Term 2 Religious Curriculum
Core content area 1: Where is God’s voice found in the Old Testament?
Learning Intention: I am learning to use the Bible’s referencing system to locate books, people, places, events and objects in the Bible.
Success Criteria: I can identify Genesis as the book that contains the two creation stories.
Teacher Note: So what makes a sacred myth?
Myths are rooted in the sacred beliefs of a culture, a belief system known as cosmology.
Myths take place in a time before recorded historical time.
God is the primary character.
Myths represent the ways that ancient cultures sought to explain the origins of the world and of existence itself
Core content area 1: Where is God’s voice found in the Old Testament?
Learning Intention: I am learning to use the Bible’s referencing system to locate books, people, places, events and objects in the Bible.
Success Criteria: I can identify Genesis as the book that contains the two creation stories.
- Students brainstorm what they know about the Creation story in the Christian tradition e.g. Where do we find the story of Creation? What are the different parts of the story? How many Creation stories are there in the Old Testament?
- Students view the YouTube Creation video to review their understanding of the Creation story.
- In pairs or individually, students access an online or print version of the Creation story Genesis 1:1-2:4a and complete a Story Map, recording what happens in the beginning, middle and end of the story, and how they think God's voice is heard in the story of Creation (God, Spirit, goodness)
- Students are reminded that adults told this creation myth to their children for a very long time before it was written down
- Catholics believe that this story is a religious/sacred myth. The important part of the story has great meaning for Catholics – that God created the world and humans not that this happened in seven days because scientists help us to understand that God’s creation took a long time.
- Students complete a Story Probe in groups, given a section each to examine the textual features of the Creation stories, for example repetition of phrases, imagery, and symbols. They join the class group and teach the others about their section.
- Students compare and contrast creation stories across different faith traditions and cultures, for example Indigenous Creation stories such as the The Butchulla Creation Story of Fraser Island or the Taigai from the Torres Strait. The story of Burleigh Headland may also be related.
- Students contribute to a class brainstorm on common features of Creation stories and speculate on why differences and similarities in the stories may occur.
- People did not have access to scientists and saw the beauty of the world around them and tried to explain it. They realised something ‘greater’ than them must have made the world.
Teacher Note: So what makes a sacred myth?
Myths are rooted in the sacred beliefs of a culture, a belief system known as cosmology.
Myths take place in a time before recorded historical time.
God is the primary character.
Myths represent the ways that ancient cultures sought to explain the origins of the world and of existence itself
In the Bible, you do not have all of one type of writing. You have history, you have law, you have wisdom literature, poetry, letters, and myths.
Genesis is not giving a literal description of what actually happened.
The first book in the Old Testament is The book of Genesis. It is the Creation story. Creation myths often share a number of features. They often are considered sacred accounts and can be found in nearly all known religious traditions. The term myth here refers to the imaginative expression in narrative form. Myths attempt to explain the unknown and sometimes teach a lesson.
We have two creation texts within Genesis 1 and 2.
Genesis 1:1-2:4a is the first creation account and has the cosmic perspective Genesis 2:4b-25 is a second creation account that focuses in on humanity, and if you study it carefully, you see that there is a different sequence of creation in these two accounts.
For instance, in chapter one, land is formed and then vegetation comes forth on day 4 and humans are not created until day 6. Whereas in the second creation account, Adam is created first, before vegetation is created.
Task: Students design a creative graphic organiser (ie tree/star/people) where students identify the genre of the Creation story Genesis 1:1-2:4a and where it is found in the bible and explain the important messages from the story through illustration and annotation.
Questions
What type of text do you think this is?
What features in the story help you know what type of text it is?
What are the main symbols or images used in this story?
Are there any repeated words or phrases? What are they
What are your thoughts and feelings as you read the story?
What mind pictures do you get when you read this story?
What message do you thing the author is trying to get across in the story?
What are some key words or phrases you like in this story?
