1st Grade: My Book About the Church Year
Using the theme of gifts and birthday parties, first graders are introduced to the special seasons of our church year as gifts from Jesus that help us celebrate the special moments in His life. The children have a workbook that walks them through the seasons of the Church year, beginning with Advent and ending with Ordinary Time. As we begin each new season, the children get to open a ‘gift’ to the class that contains symbols of that season that are placed on a table for all to see. The impact of opening gifts for each season helps reinforce each season and the particular symbols we use in it—including the color of each season. The children get to color their book and make it beautiful. It is then used with reading buddies in the classroom and then sent home to share with their families.
2nd Grade: My Book about the Miracles of Jesus
Second graders learn about the life of Jesus and the geography of the holy land while carefully examining 9 miracle stories from the Gospels. Each student gets a workbook with pictures, short answers and tables to fill in. The children take turns reading each miracle story and discuss answers to questions about it with the Religion Specialist. The Religion Specialist has a power point presentation that illustrates the land where Jesus walked and shows the children various styles of artwork depicting the miracles.
The children color their books and answer the questions. At the end of the unit, the children create a poster showing their favorite miracle story and explaining why it is their favorite. The children include lessons learned and prayers relating to the miracle. The booklet is sent home for the child to share with his/her family.
3rd and 4th grade: Saints
In third grade, the Religion Specialist leads the students through a workbook that helps them understand what a saint is and what we mean by a canonized saint. We talk about how God wants all of us to be saints in heaven. The students imagine themselves as a saint, giving themselves a name, identifying who or what they are patron of, and drawing themselves as a saint with ‘emblems’ (symbols) of their life.
After the workbook is completed, the children are assigned a saint to research. Older students and volunteers help each child with their research. In fourth grade, students are led through a power point presentation on the steps of canonization. Each student has a worksheet with prompts for notes and a table to fill out about the process of canonizing a saint. We discuss why we ask saints to intercede for us and what it means (and doesn’t mean!) to say we pray to saints. Each child selects a saint to research and write a report about. When it is possible, the portraits and saint reports are displayed at our school’s Mass on All Saints Day or in the lower-wing hallway for all our students to enjoy.
4th grade: The Story of the New Testament
Fourth graders turn their attention to New Testament. We cover the story in a book that takes them along a path of history. For each period, the children read about it; then they color and apply a sticker that illustrates that part of the story. The booklet includes a map of the land where Jesus walked and finishes with a word find. The children are invited to decorate their book and make it beautiful. They are encouraged to take it home after it is completed and share it with their family. At the end of the unit, the children break into small groups and play a game called “Get it Right” that asks them questions about the story of the New Testament. We invite administrators and parents to play the game with the 4th graders—and usually the children compete very well!
5th Grade: Sacraments—Jesus’ Gift to the Church
The year begins with a retreat titled, "Special Delivery: A Letter to You." The Religion Specialist shares letters that have been very important to her throughout her lifetime and then helps the children see how the Bible is God's love letter to each one of us. We learn that the Bible contains stories of great heroes of faith that can give us inspiration as we face challenges in life. We conclude the retreat by giving each child a "love letter" from God using words from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.
Fifth graders learn how Jesus established each of the Sacraments, what signs are used to celebrate it and what specific graces are offered to us through each Sacrament. The students create a colorful poster describing these gifts to the Church. The students read and discuss passages in the Gospels and other parts of the New Testament to better understand the meaning of each Sacrament.
6th Grade: The Story of the Old Testament
The Religion Specialist has created a story book that walks the students through 17 periods of Old Testament history, giving them an understanding of the 'big picture' of the Old Testament. The students color a booklet and place stickers on a 'path' that show each period. Students help read in the book and are invited to ask questions and learn more about the Biblical characters of each time period. The Religion Specialist gives an introductory lesson on the Story of Creation found in Genesis Chapter 1 which includes presenting our Catholic vision of the relationship between faith and reason. We discuss the truths presented to us in the poetic Creation account in the Bible, and we learn that these truths are not dependent on scientific accuracy.
8th Grade: The Story of the Church
Using a timeline that covers all 2,000 years of the history of the Catholic Church, the Religion Specialist identifies distinct time periods of Church history, highlighting key events and key saints. The students cut out and past labels of these key events and saints along the time line. Students are able to ask questions and make connections between current events and events in history. Artwork is used to illustrate events and saints whenever possible, introducing students to various masterpieces of art.