Grade 6 – Curriculum

Unit 1 – We Answer God’s Call

Theme – The young people’s exploration of the Old Testament begins with the story of Abraham and Sarah. The themes of revelation and covenant are introduced.

Chapter 1 – Revelation and Response

· Discover how God reveals himself in everyday life

· Understand that Abraham and Sarah are models of faith in their response to God’s revelation and that Abraham is the patriarch of Christian, Jewish, and Islamic faiths

· Learn that Mary played an important role in the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham

· Identify ways to respond to God in faith just as Abraham and Mary did

· Trust in God’s presence and be able to pray with the faith of Abraham for God’s direction

Chapter 2 – Sacrifice and Promise

· Realize the value of Christian sacrifice and identify ways to make sacrifices for the good of others

· Learn about Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son to God

· Discover how the Mass recalls Jesus’ sacrifice for our salvation

· Understand sacrifices and promises as they relate to living our faith

· Recognize Sunday as a day to celebrate the Mass and pray for God’s blessings so that we are better able to make sacrifices for others

Chapter 3 – Covenant and Commitment

· Identify gestures that express promises or agreements

· Discover how God fulfilled promises to Jacob and Rebecca and what it means to have a covenant with God

· Learn about the covenant God made with Noah

· Identify commitments Catholics can make to their faith and to one another

· Pray for God’s blessings in both word and gesture

Chapter 4 – Piety and Prayer

· Identify the qualities of friendship, such as loyalty

· Learn about Joseph of the Old Testament and his devotion to and trust in God

· Learn about Joseph of the New Testament and his devotion to and trust in God

· Practice praying prayers of praise to God

· Pray in the words of Mary, who exemplified trust in and loyalty to God

Unit 2 – God Saves and Delivers Us

Theme – A study of the Exodus offers insight into the Christian belief in deliverance through the Paschal mystery.

Chapter 5 – Slavery and Deliverance

· Recognize ways people can become spiritually and materially enslaved today

· Understand the role of Moses in rescuing the enslaved Israelites and the importance of the Exodus

· Realize that Jesus freed us from sin and death and will give new life to us in the kingdom of heaven

· Appreciate songs that celebrate God’s deliverance

· Praise God for the gift of freedom

Chapter 6 – Passover and the Eucharistic Celebration

· Learn how Jews commemorate the Passover

· Understand connections between the Passover and Jesus’ death, Resurrection, and Ascension

· Appreciate the miracle of the Eucharist through the story of the Feeding of Five Thousand

· Recognize God’s gift of freedom in our lives

· Identify the similarities of the blessings prayed at the Christian Eucharist and the Jewish Passover Seder

Chapter 7 – Commandment and Fulfillment

· Recall the importance of rules, especially the ones that guide our moral lives; the Ten Commandments

· Learn that God gave Moses the Ten Commandments to help people live in love and goodness

· Identify ways Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of the covenant at Sinai and how to live the commandments in the spirit of Jesus

· Discover how Saint Teresa of Avila showed love for God and name ways to do the same

· Use a prayer method of Saint Teresa of Avila

Chapter 8 – Our Journey and God’s Presence

· Recognize God’s power and goodness in the signs and wonders around us

· Explain how the Israelites, with God’s help, were able to find and settle the promised land

· Identify ways to be people of constant prayer

· See examples of God’s blessings around us as sources for constant prayer

· Pray a Catholic morning prayer

Unit 3 – God Invites Us Into His Kingdom

Theme – The Old Testament history of the kingdom of Israel provides an understanding of teachings about the kingdom of God in the New Testament.

Chapter 9 – Our Land and God’s Kingdom

· Recognize that the Catholic Church is a large community of believers led by the pope and the bishops of each diocese

· Learn a story about the first leaders of Israel in order to understand that just as God gave the Israelites the promised land, God promises us a share in his kingdom

· Describe the special mission entrusted to the Church as the beginning of God’s kingdom and to Peter as the head of the Church

· Name ways to carry out the Church’s mission

· Pray to praise God for the gift of his kingdom on earth

Chapter 10 – The Ark and the Temple

· Become familiar with special actions and objects in the Church that remind us of Jesus Christ and prepare us for God’s life in us

· Give examples of symbols from creation, human life, and the Old Testament that are sacramental signs

· Identify relationships between Catholic and Jewish customs of worship and between sacraments and sacramentals

· Learn a story about the sacrament of Holy Orders that helps illustrate the difference between sacraments and sacramentals

· Pray using sacramentals

Chapter 11 – David’s Sin and the Story of the Fall

· Understand that humans have free will and that the right choice is not always the easiest choice

