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Overview
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Grade:
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2
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5
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Grade 5
Unit 1
Chapter 1 - Connection to Liturgy
Make the connection between Jesus' teachings and the readings proclaimed at Mass. Point out that the gospel readings focus on Jesus' teaching. Have the students listen carefully to the gospel at Mass each week. Invite them to apply Jesus' teachings to their own lives.
Chapter 2 - Connection to Stewardship
Invite a person who volunteers time to care for resources of the earth to speak to your students. He or she might speak on what kinds of preparations young people need
to undertake in order to be stewards of God's creation.
Chapter 3 - Connection to Liturgy
Explain to the students that the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick can be celebrated during Sunday or weekday Masses and at eucharistic celebrations offered for the intentions of the sick. Encourage them to invite their family members, neighbors, and friends to participate in Masses and prayer services for healing.
Chapter 4 - Connection to Liturgy
Baptism gives us a new life in Christ. The Mass contains various references to Baptism and the grace and freedom given to us to love and serve God. Provide the students with missalettes so that they can look for references to Baptism in the celebration of the Eucharist.
Chapter 5 - Connection to the Arts
Display some paintings and drawings of people being
baptized. One painting you may wish to show is Piero della Francesca's The Baptism of Christ. Ask the students to look carefully at the painting and recall what they learned about Christ's baptism by John the Baptist.
Unit 2
Chapter 8 - Connection to Mary
The dogma of the Immaculate Conception provides an excellent example of the relationship between Mary and the Blessed Trinity. She was born without original sin to prepare her for her role as Mother of the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of Luke 1:34-80, there are numerous mentions of the Holy Spirit in reference to Mary, Elizabeth, Zechariah, and John the Baptist.
Chapter 9 - Connection to Liturgy
The sacrament of Confirmation is celebrated within Mass. The word of God is proclaimed, a homily is
delivered, and people receive the Eucharist. Help the
students see how the celebration of Confirmation connects to the Mass, and how the Eucharistic celebration contains references to the gifts we receive at Confirmation.
Chapter 10 - Connection to Liturgy
The Liturgy of the Eucharist is a major part of the Mass. Bring in missalettes for the students. Help them see the missalette and its references to the chapter content. Encourage them to apply what they have learned by participating fully at Mass with the help of the missalettes.
Chapter 11 - Connection to Liturgy
Emphasize that bread and wine are consecrated and become the Body and Blood of Jesus. In our reception of the Eucharist, we are to be joined with Christ and one another. Tell the students that we gather for the Eucharist to celebrate the Paschal Mystery, Jesus dying and rising to new life. This is at the heart of the Church's worship.
Chapter 12 - Connection to Scripture
Explain to the students that many prayers come from the Bible, especially the Old Testament. The Book of Psalms contains the prayers that are used in the Liturgy of the Hours. This is the official prayer of the Church. Read aloud Psalm 23. Discuss the psalm. Encourage the students to become familiar with the psalms.
Unit 3
Chapter 15 - Connection to Liturgy
Explain to the students that many prayers come from the Bible, especially the Old Testament. The Book of Psalms contains the prayers that are used in the Liturgy of the Hours. This is the official prayer of the Church. Read aloud Psalm 23. Discuss the psalm. Encourage the students to become familiar with the psalms.
Chapter 16 - Connection to Parish
To encourage the students and their families to participate in a celebration of the sacrament of Reconciliation, duplicate a calendar showing the dates and times of parish celebrations. These celebrations are often scheduled during Advent and Lent. Emphasize that mercy and forgiveness are the two foundations upon which the community grows and heals.
Chapter 17 - Connection to Stewardship
Being a disciple of Jesus and caring for those in need require a generous spirit and attitude in the use of time and talents. Help the students to see that they can follow the example of the apostles and the Church community by devoting themselves to learning skills now to help others in future careers. Suggest that the students become aware of what they can do within their own families, such as helping to care for a grandparent.
Chapter 18 - Connection to Liturgy
As the students learn about the spiritual needs of the sick in this lesson, encourage them to write meaningful petitions that ask God to comfort the sick and dying. Stress that our prayers for the sick and dying are filled with faith and hope in the promise of eternal life with God. You may want to look up the votive Masses "For the Sick" and "For the Dying" in the Sacramentary. Pray some of these Mass prayers with your group this week.
Chapter 19 - Connection to Catholic Social Teaching
Solidarity of the Human Family
As the students learn that Catholics call upon Mary in prayer around the world, stress the universal nature of the Church. The Church's social teaching emphasizes that we are our brothers' and sisters' keepers. Help the students to develop a sense of solidarity with their brothers and sisters worldwide.
Unit 4
Chapter 22 - Connection to Saints
On Day 4 of this week's lesson, the students will learn two stories of saints. These stories, about the martyrs of Vietnam and Saint Josephine Bakhita, offer opportunities to explore saints and sainthood. Using library resources and the Internet, have small groups research the process of canonization. Ask them to present brief oral reports on questions such as: How does a
person become a canonized saint? How long does the process take? How many canonized saints are there? Follow up the reports with question and answer sessions.
Chapter 23 - Connection to Scripture
To underscore the concept of discipleship, prepare a set of index cards with scriptural references for students to find and interpret. Include the following: Luke 14: 26-27; Matthew 10: 24-25; John 12:26; Mark 1:14-20. Discuss how these calls to discipleship should guide our daily lives as we live out the priesthood of the faithful.
Chapter 24 - Connection to Scripture
As the students learn that marriage was part of God's plan from the beginning, they may benefit from a selection of the many scriptural references to marriage. Encourage them to discover passages throughout the week. Give these passages as examples: "The Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a partner suitable for him'" (Genesis 2:18); "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate" (Matthew 19:5-6).
Chapter 25 - Connection to Stewardship
On Day 1 of this week's lesson, the students will learn that the first disciples of Jesus began to follow him, and that Jesus chose twelve of them to become his apostles. Being a disciple of Jesus requires a generous heart and a willingness to devote energy, time, money, and other resources to the good of the community. Encourage the students to consider some ways they can help parish priests and deacons in fulfilling their vocations. Stress the importance of praying for priests and deacons and being faithful stewards in whatever ways we can.
Chapter 26 - Connection to Community
Explain to the students that the concept of community is a very broad one. It includes members of our immediate families, the parish and Church family, the community of our neighbors and, ultimately, the community of all humanity. Encourage them to reach out to those in need at the parish and their neighborhoods lives. Under adult supervision, they might visit, call, or send cards or e-mails to those who need the support of the community. Remind the students of the positive influence individuals in the parish can have on the community around them.
Grade:
1
2
3
4
5
6
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