Algonquin & Lakeshorecatholicdistrictschool Board

Algonquin & LakeshoreCatholicDistrictSchool Board

Course Outline

School: HolyCrossSecondary School

Ministry Document: The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 to 12, Religious Education, 1999

Course Title: Religious Education: “Christ and Culture”

Grade: Grade 10

Credit Value: 1.0

Teacher(s):

Date ofRevision:September, 2009

Department: Religious Education

Department Head:Andrew Michalski

Course Code: HRE 20

Course Type: Open

Prerequisite: None

Corequisite:

Course Developer(s):

Date Reviewed:

Course Description

This course both invites and challenges the adolescent to personalize the principles that

guide Catholics in understanding their role in shaping culture through our discipleship.

The exploration of these principles starts with the Scriptural foundations to the questions of

what it means to be human and how God has and continues to shape our humanity through

culture. The principles are then developed through the Gospel themes that reveal how

Jesus’ Kingdom of God is expressed in all of our relationships: to ourselves, to others, to

our civil society, to our Church, and to our Global community.

Pre-requisite: none

How This Course Supports the Ontario Catholic Graduate Expectations

Religious Education, as an evolving discipline, enables young people to discover the truth, nurture the attitudes and develop the skills necessary to grow as young Catholics in these changing times. For these reasons, Religious Education is designed to promote a Catholic identity that will assist them in the task of becoming life-long learners in relation to their faith within a multi-religious and sometimes anti-religious society. It is also designed to assist in the process of ethical and moral formation within a culture that all too often fails to recognize the call of God upon men and women, the fundamental dignity of the human person and the existence of absolute ethical norms.

In Catholic secondary schools, Religious Education functions as the academic component within the nexus of activities that seek to evangelize and catechize students. As such, it plays an integral role in the learning experiences of students and complements the various faith-related activities (e.g., chaplaincy services, community outreach, peer ministry) that take place within the instructional setting of these schools.

How This Course Supports the Competencies of Choices into Action

The study of religion supports the areas of student interpersonal and faith development. Students will develop and apply a wide variety of skills and learning strategies to achieve the religion expectations. Students will demonstrate social responsibility through critical thinking and decision making with respect to human and environmental needs. This course will also provide students with opportunities to explore the variety of ways that our faith helps to guide our choices in regards to vocation, employment and career opportunities.

1.Overall Expectations for Student Learning

By the end of this course students will demonstrate these enduring understandings in the following strands:

Scripture

• identify the four Gospels as the heart of the Christian Scriptures and the primary source

of knowledge about Jesus (CCC §125);

• recognize the Gospels as testimonies of faith in Jesus and an invitation to grow toward

wholeness by living as his faithful disciples;

• develop appropriate skills for interpreting Scripture through a harmony of the methods

of exegesis and the guidance of the Teaching Authority of the Church;

• explain the “good news” of the Gospel story as a way to know God’s saving love for

humanity.

Profession of Faith

• recognize that there is an absolute truth and God is its source (CCC §2465-2470);
• demonstrate a profound respect for the dignity and mystery of the human person, as

both blessed and broken (CCC §356-412), created, loved and redeemed by God (CCC

§599-618, 651-655);

• demonstrate an understanding of the role of the Church in God’s plan for salvation

(CCC §770-776);

• identify various ways in which the Church expresses itself as the “people of God”

(CCC §781-786);

• demonstrate an understanding of the main creedal forms of the Catholic Church

(Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed, baptismal liturgy).

Christian Moral Development

• demonstrate an understanding of the importance of social justice by applying the

teachings of Jesus to their own culture and own life situations (CCC §1928-1942);

• demonstrate how justice is a demand of natural law (CCC §1954-1960);
• recognize that justice is an essential ingredient in the liberation of human beings and a

key expression of Christian love;

• demonstrate a knowledge of the social teachings of the Church (CCC §2419-2425);
• use the preferential option for the poor as the criterion for analysing social injustice

issues (CCC §2443-2449).

Prayer and Sacramental Life

• recognize the spiritual and sacramental dimension implicit in human experience and

the created world;

• explain the meaning and role of Eucharist and Anointing of the Sick in the life of a

Christian;

• demonstrate a knowledge of the various purposes of prayer (CCC §2623-2643);
• identify and assess the value of both personal and communal prayer within

Christianity;

• identify and describe the role and history of the sacraments in the life of Catholics with

special emphasis on the sacraments of Eucharist (CCC §1322-1405) and Anointing of

the Sick (CCC §1499-1525).