· Learn about the mystery of evil and God’s power to forgive through the biblical stories of David and Adam and Eve

· Recognize that God helps us make good moral decisions and that when we repent, like David, we are forgiven for our sins

· Describe ways to discern whether a choice is morally right or wrong

· Pray with penitential prayer

Chapter 12 – Psalms of Praise and Works of Wonder

· Express praise to God for the things in the world that remind us of God’s goodness

· Learn about the Book of Psalms

· Identify ways that psalms are used in the liturgy and recognize the value of psalms as forms of prayer

· Interpret two psalms through writing and drawing

· Praise God through a song based on a psalm

Unit 4 – God Reminds Us to Do His Will

Theme – Prophets played a vital role in the religious awareness of the people of Israel and later in the understanding of Christ’s message. Exile and reconciliation are important themes.

Chapter 13 – Disobedience and Guidance

· Realize that we sometimes need other people to remind us to do God’s will

· Describe the Israelites neglect for God’s will, their downfall, and the prophets sent by God to turn them back to him

· Recognize the gifts that result from being faithful to God and the ways in which Jesus Christ guides us back to God

· Identify ways to guide others back to God

· Pray litanies as a way to remain focused on God

Chapter 14 – Exile and Remembrance

· Name situations in which people may feel lost and recognize that God’s help is available at such times

· Learn the prophecies about the Messiah that helped guide the Israelites when they were lost during the Exile

· Describe how Jesus Christ is like a good shepherd who brings us back from forms of exile in our own lives

· Identify modern forms of exile and how to overcome them

· Pray the kaddish, a Jewish prayer of hope in time of loss

Chapter 15 – Hope and Faithfulness

· Reflect on the experience of being reunited with a loved one

· Discover how the Jewish people were given hope during the Exile and became reunited in a life of faith after the Exile

· Describe faithful practices that can give hope, keep us close to God, and help us avoid the exile of sin

· Give examples of the faithful practices that are involved in the theological and moral virtues and the precepts of the Church

Chapter 16 – Trust and Prayer

· Recall ways in which other people take care of our needs and wants

· Understand that we, like Esther, can trust in God to help us meet our needs and should pray to him with persistence

· Give examples of the necessary elements of prayer – faith and persistence

· Describe what Jesus taught about prayer and persistence, and write faith-filled prayers

· Pray the Exultet, celebrating God’s care for us

Unit 5 – God Promises Us Everlasting Life

Theme – The Maccabean revolt, religious sects, and the hope for the messiah mark the period before the coming of Jesus Chris. Jesus’ life and teaching are connected to God’s promises in the Old Testament.

Chapter 17 – A New Life and a Coming Messiah

· Identify Christian sources of happiness

· Learn about the struggles of the Jews in the last few centuries before Jesus and become familiar with eschatological doctrines

· Recognize that the Old Testament reveals the concepts of everlasting life, the coming of Jesus Christ, resurrection, the Communion of Saints, and the Trinity

· Develop awareness of the help we can receive from saints

· Unite in prayer with the Communion of Saints by praying litanies

Chapter 18 – Baptism and Repentance

· Reflect upon the need to prepare for special events, especially ones that are religious

· Identify Jewish groups that existed before Christ began teaching and learn how John the Baptizer prepared people for Jesus’ coming

· Discover that with the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Reconciliation they help prepare us for God’s kingdom

· Define the seven sacraments, the graces they bestow, and the appropriate times to receive them

Chapter 19 – Christians and the Reign of God

· Understand that everyone is created in God’s image and is worthy of respect

· Learn that Jesus Christ fulfilled God’s promise of a messiah and that his Spirit dwells in us, giving us dignity

· Recognize the call to bear witness to our own and others’ dignity through loving actions, especially the spiritual works of mercy

· Give examples of practicing spiritual works of mercy

· Pray a saint’s prayer for holiness

Chapter 20 – Hope for the Ages

· Identify the qualities of a loving caregiver and recognize such qualities in God

· Associate Jesus’ ministry with Old Testament prophecy and learn Jesus’ teachings about sincerity of prayer and the way to pray

· Further explore Jesus’ teachings about prayer and sincere faith, and define meditation

· Meditate while learning about the prayers Jesus said before he died

· Pray to the Holy Spirit and meditate with fine art

Other Activities

** Advent

· Appreciate that some events in life are unexpected

· Learn about the Second Coming of Christ

· Understand that Jesus wants his followers to be ready for his return

· Reflect upon experiences of others keeping their promises

· Understand that Advent is a time to recall God’s fulfilled promise of the Messiah and wait with joy for Jesus’ return

