Gr. 4Religious Education Program Year Plan/Time Lines
Growing in Faith, Growing in Christ
Woven throughout this program are the Six Strands of Catechesis: Believing, Celebrating, Prayer, Living a Moral Life, Living in Communion and Living in Solidarity. Each unit has a wide variety of activities to choose from to help students understand what the six strands are in a meaningful way to learn about our Catholic faith while building a relationship with Jesus.
Months / UnitInquiry Question / Liturgical SeasonColor / Overview of Key LearningsSeptember, October, November
11 weeks / 1: Called to Be One: How can we answer God’s call to be one? / Ordinary Time, green (exploring the mission of Christ) / This unit should end by Nov 20th a week prior to the Feast of Christ the King on November 26th
- Ch. 1 –How Does Our Faith Make Us One?
- Key learning: by joining with Jesus and His Church, we share one faith in God and we are one Body in Christ.
- Ch. 2 –How Does Worshiping Together Make Us One?
- Key learning: We worship, pray, and celebrate the sacraments to receive God’s grace as a faith community
- Ch. 3 –What Does It Mean to Be Holy?
- Key learning: We are one in holiness when we love God, our neighbor, and ourselves.
- Ch. 4 –How Can We Grown Together in Holiness?
- We can grow in holiness together through prayer, good works, and caring for God’s gift of creation
November - December
5 weeks / 2: How can we deepen our faith during Advent and Christmas? / Advent, purple Christmas, white /
- Ch. 5 –How Is Advent a Time for Transformation?
- Key learnings: Rituals and prayers help us wait in joyful anticipation for Jesus’ coming. Through penitence and the sacrament of Reconciliation, we receive God’s grace to transform our hearts and lives.
- Ch. 6 –How is the Birth of Jesus a New Beginning?
- God reveals Himself to us through His son Jesus. The birth of Jesus brings us hope and the promise of eternal life.
January, February:
6 weeks / 3: How do we experience the kingdom of God? / Christmas, white
Ordinary Time, green /
- Ch. 7 –What Is the Kingdom of God?
- Key learning: The kingdom of God is God’s reign over all people and all things in Heaven and on Earth; it is divine, spiritual, universal, and eternal.
- Ch. 8 –How Does Jesus Reveal God’s Kingdom?
- Key learning: We see the kingdom of god in Jesus’ life and ministry
- Ch. 9 –What is the Role of the Church?
- Key learnings: Jesus established His Church to help us know and experience the kingdom of God. Through Jesus, the authority and power of God are passed to the Church.
February, March, April:
9 weeks / 4: During Lent and Easter, how can we prepare to receive new life in Jesus? / Ordinary Time, green
Lent, purple /
- Ch. 10 –How is Lent a Time of Renewal?
- Key learning: During lent, we reflect on how we live and renew our relationship with God trough prayer, fasting, and almsgiving
- Ch. 11 –How is Lent a Time for Healing?
- Key learning: Through repentance and the sacraments, we receive God’s grace and heal our relationships with Him and others.
- Ch. 12 –How Does Easter Give Us New Life?
- Key learning: Through the Paschal Mystery, Jesus redeems us and offers us forgiveness for our sins and new life that will last forever. He fulfills God’s plan for our salvation.
April, May, June: 9 Weeks / 5: How can we serve God as He builds His kingdom? / Easter, white & Ordinary Time, green /
- Ch. 13 – What Was the Early Church’s Mission?
- Key Learning: The Apostles and the early Church carried on Jesus’ mission to spread the Good News and make disciples of all nations.
- Ch. 14 –How Do We Participate in the Kingdom of God?
- Key learning: God works through the Church, both locally through us and throughout the world, to build up His kingdom.
- Ch. 15 –How Are We Called t Spread the Kingdom of God?
- Key learning: We are all called to serve God in building His kingdom through our words and actions.