Religion Curriculum Inquiry Unit

School:

YEAR LEVEL: 2 Term: Year:

Inquiry / Wondering Question: I wonder if I can make good choices and be a good friend.

Strands: Beliefs

SacramentsMoralityPrayer

Cross-curricular priorities:

Class context/Learners: To be added by class teacher

Key Inquiry Questions:

How do I make good choices?What stories do I know about Jesus?

I Wonder:

I wonder if I can make good choices?I wonder if I can remember some of the stories of Jesus?

Knowledge & Understanding…God’s love for us enables us to love others. We have a responsibility to respect ourselves, others and all creation.Jesus teaches us how to live justly.We follow Jesus example in making loving choices and taking responsibility.

Skills…Name ways they can show they love God, others, themselves and the world.

Name ways they can act responsibly in family, school and community

Recall scripture that shows Jesus as loving and just

DCEO – Rockhampton

Identify scripture to be interpreted: Year A – Matthew 22:34-40 Year B – Mark 12:28-31 Year C – Luke 10:25-27Begin with the text – World of the Text

Read the text from the bible and identify its literary form. Look at where the story occurs in the whole of the Gospel.

Look behind the Text – Worlds behind the Text When reading the text identify words, practices, places etc that will help develop an understanding of the time the author wrote and the time the

author was writing about.Use three keys for meaning – World in Front of the Text

3 Keys for Meaning What is the author trying to say about?

God People Our Ideal World 1

Scripture that will be the focus in Year A: Matthew 22:34-40CEV Translation (The Contemporary English Version is approved by the Australian Bishops Conference for Children’s Liturgies)

The Most Important Commandment

34 After Jesus had made the Sadducees look foolish, the Pharisees heard about it and got together. 35 One of them was an expert in the Jewish Law. So, he tried to test Jesus by

asking, 36 “Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus answered:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. 38 This is the first and most important commandment. 39 The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is,

“Love others as much as you love yourself.” 40 All the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets[a] are based on these two commandments.

Footnotes: 22.40 the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets: The Jewish Scriptures, that is, the Old Testament.

Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Good News Translation (This translation is in the Breakthrough Bible and The Catholic Children’s Bible used by many schools in our Diocese)

1 Dr Margaret Carswell

DCEO – Rockhampton

The Great Commandment

34 When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they came together, 35 and one of them, a teacher of the Law, tried to trap him with a question. 36 “Teacher,” he asked,

“which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and the most important commandment. 39 The second most

important commandment is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself.’ 40 The whole Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

Good News Translation (GNT) Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Worlds of the text22:34-40 The greatest commandment In Mark’s account (12:28-34; cf. Luke 10:25) the scribe’s question is sincere, but in Matthew it leads to another controversy. The Pharisees gather together (v.34), signalling a plot against Jesus (see 2:4; 22:41; 26:3; 27:17, 27; 28:12; possibly this also alludes to Ps 2:2). The question they pose is meant to test him (see also 22:15). All commandments are important; all must be kept. The query is not whether some laws can be disregarded, but whether Jesus, like some teachers, would sum up the Torah in a simple statement as did Rabbi Hillel: “What is hateful to you do not do to your neighbour” (b. Sabb. 31a)Jesus summarises the whole of the Law in two commandments (see also 7;12). The first, the Shema (Deut. 6:4-9), was recited twice a day by Jews. It enjoins love of God with one’s whole heart, soul and strength. The heart (kardia), was considered the seat of all emotions, the soul (psyche), the centre of vitality and consciousness and strength (ischys) denotes power or might. The second command, love of neighbour, is from the Holiness Code (Lev 19:18), which asserts that love of God is manifest in love toward the neighbour. The modern Western notion of the necessity of self-love would have been a foreign concept to people of the biblical world. They did not understand themselves in individualistic terms, but rather as emmeshed in a particular family, clan and religious group. Dependent on others for their sense of self-identity, love of self and love of others are inseparable.2

Matthew 22:34 the Pharisees got together. The Pharisees bring a question from the law that provides the final

Worlds behind the TextGospel of Matthew‘Each Gospel is written for a particular community and has its own special flavour. Matthew’s Gospel is written for a community that is in a time of transition and change. Some fifty years have passed since the death and resurrection of Jesus, and Matthew’s community want to be faithful to their Jewish heritage and, at the same time, bring the message of Jesus to all people without demanding that they follow all the requirements of the Jewish law. As Jewish as Matthew’s Gospel is, it is surprisingly open to the nations who are not Jewish – known as the Gentiles. Although the genealogy of Jesus is Jewish, when Jesus begins his ministry it is in Galilee of the Gentiles (Matthew 4:15). While the disciples are first sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel in Matthew 10:6, by the conclusion of the Gospel Jesus commands his disciples to preach the Gospel message to all nations (Matthew 28:19-20).’ 10

