Religious Education

Unit 10.3 Recognising God’s call through conscience

Name: ______Date: ______

Outcome 2 Drawing on Human Experience

Students understand the content of the Christian message and its significance by relating it to examples drawn from human experience.

Assessment Task Part 1

Read or listen to the short story, ‘The Spillway’ by Melanie Kirkwood.

[‘The Spillway’ appears in Shorts, R.Yaxley et al. 1999, Jacaranda, John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd, Milton QLD]

a) Below is a table listing the three elements of any moral decision. Fill in the tablegiving evidence of each element as illustrated in the story. For example, how is ‘the intention’ relevant to Paul’s initial silence about what happened?More than one example could be used for each.

Element of a moral decision / Evidence of the element as illustrated in ‘The Spillway’
The action itself
The intention
The circumstances
Give examples of choices that have to be made – maybe an individuals experience only / Understand that choices involve the call to goodness and some difficulties people face and possible responses / Understand the call to goodness and to avoid evil using the three elements of moral decision-making / Understand how people can resist the reality of sinfulness by reflecting and making decisions / Understand the reality of conscience as the source of human heart questions and decision making / 5

b) Below is a table based on the four principles of conscience. Fill in the table as follows:

-Considerthe behaviour ofeither Spenceror Paul in regard to these principles

-For the first principle write a reflective, journal-style response indicating the thoughts and actions the boy could have taken to develop his conscience.

-For the following three principles write how his conscience could shape his actions so that the story had a more positive outcome in keeping with the Christian message and the Church’s teaching on the dignity of the human person.

Principle of conscience / How could it be applied
Everyone is obliged to form their conscience
Everyone is obliged to follow sincere conscience judgements
Conscience does not decide right and wrong
A good end does not justify immoral means
Conscience calls to do good and avoid evil – moral principles at a simplistic level / Conscience and the need to learn right from wrong including the Ten Commandments / Conscience must obey Natural Law and Divine law / Conscience must be formed properly / The four principles of conscience – give examples esp. primacy of conscience / 5

Assessment Task Part 2

You have been asked to write a short story about a group of young people from your school faced with a conflict of values. Your story could begin, “The party throbbed on…”

In planning your story you will need to consider two things:

a) Issues young people face in their search for happiness and how the possible responses they can make to these issues. On line paper, write notes or otherwise discuss [200 words minimum].

Summarise common (human heart) questions of meaning and purpose / Recognise the common desire for happiness and that choices have consequences / Clarify tensions in the desire for happiness and possible consequences of choices / Categorise those responses to conscience that result in happiness / Compare and contrast the different responses to conscience – making inferences /
5

b) Possible situations in which the Christian values they have been taught are in conflict with those of many people in Australian society.On lined paper, give examples and discuss the implications[200 words minimum].

Recognise tensions between Christian and secular values – generalise and interpret / Recognise the benefits of the Christian message in Australia today / Recognise the ongoing relevance of the Christian message – generalise beyond the specific / Recognise the where the Christian message needs to be applied in Australia day / Apply the Christian message to particular cases and consider consequences – give evidence /
5

Assessment Task Presentation

Present your work neatly, using the conventions of Standard Australian English (SAE)

Grammar and Spelling / Many errors that distract the reader from the content / Minimal errors in grammar or spelling /
5
Handwriting / Many words unreadable and many distracting corrections / Neatly written or typed
Punctuation / Capitalisation / Many errors in punctuation / Correct punctuation – very easy to read
Sequencing / Organisation / Order illogical – little sense that the work is planned or organised / Details in logical order – presentation keeps the reader’s interest

Comment

Religious Education Unit 10.3 Recognising God’s call through conscienceName: ______Date: ______

TEACHER’S INFORMATION SHEET FOR LEVELLING

Outcome 2 Drawing on Human Experience

Students understand the content of the Christian message and its significance by relating it to examples drawn from human experience.

Drawing on Human Experience / Level 3 / Level 4 First / Level 4 Middle / Level 4 High / Level 5
Students understand the content of the Christian message and its significance by relating it to examples drawn from human experience / Understands that the content of the Christian message responds to people’s search for meaning and purpose in their lives. / Understands how the Christian message is experienced in the lives of people through the Catholic Church. / Understands that the concerns, questions and aspirations that come from human experiences lead to a greater awareness of how Catholic beliefs and practices respond to the search for meaning and purpose.
Human Experience
Students understand the Christian message as a response to the complexity of human experience / Students understand that a range of human experiences can lead people to question the meaning and purpose of their lives.
They summarise the questions people ask in their search for meaning and purpose in their lives. / Students recognise the relationship between the desire for true and lasting happiness and the reality of the experiences of sinfulness in the world.
They are able to clarify that there are conflicting tensions in the desire to find true happiness. / Students understand that people in the world have a common search for meaning expressed in a variety of questions, concerns and aspirations.
Their understanding is characterised by an ability to compare, contrast and explain the different responses people have to this search.
Christian Message
Students understand that the content of the Christian message responds to the human need for meaning and purpose in life. / They understand that some Catholic beliefs and practices are more basic than others and that the purpose of these is to ensure that people understand the need to experience God as a God of love.
They are aware that there is always some tension in society between Christian and secular values. They recognise that the values of Jesus can, at times, challenge and confront the values of secular society. / Students understand some aspects of the teachings of Jesus and that these teachings are handed on by the Church today.
They understand how the Christian message has remained relevant to people and how it has retained its continuity over time despite cultural influences, attitudes and traditions and other influences such as technology and the media. / Students apply their understanding of the Christian message to evaluate the influence it has on the way people live their lives.
They apply a detailed understanding of a particular aspect of the Christian
message to real life experiences and they predict possible consequences for
society when people live the Christian message.
1 a / Making Choices – The Three Elements of moral decision making
(Faith and Life) / Give examples of choices that have to be made – maybe personal exp. only / Understand that choices involve the call to goodness and some difficulties people face and possible responses / Understand the call to goodness and to avoid evil using the three elements of moral decision-making / Understand how people can resist the reality of sinfulness by reflecting and making decisions / Understand the reality of conscience as the source of human heart questions and decision making
1 b / Forming Conscience – The Four Principles of Conscience / Conscience calls to do good and avoid evil – moral principles at a simplistic level / Conscience and the need to learn right from wrong including the Ten Commandments / Conscience must obey Natural Law and Divine law / Conscience must be formed properly / The four principles of conscience – give examples esp. primacy of conscience
2 a / Issues people face – the search for happiness and consequences of choices people make / Summarise common (human heart) questions of meaning and purpose / Recognise the common desire for happiness and that choices have consequences / Clarify tensions in the desire for happiness and possible consequences of choices / Categorise those responses to conscience that result in happiness / Compare and contrast the different responses to conscience – making inferences
2 b / Christian message in a secular society
(Faith and Culture) / Recognise tensions between Christian and secular values – generalise and interpret / Recognise the benefits of the Christian message in Australia today / Recognise the ongoing relevance of the Christian message – generalise beyond the specific / Recognise the where the Christian message needs to be applied in Australia day / Apply the Christian message to particular cases and consider consequences – give evidence