Church of St. Mary Religious Education - RE Curriculum (K-8th Grade)

Religious Ed Curriculum

(Kindergarten - 8th Grade)

The Religious Education program is open to all registered parishioners. Our program supports families in the formation of their children in the Catholic faith by:

offering an environment where children grow closer in their relationship with God
encouraging children to learn their prayers and develop their prayer life
teaching and catechizing: through text books, videos, & creative activities

We welcome you to our beautiful, faith-filled and comprehensive study here at the Church of St. Mary. Click the following links to explore and learn about our curriculum and the texts used.

Curriculum Overview

Grade	Major Theme	Additional Notes/Resources
K	Through Baptism, we belong to a larger family, the Church	Belonging to God’s family/listening to God’s Word/Angels
1^st	God is the Creator of the Universe; One God, 3 Divine Persons	Genesis/Luke
2^nd	Life & Person of Jesus; Celebration of Rec & Eucharist	1^st Rec & 1^st Communion
3^rd	In depth study of the Church. Scripture, structure and teachings of Jesus	Apostles’ Creed
4^th	Morality	10 Command & Beatitudes
5^th	In depth study of the Sacraments and Liturgy	Sacraments/Gospel of Mark
6^th	Hebrew Scriptures, covenants and salvation history	OT/Gospel of Matthew; Confirmation Prep
7^th	Life & teachings of Jesus as the fulfillment of the OT promises; Moral decision making	Gospel of Luke/Confirmation Prep
8^th	The Church	Acts of the Apostles/NT Letters, Confirmation Prep

Kindergarten

The goals of the Kindergarten program are to help young children discover their membership in a larger family, the Church. They are introduced to the stories of our tradition in the Bible, the family of the Saints and basic prayers. Families are asked to read with their chidlren at home to help reinforce the concepts presented in class. Baseic prayers are introduced, including the Angel of God prayer.

First Year/Grade

The goals of the First Year are to introduce students to structured study of their Faith. The concentration is on 1) helping them to begin to understand their creation by a loving God; 2) helping them to learn the formal prayers of the church and to begin a life of prayer; 3) helping them to understand their membership in the church.
By the end of first year, students will be expected to know the Sign of the Cross, Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

Second Year/Grade

The goals of the Second Year curriculum focus on preparing the students for the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. In the course of this preparation, they concentrate upon 1) the life and person of Jesus; 2) how the church celebrates the Sacraments in its liturgy; 3) how they can draw closer to God in payer and the Sacraments. In addition to their text, First Communion candidates use a supplemental book in the classroom and home with their families.
By the end of second year, students will be expected to know an Act of Contrition, the basic responses for the mass, and a prayer to say after receiving communion.

3rd Grade

The 3rd Grade curriculum concentrates on what it means to belong to the church. Themes taught in first and second year are repeated in greater depth, as the students are growing their understanding. They specifically explore 1) how the church functions; 2) what the church believes in the Creed; 3) how the church depends upon Scripture; 4) will be able to pray the Rosary independently.
By the end of 3rd Grade, students will be expected to know the Apostles' Creed, the prayers and structure of the Rosary, and be able to describe basic personnel (priest, bishop, etc.) and basic structures (parish, Vatican, etc.) in the church.

4th Grade

The focus of the 4th Grade curriculum is the foundation for morality in the Commandments and Beatitudes. Students will 1) learn how our moral tradition is rooted in the Old and New Testaments; 2) what the church teaches about how we should live our lives; 3) explore ways that they can "do good and avoid evil" in their everyday lives.
By the end of the 4th Grade, students will be able to list the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, the Precepts of the Church, the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, and the Theological and Cardinal virtues.

5th Grade

The 5th Grade curriculum concentrates on the Sacraments and the Liturgy of the Church. In addition, they will explore the Scriptures further. Students will 1) learn about each of the Sacraments in more depth; 2) have a working familiarity with the liturgy and the liturgical year: 3) explore the life and message of Jesus through the study of the Gospel of Mark.
By the end of 5th Grade, students will be able to list, describe and define each Sacrament, to list the basic parts of the Mass, to be able to describe the principal actions in the Liturgy, the major seasons of the church year and the holy days of obligation. They will also be able to recite the Nicene Creed.

6th Grade

6th Grade focuses on the Old Testament. Students will 1) develop a working knowledge of the major themes of the Old Testament; 2) explore more about Judaism and the world of the Scriptures; 3) be able to describe the links between the Old Testament and the Christian tradition by reading the Gospel of Matthew.
By the end of 6th Grade, students will be able to identify and describe in chronological order the major events in the Old Testament and the major events in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

7th Grade

7th Grade focuses consists of the teachings of Jesus and moral decision-making. Students read the Gospel of Luke which will help lay the foundation of discussion about living a moral life and pose the challenge of discipleship.

8th Grade

The 8th Grade curriculum consists of stying the Creed, the Acts of the Apostles and life in the Church, a review of Catholic teaching and immediate preparation for Confirmation. The rewiew of the Creed, what the Church believes, provides a foundation to profess that belief in the Sacrament of Confirmation. The year focuses on the ways that the Christian life is lived out by those who are fully initiated Christians.

Religious Education Books/Resources

Kindergarten

Our Sunday Visitor, "Allelu!"

1st Grade - 6th Grade

Sadlier, "We Believe" (Parish Edition)

We Believe (parish edition) Catholic Identity: grades 1 through 6th

2nd grade has an additional text:

-Our Sunday Visitor, "Encounter with Christ: Eucharist"

7th & 8th Grade

Sadlier, "We Live our Faith: Catholic Identity"

We Live Our Faith Vol 1 - As Disciples of Jesus: grade 7

We Live Our Faith Vol 2 - As Members of the Church: grade 8