- Why do you think the film is titled Where Hope Grows? What changes do you see in Calvin, Milt, Colt, Katie and the other characters throughout the film? Discuss how you see the growth of hope throughout the story. Who or what is the source of hope?
- How does Calvin’s relationship with Produce help him make changes in his life? In his relationship with his daughter, Katie?
- How can we work together to create an inclusive community for people with disabilities?
- Where can the conversation go from here? How will you be accountable to yourself, your family and friends, your school, and your community?
- Have you ever witnessed someone showing disrespect to a person with a disability? How did you respond? How would you respond after watching the film?
- Why do one-to-one friendships matter?
- Why do you think Calvin initially befriends Produce? What are his motives—good and bad—that prompt him to spend more time with Produce?
- Describe Katie and Colt’s relationship. Why do you think Colt continues to spend time with Katie? Why do you think Katie keeps hanging out with Colt?
- Calvin finally chooses to give up alcohol and attend his first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. What situation prompts him to repent? Why does it seem to take “hitting bottom” for people to choose to turn their lives around?
- At the hospital, Katie and Calvin pray for Produce and Milt. Katie asks Calvin, “What good is it to pray if you don’t get what you ask for?” How does Calvin answer her question, and would you be satisfied with his answer? How would you answer the question? What do you think is the purpose of prayer?
- At a funeral service, the pastor says to “make your dash count,” to live your life to the fullest. Who is someone you know who is making their dash count? How can you tell? What are key elements needed to live a full life? What are the dangers or costs of not “making your dash count?” Who makes their dash count in the film?
- Who or what “saves” Calvin? What relationships bring about his transformation, and what realizations does he make in order to grow?
- What do you think will happen with each of the characters beyond the end of the movie? Imagine and describe a future for Calvin, Katie, Produce, Amy, and Colt—what will the next year hold for them?
- Which character did you relate with the most—Produce, Calvin, Katie, or another character? Why do you think you felt a connection with that character? Which character did you dislike the most? What bothered you about them?
- Who are some people with special needs in your life? What have you learned about life and about yourself from knowing this person?
- Calvin and Katie have a strained relationship at the beginning of the movie. What are some of the sources of their tension or the obstacles that prevent them from a healthier relationship? Describe how Calvin might be frustrated with Katie, then describe how Katie might be frustrated with Calvin.
- In a key scene, an embarrassed Katie must pick up a drunken Calvin from the police station. She tells him “I’ve given up on you.” What would you want to say to Calvin in this moment? What would you say to Katie?
- Produce was a voice of hope for Calvin. We are all looking for some reason to have hope, to have a reason to keep going, to see that we have a sense of purpose and destiny, a reason to see what our future holds. How can you be a voice of hope in our world?
- Romans 5:3-5
- 1Corinthians 12:14-20, 27
- Are there people with special needs in your life? What have you learned about life and about yourself from knowing this person? How does your school welcome and serve people with special needs? Your friends? Your neighbourhood? Your community? This question presents an excellent opportunity to talk about inclusion with your students. In particular, you may want to raise the concept of social inclusion and what it means to ensure all members of a school or community are meaningfully engaged as part of the group, form positive, mutually beneficial relationships, and are viewed as equal, contributing members of the group. Some additional questions to ponder with your students might include: What does it feel like to be excluded? What are some ways we unintentionally exclude certain people or make them feel unwelcome? What steps can we take to make sure we create an inclusive community?https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-cA3t1HW1Ow
- Luke 14:15-24 If Jesus pushed the disciples to go out and invite people with disabilities to the table, what would it look like for us to do the same?
- Mark 12:41-43
- According to the World Health Organization (2011), more than one billion people around the world have a disability(1 in 7). 20 percent of the teen population has a disability. 70 million people in the world need wheelchairs and only 5-15% have them.
http://www.who.int/disabilities/infographic/en/
http://www.who.int/features/qa/67/en/
http://www.who.int/disabilities/world_report/2011/chapter1.pdf
https://www.younglife.org/en/Pages/default.aspx
Category: Religious Education (Catholic) 35
World Religions Project Rubric
God’s Not Dead Assignment
Directions: Answer ALL of the questions below. The page titled, Movie Study Assignment Rubric, will be used to assess this reflection. It can be found on the left side under pages (5th from the bottom). When finished, print off your response and hand in or email it to Mr. S.
