might be best implemented as a mini-unit 3- 4 weeks.