Month: February 2018

Friendship Tableaus

A tableau or tableau vivant is a representation of a scene. No movement takes place. Students simply take positions to portray the main message of a scene. They freeze in that position for about 30 seconds. (Like a youtube “mannequin challenge” of sorts.)

Join a small group, pick one tableau. When it is your turn, present your scene. While watching other groups present their tableau, discuss/think about what you saw.

 

Reflection or discussion:
How do you feel if you spend time with your friends in this way? When is it most important to be together this way?

Tabeau

  • Portray a scene in which all are friends in the group and they are all enjoying doing the same thing together.
  • Portray a scene in which one person in the group wants to talk to one other person in the group privately.
  • Portray a scene in which members of the group enjoy being together, but not necessarily all doing the same thing together.
  • Portray a scene in which the people enjoy small groups rather than a large group.
  • Portray a scene in which the people enjoy talking in a large group.
  • Portray a scene in which the people enjoy talking in twos or threes.
  • Portray a scene in which one member of the group is introducing a new person to the group. The others in the group welcome this new person.
  • Portray a scene in which one member is sad. The others comfort this person in various ways.
  • Portray a scene in which members of the group celebrate the good fortune or success of one or two members.
  • Portray a scene in which one or more members are trying to be peacemakers among friends who have had a disagreement.

Groups

Groups A B C D E F
1 ROBERT RILEY HANNAH DELAYNA RYLAND DAWSON
2 SOPHIE MATTHEW BRANDON KAIDEN ALEX JAYCE
3 LEVI KEIFFER KENNEDY ANGELICA KAMDEN RYAN
4 COLTON RUTH SAIGE MYRANDA MORGAN
5 AUSTIN JOANNA VICKIE KYLIE LOUISE DIXIE
6 SHELBY DAYGAN E.J. JESSIE CORBIN KAMRYN

Qualities of Friendship

Below is a list of traits one would like to find in a friend:

  1. joyful
  2. helpfulcaring
  3. creative
  4. spontaneous
  5. humble
  6. courageous
  7. fearless
  8. brave
  9. leader
  10. caring
  11. good listener
  12. gentle
  13. merciful
  14. just
  15. honest
  16. faithful
  17. sympathetic
  18. fun
  19. fair
  20. understanding
  21. sensitive
  22. accepting
  23. sensible
  24. responsible
  25. prudent
  26. non-judgmental
  27. generous
  28. giving
  29. sharing
  30. peacemaker
  31. knowledgeable
  32. good-looking
  33. athletic
  34. loving
  35. smart
  36. in control
  37. funny
  38. talkative
  39. soft-spoken
  40. kind
  41. patient
  42. helpful
  43. polite
  44. interesting
  45. nice
  46. self-controlled
  47. energetic
  48. nurturing
  49. supportive
  50. wise

Write a post in your iblog about the 3-5 traits you really look for in a friend. Prioritize your list and explain why you want friends to have certain traits.

Be Just

Theme 1: What keeps us apart?

Outcomes
Students will

  • identify and analyze examples of prejudice
  • suggest ways that they could respond with compassion to situations of injustice
  • demonstrate an understanding of how responding with com- passion leads to peace

Key Concepts

  • Christian justice is rooted in love. It is based not only on fairness, but also on mercy and compassion.
  • Compassion is the ability to feel and act with and for another. It is not pity.
  • Respect for the human person considers the other “another self.” It presupposes respect for the fundamental rights that flow from the dignity intrinsic to the person. (CCC #1944)
  • Peace is the fruit of justice.
  • “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5.6).

Theme 2: How much is enough?

Outcomes
Students will

  • identify social justice issues
  • perceive the challenge of God’s preferential option for the poor
  • use the preferential option for the poor as the criterion for analyzing social injustice issues
  • acknowledge that the love of God for all people demands justice

Key Concepts

  • “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5.10).
  • “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Luke 6.20).
  • As Christians we are called to see that a wide variety of issues are issues of justice: for example, poverty, unjust labour practices, immigration, refugees, ecology, unemployment, consumer justice, land use.
  • Christian justice challenges individuals and society to work for the kingdom of God. Promoting justice is not an option for Christians – it is an integral part of our mission.
  • The Church informs our judgment of social justice issues.
  • Christians are called to respond to God’s love by making changes to address injustice in the world.
  • The preferential option for the poor colours the Christian understanding of justice.

Theme 3: How can the earth survive?