Family Life Education

• demonstrate an understanding of the sacredness of the human person, body and spirit

(CCC §2258-2262), from conception until natural death (CCC §2268-2283);

• recognize and explore the meaning of integrity and belonging in human life;
• describe the stages of cognitive and affective development throughout the life span;
• understand the family life cycle;
• examine healthy patterns of relating with a focus on friendship, intimacy, sexuality and

communication.

2.Expectations Regarding Learning Skills

An important key to success in this course is a positive attitude toward learning and to the study of Religious Education. Maximum use of class time is crucial to obtain the support of the teacher and peers. Homework will be the continuation of work begun in class and should be completed to obtain the practice and reinforcement needed to succeed on summative evaluations. In accordance with ALCDS Board policy, parents will be contacted when unsatisfactory learning skills place a student’s credit in jeopardy. Learning skills will be assessed accurately and rigorously in the following areas:

·Independent working skills

·Teamwork

·Organization

·Work habits / Homework Completion

·Initiative

A student’s demonstration of learning skills will be reported separately from achievement of curriculum expectations using a four-point scale:

E - excellent, G - good, S - satisfactory and N - needs improvement.

Although learning skills may have an effect on achievement, evaluation of the learning skills will not be included in the determination of the student’s percentage grade.

3.Supports for Higher Learning

Whenever accommodations are made to address student learning needs, or alternative or modified expectations are identified for a student, these accommodations, modifications, or alternative expectations will be outlined in an Individual Education Plan (IEP) and will be communicated to parents.

The Role of Technology in the Curriculum
It is a key principle of Catholic Social Teaching that technology must be placed at the service of humanity. To that end, the Catholic tradition places itself in the midst of human progress, including technological progress, and seeks to understand and to utilize technology in the on-going formation of a just and caring society. Religious Education courses will integrate appropriate technologies to assist students in learning to manage knowledge efficiently, communicate effectively, and think creatively and critically. Further, course content should give students the opportunity to reflect and make judgments concerning the various ethical issues related to technology.

4.Assessment and Evaluation of Student Achievement

Assessment practices will be aligned with curriculum expectations and will incorporate a variety of appropriate and authentic assessment methods, strategies, and instruments. The Achievement Charts for Religious Education will be used to provide a reference point for all assessment practice, including the assignment of percentage grades. In accordance with ALCDS Board policy and the concept of assessment for learning, students will be given a variety of opportunities, appropriate to their learning needs, to demonstrate what they know and can do. Student achievement of the overall expectations will be evaluated in a balanced manner among the four learning categories:

·Knowledge and Understanding

·Thinking

·Communication

·Application

All summative evaluation activities are due on the date specified by the teacher. In accordance with ALCDS Board policy, once assignments (class set) have been returned to students, a teacher is under no obligation to accept late work. If a student misses summative evaluation, it is the student’s responsibility to discuss the completion of the activity and subsequent consequences with the teacher on the day of the student’s return to school. However, extenuating circumstances may warrant, at the teacher’s discretion, an extension or an alternative demonstration of the expectations.

Seventy percent of the grade will be based on evaluations conducted throughout the course. This portion of the grade will reflect the student’s most consistent level of achievement throughout the course, although special consideration will be given to more recent evidence of achievement.

Thirty percent of the grade will be based on final evaluation in the form of an examination (20%) and a culminating task (10%).

5.Teaching / Learning Strategies

Students learn best when they are engaged in a variety of ways of learning. This religion course lends itself to a wide range of approaches requiring students to: conduct internet investigations; research; think critically; work cooperatively; discuss relevant issues; and time to reflect on new ideas and concepts, both individually and as a group.

Some of the teaching and learning strategies that may be used in this course are cooperative small-group learning, role playing, simulations, brainstorming, mind mapping, creating scenarios for decision making, independent research, personal reflection, seminar presentations, Socratic lessons, and constructive or creative dialogue. In combination, such approaches will promote the acquisition of knowledge, foster positive attitudes toward learning, and students to become life-long learners.

6.Learning Resources

The textbooks for the course are:

Christ and Culture.

7.Board, School, Department and Classroom Policies

The following policies apply to this course:

Administrative Procedures. October, 2005. Secondary School Policy for Assessment, Evaluation, Grading and Reporting, Grades 9-12, 2005-2006.