INTRODUCTION: There are no shortage of self proclaimed theists (e.g. Christians), atheists, or agnostics. For example, British actor Daniel Radcliffe, known for his role as Harry Potter, declared he was an atheist in a 2009 interview. “I’m an atheist, but I’m very relaxed about it” he was quoted as saying. Angus T. Jones, child actor who played Jake Harper on the American sitcom, Two and half Men, proclaimed, “Even though it’s my job to be an actor, I have given my life to God”. Jones is a self-proclaimed Christian theist. Antonio Banderas, a a Spanish film actor, film director, film producer and singer, once said, “I have to recognize that I am agnostic”.
QUESTIONS: 1) Clearly explain the difference between an atheist, theist and an agnostic? 2) If you were challenged to defend your beliefs, like Josh was, what would you do? Would you have integrity? Would you be a follower? Would you be a coward? Explain what you think you would do. 3) Every person fits into one of the three categories (atheist, theist or agnostic). Which of the three categories would you be in? Decide where you belong and clearly DEFEND why you claim to be either atheist, theist or agnostic. When you declare yourself to be one of these then you MUST be able to fully explain why you believe what you believe. Otherwise you are NOT what you claim to be. This is what you are being asked to do so in this assignment.
NOTE: You are NOT being graded on your beliefs. Your beliefs are between you and God (whether you believe in God or not). What you are being graded on is how much thought you have given to the topic and to think about why you believe what you believe. See the rubric to understand how this assignment will be evaluated. Also understand that your beliefs will continue to evolve and change as you gain more life experience and learn more about the topic.
God’s Not Dead Reflection
Directions: Answer ALL of the questions below. The page titled, Reflection Rubric, will be used to access this reflection. It can be found on the left side (third from top) under pages. When finished, print off your response and hand in or email it to Mr. S.
INTRODUCTION: Dr. Radisson gives the class their first assignment. He passes out blank papers, and demands that each student write, “God is dead” and signs their names in order to get a passing grade. Josh refuses, so the professor forces him to take an alternate assignment; Josh will be given time in the next three lectures to prove the existence of God. If the students in his class are convinced, he passes the assignment. If not, he fails the semester, and thus his chances at a prestigious law degree.
Thomas Jefferson once said, “In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock”.
QUESTIONS: What Jefferson is referring to when he says, “…In matters of principle, stand like a rock” is integrity. 1) What is integrity? 2) Is Josh taking a stand an example of integrity? How so? 3) Are the other 70 plus students in the class just cowards or followers which is what Jefferson is referring to when he says, “In matters of style, swim with the current…”? Explain your reasoning.
RS35: In Pursuit of Happyness Assignment
The movie Pursuit of Happyness is based on the true story of Chris Gardner’s struggle to achieve his share of the American dream.
Directions: Answer ALL of questions below. The page titled, Reflection Rubric, will be used to access this reflection. It can be found on the left side (third from top) under pages. When finished, print off your response and hand in or email it to Mr. S.
1) In our society, fulfillment may be found on such things as having the latest car, the biggest house, the largest bonus and bank account. Their satisfaction and happiness are tied to material riches and other societal labels of success. What is happiness? Click on the link (definitions) to see a number of definitions. Which of these definitions do you agree with? Explain why.
2) Christopher Gardner makes the statement “Maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue. And maybe we can actually never have it no matter what”. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?
3) How does a person achieve happiness? The article Happy Thoughts has suggestions on how to achieve happiness. Read the article. Do you agree or disagree with the article’s methods? Explain why or why not?