Examine the Caritas poster that highlights Christian Stewardship Brainstorm with the class as to why caring for God’s creation is important Discuss with children that Catholics are required to care for the environment…Why would this be so? (God created the beautiful world and created people to have responsibility for the environment so that they can live life to the full).
Students listen to the Cosmic Hymn of Praise by Michael Mangan. They identify the creations in the song. Introduce students to the term psalm. Discuss where these are found in the Bible and locate these World Behind the Text Psalms were prayers that the Jewish people sang in times of happiness, sadness, worry, thanksgiving… Psalms helped people speak to God and express their feelings. World of the Text Part one of this psalm speaks of heaven and part two of earth. Read the psalm in the bible and identify words of creation. Compare these to those in the song Cosmic Hymn of Praise. Discuss – What might the psalmist have been feeling when writing this psalm? (awe and wonder of creation – praising God) World in Front of the Text Discuss: When might believers use this psalm today? (Mass, prayer, when thinking about how to care for creation, as inspiration) Which aspects of creation might Year Four want to highlight in a psalm? Students identify their favourite creation / favourite place in the natural world.
Students design a creative graphic organiser (ie tree/star/people) where students identify the genre of the Creation Story and where it is found in the bible and explain the important messages from the story through illustration and annotation (may verbally explain thoughts) Above – Depth of response about the important messages in the Creation Story. (Link to Sacred Myth
How can we be stewards of creation?
Religious Language – Papal statements, stewardship, Laudato Si
- Using “One With God’s Creation” Resource Sheet, share recent Papal statements that highlight the Church’s call to a change of heart and mind and greater respect for the environment.
- In groups students identify key ideas and discuss examples of how they might follow these messages in their own home, school and local community.
- Students view the video The Garden Planet produced by Catholic Earthcare Australia with the cooperation of the Bishops’ Commission for Justice, Development and Peace.
- Discuss environmental issues and what our response as Christians should be:
- What damage has been done to the environment in Australia?
- How does damaging the environment affect human beings and other living things?
- What do we need to do to care for our world now and for the future?
- What is the invitation and challenge presented in this video? What does Catholic Earthcare do?
- What personal choices do I need to make for the environment?
- Students learn the song “Care For Life” by Michael Mangan.
- In groups, illustrate the aspects of creation for which we need to care that are identified in the song.
- Read / display ‘Stewardship of Creation’ Comic – part 1.
- Discuss:
- Why is the earth sacred?
- What is included in the idea of ‘creation’? The illustration includes nature as well as people.
- How would God want us to treat his creation?
- Read / display ‘Stewardship of Creation’ Comic – part 2.
- Discuss some of the issues that could arise from there being less animals, plants or rain.
- Read / display ‘Stewardship of Creation’ Comic – part 3.
- Discuss the issue of rubbish.
- Is it a big problem in our school? In our local community, our state, our country?
- How is rubbish dealt with in the school and the local community?
- Is rubbish collected every day? Week?
- Where does it go? Does all the rubbish go to the same place?
- Ask if any student has ever visited a tip. Discuss why having less rubbish will help us look after world.
- Students view ‘Stewardship of Creation’ Video.
- Read / display ‘Stewardship of Creation’ Comic – part 4.
- Discuss:
- What can we learn from what was happening in Brazil?
- What was the main cause of the problem?
- In his special letter Laudato Si’: On the Care of our Common Home, Pope Francis talks about how one aspect of caring for creation is also caring for other people, by not being selfish and by not buying too much ‘stuff’ – or making sure that those who make the things we buy are paid and treated fairly.
- Discuss the idea of how much ‘stuff’ we have. The following statistic could be used as a starting point: recent research found that the average 10-year-old owns 238 toys but plays with just 12 daily.
- How important is it to have so much stuff all the time?
- How does it compare to those special places we talked about to begin with?
- Students watch video ‘Change the world in 5 minutes – Everyday at School’ and discuss.
