RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Expected Standard - C Grade Descriptor Year 7

Students communicate and demonstrate their understandings in a variety of ways.

By the end of Year 7, students demonstrate an understanding that people Discover God through experiences in creation. They make connections between features of the natural environment and how these reflect God. They recognise Christians believe that God’s power is greater than the power and forces in creation. Students recall that God has created human bodies and show an increasing awareness of how people can use their gifts to show God’s goodness. They explain how people reflect God when they do what is good. They explore a range of familiar contexts to identify how people demonstrate goodness. They review the lives of people who use their gifts in ways that reflect God.

By the end of Year 7, students distinguish a range of Human Experiences that relate to the Christian message. They determine that human experiences can lead people to question the meaning and purpose of their lives. They describe familiar life experiences and how the Christian message can apply to these. They relate Catholic beliefs and practices to real life needs and situations in society. They explore ways in which people can live out the Christian message.

By the end of Year 7, students identify experiences of Knowing Jesusthe model for living out the Christian mission to the world. They locate examples of Jesus loving and forgiving others and recognise that people can build their friendship with God by following the example of Jesus. They recall that Jesus wants people to show respect for all by expressing themselves in loving ways. They recognise that Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to empower members of the Church to develop good human qualities and overcome temptations. They explain how Jesus began a special community, the Church, which hands on his teachings. They identify a range of groupsto which individuals belong and they can explain what is needed to form groups and communities.

By the end of Year 7, students give examples of how Catholics are empowered to Live Like Jesus the Saviour as they draw on the power of the Holy Spirit. They recognise that for Christians Jesus is the fulfilment of God’s promise to send a Saviour. They recall that the Church is a community of believers which was begun by Jesus to share God’s power with all people. They outline how the Apostles and those who lead the Church today teach others the truth as taught by Jesus. They identify how followers of Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit, promote God’s saving power in the world, their families and their communities. They provide examples of how following the commandments is a way of showing love and respect. They describe how the sacraments strengthen people to live as God wants them to live.

By the end of Year 7, students identify the Catholic Practices that are part of Church life. They distinguish key features in biblical texts from both the Old and New Testaments. They discuss relationships between the stories and events in the Bible and how people today are called to live their lives. They recognise some forms of prayer and how they are used within the liturgies of the Catholic Church. They provide examples that show that Catholics belong to a particular community that prays together. They investigate the role of prayer and worship in the life of the Church. They identify the elements required if people are to participate in the sacraments.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Expected Standard - C Grade Descriptor Year 8

Students communicate and demonstrate their understandings in a variety of ways.

By the end of Year 8, students demonstrate an understanding that people come to Discover God through experiences in creation.They explain what people understand about God from creation and describe the relationship between people and the created universe. They comment about the responsibility for people to be stewards of creation. They recognise that a number of religions, including Christianity, teach that God created the world as a sign of love.They identify common experiencesthat people of different religions have of a Creator. They make links between living in a way that reflects God and meeting the needs of others in communities.

By the end of Year 8, students distinguish and describe a range of Human Experiences that relate to the Christian message. They define the same basic experiences that all people have. They discuss the search for meaning and purpose and the questions people have in their lives. They give examples of familiar life experiences and are able to explain how the Christian message can apply to these. They describe how the Catholic Church can give meaning and purpose to the lives of people. They recognise that members of the Catholic community are called to consider the questions and experiences of life in the light of the Gospels.

By the end of Year 8, students identifyand discuss experiences of Knowing Jesusthe model for living out the Christian mission to the world. They use the stories of Jesus and the parables he told to explain how God wants people to live. They identify examples of Jesus teaching and living according to God’s laws. They recall that Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to empower members of the Church so they can develop lives of faith, hope and charity. They identify the characteristics of community embodied in the Church. They explain that through the community of the Church, Catholics celebrate their relationship with God in the Mass and the seven sacraments.

By the end of Year 8, students explore how Catholics are empowered to Live Like Jesus the Saviour as they draw on the power of the Holy Spirit. They recall the Church believes that Jesus is the fulfilment of God’s promise to send a Saviour. They provide examples of what is needed to belong to communities. They describe how the Church is guided by the Holy Spirit and follows the teachings of Jesus. They outline how the Apostles and those who lead the Church today teach others the truth as taught by Jesus. They give examples of how followers of Jesus promote God’s saving power in the world through the ways they think and behave with others. They describe how the sacraments strengthen people to live as God wants them to live.

By the end of Year 8, students identify and define the Catholic Practices that are part of Church life. They explore and discuss different literary forms used in the Bible andhow they are used to communicate with particular audiences. They explain some symbolic meanings and purpose of the texts. They identify the elements of the Old and New Covenants and how these represent God’s promise to people over time. They describe different forms of prayer and how they are used within the liturgies of the Church. They explain the role of prayer and worship in the life of the Church. They identify the elements of how to participate in the sacraments and outline the link between the sacraments and how Catholics are called to live their lives.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Expected Standard - C Grade Descriptor Year 9

Students communicate and demonstrate their understandings in a variety of ways.

