Early Stage 1 Module

Belonging to

God’s Family

Belonging to God’s Family

Module Focus

This module focuses on how we experience love as members of God’s family. We belong to God’s family just because we are part of God’s creation. As baptised people, we are also members of the church family. We are loved and supported by our church family, but are also called to reach out to other people in love, especially those in need. Like our own families and our school family, our church family is a community where God’s love is expressed.

Children will be invited to explore being part of family as a way to come to know God’s love. A family will be seen as a group of people who are connected in special ways, connections which often teach us about love. Children will explore how we come to know the love of our God in the gift of creation and the gift of people in our lives, gifts we receive as part of our humanity. Children will be invited to reflect on and celebrate the uniqueness of their families and to appreciate that they can come to know and love God through family relationships. Teachers will need to be aware of difficult family situations which may exist in the class and adjust teaching appropriately. Children will also explore broader concepts of family, in particular our school and church families as other contexts in which we come to know God’s love.

Outcomes

CD ES1.3a: Identifies communities where God’s love is expressed.
GRHD ES1.1: Expresses an understanding of God’s love in the world
J ES1.2: Identifies Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God and names some of his friends.
Learn About / Learn To
CD ES1.3a:
  • family relationships/celebrations
  • the Parish as part of God’s family
  • the school within the parish
  • key elements of gathering and celebrating
GRHD ES1.1:
  • God’s love for all
  • God’s desire for love to be shared
  • the expression of God’s love through caring people in their lives
J ES1.2:
  • Jesus’ family
  • Jesus’ love for all, especially those who are left out
  • Jesus as the Good Shepherd
  • some Scripture stories that tell us about Jesus
/ CD ES1.3a:
  • reflect on and celebrate families, including our church family
  • explore the relationship of Church, parish, school and family
  • reflect upon the place of family relationships in our home, school and church families
GRHD ES1.1:
  • observe and reflect upon God’s love in the world
  • talk about and listen to experiences of loved
  • name God as the source of all love
J ES1.2:
  • gather information about Jesus’ family
  • recount some stories about Jesus
  • discuss love in Jesus’ own family and the human family

DISCIPLESHIP CHALLENGE
  • Students are challenged to feel part of family communities
  • Students are challenged to realise God’s love for all.
  • Students are challenged to hear and celebrate stories about Jesus.

Catholic Discipleship

This module aims to develop an understanding of family as a community that loves and supports one another. It is recognised that even at such as early stage of development, children will experience varied manifestations of family. Students are encouraged to begin to know their family as unique, and having differences and similarities with Jesus’ family. It is important to value family as a group of people who care for each other, and not to focus on stereotypical family groupings. Whilst considering the Holy Family as a model of loving care in a family, Jesus’ reached out to many people, especially outsiders, including all in his circle of love. This broader perception of loving community is a firm basis on which to develop an ongoing understanding of Catholic discipleship.

As students develop the broader understanding that we experience God’s love by being part of the human family, they will be encouraged to see that as disciples of Jesus, they are called to show love in their communities. Students will also explore other “family communities” in which they come to know love. The school community provides tangible evidence of a loving community, especially for children who being experiencing personal family settings that are not always loving. The children will be introduced to the idea that the Church is a loving and supportive family, a community that guides their growth as disciples. This concept that will be further developed in the Stage One module, “A Community that Celebrates God’s Love”.

Prayer Focus: Grace before Meals

The prayer focus in this module is grace before meals, as said in our family groups (e.g. our personal and school families). Grace before meals is a prayer of gratitude to God, both creator and sustainer. Sharing meals together strengthens family relationships, but praying beforehand adds another dimension. As we dedicate our meal to God, reliving Jesus’ action of Eucharist and thinking about our mission as Christians to the poor and marginalised.

Core Scripture

Luke 2:41-52The Boy Jesus in the Temple

(an early childhood version may be found in The Usborne Children’s Bible, p. 88-89
OR “The Childhood of Jesus” in Early Reader’s Bible pages 307 -313)

John 10: 15-16Jesus the Good Shepherd

This story can be told using the big book from To Know, Worship and Love, “The Good Shepherd”.

See script adapted from “Catechesis of the Good Shepherd” in Appendix 1 as a way to begin telling the story.