‘We do not know the precise locale of the Matthean community, but a prosperous urban setting is likely from the twenty-six times that Matthew uses the word polis, “city” (cf. Mark, four times; Luke sixteen times) and the twenty-eight times he mentions that gold and silver (cf. Mark, one time; Luke four times). Matthean Christians, like those of other locales, were women and men of diverse social and civic status, ethnic identities, and levels of wealth. They compromised only a small percentage of the total population. It was a mixed community of Jews and Gentiles, striving to work out their identity as the New Israel. The oldest tradition, and still the most frequently suggested

Worlds in Front of the TextJesus as the true interpreter of the Torah identifies the love commandments of the Torah as the lens through which to understand all of the Torah. By this teaching, Jesus does not make the rest of the Torah obsolete, since all the rest ‘hangs’ on the commands to love God and neighbour. Understanding love as the centre of the Torah as a teaching that is thematic across the New Testament (e.g. John 15:17; Rom. 13:8-10; 1 Cor. 13:13; 1 Pet. 4:8; 1 John 4:7-12). And for Matthew, love of neighbour extends even to one’s enemies (5:43-48).Human communities draw lines; they clarify their communal identities often by distinguishing themselves from others (“We are not like them”). Jesus’ teaching has revolutionary implications for the church. If the greatest commands are to love God and neighbour, now extended to even one’s enemies and persecutors, then all such lines are reconfigured. Preaching the love commands has the potential to reorient our perspective to such an extent that the naturally exclusive question “Who is my neighbour? Is reconfigured to such an extent that the question becomes ‘How do I act as neighbour to all? Preaching the truth that Christians ought to cross all kinds of boundaries to become neighbours to all kinds of people may be unsettling for us as we reconsider how we have drawn boundaries between ‘us’ and ‘them’.

This command to love calls us to cross boundaries. To do that, we must realise that we have created boundaries in our own lives and perspectives. You might invite your audience (and yourself) to contemplate these questions. Where have I

2 D Durken OSB (Series Editor), The New Collegeville Bible Commentary New Testament, Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota, 2008, p. 70

DCEO – Rockhampton

challenge of the Jewish leaders to Jesus.Matthew 22:37-39 ‘Love the Lord your God” … “Love your neighbour.” Jesus cites Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 to answer the question of which commandment is greatest. Love of God is “the first and greatest command” and formed part of the Shema (Deut. 6:4-5), regularly recited by faithful Jews. Love of neighbour is expressed as being like the command to love God, giving it equal status by all accounts.3 The combination of these two commands is not unique to Jesus. For example, Testament of Issachar (second century BC) reads, “Love the Lord and your neighbour” (T. Iss. 5:2). What is distinctive is the way Jesus (in Matthew) daws on these two commandments to understand all rest of the Torah. Gary Burge refers to Jesus’ understanding of the centrality of these two commands as a “first principle” of the Torah.4 Matthew 22:40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. Jesus is not negating the rest of the Jewish law, or even moving to the law’s lowest common denominator. Instead, he is prioritizing love of God and neighbour as an interpretive lens for viewing the Torah.5 The rest of the Torah, which retains validity and applicability for Jesus, hinges upon these two central commands.6

The distilling of the Torah to a single, all embracing command, whether of love of God or neighbour, was not unknown in the Judaism of the time. The combination is less evidenced and seems distinctive of Jesus.7 We remember that he had already added the command to love one’s neighbour as oneself among the commandments listed for the young man who asked him about eternal life (19:19). More significantly still, we recall two instructions given to the disciples in the Great Sermon: the extension of the ‘love’ command to loving (not hating) one’s enemies (5:43-48) and the summary of the meaning of the ‘law and the prophets’ as treating others as one would wish to be treated oneself

locale for the Matthean community, is Antioch of Syria. As the third largest city of the empire, it has a sizable Jewish population. It was an important centre of emerging Christianity (Acts 11:19-26; 13:1-3), where Jewish and Gentile Christians struggled to work out their new relationship in Christ (Gal 2:11-13).’11