RS35: In Pursuit of Happyness Reflection
The movie Pursuit of Happyness is based on the true story of Chris Gardner’s struggle to achieve his share of the American dream.
Directions: Answer ALL of the questions below. The page titled, Reflection Rubric, will be used to access this reflection. It can be found on the left side (third from top) under pages. When finished, print off your response and hand in or email it to Mr. S.
1) Scene in movie: Christopher is telling a story to his father. The son explains that a drowning man refused two rescue boats because he believed that “God would save him.” The man passes away and, while in heaven, asks God why he was not saved, to which God replies: “I sent you two big boats ya dummy!” What is the message of this story?
2) In Matthew 7:7-8 it says, ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is this essentially the same message as Christopher’s story about the drowning man? Why or why not? Explain your reasoning.
3) In James chapter 4, verse 3 it says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures”. Is there a proper way to ask God for help? What is the correct way to ask God for help? Explain what you think that is. The article entitled, Does God Answer our Prayers? suggests a way to ask God for help. Do you think this article has it right? In other words, do you agree with what this article is saying? Why or why not?
Oremus Bible Browser Link
Religion 35: World Religions and Peace
There are many points of view about whether peace on this planet we call earth is possible. Some believe peace could never be attained. Others such as Religions for Peace, the largest international coalition of representatives from the world’s great religions, are dedicated to promoting peace.
They believe in respecting religious differences while celebrating our common humanity, Religions for Peace is active on every continent and in some of the most troubled areas of the world, creating multi-religious partnerships to confront our most dire issues: stopping war, ending poverty, and protecting the earth.
Hans Kung, a German theologian says, there will be “No peace among the nations without peace among the religions. (Hans Küng, Christianity: Essence, History, Future)
Mitra Sen, Canadian teacher, filmmaker, and creator of the Peace Tree says, “Let us embrace the beauty of every culture and faith to create peace in our world.”
Thich Nhat Hanh Buddhist monk and peace activist says, “How do you want to create peace, if there is no peace inside yourselves?”
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Be the peace you wish for the world.”
Question: Do you believe world peace is possible? Why or why not? Which of the above people do you think has the right idea or a way to achieve world peace? Clearly explain why .
RS World Religions Research Project
Religion 15: Western World Religions: Christianity, Islam & Judaism
Religion 25: Eastern World Religions: Hinduism or Buddhism
Religion 35: Eastern World Religions: Confucianism, Taoism & Sikhism
Objectives:
- To explore the great world religions .
- To produce a visual creation to relay information about a world religion.
- To discover common elements between the world religions.
Part 1: RESEARCH Each pair will be assigned one of the world religions (RS 15: Christianity, Judaism, & Islam; RS 25: Buddhism & Hinduism, RS 35: Confucianism, Taoism & Sikhism) to research. Completing the Research Info Chart will do this. REMEMBER, the chart also includes a timeline. To download a digital version of this chart, use the following chart: research_info_chart
World Religions Information
Keep in mind that these sites contain general information about the world religions. For example, it discusses Christianity’s basics beliefs. There may be differences between the different traditions of Christians such as between the Catholic and Anglican Church.
Comparison Chart (Has a good comparision table. You need to input the names of the religions you wish to compare)
Major Religions of the World (Select the religion you are researching using the links on the left hand side of the web page)
For Grade 10s, here another site related to the Islam (Muslim) faithThe Muslim experience in Canada
There is also the textbook in the classroom.
Using “Google” will also locate many useful sites. Be sure to critique the site to determine if it contains credible information. There are also numerous resources in the library.
Be sure to keep a record of the sites (URLs) and books used for the research so it can be recorded in your bibliography. To site resources properly, go to How to site references.
Part II: VISUAL CREATION Create a poster or power point presentation, using no more than ten words or phrases, that shows others what is important within your assigned religion.
For looking up bible verse, this link might be helpful.
oremus Bible Browser (just put in your scripture request e.g. 1 John 3:6-8 and up pops the text)
The rubric used for this assignment:
Movie Study Assignment Rubric
