Grade 1 – Curriculum
Unit 1 – Our Church Community
Theme – Children are helped to explore the Sunday worship experience and learn the meaning of the signs and events they may witness. Basic orientation toward liturgy and prayer, as well as a sense of community are part of the unit objectives.
Chapter 1 – We Belong to Jesus’ Church
·
Appreciate
belonging to a family
·
Identify the
Church to which we belong as the Catholic Church
·
Explain how
people will recognize Jesus’ followers
·
Name some of
the things Catholics do
·
Learn to make
the Sign of the Cross
Chapter 2 – We Gather to Celebrate Mass
·
Recognize the
cross on a church as a sign of Jesus
·
Understand that
our parish community gathers in church to celebrate Mass
·
Realize that
Jesus is with us when we pray with our church community
·
Name some of
the objects in a Catholic Church
·
Pray a blessing
prayer for God’s gifts to us
Chapter 3 – God’s Word Teaches Us
·
Discuss
different ways children learn
·
Realize that
the readings at Mass come from the Bible
·
Understand that
the word of God and the homily teach us how to follow Jesus
·
Discover that
God speaks to us when we listen to his word
·
Pray a prayer
about listening to the word of God
Chapter 4 – We Give Praise to God
·
Describe how we feel when someone praises us
·
Learn that
prayers and praise celebrate God’s goodness
·
Discover how
people in Bible times praised God
·
Discuss ways
Catholics praise God at Mass
·
Sign, say, and
sing praise to God
Unit 2 – Our Loving God
Theme – God the Father, as presented by Jesus in the Gospels, is at the center of this unit. The Father’s love and goodness are highlighted.
Chapter 5 – God Is Our Loving Father
· Explain how things God made show his love
· Learn that God created everything in the world from nothing
· Discover ways that God, our loving Father, cared for all that he creates
· Discuss ways that we can care for God’s creation
·
Pray a prayer
of thanks to God for the gifts of creation
Chapter 6 – Baptism Is a Wonderful Gift
·
Discuss the
importance of welcoming others
·
Appreciate
Baptism as a celebration of becoming a member of the Christian community
·
Describe how a
person is baptized
·
Realize that as
Christians, we are followers of Jesus Christ
·
Pray with holy
water, a sign of our new life with Jesus
Chapter 7 – God
Made Us to Be Good and Holy
·
Understand that everything has a purpose
·
Explain that God made us to be loving people
·
Realize that God wants us to be happy with him in heaven
·
List ways that we can show our love for God and others
·
Pray with movement to a holy song
Chapter 8 – We
Give Thanks to God
·
Discuss why it is important to thank someone
·
Understand why we call God “our Father”
·
Name special gifts they should thank God for
·
Learn about the leper who returned to thank Jesus
·
Give thanks to God with hearts and voices
Unit 3 –
God’s Son, Jesus
Theme – Jesus is God’s greatest gift
to us. He is God’s Son and our brother, divine and human. Jesus Christ is
present to us in the Eucharist. We learn about God’s forgiveness in the
Gospels.
Chapter 9 –
Jesus Is God’s Son
·
Tell about hearing good news
·
Understand that Mary is the mother of Jesus
·
Realize that God sent his Son, Jesus, into our world because he loves us
·
Explore ways to spread the good news of Jesus’ birth
·
Pray an Echo Prayer about Jesus
Chapter 10 – We Celebrate the Gift of Eucharist
· Discuss what makes family meals special
· Recognize that the words of the Eucharistic Prayer describe what took place at the Last Supper
· Explain that Jesus is present in the Eucharist
· Learn about Saint Katharine Drexel
· Pray before the Blessed Sacrament with signs of respect
Chapter 11 –
Jesus Teaches Us About Forgiveness
· Interpret right and wrong actions
· Realize that God wants us to be sorry when we do wrong, and that God is always ready to forgive us
· Learn that God’s laws help us choose what is right
· Know when to say “I am sorry” and “I forgive you”
· Pray a prayer of sorrow
Chapter 12 – We Pray with God’s Word
·
Name ways that
people like to pray
·
Describe some
ways that Jesus prayed
·
Learn how to
pray with Gospel stories
·
Experience
praying with God’s word as a way of getting closer to Jesus
·
Act out a Bible
story
Unit 4 – The Holy Spirit
Theme –
Scripture stories about the promise of the Holy Spirit and the action of the
Spirit are presented. These stories show the relationship of the Holy Spirit to
the Father and the Son, as well as the role the Spirit plays in the life of the
Church and every person.