Dr Margaret Carswell’s explanation of Matthew http://www.thebibledoctor.com/uploads/2/3/7/5/23753282/matthew_poster.pdf http://www.thebibledoctor.com/about-the-gospel-writers.htmJesus fulfils the Old TestamentThe focus throughout the gospel of Matthew is on Jesus, and Matthew’s most persistent theme is that Jesus is the fulfilment of the hopes and the spirituality of Judaism. The most likely hypothesis is that the author was a Jewish Christian who saw being a disciple of Jesus as the only way to be faithful to his Jewish tradition. He had to face the fact that Jesus had been rejected by the religious leaders of Judaism, and that only a minority of Jews had joined the community of Jesus’ disciples. We find in Matthew similar tensions to those which we find in Paul, who confronts his brother and sister Jews while passionately longing for them to accept Jesus. We also find a similar commitment to the universality of the church, reaching out to embrace all peoples.However, this tension existed before and after the destruction of the city, and before and after the formal act of excommunication of 85AD which simply gave expression to tensions that had been building up for decades. From the internal evidence of the text itself, there has not yet emerged a consensus among scholars concerning the date of the gospel: it could have been written any time between the middle sixties and the late eighties of the first century.Matthew’s pastoral concernOur main interest will be to see how Matthew and his

set up boundaries in my life? Are there boundaries within my family? Have I set up boundaries at my workplace? Have I erected boundaries against a whole group of people based on race, socioeconomic status, religion, or some other feature? As you prayerfully consider these questions, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any barriers that might need to be broken down by God’s redeeming love. If ‘perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18), then we are invited to explore our fears of “the other” that might be keeping us from demonstrating love to all those whom God brings into our life.13

The first commandment defines love as understood by Jesus. It is first and foremost that which characterises God’s relationship with us: a relationship expressed by the redemption effected through Moses, and now by the redemption effected through Jesus. It is this love which makes possible in us a wholehearted response of love to God, and it is this wholehearted response to God that flows over into our relationships with others.The final comment: ʻOn these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets’ is reflected in an earlier statement from the sermon on the mount: ʻIn everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophetsʼ (7:12). Compare the following statements from Paul: The whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ʻYou shall love your neighbour as yourselfʼ. – Galatians 5:14

The commandments, are summed up in this word, ʻLove your neighbour as yourselfʼ. – Romans 13:9

Love of God, that is to say, a commitment to listen to God’s word and to obey his will, makes possible a love of others that transcends natural friendship, convenience and self-interest (5:43-48). Love of others is the test of the reality of

3 Snodgrass, ‘Matthew and Law’ 1084 Gary Burge, “Commandments”, DJG, 1515 Snodgrass, ‘Matthew and Law’, 1116 J.K Brown, Teach the Text Commentary Series Matthew, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2015, pp. 258-2597 See further Boring, “Matthew”, 42410 Monaghan C.J. The Gospels God With Us, Garratt Publishing, Mulgrave Victoria, 2014, pp 34, 36 11 D. Durken OSB (Series Editor), p. 2

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97:12). Without erasing the distinction between them. Jesus reaches here for a radical unity in the two commandments. To love God with all one’s heart and soul and mind (that is, with one’s whole being and life energy) is inseparable from an active love of those whom God loves in the way God loves them, that is, with a love that is compassionate and extends even to the hostile.8 Jesus does not set aside other commandments of the Torah (cf. 5:17-19) but, as his illustrative rulings (5:21-48) have already shown, he makes love the criterion and the key for interpreting all its other requirements (v. 40; cf. Gal 5:14; Rom 13:8-10 [also citing Lev 19:18]).9

community saw Jesus. Matthew’s focus is also pastoral. Besides the painful tensions experienced by Jewish Christians in their relations with Judaism, there are tensions in the Christian community itself. Matthew is attempting to reflect on Jesus’ life and teaching in a way that will guide him and the community in resolving these differences and living the life of love shown them by Jesus. This pastoral interest makes it a very human and a relevant document for any community struggling with the paradoxes of the human condition while learning to live a life of faith as disciples of Jesus.12

one’s love of God. As John says: Those who say, ʻI love Godʼ, and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. – 1John 4:2014

Scripture that will be the focus in Year B: Mark 12:28-31CEV Translation (The Contemporary English Version is approved by the Australian Bishops Conference for Children’s Liturgies)

The Most Important Commandment

28 One of the teachers of the Law of Moses came up while Jesus and the Sadducees were arguing. When he heard Jesus give a good answer, he asked him, “What is the most important

commandment?”

29 Jesus answered, “The most important one says: ‘People of Israel, you have only one Lord and God. 30 You must love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.’ 31 The second most

important commandment says: ‘Love others as much as you love yourself.’ No other commandment is more important than these.”

Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Good News Translation (This translation is in the Breakthrough Bible and The Catholic Children’s Bible used by many schools in our Diocese)

The Great Commandment

28 A teacher of the Law was there who heard the discussion. He saw that Jesus had given the Sadducees a good answer, so he came to him with a question: “Which commandment is the

most important of all?”

