Combined Unit of Work for

12A Religions of the World & 12D Loss Death Grief and Dying

ACHIEVEMENT AIMS

Through this course of study students will gain and apply knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to understand:

1.  The nature and function of religion.

a.  Religion as a response to the universal human experience of loss, death, grief and dying.

2.  The Catholic Church’s attitude and response to:

a.  Non-Christian religions

b.  Death and the afterlife.

3.  Significant features of major world religions and of indigenous religions of the Pacific region.

a.  Emphasising cultural and religious beliefs and practices associated with death and dying.

4.  The centrality of Christ’s death and resurrection in the Christian perspective of life and death.

ACHIEVEMENT OBJECTIVES

Students will be able to:

1.  Explore the nature and function of religion:

a.  In understanding human loss and grief.

b.  Providing ways of dealing with loss and grief.

2.  Develop an understanding of the Catholic Church’s attitude, beliefs and response:

a.  To non-Christian religions.

b.  To death and dying.

3.  Develop an understanding of the indigenous religions of the Pacific region, including traditional Māori spirituality.

a.  Māori tangihanga.

4.  Identify and investigate what the major world religions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam believe and teach about life after death.

a.  Including funeral rites.

LEARNING INTENTIONS

At the conclusion of this course of study students will:

·  Identify the nine dimensions of religion and link them to features of Catholicism.

·  Explain the Catholic Church’s attitude towards non-Christian religions.

·  Identify features of Polynesian religion.

·  Identify distinctive features of Māori religion.

·  Present the Hindu understanding of reincarnation, death and dying.

·  Explain the Buddhist understanding of nirvana, reincarnation, death and dying.

·  Describe Jewish beliefs and practices associated with death and dying.

·  Recall important Christian beliefs about death, dying and resurrection.

·  Describe Catholic beliefs and practices associated with death and dying.

·  Identify implications of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead for his first followers and for Christians today.

·  Distinguish features of Islamic beliefs and practices associated with death and dying.

ASSESSMENT

The course work lends itself to being assessed through AS 90823 Religious Studies 2.4 Explain the significance of a key belief within two religious traditions.

EG:

Describe and provide reasons for the significance of the belief in life after death within Catholicism and one other religious tradition.

KEY IDEAS (material that would need to be covered so that the achievement objectives

are met)

Students will be able to:

1.  Explore the nature and function of religion:

a.  In understanding human loss and grief.

b.  Providing ways of dealing with loss and grief.

·  Characteristics of religion.

·  Features of Catholicism.

·  Processes of grief and loss, how religions help people move through them.

2.  Develop an understanding of the Catholic Church’s attitude, beliefs and response:

a.  To non-Christian religions

b.  To death and dying.

·  Declaration of the Relation of the Church to Non-Christen religions.

·  Jesus Christ the unique saviour of the world.

·  The Christian understanding of death and other attitudes to death.

·  Resurrection of Jesus and its importance to beliefs about life after death.

·  Helping those who suffer loss.

·  Catholic funeral rites.

3.  Develop an understanding of the indigenous religions of the Pacific region, including traditional Māori spirituality:

a.  Māori tangihanga.

·  The Church in Oceania.

·  Practices of traditional Pacific communities, foreign influences and resulting changes.

·  Māori spirituality.

·  Māori funeral customs.

·  Significant features of Māori religious movements.

4.  Identify and investigate what the major world religions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam believe and teach about life after death.

a.  Including funeral rites.

·  Significant features of the Hinduism.

o  Reincarnation, - beliefs and practices around death and dying.

o  The Bhagavadgita.

·  Significant features of Buddhism.

o  Nirvana, reincarnation, beliefs and practices around death and dying.

o  The Four Noble Truths.

·  Significant features of Judaism.

o  Beliefs shared by Christians.

o  Beliefs, traditions and practices around death and dying.

·  Significant features of Islam.

o  Similarities and differences between Islamic and Christian beliefs and values.

o  Beliefs, traditions and practices around death and dying.

Possible lesson focus: This is based on 28 hour periods prior to assessment. It works with only one of the student text books at a time. It would however, be desirable that the teacher has access to both teacher guides, 12A and 12D throughout the teaching and learning cycle.

It would help if students kept a graphic organizer for a particular religion regarding belief around life after death throughout the course of learning. Groups could become experts in a particular religion. An integrated approach is required so that the material covered in the second stage of the programme is linked back to the appropriate material in the first topic.

Religions of the World / Loss Death Grief and Dying

It is presumed that the teacher has read the two teachers guides for these topics and is familiar with the overall learning intentions and content of the programme of teaching and learning.

STA references to the student text 12A: Religions of the World.

STD references to the student text 12D: Loss, Death, Grief and Dying.

TGA reference to the teachers guide for 12A.

TGD reference to the teachers guide for 12D.

Lesson/s / Coverage
1-2 / Why religions exist / ·  What are the big questions of life? STA 2
·  Definitions of religion STA 3
·  Characteristics of religion – card activity, STA 4, TGA 6, 20
3 / How religions operate / ·  Nine dimensions of religion STA 4,5
4-5 / Basics of Christianity / ·  Beliefs held in common the Creed STA 35, TGA 11
·  The life, death and resurrection of Jesus STA 34
·  Christianity today TGA 97
6-7 / Catholic Christianity / ·  What identifies a Catholic as Catholic?
·  Nine dimensions of religion and Catholicism STA 5
8-9 / Catholics and other non-Christian religions / ·  Nostra Aetate – In Our Day STA 7, TGA 7, 30-32
·  Christ Saviour of the World STA 6, TGA 32 -34
·  Valuing other religions STA 9
10 -11 / Pacific Religion / ·  Indigenous religion STA 13, TGA 42-46
·  Polynesian religion STA 18-19, TGA 53-55
·  Eccelsia in Oceania – The Church in Oceania STA 14
12-13 / Māori Spirituality and Religion / ·  Tapu , Mana – the spiritual realm STA 20-21, TGA 63-65
·  Ringatū STA 40-41, TGA 110-117
·  Rātana Movement STA 42-45, TGA 119-128
14-15 / Hinduism / ·  Significant features of Hinduism STA 22-24, TGA 68-71
16-17 / Buddhism / ·  Significant feature of Buddhism STA 25-28, TGA 75-80
18-19 / Judaism / ·  Significant features of Judaism STA 30,32 TGA 84-88, 89-90
·  Shared beliefs with Christians STA 29
·  Relationship with Christians STA 30, TGA 85,
20-21 / Islam / ·  Beliefs and origins of Islam STA 37- 39, TGA 100-102
·  Islam in the contemporary world STA 39-40, TGA 103-105
22-24 / Christianity
Need to change student text / ·  Importance of the life death and resurrection of Jesus STA 34, TGA 92-94, TGD 23-24
·  The Creed STA 35
·  Developments in Christianity STA 36, TGA 95-98
·  Christians and death STD 3, TGD 24-25
25 / Human loss and grief / ·  Different types of loss STD 4-8, TGD 27-28
·  Stages of grief as a response to loss STD-11, TGD 34-39
26-28 / Death / ·  Concepts of death STD 16-17, STD 25-26, TGD 62-63
·  Christians and death STD 18-19, 20-23, TGD 49-51, 55-57
·  Catholics and death STD 36-38, 39-41, TGD 55-57, 103-112117-123
·  Hindus and death TGA 69
·  Buddhism and death TGA 76-77
·  Māori and death STD 33-35, TGD 88-99

Religions of the World / Loss Death Grief and Dying