Scripture in Context

Luke 2:41-52

Luke’s gospel provides the only story of Jesus’ boyhood. (Lk 2:41-52). It presents Jesus raised in the traditions of Israel, and fulfilling all that the Law required. Jesus, with Mary and Joseph, was on a pilgrimage to ‘the holy city’, Jerusalem. The Passover pilgrimage was an observance of Israel’s liberation from Egyptian bondage. The trip would have taken several days through the countryside. Jesus would have been a part of the crowd in Jerusalem participating in the week long celebrations. Near the temple, teachers of the Law would have been answering questions put forward by the pilgrims. Jesus became so involved in the teaching that he stayed behind when his parents’ caravan left for home. It is most likely that his parents thought that he was with friends or family.

This story is one of transition from Jesus’ childhood to his adult ministry. He is presented as both pupil and teacher. He is keen to learn from the teachers of the Law, and yet confident enough to begin teaching, demonstrating wisdom and insight beyond his years. Jesus’ sense of mission is obvious, and his future mission is anticipated. The story reflects the concept of Jesus finding family in community as he reaches out to others beyond his immediate family. The separation of Jesus from his family for three days also anticipates his three days separation before his resurrection.

The passage presents Jesus in an ordinary family situation, asserting himself and unintentionally causing his parents anxiety. The concern shown by his parents is an example of the love experienced in family relationships. Whilst Jesus causes his parents great worry, he also demonstrates respect as he follows his parents’ home. The story tells us that Jesus “grew and became strong and filled with wisdom”. The influence of his family is shown in the way that he was educated and nourished to be a person of great wisdom. Jesus’ mention of God as “his Father” also anticipates the loving relationship that Jesus would have with God, a change from the Jewish understanding of an all-powerful God.

John 10:14-15

The image of the shepherd is one that is used frequently in the scriptures. Other well-known uses of this image include Ps 23 (The Lord is my Shepherd) and the Parable of the Lost Sheep (Mt 18:10-14 and Lk15:1-7). It is significant that this agricultural image is used to reach out to the everyday people of the time. Whilst this image may not apply to the business of big city life today, it certain applies to the “every-dayness” of our lives.

“I am the Good Shepherd” is one of the seven “I am…”statements found in John’s Gospel (others include “I am the true vine”, “I am the light of the world”, I am the way, the truth and the life”). These metaphors provide a framework for John’s Gospel, which is more a theological reflection than a chronological story of Jesus’ life. The “I am” sayings are about Jesus’ self-identification, capturing different aspects of the nature of Jesus Christ, as God in human form. The “I am” metaphors connect Jesus as God deeply with the human condition and with our deepest aspirations, hopes and fears. The relationship of people with God, with others and with the world may be summed up in the word “love”.

The metaphor of Jesus as the good shepherd is tied deeply with the human condition. Sheep are not all the same. They are not perfect. They can be stubborn and sometimes they wander away. People have similar qualities, but God like the Good Shepherd is open to and cares for us all, and is particularly concerned for the weakest and the lost. The pastoral image of the shepherd is important in the way we see the church as family. When we call Bishops and priests “pastors”, we are capturing the image of the good shepherd. It is also the basis of pastoral care policies in schools, which contribute to the way that schools develop as families. This image also contributes to Catholic Social Teaching in the “preferential option for the poor and vulnerable”.

Catechism of the Catholic Church for teacher reference

nn. 2201-2206 The nature of the family

Compendium 456 # What is the nature of the family in the plan of God?

nn. 2207-2213 The family and society

Compendium 457 # What place does the family occupy in society?

Compendium 458 # What are the duties that society has toward the family?

Background for Teachers

Families

‘The family is the place where different generations come together and help one another to grow wiser and harmonise the rights of the individuals with other demands of social life; as such it constitutes the basis of society.’ (GaudiumetSpes, n. 52)

The family is a unique community, which has the potential to nourish and enrich the lives of its members. The Church has written many documents that explain the importance of the family for the life and well-being of society. The Australian Catholic Bishops (1993) issued a pastoral statement entitled: Families: our hidden treasure. One aspect was to acknowledge the diversity of family life in Australia. They regard Australian families as intimate communities within society whose members are committed to each other in love – whether through marriage, through blood or by adoption.

It should be acknowledged and understood that the term ‘family’ means different things to different people. Within Australia we speak of traditional families, nuclear families, sole-parent families, stepfamilies, blended families. The teacher needs to be aware of and sensitive to, students’ family situations so as to use appropriate resources that display a variety of different family structures.