8 Cf. especially Ulrich Luz. Das Evangelium nach Matthaus, 4 vols. Vol 3 Mt 18-25 (Zurich: Benziger, Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag, 1985-2002) 3:2839 B. Byrne, Lifting the Burden Reading Matthew’s Gospel in the Church Today, St Paul’s Publications, Strathfield NSW, 2004, pp. 167-16812 Fr Michael Fallon MSC http://mbfallon.com/matthew_commentary/intro_to_matthew.pdf13 J.K Brown, pp. 259-261

14 Fr Michael Fallon MSC http://mbfallon.com/matthew_commentary/matthew_19,3-23,39.pdf

DCEO – Rockhampton

29 Jesus replied, “The most important one is this: ‘Listen, Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord.[a] 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and

with all your strength.’ 31 The second most important commandment is this: ‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself.’ There is no other commandment more important than these two.”

Footnotes: Mark 12:29 The Lord our God is the only Lord; or The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.

Good News Translation (GNT) Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Worlds of the text What type of writing is this? What comes before and after this text? Who are the characters in the text? Who speaks and who is silenced? What happens in the text? What words are interesting, new or difficult and need

explaining?

Worlds behind the Text Who wrote the text? When was it written? Who was the audience of the text? What do you know of the cultural, historical and political

context of the author? What do you know of the cultural, historical and political

context of the time? Where did this take place?

Worlds in Front of the Text What meaning does this text have for my life today? How might people of different genders and cultures interpret

this text today? How could this text be used in prayer? What life experiences help me to better understand this text? What aspects of this text might not be relevant to our lives and

time?

Scripture that will be the focus in Year C: Luke 10:25-27CEV Translation (The Contemporary English Version is approved by the Australian Bishops Conference for Children’s Liturgies)

25 An expert in the Law of Moses stood up and asked Jesus a question to see what he would say. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to have eternal life?”

26 Jesus answered, “What is written in the Scriptures? How do you understand them?”

27 The man replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.’ They also say, ‘Love your neighbours as much as you love yourself.’”

Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Good News Translation (This translation is in the Breakthrough Bible and The Catholic Children’s Bible used by many schools in our Diocese)

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

25 A teacher of the Law came up and tried to trap Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to receive eternal life?”

26 Jesus answered him, “What do the Scriptures say? How do you interpret them?”

27 The man answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind’; and ‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself.’”

Good News Translation (GNT) Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

DCEO – Rockhampton

Worlds of the text‘On Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem, which begin in 9:51, much attention is focused on the nature and demands of discipleship. Here a question from someone outside the disciple group prompts Jesus to illustrate the central demands of discipleship by telling one of his best-loved parables. The famous ‘summary of the law’ in the twofold demand to love God and to love one’s neighbours occurs in all three Synoptic Gospels, but Luke’s presentation of it is distinctive in two ways: first, it is the questioner, not Jesus who first offers the summary; second, Jesus provides extensive comment on it in the form of the parable of the good Samaritan. The recent hostile reception of Jesus and his disciples by a Samaritan village (9:51-56)10:25 an expert in the law. This is perhaps a more highly trained professional than the normal scribes. The question is probing (‘to test Jesus’) but not overly hostile, and Jesus’ acceptance of the lawyer’s answer suggests a more positive rapport than in most encounters.What must I do to inherit eternal life? An identical question will be asked by the rich ruler in 18:18 (and will receive a similarly searching and pragmatic response). The actual phrase ‘eternal life’ occurs elsewhere in Luke only in 18:30, but it goes to the heart of Jesus’ message of salvation. This is not a legal nicety; it is a fundamental spiritual issue.10:27 Love the Lord your God … Love your neighbour as yourself. Deuteronomy 6:5 was very familiar as part of the Shema, recited twice daily as a sort of creed by all pious Jews; it is its combination with Leviticus 19:18 that produces a potent new manifesto for godly living. The lawyer has asked for something to ‘do’. His choice of texts does indeed provide a central ethical principle, but it goes far beyond mere ethics by prescribing the relationship with God that underlies all godly behaviour. It is remarkable that Luke allows the lawyer, rather than Jesus himself (as in Matthew and Mark), to utter this innovative and far-reaching summary of the law.’15

Worlds behind the Text The Gospel according to Luke The author is a certain Luke, whom patristic writers identify as a companion of Paul. The texts that Luke wrote indicate that he was a highly educated person, influential in the early church and aware of geography and history. The date widely favoured at which Luke’s Gospel was written is around A.D. 80.He is writing a narrative with features like characters, setting and plot, so that it is important to read and follow the story through introduction, conflict, climax and resolution.16 He is a gifted storyteller and relates events in sequence. The development of the plot itself has a persuasive force. We must seek Luke’s meaning through the movement of the story. It is of primary importance to locate where something occurs in Luke’s narrative.Luke’s readers were Greek-speaking and sufficiently acquainted with scriptural traditions to grasp many of his allusions. They were also Christian and Gentiles. His use of Greek is among the finest in the New Testament and he is well versed in Greco-Roman literary style.Dr Margaret Carswell’s explanation of Luke http://www.thebibledoctor.com/uploads/2/3/7/5/23753282/luke_poster.pdf