Chapter 13 –
Jesus Sends Us the Holy Spirit
·
Discuss how people help us
·
Realize that Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit
·
Understand that the Holy Spirit is the gift of God’s love
·
Name ways the Holy Spirit helps us make good choices
·
Praise God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Chapter 14 – We
Celebrate the Gift of the Holy Spirit
·
Name everyday uses of water and oil
·
Realize that water in Baptism and holy oil in Confirmation are symbols of
the Holy Spirit
·
Understand that the Holy Spirit lives in us
·
Identify ways the Holy Spirit works in our lives
·
Pray with oil as a reminder that the Holy Spirit lives in us
Chapter 15 – The Holy Spirit Is Our Helper
·
Distinguish
good habits from bad habits
·
Name seven
fruits of the Holy Spirit
·
Understand that
the Holy Spirit helps us follow Jesus
·
Describe ways
of using the fruits of the Holy Spirit
·
Pray to the
Holy Spirit for help and guidance
Chapter 16 – The Holy Spirit Helps Us Pray
·
Name people who
teach us to do new things
·
Understand that
the Holy Spirit teaches us to pray
·
Discover how
the Church prays to the Holy Spirit
·
Write a
petition to the Holy Spirit
·
Participate in
a Holy Spirit procession
Unit 5 – Jesus’
Theme – The beginnings of the Church that Jesus founded are presented through Scripture stories and liturgical passages. Emphasis is placed on the concept of Church as the center of action for those who are dedicated to living the Gospel.
Chapter 17 – Jesus’ Followers Become the Church
·
Discus what
friends do with each other
·
Learn about
life in the first Christian community
·
Realize how
church members care for one another
·
Describe how we
can act like the first Christians
·
Pray “Amen” as
a prayer of faith
Chapter 18 – We Celebrate Pentecost
·
Discuss what
makes birthday celebration special
·
Recognize the
feast of Pentecost as the “Birthday of the Church”
·
Realize that
the Church is a diversified world community
·
Describe ways
the church celebrates Pentecost
·
Experience in
prayer the love and peace of the Holy Spirit
Chapter 19 – The Church Helps the World
·
Identify needs
that people have
·
Understand that
the mission of Christians is to help others
·
Discover ways
the Holy Spirit works through the Church today
·
Learn ways that
church helpers love and serve others
·
Listen to God
and say yes to his call
Chapter 20 – We Pray with Holy Songs
·
Name times when
people like to sing
·
Discover that
holy songs are prayers
·
Realize that
when we sing with our hearts, we are praying
·
Understand why
Catholics sing holy songs
·
Sing and
end-of-year prayer of thanks and praise to God
Other Activities
** Advent
·
Identify Advent
as a time to prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth
·
Understand how
the Church helps us prepare to welcome Jesus
·
Recognize that
kind actions help us welcome Jesus
·
Explain how the
Advent wreath symbolizes our waiting to celebrate Jesus’ birth
·
Discover the
meaning of the four candles on the Advent wreath
·
Demonstrate
their understanding of the Advent season
·
Appreciate how
the birth of a baby brings joy to a family
·
Learn the Bible
story of the Visitation
·
Identify
something that the grown-ups who love them might ask them to do
·
Understand that
the word Maranatha means “Come, Lord Jesus”
·
Learn how Mary
praised God when she learned she would be the mother of his Son, Jesus
·
Use an Advent
prayer and ritual to prepare their hearts for Jesus
** Christmas
·
Discuss
personal experiences with promises
·
Learn that
Jesus’ birth fulfilled God’s promise
·
Imagine
visiting the baby Jesus in the manger
·
Understand what
it means to be holy
·
Recognize why
we honor the Holy Family
·
Identify
qualities of “holy” families
·
Describe
experiences with the Christmas carol, “Silent Night”
·
Learn how the
song, “Silent Night,” came to be
·
Participate is
a “Silent Night” prayer celebration
** Lent
·
Discuss how
