ST. WENDELIN HIGH SCHOOL

Name of Course: Church/Catholic Social Teaching /Church History

Junior Theology

2007-2008

 

Instructor:  Sister Mary Teresita Richards, SND                        School Phone: 419-435-8144

Email:  teresita.richards@stwendelin.org  or at home srteresitarichards@yahoo.com

 

Dear Parents of a Junior,

 

I am Sister Mary Teresita Richards and I will be your son/daughter’s theology teacher this year.  I am very excited about this privilege that I have that allows me to work with you in passing on our Catholic Christian Faith to your son/daughter.  Please know that I see myself as supplementing or complementing what you are already doing in your home.  I cannot work any miracle by myself.

 

The reason that any Catholic School exists is to pass on the Catholic Christian Faith to the youth of a new generation and to assist them as they grow into their faith walk as disciples of Jesus Christ.  Their entire experience at a Catholic School should help them to do this, but to bolster this experience students are enrolled in a theology/religion class each year. 

 

What will your son/daughter learn in our class this year?  Well, regardless of how it is worded on the paper copy of the student schedule we will cover the topics of Church/Catholic Social Teaching/Church History over the course of the school year.  These areas of focus will be woven together throughout the entire year, since I have the students for the full year.  I am attaching the areas indicated in the Religion Course of Study for High School of the Diocese of Toledo that we are to cover. 

 

It is important that your son or daughter has regular access to the internet in order to do their homework.  In the issues that we take in Catholic Social Teaching I give the students the basic principles that flow the Catholic/Christian Teaching based on the teaching of Jesus and then we apply is to contemporary issues.  This often requires doing research on line so that we have access to the latest information.  In doing this we build our own textbook for our class.  At times we also make use of a formal Social Justice and Church History textbook and the Bible.  There are even a number of movies that get across the point quite well.

 

Please sign below to verify that you have read through this and understand the expectations I have for your son or daughter.  Would you also, please, include your phone number and e-mail address, if you have one, so that I can better partner with you in passing on the faith to your teenager.  I have included my e-mail addresses at the top of the page.

 

Gratefully,

Sr. M. Teresita Richards, SND

 

Parent signature:  _______________________

Parent phone # __________________           Parent e-mail address: _______________________

 

Class Procedure: Students are expected to enter the classroom with their Bible, 3 ring binder, textbook, and any homework that is due.  They are to empty their mailbox, and take their seat. Our class period will be divided into two parts that I have named: discipleship class and theology class.  Disciple ship class includes times for prayer and formative faith experiences.  These experiences allow the academic material to be dealt with in a different manner through the realm of spirituality. 

 

Expectations for Discipleship Class:  Prayer is sacred time for which we often are too busy to take time.  Therefore, students are expected to be focused and as interiorly and exteriorly still and quiet as possible so as to hear the voice of God.  Disturbing the class or another student is unacceptable during class prayer or school worship.  Formative experiences may be added to the prayer that allow the student to be touched by God in a deeper way and permits them to see how we are all interconnected in the Body of Christ.  Being off task or keeping another from having an encounter with God is also not acceptable.  Participation grades will be given for entering into the activities of Discipleship Class.  Students who disturb Discipleship Class can expect disciplinary consequences.

 

Students are required each quarter to take some responsibility for the prayer life of the school.  This can be by taking an active role in Mass or preparing or setting up for it.  It can also be leading prayer over the p.a. or in class.  A grade will be entered in at the end of each quarter for meeting this requirement.

 

Expectations for Theology Class:  The portion of the class that is academically oriented is what I have named theology class.  This part of class will include presentations, tests, quizzes, research, homework, group projects...  Students are expected to come to class prepared with required supplies and homework finished.  Students are expected to cooperate with the lesson plan that has been prepared and to fully engage in the learning process that has been set up for each class period.  Failure to do so will be reflected in their grade and/or disciplinary action.

 

Respect is to be shown to whoever is teaching/presenting in class whether that is an adult or fellow student.  Questions and comments made in class must also be made in a respectful manner.  If a student is unintentionally disrespectful, they will be asked to rephrase their remarks or question in a respectful manner.  Failure to do so or blatant disrespect will result in dismissal from the classroom and its respective consequences.

 

Grading System:

Students also earn points for:

·        Class assignments

·        Homework assignments

·        Notes taken in class

·        Quizzes

·        Class participation (rubric given below)

·        Group projects

Parents can check the progress of their son/daughter and any missing work by checking the on line grading program.

 

Daily Class Participation Points

Each day a student can earn 20 points for their participation in class according to the categories give below.  Every five class days their score will be entered as a grade.  This means they have can earn a grade of 100 every five classes or they will have less if they failed to meet the criteria.  Here are some examples of how the students will earn or lose participation points

 

5 points for RESPECTFUL PARTICIPATION IN PRAYER       

+ EXAMPLES: During the class prayer time, Mass or at a school prayer time the student entered into the prayer and respected others persons’ right to pray….