Outcomes
Students will

  • define justice in terms of respect for the integrity and balance of creation
  • explain how justice is a demand of natural law
  • evaluate their lifestyle in terms of its ecological impact
  • identify the correlation between their relationship with God and their relationship with others and the earth

Key Concepts

  • “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5.5).
  • Justice is both a demand and an outcome of natural law.
  • The earth is ultimately a common heritage, the fruits of which are for the benefit of all.
  • Modern society will find no solution to the ecological problem unless it takes a serious look at its lifestyle.
  • Contact with nature has deep restorative power that can impart peace and serenity.
  • The commitment of believers to a healthy environment for everyone stems directly from their belief in God the creator.
  • Humanity’s dominion over inanimate and other living beings granted by the Creator is not absolute; it is limited by concern for the quality of life of one’s neighbour, including generations to come; it requires a religious respect for the integrity of creation (CCC # 2415).

Be Honest

Theme 1: When is it stealing?

Outcomes
Students will

  • express and apply the seventh commandment
  • identify how the seventh commandment challenges actions that are commonly deemed acceptable
  • define stewardship and discuss it in terms of the demands of the seventh commandment
  • identify the balance between the right to own and the requirement to share in specific situations
  • evaluate their own behaviour in light of the seventh commandment
  • understand tithing as an offering to God and a form of prayer

Key Concepts

  • seventh commandment – “You shall not steal” – forbids unjustly taking or keeping the goods of one’s neighbours or wronging them in any way with respect to their goods.
  • We believe in the right to property; however, it must always be held in check by the common good.
  • All people have a right to what is necessary to fulfill their basic human needs.
  • When we own something we are merely stewards. Each of us must use the things we own in such a way that they benefit not only ourselves, but also the common good.

Theme 2: Why tell the truth when a lie will do?

Outcomes
Students will

  • express and apply the eighth commandment
  • recognize that there is an absolute truth, and God is its source
  • explain the role of truthfulness in relationships
  • identify the balance between charity and respect for the truth in specific situations
  • evaluate their own behaviour in light of the eighth commandment
  • explore the meaning of the prayer and gesture that immediately precedes the proclamation of the Gospel

Key Concepts

  • The eighth commandment states: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.”
  • Truthfulness is foundational for trusting relationships.
  • God is the source of all truth.
  • Human beings tend by nature toward the truth.
  • Both charity and respect for the truth should dictate the response to every request for information.

Be Generous

Theme 1: Do I have a heart of gold?

Outcomes
Students will

  • examine and evaluate their attitudes towards other people
  • express the meaning of “pure of heart”
  • identify ways they can be more generous in their attitudes
  • understand how Jesus models a generous attitude toward others
  • outline strategies for readjusting their attitudes when necessary

Key Concepts

  • “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5.8).
  • We are called to be pure of heart – to desire what God desires.
  • When we are “pure in heart” we are able to love and give generously, even as God does.
  • When we are pure in heart we are able to see according to God. We are able to have a generous attitude toward others, to recognize their goodness and to forgive their faults.
  • Modesty is an appreciation of our dignity and of the dignity of all other people.

Theme 2: How do I get satisfaction?

Outcomes
Students will

  • define envy and understand why envy is a sin
  • compare and contrast common attitudes in our society with the ninth and tenth commandments
  • use the ninth and tenth commandments as a tool for critical reflection on career and life skills planning
  • identify and evaluate criteria for achieving satisfaction

Key Concepts

  • Envy is a resentment towards another’s well-being. It is a refusal to love fully.
  • The ninth and tenth commandments forbid reducing relationships to opportunities for carnal, personal or commercial gain.
  • God desires and enables us to rejoice in our own and in others’ good fortune, happiness and blessing.
  • Our ardent desires are satisfied when they are directed toward the love of God and neighbour.

Be Forgiving

Theme 1: What does it really mean to forgive?

Outcomes
Students will

  • examine the ways Jesus models forgiveness
  • define forgiveness
  • express the Christian call to forgiveness
  • identify areas in their life where they are called to forgive
  • name and appreciate the fruits of forgiveness

Key Concepts

  • “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy” (Matthew 5.7).
  • To forgive another human being is to respect that person’s dignity, not to condone the evil action, and to let go of our desire for revenge.
  • We are called to forgive people always and in everything. Our respect for the dignity of others and our desire for the good of others must be uncondItional.
  • God’s grace enables us to forgive.
  • Jesus is our model of forgiveness.
  • In forgiving others we are restored to wholeness.
  • We need to receive forgiveness.
  • We need to forgive ourselves.
  • Forgiveness is a decision, not an emotion.