By the end of Year 9, students describe howCatholics understand that people Discover God when they interact with creation. They describe how God is revealed through people and events in life. They analyse different creation stories and identify that different groups have different understandings. They recognise common questions and yearnings that people have and make connections with how these questions and yearnings point to people’s desire to change the world so that it reflects God’s goodness. They explain how people can reflect God when they relate with others.

By the end of Year 9, students explainthe Catholic understanding of how the Christian message relates to Human Experiences.They describe some of the different ways the Christian message is expressed in the lives of Catholics. They recognise the relationship between the desire for true and lasting happiness and the reality of the experiences of sinfulness in the world. They identify different experiences that lead people to search for what is true and good. They describe how the Catholic Church through the Magisterium, guides Catholics in living out the Gospel. They explain how the lives of Mary and the saints demonstrate that people can live the Christian message.

By the end of Year 9, students apply a Catholic understanding to determine how throughKnowing Jesus people are shown how to live as God wants. They use examples from the life and mission of Jesus to illustrate what it means for people who choose to follow his example in their lives. They locate examples of how Jesus chose always to love others, whatever differences they might have had. They explain that followers of Jesus are empowered to love others as Jesus loved them. They recall that Jesus started his Church to give people new experiences of God. They recognise that through his Church, Jesus shares the sacraments and his two great commandments of love.

By the end of Year 9, students understand how Catholics discern howLiving Like Jesus leads people to God. They recognise that Christians are called to share in the mission of Jesus by following God’s laws. They recall that as the promised Messiah, Jesus, came to call people into a loving relationship with God. They explain the Catholic understanding of how the gift of the Holy Spirit helps to fulfil the promise of salvation offered by the risen Jesus. Theydemonstrate that Jesus revealed how to draw on the strengths of the Holy Spirit and God’s grace in order to live the full Christian life.They explain how the Church is guided by the teachings of Jesus. They outline that Tradition is the handing on of the teachings of the Apostles under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

By the end of Year 9, students describe the Catholic Practices that are part of Church life. They read Scripture texts containing relatively complex language and concepts. They recall that Scriptural texts were constructed for particular contexts and purposes. They select, use and reflect on different scriptural texts to make links between these texts and the lessons they teach. They describe how Catholics draw on prayer and the sacraments to relate with and respond to God. They identify the signs, symbols and rituals of the sacraments and can explain how each of the sacraments offers an experience of Jesus.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Expected Standard - C Grade Descriptor Year 10

Students communicate and demonstrate their understandings in a variety of ways.

By the end of Year 10, students identify and explain what Catholics believe about how people Discover God when they interact with creation. They investigate the complexity of interrelationships within society and the environment. They clarify the different ways that people use the environment and justify whether this use of the environment is good for nature and society. They explore the complexity of the questions and yearnings that point to people’s desire to change the world as they search for peace, freedom, true happiness and justice.

By the end of Year 10, students examinethe Catholic understanding of how the Christian message relates to Human Experiences.They recognise and understand many of the different ways the Christian message is expressed in the lives of Catholics. They recognise that there are conflicting tensions in the desire to find true happiness. They list the range of different experiences that lead people to search for what is true and good. They identify, select and apply the Church’s teaching to real life situations that relate to individuals and society. They examine the values of Jesus and Church teaching and explain how, from a Christian point of view, these can challenge and confront Australian society.

By the end of Year 10, students clarify and discuss how throughKnowing Jesus people are shown how to live as God wants. They begin to generalise from the life and mission of Jesus about what that means for people who choose to follow his example in their lives. They identify the Christian values that Jesus taught and how these values can be lived by Christians today. They describe how through the Church, Jesus shares his power of love in the sacraments and in the two great commandments of love.

By the end of Year 10, students apply a Catholic understanding to determine that Living Like Jesus leads people to God. They identify that Christians, as part of the Communion of the Church, are called to share in the mission of Jesus by following God’s laws. They relate how in the New Covenant, Jesus began the Church to lead and guide people into communion with God. They give examples of how Christians, empowered by the Holy Spirit, are called to use their consciences to make morally good choices, act justly and live out each of the commandments in daily life. They investigate Christian vocation and recognise what is taught about the need to discover personal vocation and live a healthy Christian lifestyle.

By the end of Year 10, through the use of research, students develop a broader understanding of the Catholic Practices that are part of Church life. They analyse a range of biblical texts for what they reveal about God and God’s love for all people. They outline the historical spread of the Catholic Church across the world. They define the key elements and features of prayer and compare prayers written in a variety of contexts. They identify the key elements of Catholic liturgical celebrations and how, through the sacraments, people can live and give witness to Christ’s Salvation.

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