- Read / display ‘Stewardship of Creation’ Comic – part 5.
- Discuss w
- In small groups, students work together to think of activities that they could do to change the world in 5 minutes each day at school for a week. An example of a week of activities could be:
- Monday: Smile and say hello to someone you don't know
- Tuesday: Pick up ten pieces of litter
- Wednesday: Make ‘turn off the lights’ reminder notices for classrooms
- Thursday: Meditation – Change the world – Change yourself
- Friday: Tell a joke – Laughter is the best medicine.
- Review the main ideas – the earth and all that is in it is a sacred gift from God. Our choices have an impact. God asks us to make good choices about caring for creation. This is the principle of stewardship of creation.
- In preparation for the next activity, paint a large world
- Discuss with students what is happening in the world that is making it broken
- In a symbolic gesture, cut up the world
- On a bandaid students write or draw something on it that they could do to heal the world, e.g. smile, act of kindness, plant a tree, water the gardens, put rubbish in the bin, etc. Use these to mend the world – add to wall display
- Students design a ‘sticker’ that has a slogan or message about caring for God’s creation. These stickers could be placed around the school as a reminder that we must all respect our school environment as part of the sacredness of creation.
CD = Caring for the environment is a moral issue for Christians.
Use the PPT ‘A Prayer For Our Earth’ to reflect on God’s presence in creation, to thank God for all of creation and to ask for help to look after creation in our everyday choices
Using the bible
The word, Bible, comes from the Greek ta biblia, which means "the books." While many people regard the Bible as a single book, it is in fact a library of books which were written over a period of approximately 1500 years. The Bible tells how God was revealed to the Jewish people first, then to all people through Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us about how God acts in human history. It is the inspired Word of God. The languages in which the books of the Bible were written were Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Most of the Old Testament books were written in Hebrew.
For Christians, the Bible is divided into the Old Testament (containing 46 books) and the New Testament (containing 27 books). The word, testament means covenant or agreement. The Old Testament was put together by the Hebrews and the New Testament was collected and preserved by early Christians after the time of Christ.
Many different human authors wrote the Bible over a period of approximately 1500 years. God inspired these human authors. It was not the intention of these authors to write a book that would be entered into "The Bible," as we know it. The whole thrust was to preserve the traditions of how God interacted with humanity. Since the Bible is not one book, but a library of books, there are many different kinds of writing in it e.g. prose, proverbs, parables, prophesy, prayers, poetry, narrative hymns, legends, legal documents, letters, sermons, songs, stories, etc. This is called Literary Form.
For Christians, the Bible is divided into the Old Testament (containing 46 books) and the New Testament (containing 27 books). The word, testament means covenant or agreement. The Old Testament was put together by the Hebrews and the New Testament was collected and preserved by early Christians after the time of Christ.
Many different human authors wrote the Bible over a period of approximately 1500 years. God inspired these human authors. It was not the intention of these authors to write a book that would be entered into "The Bible," as we know it. The whole thrust was to preserve the traditions of how God interacted with humanity. Since the Bible is not one book, but a library of books, there are many different kinds of writing in it e.g. prose, proverbs, parables, prophesy, prayers, poetry, narrative hymns, legends, legal documents, letters, sermons, songs, stories, etc. This is called Literary Form.
God speaks to us in many ways. One way God speaks to us is through the Bible. The Bible is the most important book in Christian life because it is God’s message, or revelation. The Bible is the story of God’s promise to care for us, especially through his Son, Jesus. At Mass we hear stories from the Bible. We can also read the Bible on our own.
The Bible is not just one book; it is a collection of many books. The writings in the Bible were inspired by the Holy Spirit and written by many different authors using different styles.
The Bible is made up of two parts: The Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament contains 46 books that tell stories about the Jewish people and their faith in God before Jesus was born.
The first five books of the Old Testament—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy—are referred to as the Torah, meaning “instruction” or “law.” The central story in the Torah is the Exodus, the liberation of the Hebrew slaves as Moses led them out of Egypt and to the Promised Land. During the journey God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses and the people.