families show love for others
·
Realize that
Lent is a time to become more like Jesus
·
Draw and write
about following Jesus
·
Discuss where
ashes come from
·
Learn about Ash
Wednesday and the meaning of the ashes
·
Recall facts
about Lent
·
Discuss
personal experiences with water
·
Recall the
story of Noah and God’s promise to his people
·
To explain that
the holy water of Baptism is a sign of new life in Jesus
·
Discuss the
importance of prayer
·
Realize that we
can pray to Jesus the way we talk to a close friend
·
Express their
thoughts and feelings in a card to Jesus
·
Identify
someone who is special and to explain why
·
Discuss how
Jesus makes us “new”
·
Participate in
the Prayer Celebration for Lent
** Holy Week
·
Understand that Holy Week is the holiest week in the church year
·
Recognize that Palm Sunday recalls Jesus’ entry into
·
To read a rebus story about Palm Sunday
·
Identify the three holy days before Easter Sunday
·
Explain why we remember Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday
·
Recognize the major events that we remember during Holy Week
·
Review symbols of Holy Week
·
Describe the events of Jesus’ entry into
·
Pray the Prayer Celebration for Holy Week
** Easter
·
Understand why we celebrate Easter
·
Explain why Easter is the greatest feast of the church year
·
Identify signs of new life in a picture
·
Identify Mary Magdalene as a friend of Jesus
·
Learn the story of Mary Magdalene’s visit to Jesus’ tomb
·
Recognize events from the story of Mary Magdalene’s visit to Jesus’ tomb
·
Learn that Jesus left earth to return to God, his Father
·
Explain the story of the Ascension
·
Recall some ways to pray
·
Reflect on what happened on Easter
·
Pray the Prayer Celebration for Easter
** Holy Days
·
Understand that God gives every person a guardian angel
·
Recognize that their guardian angels protect, guide, and help them
·
Learn a traditional prayer to their guardian angels
·
Learn about the Feast of All Saints
·
Understand the purpose of All Saints’ Day
·
Learn about a feast day called All Souls’ Day
·
Understand what we do on All Souls’ Day
·
Understand why we celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day
·
Learn about the life of Saint Patrick
** Mary
·
Identify Mary as the mother of Jesus
·
Learn about Mary’s parents and childhood
·
Make a birthday card for Mary
·
Recognize that we honor Mary with different names
·
Learn why Mary is called Our Lady of the Snows
·
Understand that Mary accepted the fact that God had chosen her to be the
mother of his Son, Jesus
·
Recognize that Mary is the mother of Jesus, the Mother of God, and our
special mother
·
Identify May as a month in which we honor Mary
·
Learn how to honor Mary in a May procession
** Saints
·
Discuss experiences of sharing with others
·
Learn how Saint Nicholas helped poor children
·
Think about sharing and name specific things to share
·
Describe experiences of people being kind
·
Learn about the life of Saint Brigid of
·
Recall some facts about
·
Appreciate
·
Learn about the custom of
·
Describe how people care for others
·
Learn some facts about Saint Rose of
·
Understand that we, too, can follow Jesus and become saints like Rose
·
Identify Saint Luke as a Gospel writer
·
Learn about Saint Luke’s talents
·
Review four talents of Saint Luke
** Holy People
·
Recognize that there are many holy people
·
Understand that Mother Hale believed that every child is a special gift
from God
·
Realize that many parents teach their children about God
·
Recognize that Louis and Zelie Martin were both
holy people
·
Complete a blessing prayer for someone who helps them learn about God
·
Discuss how using our artistic talents helps us praise God and bring
beauty to people
·
Understand how Fra Angelico used the talent
that God gave him
·
Identify Mother Teresa as a holy woman
·
Learn about the work of the Missionaries of Charity
·
Recognize examples of children helping other people