Worlds in Front of the Text‘First and foremost, love characterises God’s relationship with us: a relationship expressed by his redemptive action. It is this love which makes possible in us a wholehearted response of love to God, and it is this wholehearted response to God that flows over into our relationships with others.Love of God, that is to say, a commitment to listen to God’s word and obey his will, makes possible a love of others that transcends natural friendship, convenience and self-interest. Furthermore, love of others is the test of the reality of one’s love of God.To know God and to listen to God will allows God’s own love to be ‘poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us’ (Romans 5:5). And it is this love that will flow back to God and out to everyone, for everyone is loved by God.Jesus approves of the answer given by the lawyer but adds that understanding is not enough. To ‘live’ he must actually do what he knows is to be done (10:28).’17

‘The essence of discipleship is to love God and to love other people.The ‘neighbour’ whom we are to love is not limited to members of our own group.Jesus chooses s Samaritan, one of the group most hated by the Jews, as the model of neighbour love.The Samaritan’s love for his ‘enemy’ is practical and costly.’ 18

15 R T France pp 188 - 18916 R.T France Teach the Text commentary Series Luke. Baker Books, Grand Rapids Michigan, 2013. p. 717 Fr Michael Fallon MSC http://mbfallon.com/luke_commentary/luke_9,51-19,40.pdf18 R T France, p 189

DCEO – Rockhampton

Active Reading Skills (Learning Links to Parables and Miracles p 17 19)

Ask Questions                                                               Make ConnectionsWho is involved?                                                                 I wonder why ….What are they doing? Why?                                                What caused ….What do they really want? Why?                                        I think ….What is the situation or the problem?                                  This is similar to …Who is telling the story? Why?                                            This is important because ..How is the story constructed? Why?                                   What do they mean by ….What is the source of the tension?                                      What I find confusing is …                                                                                         What will happen next is ….

I can relate to this because …. Predict                                                                                 SummariseWhat will happen next?                                                       What happened?Why do you think that?                                                        What is essential to tell?What effect will that have on the story                                What was the outcome?or the characters?                                                            Who was involved?                                                                                             Why did this happen?

Is that a detail or essential information?

Clarify                                                                                  SynthesiseAsk questions.                                                                      Three important points are ….Re-read what you do not understand.                                 These are important because …                                                                                             What comes next ….                                                                                             The author wants us to think …                                                                                             What interested me most was ….                                                                                             This means that ….

Assessment Plan19 M Ryan, Learning Links to Parables and Miracles, Lumino Press, 2011, p17

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Year Level Achievement Standards:By the end of Year Two, students explain that the Bible is important to Christians. They know that a narrative tells a story about Jesus and parables are stories or riddles that Jesus told to help teach people about God and they can retell a narrative or a parable. They compare and contrast some of the cultural and social background of the Gospels with ours e.g. family, food, housing, transport. By the end of Year Two, students name the most common sacramental elements, words and actions from the rite of Baptism.By the end of Year Two, students recall scripture that shows Jesus as loving and just. Students name ways they can show love and act responsibly in family, school and community.By the end of Year Two, student recite the Hail Mary and Our Father. Students identify reasons to pray. Students select appropriate symbols for prayer. Students know that Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. Students demonstrate an understanding of the life of Mary.Type of Assessment

Description Possible Sources of Evidence When assessment takes place

Formative

Assessment forLearning

Complete Jesus showed people how to love. He showed …. (complete showing their prior knowledge of Jesus).Wondering Questions:I wonder what Jesus wants us to doI wonder how we can show love for one another

JournalingObservationsConsultations

At beginning of the Unit

Summative

AssessmentofLearning

Name ways they can show they love God, others, themselves and the world.

Name ways they can act with love in family and school

Recall scripture that shows Jesus as loving and just

Children’s ideas on loving gestures in photo, film, mime.

Consequences webConsultations, observations

List words that show Jesus loving choices in scriptureCharacter map of Jesus

During the unit

During the unit

During the unit

Affective

AssessmentasLearning

Wondering Questions:I wonder what Jesus wants us to doI wonder how we can show love for one another

Have time as a class to reflect on the learning by asking such questions as:What surprised you?What did you like best about the learning?How did you feel about the learning?

Community Circle

During the Unit At the end of the unit

At the end of the unit

DCEO – Rockhampton

Was there anything you felt you could have done better?