A beautiful part of the Old Testament is the Book of Psalms. A psalm is a prayer in the form of a poem. Each psalm expresses an aspect, or feature, of the depth of human emotion. Over several centuries 150 psalms were gathered to form the Book of Psalms. They were once sung at the Temple in Jerusalem, and they have been used in the public worship of the Church since its beginning. Catholics also pray the Psalms as part of their private prayer and reflection.
The prophets were called by God to speak for him and urge the Jewish people to be faithful to the Covenant. A large part—18 books—of the Old Testament presents the messages and actions of the prophets.
The New Testament contains 27 books that tell the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection and the experience of the early Christians. For Christians the most important books of the New Testament are the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Many of the 27 books are letters written by leaders such as Saint Paul.
How can you find a passage in the Bible?
Bible passages are identified by book, chapter, and verse, for example, Ex 3:1-4. The name of the book comes first. It is often in abbreviated form. Your Bible’s table of contents will help you determine what the abbreviation means. In our example, Ex stands for Exodus. After the name of the book, there are two numbers. The first one identifies the chapter, which in our example is chapter three; it is followed by a colon. The second number identifies the verse or verses, which in our example are verses one to four.
The Bible is not just one book; it is a collection of many books. The writings in the Bible were inspired by the Holy Spirit and written by many different authors using different styles.
The Bible is made up of two parts: The Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament contains 46 books that tell stories about the Jewish people and their faith in God before Jesus was born.
The first five books of the Old Testament—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy—are referred to as the Torah, meaning “instruction” or “law.” The central story in the Torah is the Exodus, the liberation of the Hebrew slaves as Moses led them out of Egypt and to the Promised Land. During the journey God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses and the people.
A beautiful part of the Old Testament is the Book of Psalms. A psalm is a prayer in the form of a poem. Each psalm expresses an aspect, or feature, of the depth of human emotion. Over several centuries 150 psalms were gathered to form the Book of Psalms. They were once sung at the Temple in Jerusalem, and they have been used in the public worship of the Church since its beginning. Catholics also pray the Psalms as part of their private prayer and reflection.
The prophets were called by God to speak for him and urge the Jewish people to be faithful to the Covenant. A large part—18 books—of the Old Testament presents the messages and actions of the prophets.
The New Testament contains 27 books that tell the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection and the experience of the early Christians. For Christians the most important books of the New Testament are the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Many of the 27 books are letters written by leaders such as Saint Paul.
How can you find a passage in the Bible?
Bible passages are identified by book, chapter, and verse, for example, Ex 3:1-4. The name of the book comes first. It is often in abbreviated form. Your Bible’s table of contents will help you determine what the abbreviation means. In our example, Ex stands for Exodus. After the name of the book, there are two numbers. The first one identifies the chapter, which in our example is chapter three; it is followed by a colon. The second number identifies the verse or verses, which in our example are verses one to four.
Old Testament Text Types
For Christians, the Bible is divided into the Old Testament (containing 46 books) and the New Testament (containing 27 books). The word, testament means covenant or agreement. The Old Testament was put together by the Hebrews and the New Testament was collected and preserved by early Christians after the time of Christ.
In order to be able to more fully understand a passage of the Bible one must be aware of:
Sacred Myth
Creation story – For Jewish people, the number seven was a special number that symbolised wholeness or completion.
So what makes a sacred myth?
Historical Narrative: A written history in a story-based form.
Setting is a real location with a set time period.
The characters are either real people or could be made up or a mixture of both.
The plot is a mixture of made up events and events that really happened.
Follows structure of a narrative.
Wisdom Sayings / Proverbs
Inspirational words of wisdom. Proverbs are wisdom of the experienced passed down from generation to generation; they are sayings and usually contain good advice for living.
The introduction to the Book of Proverbs gives insight into proverbs.