- EXAMPLES:  Sat sullenly with their head in their hands and slept, kept making noises that disturb the persons beside them, talked to the person beside them throughout the prayer, made faces at others to make them laugh….

 

5 points for COMING TO CLASS PREPARED

 + EXAMPLES:  Came to class with all the required materials and had their homework finished so that they were ready for class discussions or to turn in an assignment.

- EXAMPLES: Did not have what they needed for class.  Did not do the required reading, research, reflection….

 

5 point for MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATING IN CLASS

+ EXAMPLES: Fully engaged in the lesson that was being taught.  Offered to answer questions.  Did each part of the class assignment that was given.

- EXAMPLES: Sat passively throughout class, not engaged with the lesson plan being taught. Wasted any study time that was offered.

 

5 points for RESPECTING THE RIGHT OF THE TEACHER TO TEACH AND THE RIGHT OF THEIR FELLOW STUDENTS TO LEARN

+ EXAMPLES:  Respectfully and attentively listened to the presentation of the teacher, speaker, fellow classmates.  Asked thoughtful questions in a respectful manner.

- EXAMPLES: Rudely interrupted the class, the teacher, the presenter.  Distracted others so that they could not learn.  Disrespectful spoke of others.

 

Student Assignments

Student assignments are given due dates when they are assigned.  Major assignments are always given in advance. Simple reading assignments or Internet searches or short quizzes are given on shorter notice.

 

Students need to always give credit to the sources they use in their work.  Regardless of whether it comes from the Internet, magazines, newspapers, radio, credit must be given to the original authors.  (In the case of the Internet, just copy the website address (www…)

 

Student work that is expected to be original must be their own.  Copying from another student or the Internet or other sources is plagiarism.  These assignments will not be accepted and disciplinary action will be taken.

 

Late Assignments

When students are absent, they are e-mail me a request for their missing work or to come see me in homeroom, before or after school.  The work is to be turned in the next class.  (It is not always possible to do this within the class time.)

 

The students will be given due dates for all their major assignments.  These due dates will be given in advance.  Turning in late work on major assignments will be docked 5 points for each school day that they are late.  Extra points can be earned on major assignments by handing them in early. One extra point is given for every day an assignment that is turned in ahead of time, up to 30 extra points on an assignment.

 

Ordinary homework assignments that are turned in late will lose 10 percent of their points.  They must be turned in before the midterm or the end of the quarter in order to receive any credit.  They cannot be turned in after these deadlines have passed.

 

Supplies needed for the Junior Theology Class

  • 3 ring binder 2 inch
  • Packet of lined notebook paper 100 pages
  • 2 sturdy folders with pockets
  • Pack of 3x5 notecards
  • 3 ring zipper pocket to store notecards
  • 2 pens
  • 15 dividers (These can be the inexpensive type)
  • Glue stick or clear tape to be placed in a general bin.

    •
  • Social Justice/Church/Church History/Missionary Expansion of the Church

 

Number

Benchmark/Indicator

 

CH A 1

The students will understand how the Church flows from the person of Jesus Christ.

CST D1b

CST C 2

The students will know the Corporal Works of Mercy and be able to identify how they are implemented.

CST D1b

CST C 2

The students will know the Spiritual Works of Mercy and be able to identify how they are implemented.

CST D1b

CST C 2

The students will know Two Feet of Catholic Social Teaching – (Charity/Compassionate Care and Justice/Systemic Change) and be able to identify how they are implemented.

CST D1b

CST C 2

The students will be able to explain that Scriptural Basis for Social Justice - Matthew 25/Last Judgment, Golden Rule, Creation Stories and others

CST D 1 a, b

The students will be able to explain  and apply the Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching established by the United States Bishops’ Conference (USCCB)

1) Life and Dignity of the Human Person

2) Preferential Option for the Poor and the Vulnerable

3) Solidarity

4) Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers

5) Rights and Responsibilities

6) Right to Participate in Family, Community, and Society

7) Care/Stewardship of God’s Creation

CST D1

The students will understand the causes of poverty and the Christian call to respond with both feet of Catholic Social Teaching.

CST D1

The students will understand the causes of world hunger and the Christian call to respond with both feet of Catholic Social Teaching.

CST C1

The students will study the various models of the Church (ways of understanding who as Church and what we are called to be for the world)

CST D 1 a, C a

The students will know how we can experience unity in diversity

CST D1, 2

The students will know that the primary principle of social justice and of all social teachings and Christian Service is the life and dignity of the human person.

CST D2a, 107

The students will recognize the names and know important facts of the lives of persons known in church history because they were advocates for social justice and/or made a significant contribution to Catholic Social Teaching

CH H 5

The student will know the effects of the Industrial Revolution on society and how new religious orders became more apostolic in their response.

CST D2

The students will take a survey view of the Catholic Social Encyclicals.