Learning and Teaching Sequence

WK Inquiry Phase Activity/Experience/Differentiation Resources/ICLTs Assessment

Tuning In Share picture books with the class that have the theme of friendship and relationships e.g.I’m green and I’m Grumpy by Allison Lester Alexander and the terrible horrible no good very bad day by Judith VoirstPearl Barley and Charlie Parsley by Aaron BlabeyClancy & Millie and the very fine House by Libby Gleeson Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem FoxHenry and Amy (Right-way-up and Upside Down) by Stephen Michael KingAmy and Louis by Libby GleesonMaudie and Bear by Jan OrmerodHunwick’ Egg by Mem Fox Illustrated by Pamela Lofts

Have students discuss the actions and expressions they associate with being good friends.

Discuss the behaviour of the friendly characters. How did they show friendship? What words did they use? What action did they show?

Complete a Character Map of a good friend and select a character who shows bad friendship characteristics.

Write the words ‘Getting Along’ on the white board – ask for opinions as to what it means and collate them. Write the word ‘Friend’ on the whiteboard – ask for opinions as to what it means. Ask students to close their eyes to imagine that the best friend in the whole world is standing in front of them. Instruct them to demonstrate their friendly facial expression to a partner. Do the same imaging the worst friend is standing in front of them; show their unfriendly facial expression to a partner. Take photos of some students as examples.

Discuss and explore the concept of “Following Jesus” by playing such games as Simon Says, Mirrors, Follow the Leader.

Children’s picture books

Assessment of learning – Character map

Observations

Photos as assessment of learning

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After playing these games, discuss what it means to follow someone. Ask the children to identify some of the people that they follow or imitate in their own lives – parents, friends, siblings, teachers… Discuss if it is always good to follow and imitate people.

Song suggestions:Andrew Chinn Follow me – These hands CDIn the Footsteps of Jesus – Many Roads, One Journey CDI went Walking – Together as one CD and This day CD We Follow in Your Footsteps – Welcome to All CDJohn BurlandWalk in Jesus Way – One Family CdMichael Mangan Jesus is the Light – Setting Hearts on Fire CD

Song: ‘Following where Jesus Leads” Great Times with Jesus Unit six – Follow the leader. Identify people they consider to be good leaders…Complete the sentences startersMy friend is a good leader because…My Mum is a good leader because…My Dad is a good leader because…

Discuss with the children why their parents won’t allow them to do some things but allow them to do others.

Introduce the word ‘rules’.

Andrew Chinnhttp://www.butterflymusic.com.au/John Burland https://johnburland.net/Michael Manganhttps://www.litmusproductions.com/

Great Times with Jesus Activity Book and CD Willow Publishing; Brookvale NSW, 2003. Unit Six – Follow the Leader, p 55-61.https://www.koorong.com/

Finding Out In the time of Jesus, there were rules given to people to help them live together in peace and to respect each other. Jesus gave us a new rule and it is one of the most important teachings that he gave. It is often called a ‘New Commandment’. (Year A: Matthew 22:34-40; Year B: Mark 12:28-31; Year C: Luke 10:25-27).

Prepare to read/listen to the scripture that is focus for the current Liturgical Year (Year A: Matthew 22:34-40; Year B: Mark 12:28-31; Year C: Luke 10:25-27).

Assessment for learning – what do they already know about Jesus.

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There are some questions that might help you and your students as you focus on the text.  There are many responses that could be added. See teacher background information for responses Who wrote the text?   Who is the author? Please note - if your students are having difficulty interpreting passages, practice this skill with simple picture stories. An interpretive question such as ‘What do you think the author is trying to tell us or say about…? 20 Who is the audience for the text? When was the text written?Where does the text take place? What type of text is it?Who are the characters in the text?

Gospel Author frieze – Use the Gospel Author frieze relevant for the scripture focus that can be placed around the walls of the classroom to locate where this scripture text occurred in the context of the whole book. The Gospel Author friezes available from APRE and CEO.

Godly PlayFollowing Jesus p 122

Wondering Questions:I wonder what Jesus wants us to doI wonder how we can show love for one anotherI wonder how the people in Jerusalem feel as they listen to JesusI wonder how the priests and elders feel as Jesus tells what the most important commandment is.I wonder why it is hard for some of them to love Jesus.I wonder how people feel when they love God with all their hearts, with all their souls, with all their minds and with all their strength.

Story WheelStudents listen to the scripture that is focus for the current Liturgical Year (Year A: Matthew 22:34-40; Year B: Mark 12:28-31; Year C: Luke 10:25-27) and then use the Story Wheel template to answer the following questionsWho is involved?Where did this happen?What happened?When does the action take place?

Gospel frieze – sample frieze available from APRE/CEO

Following Jesus by Sonja M. StewartP 122

Digital cameras and flip video camera

Learning Links to Story in Religious Education p 29

Assessment for/of Learning

Assessment for and as learning – Wondering Questions

Assessment of learning

20 Dr Margaret Carswell

DCEO – Rockhampton

How is this story told?  Why did the author tell this story?