The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
2 for gaining wisdom and instruction;
for understanding words of insight;
3 for receiving instruction in prudent behaviour,
doing what is right and just and fair;
4 for giving prudence to those who are simple,
knowledge and discretion to the young--
5 let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance--
6 for understanding proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.
(Prudence = cautious)
Psalm
A psalm is a sacred song or hymn, in particular any of those contained in the biblical Book of Psalms and used in Christian and Jewish worship.
Coming from the Hebrew origin, the name Psalm means "song."
Literary devices present in the Psalms include repetition, similes and metaphors.
Law
For Jewish people, the law is contained in the Torah (the first five books of the Bible. This includes the Ten Commandments.
For Christians, the Bible is divided into the Old Testament (containing 46 books) and the New Testament (containing 27 books). The word, testament means covenant or agreement. The Old Testament was put together by the Hebrews and the New Testament was collected and preserved by early Christians after the time of Christ.
In order to be able to more fully understand a passage of the Bible one must be aware of:
- In what form it was written, e.g., prose, poetry, history, etc. (Literary Form)
- Why it was written.
- When it was written.
- What the whole book is about.
- What each word means.
- How it fits with other parts of the Bible on the same subject.
Sacred Myth
Creation story – For Jewish people, the number seven was a special number that symbolised wholeness or completion.
So what makes a sacred myth?
- Myths are grounded in the sacred beliefs of a culture, a belief system known as cosmology.
- Myths take place in a time before recorded historical time.
- God is the primary character for Christian sacred myths.
- Myths represent the ways that ancient cultures sought to explain the origins of the world and of existence itself.
Historical Narrative: A written history in a story-based form.
Setting is a real location with a set time period.
The characters are either real people or could be made up or a mixture of both.
The plot is a mixture of made up events and events that really happened.
Follows structure of a narrative.
Wisdom Sayings / Proverbs
Inspirational words of wisdom. Proverbs are wisdom of the experienced passed down from generation to generation; they are sayings and usually contain good advice for living.
The introduction to the Book of Proverbs gives insight into proverbs.
The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
2 for gaining wisdom and instruction;
for understanding words of insight;
3 for receiving instruction in prudent behaviour,
doing what is right and just and fair;
4 for giving prudence to those who are simple,
knowledge and discretion to the young--
5 let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance--
6 for understanding proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.
(Prudence = cautious)
Psalm
A psalm is a sacred song or hymn, in particular any of those contained in the biblical Book of Psalms and used in Christian and Jewish worship.
Coming from the Hebrew origin, the name Psalm means "song."
Literary devices present in the Psalms include repetition, similes and metaphors.
Law
For Jewish people, the law is contained in the Torah (the first five books of the Bible. This includes the Ten Commandments.
- Why might biblical authors have chosen to use different text types?
- What could happen if we read all these texts as if they were the same type of writing?
- What could happen if everyone read the Bible as historical text (everything is literally true then and now)?
- What does the word ‘myth’ mean as a text type in the Bible?
- What is the difference between ‘sacred truths’ and ‘this is all made up’?
- How would a person interpret the Bible if they believed the creation stories were myths?
- How would a person interpret the Bible if they believed the creation stories were science reports?
- When older members tell family stories does it mean that everything actually happened, or can they add some details along the way to make the story more meaningful and interesting?
- What evidence would we look for in the historical narratives of the Old Testament to determine whether they are factual stories of history or sacred stories to tell about the Jewish people’s relationship with God?
Poetry
- Tell students that they will be considering a text from the second book in the Bible – Exodus
- Ask students to find the beginning of the book of Exodus in the Bible using the table of contents at the front of the Bible and then find Exodus 15 using the headings with numbers at the top of the pages. Students will need to look for the small numbers in the text to read verses 1-21
- Read the Song of Moses and of Miriam – Exodus 15:1-21 (Core Scripture)
- Ask students to discuss in pairs what they think the purpose of this sacred text is and to share their ideas with the class.
