Grade 8 – Curriculum

BOOK ONE – MORALITY LIFE IN CHRIST

UNIT ONE – LIFE IN CHRIST

Chapter 1 – Human Dignity and Happiness

· Human person as image and likeness of God

· Sanctifying grace, actual grace, and soul

· Fall and promise of salvation, intellect, and free will

· Holiness and happiness

· Jesus as a model of holiness

· Holy Spirit as Guide and Helper

· The Church as Mother and Teacher

· Beatitudes

· Saint Therese of Lisieux

· Respect for life

· Choose life

Chapter 2 – One Person’s Decision: A Scripture Story

· The four Evangelists

· Writings of the Gospels

· Gospel according to Mark

· Saint Mark the Evangelist

· Call to and cost and rewards of being a disciple of Christ

· The Twelve

· Saint Martin de Porres

· What is a simple life

Chapter 3 – The Decision to Live Our Life in Christ

· Christian morality

· Freedom of choice

· Making moral decisions

· Natural law

· Object, intention, and circumstances of moral actions

· Mortal, venial, and capital sins

· Church as moral teacher

· Conscience

Chapter 4 – Hymn of Love: A Scripture Story

· The Church of Corinth

· Church as the Body of Christ

· Saint Paul’s teachings about love in the First Letter to the Corinthians

· The Pauline letters in the New Testament

· Love really is…

Chapter 5 – The Exercise of Virtue

· Theological and moral virtues

· Common good

· Social sin

· Fruits of the Holy Spirit

· Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy

· Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin

· Moral Virtues in our lives

Chapter 6 – The Grace of the Holy Spirit

· Grace

· Justification

· Sanctification

· Merit

· New law of grace

· Divine mercy

· “Response-Ability”

UNIT TWO – THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

Chapter 7 – The First, Second, and Third Commandments

· The Decalogue

· Precepts

· Jesus and the Law

· First Commandment – atheism, idolatry, sacrilege, superstition, and simony

· Second Commandment - reverence

· Third Commandment – Sunday Mass obligation, precepts of the Catholic Church, and Holy Days of obligation

· False gods

Chapter 8 – Martha and Mary: A Scripture Story

· Christian discipleship

· Women disciples of Jesus

· Martha and Mary

· Luke’s account of the Gospel

· Jesus’ visit to the home of Martha and Mary

· Service and prayer

· Balancing prayer and action

Chapter 9 – The Fourth and Fifth Commandments

· Fourth Commandment – obedience, Christian family life and values

· Civic community and civil authority

· Fifth Commandment – sacredness of human life, murder, direct abortion, suicide, euthanasia, violent lifestyles, choosing peace, self-defense, capital punishment, and war

· Violence versus Peace

Chapter 10 – The Sixth, Seventh, and Ninth Commandments

· Sixth an Ninth Commandments – chastity and principles for using the gift of sexuality

· Seventh Commandment – stewardship, stealing, and reparation

· Mixed Media Messages

Chapter 11 – The Eighth and Tenth Commandments

· Eighth Commandment – telling the truth, bearing false witness, lying, keeping a confidence

· Tenth Commandment – honoring and respecting the blessings of other people, covetousness, avarice, greed, envy, and detachment

· Peer pressure

Chapter 12 – The Lord’s Prayer

· The Lord’s Prayer

· A summary of the Gospel

· Jesus the Teacher

· Sermon on the Mount

· Temptation

· Consumerism

BOOK TWO – JESUS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

UNIT ONE – INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE AND THE GOSPELS

Chapter 1 – Introduction to Sacred Scripture

· God’s own word to us

· Inspiration of Sacred Scripture

· Story of the Covenant

· Jesus Christ in the new and everlasting Covenant

· Unity of Old and New Testaments

· Living the Covenant

· Interpretation of Scripture by Church

· Pray the Scriptures daily

Chapter 2 – The Gospels

· Evangelists

· Synoptic Gospels and Fourth Gospels

· Gospels, the heart of Sacred Scripture

· Message of four Evangelists

· Discipleship

· Similarities of the four Gospels

· Titles for Jesus

· Storytelling

Chapter 3 – The Gospel of Mark

· Saint Mark the Evangelist

· Literary style of Mark’s Gospel

· Importance of Mark 8:27-35

· Mission and ministry of Jesus

· Paschal Mystery

· Kingdom of God

· Discipline makes good disciples

Chapter 4 – The Gospel of Matthew

· Matthew’s purpose for writing his Gospel

· Matthew’s audience

· Torah, core of Jewish belief and religious practice

· Jesus, fulfillment of Torah

· Torah and the five discourses in Matthew’s Gospel

· Sermon on the Mount

· Beatitudes

· Blessed Pope John XXIII and Vatican Council II

· Think and re-think: dealing with peer pressure

Chapter 5 – The Gospel of Luke and The Acts of the Apostles

· Luke the Evangelist – Infancy Narratives, parables, centrality of Jerusalem, journey theme

· Jesus’ public ministry – announcement, reaction and rejection, salvation and conversion

· Saint Francis of Assisi

· Apostolic witnesses

Chapter 6 – The Gospel of John

· Eyes of faith, prologue “I Am” sayings

· Book of Signs

· Miracles

· Book of Glory

· Symbolic language

· Looking beneath the surface: discerning God’s will

UNIT TWO – THE LETTERS AND REVELATION

Chapter 7 – The Letter to the Romans

· Paul of Tarsus

· New Testament letters

· Pauline letters

· Epistle to the Romans – time and audience, purpose, structure, rhetorical writing style, Romans 6:1-23

· New Life in Christ

· New life in grace – sanctifying grace and actual grace

· Baptism to the death and Resurrection of Christ

· Christian Initiation

· Evangelization

Chapter 8 – The Letter to the Philippians

· Purpose and structure of Philippians

· Suffering in the life of a Christian

· A life worthy of the Gospel

· Life of virtue

· Theological virtues

· Cardinal virtues

· Encyclicals

· Solving problems respectfully

Chapter 9 – The Letter to the Colossians

· Purpose and context of Colossians

· Summary of key teachings of Paul

· Hymn summarizing faith in Christ

· Life in Christ

· New Commandment

· Baptism

· Eucharist

· Mercy and kindness

· Making good decisions

Chapter 10 – The Letter of James

· Seven catholic letters in the New Testament

· Letter of James

· Faith and good works

· Social justice

· Works of Mercy

· Seeing Christ in others

· Social teachings of the Catholic Church

· Working for the common good

Chapter 11 – The Letter to the Hebrews

· Author, structure, and purpose of Hebrews

· Apostasy

· Sacrifice of Jesus Christ

· Redemption

· Sacrifice of the Mass

· Martyrs of the Church

· Self-sacrifice

Chapter 12 – The Book of Revelation

· Apocalyptic writing

· Vision of Hope

· Allegory

· New Jerusalem

· Second Coming of Christ

· Saint Joan of Arc

· Preparing a way for the Lord: a life of virtue