Story Jigsaw/Jigsaw summaryStudents listen to the scripture that is focus for the current Liturgical Year (Year A: Matthew 22:34-40; Year B: Mark 12:28-31; Year C: Luke 10:25-27) and then using a jigsaw template (maybe 6 - 8 pieces e.g. Jigsaw summary p 78 Into the Deep), students are asked to write or draw the key events of the story.  After the jigsaw is finished, students then cut along the lines to make a jigsaw.  Place jigsaw pieces in an envelope and invite others to make your jigsaw story.

Postcard strategyStudents listen to the scripture that is focus for the current Liturgical Year (Year A: Matthew 22:34-40; Year B: Mark 12:28-31; Year C: Luke 10:25-27) and then write a postcard from the perspective of a character in the story to a friend or associate.  The second character may be real or imaginary. An example of a postcard template can be found on p 24 Learning Links to Paul.

Use Rina Wintour Just Imagine 4 Chorus Plays Greatest Commandment Matthew 22:34-40 on page 68 to enact the scripture.

Use the Three Keys https://www.frenchknot.com.au/products.php?c=&p=5344) to pose the following questions:What is the author trying to say about?

God people an ideal world 21

When someone shares a message - write it down on a piece of paper and put it in the treasure chest. These will end up as belief statements.Some Gospel stories that tell us how Jesus loved others – what stories do the students know. Create a list of words that describe how Jesus shows love to others. Make a display of these words that we can try to live by e.g. kindness, love, caring.

Role play different ways we can live by Jesus’ new rule. Use digital cameras/iPods/iPads to take photos of miming actions and compile a

Learning Links to The Prophets p 37/ Into the Deep pp 76-78

Learning Links to Paul p 24

Just Imagine 4 – Rina Wintour p 68

Digital

Assessment of learning

Assessment of learning

Assessment of learning

Assessment of learning- List words describing how Jesus shows us to love

Assessment of learning – children’s ideas on loving gestures in photo,

21 Dr. Margaret Carswell

DCEO – Rockhampton

photo story to go with one of the songs about flowing Jesus. Have the children work in groups to discuss what actions they can mime to show loving gestures or actions.

If you have a flip camera/iPod/iPad, the children can make some short videos of their scenarios and play for the whole class

Complete the sentence …Jesus showed people how to love. He showed …. (complete showing their prior knowledge of Jesus).

Prayer: Great Times with Jesus p. 59Jesus goes before us (Point forwards)Let’s follow in his way

Jesus is behind us, (Point backwards)Helping us each day.

Jesus is beside us, (Hug yourself)His love will always stay.

Jesus says, ‘Come follow me’.That’s what I’ll do each day! (put both thumbs up)

cameras/iPods/iPads

Digital cameras/iPods/iPads

Great Times with Jesus p. 59 Activity Book and CD Willow Publishing; Brookvale NSW, 2003. https://www.koorong.com/

film, mime.

Sorting Out Revisit the completed Character Map of a good friend from earlier in the unit. Complete another Character Map by including Jesus and how he showed he was a good friend.

Display pictures or photos people (children and adults) in various situations e.g. a child alone in a playground watching others play, You could use photos from a Photo Language Kit e.g. St Luke’s Innovative press photo cards https://innovativeresources.org/product-category/card-sets/

I wonder what might be happening in the pictures. I wonder what it would feel like.I wonder how I could help.I wonder what I would do.Identify those responding to the needs of others, showing care and compassion

Photos from internet or from a photo language kit. https://innovativeresources.org/product-category/card-sets/

YouTube http://www.youtube.com/

Assessment of learning – Character map

Assessment as learning (affective)

Assessment as learning – Wondering questions

DCEO – Rockhampton

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38Sxy5hrej0 – you tube clip on friendship using photos and song by Jack Johnson – ‘We are going to be friends’ by Jack Johnson or song/clip with a similar theme.

Look at the word ‘Encouraging’ - and identify ways we can develop friendships by encouraging others. I wonder how I can be encouraging at home? I wonder how I can be encouraging at school?

Virtue CardsDiscuss with the students what are ‘emotions’ and ‘feelings’ – when and how do we experience these.Look at some virtues that are connected with the scripture that has been the focus for the current Liturgical Year (Year A: Matthew 22:34-40; Year B: Mark 12:28-31; Year C: Luke 10:25-27).Brainstorm with students, what virtues they think they may need/see e.g.Co-operation p 149 Educator’s GuideConsideration p 85 Family Virtues GuideFriendliness p 171 Educator’s Guide/ p 129 Family Virtues GuideGenerosity p 173 Educator’s Guide/ p 133 Family Virtues GuideKindness p 193 Educator’s Guide/ p 169 Family Virtues GuideRespect p 215 Educator’s Guide/ p 221 Family Virtues GuideThankfulness p 225 Educator’s Guide/ p 249 Family Virtues Guide

Have the students work in pair to discuss/brainstorm if I’m practising the virtue of …......, what does it look like, feel like, sound like? Draw a Y chart. Share findings with other class members. Y charts may be added to after sharing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwAYpLVyeFU Show this film clip that identifies how the concept ‘Pay it Forward’ works where random Acts of Kindness can have a ripple effect. Identify how each character helped someone else.