- Discuss how this sacred text happens after Moses had led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and through the Red Sea to freedom. The Egyptian soldiers who were sent to follow and capture the Israelites to return them to slavery in Egypt were overpowered by God. Again this text tells a sacred story of what happened for people of faith but unlike the historical narrative studied previously, it has a more of a song- or poem-like structure. This sacred text is a song of praise to God for the power God showed in the victory at the Red Sea. The text type could also be considered poetry.
Legal codes
- Tell students that some of the sacred texts in the Bible provide laws that God passed on to people of faith through leaders, such as Moses. These type types are known as legal codes and one of the books of the Bible that provides many legal codes is called Leviticus.
- Discuss that Leviticus is a handbook of ethical, cultural and religious laws but that it is important that we read these laws as expressions of practices that have come down through the tradition, a tradition that the Israelites understood to be guided by their God.
- Ask students to find the beginning of the book of Leviticus in the Bible using the table of contents at the front of the Bible and then find Leviticus 11 using the headings with numbers at the top of the pages. Students will need to look for the small numbers in the text to read verses 1-8
- Read Leviticus 11:1-8 (Core Scripture)
- Ask students to discuss in pairs what the laws in Leviticus 11 told people to do or not to do (provides dietary laws) and share their ideas with the class.
- Ask students to again find Leviticus in the Bible using the table of contents at the front of the Bible and then find Leviticus 24 using the headings with numbers at the top of the pages. Students will need to look for the small numbers in the text to read verses 17-22
- Read Leviticus 24:17-22 (Core Scripture)
- Ask students to discuss in pairs what the laws in Leviticus 24 told people to do or not to do (provides laws about punishment for harm caused) and share their ideas with the class.
- Discuss how the priest authors saw these laws as expressing ways in which their ancestors, and they themselves, had solved various problems that had happened in the community, as well as ways of organising personal and communal life in ways that were consistent with their religious understandings.
Wise sayings
- Tell students that some of the sacred texts in the Bible provide wisdom about ways of living, working and being that God passed on to people of faith. These type types are known as wise sayings and one of the books of the Bible that provides many points of wisdom is called Proverbs.
- Ask students to find the beginning of the book of Provers in the Bible using the table of contents at the front of the Bible.
- Using a Jigsaw Strategy, students explore and share one Proverb – split the class into four groups with each group exploring one of the following sacred texts:
- Proverbs 13:20 (Core Scripture)
- Proverbs 20:11 (Core Scripture)
- Proverbs 22:6 (Core Scripture)
- Proverbs 25:25 (Core Scripture)
- Students could consider:
- What is the wisdom presented in this sacred text?
- Even though it is a very old text, does it still have meaning for us today?
- If so, what is the message for us?
- Students form new groups with one person from each of the first groups in each new group and take turns to share their ideas about their sacred text.
- Discuss that each of the wise sayings in Proverbs focusses on a particular aspect of life and aims to express an insight into how we can live a productive life in a way that contributes to our own personal happiness and success, and also to the wellbeing of the community. Each wise saying aims to give expression to a value learned from life experience. It aims to get the reader to reflect on their life in such a way as to avoid pitfalls and live a reflective and productive life.
Jewish Communities in First Century Palestine
3 stages of a parable
Advent (what people expect)
Reversal of expectation (what Jesus says)
New vision and action (how people must change)
World of the Text
- Students read Good Samaritan story and discuss:
- Who are the characters in this story?
- What happens in this story? (What does the Samaritan actually do in the story?)
- Where does the story take place?
- When does the story take place?
- Why might the author have written this story?
- What did the author want people to know about Jesus or about God?
- Explore concepts in the text: “Moved with pity” – a phrase often used about Jesus just before he heals someone. It refers to a deep level of compassion, deep in one’s being. It demonstrates the inner goodness of a person. Scripture detective question:
- What does the author tell us when he says that the Samaritan was ‘moved with pity’?