Celebrations are unique opportunities to share the joy of family life. They provide opportunities to express the life and love families share in common. Through recalling and reflecting upon the keyelements of gathering and sharing of family celebrations, Early Stage One students can grow in their appreciation of such celebrations as special times in which they and other family members can express and experience the love and support of their family. Celebrations are also key elements of gathering and sharing in other family communities such as the school community. Within the Catholic tradition the Christian family is recognised as a community of faith. Faith is nurtured and matures within the Christian family which is the primary experience for children of belonging to God’s family ‘The Christian family constitutes a specific revelation and realisation of ecclesial communion, and for this reason it can and should be called a domestic church.’ (Lumen Gentium n.11)

Concept of the Family in the Bible

The Old Testament is full of rich family metaphors of God’s relationship with Israel. These include “Yahweh Saboath” (Lord of Hosts), “El Shaddai” (God of the Mountains) and “El Elyon” (God Most High). Psalm 89 (89:7) describes God as “great and awesome above all that are around him”. Isaiah says “I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty” (Isa 6:11).The concept of family in the Old Testament was mainly patriarchal, an image that Jesus changed as he introduced his image of a close family relationship with his Father, a God of love.

The importance of family is also displayed through stories of ancestry in the scriptures. The genealogies in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke identify Jesus with key figures in salvation history including Adam, Abraham and David. (cf. Mt 1: 1-17 and Lk 2:4).In particular, Matthew‘s gospel opens with the genealogy of Jesus, ascribing honour to Jesus through his family connection with important ancestors. Ancestry is part of telling a family story from past to present to future, and was very important to the Jewish people.

Family holds great importance for Jesus as seen in the nativity story, the finding of the child Jesus in the temple, the wedding feast at Cana and Mary at the foot of the cross. However, Jesus’ ministry also introduced a new understanding of family and community. The focus on Jesus’ teaching was not essentially on social or family relationships, but on the Kingdom of God. In the Kingdom of God all are welcome. Jesus’ broad understanding of family and community was based on discipleship.

God’s love as experienced through caring people in our lives

God’s love is experienced through loving relationships we have in our lives. The family is generally the first and most important context in which children learn to give and receive love, thereby experiencing God’s love. Family contexts vary, and children learn love from various family members including extended family members, and sometimes close family friends. We also experience God’s love through our relationships in other family communities, such as our school and church families. Our school and church families support our own families to not only witness God’s love, but also to teach us about God’s love.

The Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God is present here and now, signalling the existence of the “…gracious, forgiving and redeeming presence of (God) in the world…This kingdom is open to all, and all are invited into it, but it is given …preferentially to those who are marginalised, that is, the poor, the afflicted, the oppressed, the captives…” (LK 4:18) (Phan, 2001, p. 4).

The Kingdom of God is unlike the political kingdoms of this world. Those kingdoms seek power and wealth as their source of authority. The Kingdom Jesus challenges us to join is one which service is central to the authority. Just as Jesus became a servant, so too do the members of his Kingdom need to embrace a service that leads others to freedom from violence and oppression. In the Kingdom of God we reach out to others, particularly the vulnerable in the different family communities to which we belong.

Student Context

Please cater for the student context of your class in your planning of this module.

Developing the Partnership

Please make connections between the learning in this module and parents and the wider community.

Curriculum Links

Please note connections with other KLAS and cross curricular perspectives in your planning.

Planning a Quality Learning Sequence for your class

Quality religious education will be achieved only by deep thinking about where you are going and how you plan the learning journey to get there. Begin with the end in mind and then consider how you will build field to meet your goals. Remember that you cannot expect children to develop deep knowledge and understanding, unless you as teacher have deep knowledge and understanding yourself. According to the Quality Teaching Framework, quality teaching will occur when you ask yourself four questions:

  • What do you want the students to learn?
  • Why does the learning matter?
  • What are you going to get the students to do (or produce)?
  • How well do you expect them to do it?

The suggested learning sequence has been planned through such a process. However, it cannot be written with the understanding of the student context of each class and relationship to other learning that is happening in the class. It is therefore necessary for you as teacher to plan your own unit, using this module as a support. Doing so is part of your role as an “activist professional” (a teacher who actively works to improve their professionalism).

Suggested Teaching, Learning and

Assessment Experiences

These are suggested teaching and learning experiences. The essential part of teaching this module is that you, as teacher have deep knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. Reading in depth the “Background for the Teacher” and “Scripture in Context” will give you the basic understanding you need.

It is essential to use the whole module to plan your own unit. You might like to change the questions to suit your class. Your unit should be written in acknowledgement of the student context of your class. The suggested learning experiences are meant to be adapted for this purpose. You should design learning experiences for the purpose of formative and summative assessment. When designing quality learning experiences and assessments, they must address the outcomes, learning intentions and success criteria based on the enduring understandings of the module.