Ask children to complete a retrieval chart of what they saw during the ‘Pay it Forward’ clip – and then how can they follow this principle of paying if forward in their classroom, in their home. Have each child complete a consequences web (A-Z strategies) to show how one act of kindness can spread to others.

watch?v=38Sxy5hrej0

Virtue CardsThe Virtues Project Educator’s Guide The Family Virtues Guide

YouTubehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwAYpLVyeFU

A-Z Teaching Strategieshttp://rokreligiouseducation.com/resources/?k=a-z+teaching+strategies&resource-category=&resource-type=

Consequences Web – act of kindness

DCEO – Rockhampton

Introduce the concept of making good choices and self-control

Virtues CardsSelf-control p 2019 Educator’s Guide/ p 233 Family Virtues GuideIf I’m practising the virtue of self-control what does it look like, feel like, sound like? Y chart

Introduce John Burland song: CHOICES Let’s Celebrate CD

Use children’s literature to discuss choices that have been made e.g. When the Wind Changed by Ruth Park

I wonder if Josh learnt from his mistakesI wonder who taught him.I wonder if I can make good choices.

Pig the Pug series by Aaron Blabey The Pocket Dogs and the Lost Kitten by Stephen Michael King Oliver and George by Peter Carnavas Why Am I Here? A story about becoming the best version of

yourself by Matthew Kelly Have You Filled A Bucket Today? A guide to daily happiness for

kids by Carol McCloud Will You Fill My Bucket? by Carol McCloud

Play game where children change their facial expression to show various feelings – happiness, sadness, anger, love, scared, etc.

Look at some of the choices they have made during the day What they ate for breakfastWhich uniform to wearWhere to sit in the carWho to play withHow to say hello in the mornings – did you smile, wave, say hello.

Have children reflect upon these choices and suggest ways to make better choices. Refer to the scripture passage that has been the focus for the current Liturgical Year (Year A: Matthew 22:34-40; Year B: Mark 12:28-31; Year C: Luke 10:25-27) – what choice are we being asked to do? What are some of the things that we need to be to ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.’ They also say, ‘Love your neighbours as much as you love yourself.’

Virtue CardsThe Virtues Project Educator’s Guide The Family Virtues Guide

John Burland CD – Let’s Celebratehttps://johnburland.net/

Children’s Picture Books

Observations

Assessment of learningObservation and consultation

DCEO – Rockhampton

I wonder how these choices affect others.What were the consequences of Jesus choices – to others.

Communicating Make a paper chain or contribute to a class chain of ways that they can show love for others. (words and actions)

Play Pass it on game – Great Times with Jesus p 96 Children sit in a circle – have a box decorated with the words Pass it On.Inside the box have photocopies of cards with things such as – smile, say thank you, a helping hand, say hello, give a wink, say please, be kind, with a simple illustration. Pass the box around the circle singing the Pass it on Song –Great Times with Jesus CD Jesus, we want to pass on the Good news that you are God.Jesus, we want to pass on your peace.Jesus, we want to pass on your joy.Jesus, we want to pass on your love. When the song stops, invite the child to take a card and keep it to remind them to be loving friends.

Ask the children to suggest some ways in which they can pass on the love of Jesus to someone today. Have them complete this prayer to a friend Dear _____, I want to pass on the love of Jesus to you today by_____________.

Great Times with Jesus Activity book p 96

Great Times with Jesus CD

Assessment as learning and of learning

Evaluating and Reflecting

Teacher reflection and

Reflective questions for Journaling or wondering taken from MJR I wonder if you make a new friend, do you have to get rid of an old friend.I wonder what some of the things are you can do to make new friends.I wonder if everyone you meet will become your friend.I wonder how Jesus treated his friends.I wonder if it mattered to Jesus how many friends he had.

Community Circle- have time as a class to reflect on the learning by asking such questions as:What surprised you?What did you like best about the learning?How did you feel about the learning?Was there anything you felt you could have done better?

What has been most successful about this unit?Were the chosen activities accessible to all students?

Assessment as learning

Assessment as Learning and for Learning

DCEO – Rockhampton

Evaluation How were you able to involve the students’ families in the Unit of Work?Can you identify ways of improving this unit?

What did you learn?How do you know?How can you improve?Where do you go for help?Three stars and a wish activity

DCEO – Rockhampton