- What does that tell us about the Samaritan?
- Scripture detective time:
- What do we find about oil and wine in the story?
- How do you think the Jewish people would have felt when they heard that a Samaritan had stopped to help a Jewish person, and that a Samaritan had poured their own oil and wine on him?
- As a class students explore the key elements / language features of a parable, including:
- being a story with a challenging twist in the tail
- use of the “rule of three”
- used by Jewish rabbis and Jesus
Students explore the challenges that are presented by the text to people in first century Palestine. Using the Character Map Strategy, students also explore the responses that the text requires of the various characters and the groups to which they belonged. Students may use the following questions to guide their exploration:
- Who is issuing the challenges to the people and groups in first century Palestine?
- What were some of the challenges presented to particular groups?
- What changes were required of these groups by the challenges?
- What laws/values/customs were brought into conflict by this parable?
- Who, in the end, is the only character able to respond to the challenge?
- What might each character be thinking / feeling?
- Students discuss what this story tells us about living community and what God asks of us as members of a community. Some discussion questions might include:
- What did the author want people to know about Jesus or about God?
- What message does this story have for us today?
- Does God like people more if they come from a certain place?
- Did God create Jewish people and Samaritan people to all be unique and important, to be treated with respect and dignity?
- Are there times when people in our world think that some other people are not as good as they are? Is this true?
- If we were going to make up a classroom / school rule based on the story of the Good Samaritan, what would it be?
- If we were going to create a prayer for us today, using what we have learnt from the Good Samaritan story, what might we say to God in our prayer?
- Students provide some examples of how people put the needs of others before themselves (school community, home community, wider community)
Summative assessment
Above – Students synthesise the messages about community from the parable and modern experiences (e.g. Being part of a community means…) *see Desert Wisdom – Balanced Judgement sheet*
- Students use a contemporary news story to compare and contrast the parable of the Good Samaritan to present day – what are the messages about community in each of these stories?
Above – Students synthesise the messages about community from the parable and modern experiences (e.g. Being part of a community means…) *see Desert Wisdom – Balanced Judgement sheet*
Understanding God’s Word
Religious Language – Old / New Testament, scripture reference, narrative, letter, parable
- Revisit the structure of the Bible – OT / NT and books found in each
- Revisit how to find scripture references
- Students use a hard copy of the Bible to find the four references below and name the mystery word (i.e. love – overarching theme of passages)
- Matthew 7:11
- John 15:34-35
- Luke 6:32-36
- 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
- Students work in teams of four to complete the tasks on the the Bible Referencing Skills sheet (this is designed to develop skills in using biblical referencing to locate scriptural texts and to reference scriptural texts for different contexts)
- CD = The Bible’s referencing system is structured according to book, chapter and verse. The contents and index of the Bible assist the reader to locate books, people, places and things.
- Students revise the text types they have explored during Semester 1 – narrative, letter, parable
- As a class, analyse structure and key features of each text type:
- Narratives – structure (orientation, complication, resolution, e.g. baptism narrative – orientation = Jesus came to river to be baptised; complication = John didn’t want to baptise Jesus because he felt unworthy; resolution = John baptised Jesus and God confirmed Jesus as son); point of view; voice; theme; characters; events
- parables – fictional stories; unnamed characters; purpose and messages; three-stage pattern (what people expect; what Jesus says; how people must change)
- letters – opening greeting, purpose and messages, commendation and farewell
- Students provide further examples of each text type and where they can be found (e.g. infancy narratives; Zacchaeus; the lost son)
Summative Assessment
- Students work in expert groups to explore the features of one of the following text types:
- Narrative (Baptism of Jesus – Matthew 3:13-17)
- Parable (Prodigal Son – Luke 15:11-32)
- Letter (St Paul – Galatians 6:9-10)
- Teams of three are formed with one person from each expert group and the information is shared. Teams discuss the question How does the text type help us to understand God’s word? They record their ideas digitally.