· Celebrate God’s promise to send Jesus a second time

· Define peace

· Learn that Jesus is the Prince of Peace

· Practice peacemaking skills by exploring real-life situations

· Identify people who are especially in need of hope

· Learn about the history of the Advent wreath

· Pray that people in need find the light of hope in Jesus Christ

** Christmas

· Reflect on the meaning of Christmas

· Learn how the Gospel of Matthew conveys the significance of Jesus’ birth

· Explore the meaning of the story of Jesus’ birth for our lives

· Recognize that we need support from others when we face challenges

· Learn why the Church honors Mary during Christmas season

· Appreciate Mary’s role as our intercessor

· Reflect upon the words of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”

· Review details about Jesus’ birth

· Praise God for Jesus” birth

** Lent

· Discover the need for forgiveness

· Learn about the sacrament of Reconciliation

· Appreciate the need for forgiveness

· Understand the importance of the number forty in the Old Testament and the New Testament

· Understand that Lent is a time of preparation for Easter

· Remember our goals as Christians

· Express opinions about the challenges of faith

· Learn about one of Jesus’ miracles

· Discuss what it means to have faith

· Identify ways to renew our energy and interest

· Learn about Laetare Sunday

· Appreciate God’s generosity

· Share knowledge of the Psalms

· Learn about the Psalms

· Pray a prayer of repentance for Lent

** Holy Week

· Identify the most important week of the year

· Understand that Holy Week includes the holiest days of the Church year

· Recall the last events in the life of Jesus that won eternal life for us

· Recall the story of the Crucifixion

· Learn about the seven last statements Jesus made

· Better understand Jesus’ last hours

· Share experiences of family celebrations during Holy Week

· Recall God’s plan of salvation

· Pray a Good Friday prayer celebration

** Easter

· Describe experiences of change

· Recognize that Easter celebrates the new life won for us by Jesus’ Resurrection

· Understand that Easter is an opportunity to live a new life in Christ

· Share experiences of feeling doubtful

· Recognize that belief is not always about getting proof

· Suggest how to overcome doubts

· Share stories about doing the right thing

· Learn about acts of faith

· Determine the qualities needed to make acts of faith

· Share Easter experiences

· Review expressions of Easter joy and praise

· Rejoice over Christ’s Resurrection

** Holy Days

· Express beliefs about angels

· Learn about archangels

· Appreciate that the Church celebrates a feast day in honor of the archangels

· Suggest ways to make the world a better place

· Learn about the Solemnity of Christ the King

· Appreciate the coming of the reign of Jesus Christ

· Imagine meeting a very important person

· Understand that the story about the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple identifies Jesus as the Messiah

· Discover the importance of making one’s life an offering to God

· Value Mary’s role in their lives

· Learn about the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

· Identify ways to honor Mary

** Mary

· Think about what God is calling us to do in the Church community

· Learn about the life of Mary

· Imitate Mary by accepting God’s plan for our lives

· Name people who are helpful

· Learn that Mary is our intercessor

· Recognize that Mary acts on our behalf before her son

· Share beliefs about Mary

· Learn how Mary appeared at Lourdes

· Appreciate Mary’s love for us

· Identify celebrations honoring Mary

· Learn about the Feast of the Assumption

· Exhibit knowledge of Catholic beliefs about Mary

** Saints

· Explore responses and reactions to discomfort

· Learn about Saint Rafka

· Reflect on becoming more patient and compassionate

· Explore what it means to be courageous

· Learn about Saint Andrew Kim Taegon and the Korean martyrs

· Appreciate how having a strong faith will help us

· Appreciate the Catholic faith

· Learn about Saint Edith Stein

· Examine and reflect on experiences that helped us to know God

· Identify our positive qualities

· Learn about Saint Ignatius of Antioch

· Reflect on what it means to be a Christian today

· Reflect on what we can accomplish if we have faith

· Learn about Saint Charles Borromeo

· Appreciate what a good person can accomplish

** Holy People

· Reflect on the effect we have on others

· Learn about Pope Pius XII

· Understand some of the challenges that faced the Church in the Twentieth century

· Discover what life is like for a missioner

· Learn about the life of Ita Ford

· Examine what justice requires of us

· Identify people who provide comfort

· Learn about Blessed Francis Seelos

· Appreciate Blessed Francis Seelos’s example of using his gifts for God

· Explore ideas about how to live our lives

· Learn about the Benedictines