Theme 2: Can all broken relationships be healed?

Outcomes
Students will

  • define reconciliation
  • understand the conditions for reconciliation
  • give examples of how reconciliation restores people to the community and heals relationships
  • distinguish between reconciliation and forgiveness
  • explain how the Church enables and facilitates reconciliation

Key Concepts
Note: Reconciliation means there will be a positive future relationship. Forgiveness means letting go of the desire for vengeance; it does not necessarily guarantee a future relationship.

  • Forgiveness precedes reconciliation.
  • Reconciliation heals relationships and restores people to the community.
  • Reconciliation is conditional.
  • Conversion is essential to reconciliation.
  • The conditions for reconciliation are conversion, confession, contrition, correction (also called satisfaction).
  • Conversion is a radical reorientation of life. A person who has experienced conversion will stop sinning, will show abhorrence toward the evil acts, and will demonstrate a desire and resolution to change his or her life.
  • Christians are called to be open to reconciliation.
  • The church community enables and facilitates reconciliation.
  • Reconciliation may not mean restoring the relationship to “the way it was.”

Be Hopeful

Theme 1: What keeps us going?

Outcomes
Students will

  • define hope and its role in Christian living
  • explore the ways prayer nourishes hope
  • identify people who model Christian hope
  • find hope for their own lives in the death and resurrection of Jesus

Key Concepts

  • “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5.11-12).
  • Jesus’ death and resurrection are the foundation of Christian hope.
  • Hope is the virtue which keeps us searching for true happiness which is found in being true to oneself and faithful to God.
  • Hope sustains us during times of abandonment. Hope also protects us during times of struggle.
  • Hope is nourished in prayer.
  • When we presume that we don’t need God or when we deliberately presume that God will forgive and save us regardless of our attitudes, we sin against hope.
  • The first commandment is not only a call to avoid idolatry; it is also a call to place all our hope in God.

Theme 2: Where have we been and where will that take us?

Outcomes
Students will

  • review the virtues and Beatitudes, which underlie the Christian attitude toward being in the world
  • share their faith with others in the context of a year-end class celebration

Key Concepts

  • Review of Christian virtues and the Beatitudes.

Be Obedient

Theme 1: Why should I obey my parents or anyone else in my family?

Outcomes
Students will

  • explain and interpret the fourth commandment as it applies to families
  • express the value of obedience and name the challenge of and limits to the Christian call to obedience
  • identify duties, roles and responsibilities that are shared within Christian families
  • explain how family life is the original cell of social life

Key Concepts

  • A Christian family is a communion of faith, hope and charity. It is the domestic Church.
  • The fourth commandment calls us to live in charity, starting with honour and respect for our parents, and for all whom God, for our good, has vested with authority.
  • Jesus himself recognized the authority vested in his parents, and was obedient to them (see Luke 2.51).
  • “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right…” (Ephesians 6.1; Colossians 3.20).
  • Family life is the original cell of social life.

Theme 2: Whom should I obey in society?

Outcomes
Students will

  • recognize legitimate authority within various sectors of society: school, civic community, Church
  • explain what makes authority legitimate (i.e., the common good)
  • identify, explain and affirm the duties they have as subjects of legitimate authority

Key Concepts

  • Human society requires that some of its people be vested with legitimate authority to work and care for the good of all.
  • The authority required by the moral order derives from God.
  • The duty of obedience requires all to give due honour and respect to legitimate authority.
  • The fourth commandment calls us to hon- our not only our par- ents, but also those who for our good have received authority in society from God.
  • The dignity of the human person requires the pursuit of the common good. Everyone should be concerned to create and support institu- tions that improve the conditions of human life.
  • Christ himself is the source of authority within the Church.

Be Loving

Theme 1: What is love?

Outcomes
Students will

  • examine and evaluate their understanding of love
  • analyze Scripture pas- sages where Christ models love
  • explore the Christian dimensions of love within the context of popular notions of love
  • analyze ways they love others because they love themselves
  • articulate what it means to be loved and to love unconditionally
  • listen prayerfully to the call to be loving

Key Concepts

  • We are called to love as Jesus loved.(Since we have been loved, we also must love – 1 John 4.10- 12.)
  • Love that is rooted in Christ will never fail, even when it seems to be the most foolish, unreasonable or diffi- cult choice.
  • Love is not just an emotion. Love is willed. Mature love is a call to action which fosters the good of others.
  • Giving and receiving love is the most important dimension of our lives, bringing out the best in both the lover and the beloved.
  • To truly love others, we must love our- selves.