Using Lectio Divina (holy reading) as a form of meditation, the teacher leads students through the process of deep scriptural reading using the story of the Prodigal Son -
holyweek.pdf | |
File Size: | 326 kb |
File Type: |
Week 5-10 Learning Byte - Ancient Voices
Questions around the Three Worlds of the Text
Three Worlds of the Text
Select questions that are specifically relevant to the text being covered.
World Behind the Text
What can we learn about the context of this text?
What can be learn about the historical context of the author?
What do we know of the cultural world of the time?
What are the geographical considerations of this text?
Who authored, edited and translated this text?
What does the text reveal about the culture of the time?
When was the text written and what was happening at that time?
Where does the text originate?
How has the text been communicated across time? (oral tradition, language in which it was first written)
Why was the text written or important enough to be retold across time?
What does the author want the audience to think or feel in reading this text?
Does the author draw on other texts in creating this one?
Why has the author chosen specific words or phrases?
What point of view does the author try to present?
What was happening around the author that caused them to create this text?
World of the Text
What is actually in the text?
What type of writing is this text?
Is there a particular structure to this text?
What comes before and after this text?
Who are the characters in the text?
What happens in this text?
Who speaks and who is silenced?
Where does the story take place?
Is the text attested to in other gospels or books of the bible?
What context clues help you to decide the type of text (greeting in a letter, sense of touch in a healing miracle, evocative language in a psalm)?
What is the most memorable or central scene in this text? Why is this scene central?
How do different parts of the text relate to each other?
What evidence can we find in the text of the historical, social, cultural, political and religious life of the time?
What words or interesting, new or difficult and need exploring?
World in Front of the Text
What meaning does this text have for my life today?
What might God want to say to us through this text today?
What might God want to day to me through this text?
What does the Church say about the meaning of this text?
What aspects of this text might not be relevant to our lives and time?
How might people of different genders and cultures interpret this text differently?
How could this text be used in prayer?
Where can information about this text be found in order to interpret it for contemporary audience?
When might this text be used in contemporary contexts?
What life experiences help me to better understand this text?
Three Worlds of the Text
Select questions that are specifically relevant to the text being covered.
World Behind the Text
What can we learn about the context of this text?
What can be learn about the historical context of the author?
What do we know of the cultural world of the time?
What are the geographical considerations of this text?
Who authored, edited and translated this text?
What does the text reveal about the culture of the time?
When was the text written and what was happening at that time?
Where does the text originate?
How has the text been communicated across time? (oral tradition, language in which it was first written)
Why was the text written or important enough to be retold across time?
What does the author want the audience to think or feel in reading this text?
Does the author draw on other texts in creating this one?
Why has the author chosen specific words or phrases?
What point of view does the author try to present?
What was happening around the author that caused them to create this text?
World of the Text
What is actually in the text?
What type of writing is this text?
Is there a particular structure to this text?
What comes before and after this text?
Who are the characters in the text?
What happens in this text?
Who speaks and who is silenced?
Where does the story take place?
Is the text attested to in other gospels or books of the bible?
What context clues help you to decide the type of text (greeting in a letter, sense of touch in a healing miracle, evocative language in a psalm)?
What is the most memorable or central scene in this text? Why is this scene central?
How do different parts of the text relate to each other?
What evidence can we find in the text of the historical, social, cultural, political and religious life of the time?
What words or interesting, new or difficult and need exploring?
World in Front of the Text
What meaning does this text have for my life today?
What might God want to say to us through this text today?
What might God want to day to me through this text?
What does the Church say about the meaning of this text?
What aspects of this text might not be relevant to our lives and time?
How might people of different genders and cultures interpret this text differently?
How could this text be used in prayer?
Where can information about this text be found in order to interpret it for contemporary audience?
When might this text be used in contemporary contexts?
What life experiences help me to better understand this text?