CST D 1 b4), 5)

The students will know the history of Catholic Social Teaching beginning with Rerum Novarum and the developments since that time

CST D 2

The students will know the meaning of the four marks of the Church: one, holy, catholic, apostolic.

CST D 3

The students will understand the present-day hierarchical structure of the Roman Catholic Church.

CST D 4

The students will cite examples of how the early Church spread under the action of the Holy Spirit and the significance of the Pentecost event.

CH A 3

The students will understand that Jesus called the Twelve as the foundation of the first Church community

CH A 4

The students will know that all in the Church are called to holiness: the fullness of Christian life, and the perfection of love. (Lumen Gentium ch. 5)

CH A 5

The students will recognize the early beginning of the Church through the following key figures and events in Acts: St. Paul (missionary activities), St. Peter, St. James, St. Stephen, St. Cornelius.

CH A 6

The students will recognize the various ministries of women and men operative in the early Church. (e.g., I, II Timothy, Acts, etc.)

CH A 5

The students will describe some of the early Christian communities: their worship, leaders, struggles, etc.

CH A 7

The students will understand the development of the Church from a Jewish Christian origin in Jerusalem to a series of Christian communities of the Roman Empire.

CH A 4

The students will cite examples of how the early Church spread under the action of the Holy Spirit.

CH A 7

The students will analyze the causes of the Jewish persecutions and their effect on the early Church.

CH E

The students will know the influence of the Germanic migrations on the Church in the West.

CH E

The students will know the significance of the development of monasticism and its contribution to the Church.

CH E

The students will be able to explain how Cathedrals, relics, and pilgrimages were expressions of faith during this period.

CH E & F

The students will be able to explain the relationship of the Eastern and Western Church and the reasons that led to our separation.

CH E & F

The students will be able to describe the contributions made by significant civil, papal and religious leaders of the of the early, middle, and later period of the Medieval Age of the Church.

CH J 1

The students will be able to explain the contribution of missionaries to the early Church in America such Fr. Marquette

CH J 1

The students will be able to explain the contribution of missionaries to the early Church in America such the North American Martyrs (1621 eight Jesuits who worked with the Native Americans of the North west Territory – Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brebeuf, Rene Goupiel, Gabriel La Lemant.

 

 

 

 

CH J 1

 

 

 

 

The students will be able to explain the contribution of missionaries to the early Church in America such Fr. Junipero Serra and Spanish Missionaries who brought the Catholic Faith to Mexican Indians moving from Mexico to the California.

CH G 1

The student will understand the various causes of the Reformation and identify some key figures:  Calvin, Luther, Zwingli, Henry VIII

CH G 2

The students will understand how the Council of Trent was the response of the Catholic Church to the Reformation.

CH G 3

The students will be able to discuss some key figures of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation period: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Erasmus, St. Thomas More, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Francis de Sales, etc.

CH J 7

The students will be able to discuss the history of the separation of Church and State as reflected in the American experience

CH J 7

The students will know the importance of the 1884 Council of Baltimore in relation to the Church in the United States 9 establishment of parish school and the publication of the Baltimore Catechism.)

CH I 9

The students will understand that anti-immigrant sentiments today are similar to those toward immigrant Catholics of the 19th century

CH J 12

The students will be able to identify groups in American history that displayed anti-Catholic sentiments and what their issues were.

CH H 5

The student will know the effects of the Industrial Revolution on society and how new religious orders became more apostolic in their response.

CST D2a, 107

The students will recognize the names and know important facts of the lives of persons known in church history because they were advocates for social justice and/or made a significant contribution to Catholic Social Teaching

CH I 2

The students will identify the contributions made by Pope Pius XII to the Church, and know that his encyclical on Scripture and the Body of Christ and the reform of the Holy Week Liturgy laid the groundwork for some of the documents of Vatican II.

CH J 12

The students will be able to discuss the role of the United States Bishops in dealing with American social problems

CH J 14

The students will know that the Church in America was regarded as a mission church until the early twentieth century (1908).

CH J14

The students will know the role of the Church in the 1960’s “Civil Rights Movement.”

CH J 15

The students will be aware of the expansion of the Catholic Church in the world today.

CH J 16

The students will know the definition of missionary today.

CH J 17

The students will become familiar with the efforts of the Diocese of Toledo in mission lands, especially in Zimbabwe. (“Mission of Accompaniment”)

CH G 4

The students will become familiar with the European expansion and missionary efforts of the Church; cf. St. Francis Xavier, etc.

CST A –1 , SSC 3

The students know the scriptural basis that serves as the foundation and motivation for Christian Service.

SSC 2, CST B 1,2

The students will know and appreciate that Christian service is rooted in our Baptism and Confirmation and that the gift of faith we have received demands a personal response.  It is fundamental to the life of a Christian.

CST C 2

Students will understand the difference between direct service to those in need and working for systemic change.