Theme 2: What is the loving thing to do?

Outcomes
Students will

  • reviewandapplythe decision-making model (see, judge, act, evaluate)
  • demonstrate an understanding of the role of the magisteri- um, Scripture and tra- dition in moral deci- sion making
  • identify times when it may be difficult to do what is loving
  • define conscience and name its role in moral decision making
  • explain the relation- ship between Christian moral deci- sion making and love

Key Concepts

  • Christian moral deci- sion making is based on love.
  • People are bound by their conscience in determining the loving thing to do.
  • The magisterium, Scripture and tradition guide Catholics in moral decision making.
  • Doing the loving thing may mean doing what is difficult or unpopular.

Theme 3: Why wait?

Outcomes
Students will

  • explain how our sexuality can help us to love
  • identify acceptable Christian expressions of love
  • explain why having sex is not the loving thing to do outside of marriage
  • define chastity and understand why it is a Christian virtue
  • analyze sexual issues in relation to the virtue of chastity

Key Concepts

  • “All Christ’s faithful are called to lead a chaste life in keeping with their particular states of life” (CCC #2348).
  • “Chastity includes an apprenticeship in self- mastery which is a training in human freedom” (CCC #2339).
  • God created us as sexual beings. Our sexuality draws us out of our- selves to relate with others.
  • Genital sexual expression becomes personal and truly human when it is integrated into the relationship of one per- son to another, in the complete and lifelong mutual gift of a man and a woman. (see CCC #2337)
  • Sexual feelings are neither good nor bad in themselves; they sim- ply are.
  • There are many chaste ways of expressing our love for others.
  • The sixth commandment protects the sacred bonds of committed love.

Theme 4: How does love go wrong?

Outcomes
Students will

  • use 1 Corinthians 13.4-8a for identifying the signs of manipulative, coercive and abusive behaviour in relationships
  • value the basic dignity of every person within relationships
  • understand and demonstrate skills of appropriate assertive behaviour
  • use Scripture for developing Christian attitudes towards loving others

Key Concepts

  • “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5.9).
  • In Scripture we find direction and inspiration for healthy, lov- ing relationships. (e.g., 1 Corinthians 13.4-8a, Romans 13.10)
  • People in healthy relationships recognize the equal dignity and basic rights of all involved.
  • Love goes wrong when it becomes self- centred.
  • Not all relationships are healthy. Manipulation, coercion and abuse are signs of unhealthy relationships.
  • Assertiveness skills are necessary for developing and maintaining healthy relationships.

Be Faithful

Theme 1: What do I really believe?

Outcomes
Students will

  • articulate ways that relationships based on faith are reasonable
  • express what it means to have a relationship with God through Jesus
  • describe how faith in Jesus Christ challenges them to love and respect others

Key Concepts

  • “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord…” (Deuteronomy 6.4).
  • Jesus is the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega.
  • Faith cannot be fully explained, but it is reasonable. Faith admits mystery.
  • Our moral life has its source in faith in God, who reveals his love to us. (CCC #2087) Faith in God’s love encom- passes the call and the obligation to respond with love and respect – the first and second command- ments call us to love and respect God above everything, and to respect all creatures for and because of God.
  • Being faithful means being open to develop- ing our relationship with God.

Theme 2: What’s the point of prayer?

Outcomes
Students will

  • define Christian prayer
  • locate in Scripture, describe and demonstrate five forms of prayer:
    • Adoration and Blessing
    • Petition
    • Intercession
    • Thanksgiving
    • Praise
  • express different ways that God responds to prayer
  • demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between human freedom, divine prerogative and prayer

Key Concepts

  • “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heav- en” (Matthew 5.3).
  • Prayer is our living relationship with God.
  • The third commandment calls us to stop and pray. The Sunday celebration of the Lord’s Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church’s life.
  • Jesus teaches us how to pray.
  • God always answers our prayers.
  • God answers our prayers in ways that are not limited by our own perspectives. God’s view is infinitely bigger than our view.
  • In answering our prayers, God does not take away human free- dom.