Unit Overview

This unit explores the Bible as our Sacred Scripture. Students review the great story of our Tradition: its significant people and events. The unit also introduces the students to the formation and structure of the Bible.

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Enduring Understanding

Inspired by God, the Bible is our Sacred Scripture that reveals God’s relationship with people.

Objectives

A student will

value and appreciate the breadth and wisdom of the Scriptures, their significance for life, and the impact Jesus and his teachings can have in shaping attitudes and values
develop an understanding of the nature of Scripture and its portrayal of the story of the people of God with particular emphasis on the significance of the life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
use and interpret the Scriptures; think critically and reflectively on the meaning of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection

Outcomes

A student

appreciates beliefs and traditions which are founded on Scripture and expressed in the story of the Catholic Church. (RECVA5)
describes why the Bible is important to the Christian Community. (RECKA5)
explains the significance of the people, events and stories contained in the Bible. (RECSA5)

Essential Questions

Why do Catholics reverence and celebrate the Bible as the living Word of God?
Why is the Sacred Scripture in the Old Testament important?
Why is the Sacred Scripture in the New Testament important?

Learning Focus, Statements of Learning & Course Content

The Catholic Church recognises and values the Bible as a sacred text by

- recognising the Bible as the inspired revelation of God.
- Define ‘revelation’, ‘inspired’, ‘sacred’ and ‘reverence’.
- Explore Mark 4:1-9, 13-20 The Parable of the Sower (storytelling).
- Describe the meaning of the parable and ‘sowing the word’.
- Examine our belief that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and calls us to be open to the Word of God in our lives.
- Explore ways the Catholic community reverences the Bible through rituals, symbols and gestures.
- Identify how the Bible is used during the Mass, in prayer and worship.
- Celebrate a prayer service using Scripture and use a variety of gestures, rituals and symbols practised in the Catholic community to show reverence for the Bible.
- identifying the Bible as a collection of books based on oral traditions and written forms.
- Examine the importance of ‘story’ to individuals and communities.
- Explore The Bible: Our Sacred Story (storytelling).
- Identify the different classification of books: Pentateuch (Law), History, Wisdom, Poetry, Prophets, Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, Letters, Revelation (Apocalyptic).
- Read KWL Book 6 Chapter 10 The Word of God p91-93 and discuss:
  ○ what is meant by the ‘oral and written traditions’.
  ○ the formation and books of the Old and New Testaments.
- Explore how the Bible retells the sacred story of God’s relationship with all creation and with us.

In the Old Testament we encounter the story of God by

- examining the covenant relationship.
- Define ‘covenant’.
- Explore the concept of God’s ‘covenant relationship’ with the people of Israel.
- Read KWL Big Book, Old Testament Stories, Noah and the Ark p2-15 and Abraham and Sarah p16-23 and KWL Big Book, Moses, focusing on:
  ○ Who God made the covenant with?
  ○ What was God’s responsibility?
  ○ What was the other chosen person’s responsibility?
  ○ Why was the covenant made?
- Explore stories of Noah, Abraham and Moses using the Bible, a map and biblical timeline.
- identifying major stories and people in the Old Testament.
- Read KWL Big Book, King David and Joseph the Dreamer and identify how they contribute to the story of the people of God.
- Explore stories of King David and Joseph the Dreamer using the Bible, a map and biblical timeline.

In the New Testament we learn about Jesus Christ and the early Christian community by

- examining the books, people and events.
- Explore further, The Bible: Our Sacred Story (storytelling).
- Revise the different classification of books: Pentateuch (Law), History, Wisdom, Poetry, Prophets, Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, Letters, Revelation and Apocalypse.
- Explain the purpose of the four types of books located in the New Testament:
  ○ Gospels: Three similar and one unique view of Jesus’ life and teaching
  ○ Acts: Stories on how the Apostles spread the good news of Jesus
  ○ Letters: Letters from early Christian leaders to the first Christians and Christian communities
  ○ Book of Revelations: Apocalyptic
- identifying Jesus’ mission.
- Explore John 1:14, 16-18 The Word made flesh and interpret how God revealed himself through Jesus.
- Explore Matthew 4:18-23 Jesus Calls the First Disciples and Jesus Ministers to the Crowds of People and interpret Jesus’ call to discipleship and his ministry on earth.
- Explain how the Bible is the living Word of God for us today.

Compulsory Scripture

Unit Content 1:
Mark 4:1-9, 13-20 The Parable of the Sower
Unit Content 2:
Genesis 6:9-9:1, 8-17 Noah and the Ark
Genesis 12:1-9, 15:1-6, 18-21, 17:1-8, 15-22 Abraham and Sarah
Genesis 37:2-36, 39:1-46:34 Joseph the Dreamer
Exodus 2:1-10 Moses
1 Samuel 16:1-3 God Chooses David
Unit Content 3:
John 1:14, 16-18 The Word Made Flesh
Matthew 4:18-23 Jesus Calls the First Disciples and Jesus Ministers to the Crowds of People

Storytelling

Unit Content 1
Mark 4:1-9, 13-20 The Parable of the Sower
The Bible: Our Sacred Story

Unit Content 3
The Bible: Our Sacred Story

Church Documents

Catechism of the Catholic Church

104 – In Sacred Scripture, the Church constantly finds her nourishment and her strength, for she welcomes it not as a human word, “but as what it really is, the word of God.” “In the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven comes lovingly to meet his children, and talks with them.”
109 – In Sacred Scripture, God speaks to man in a human way. To interpret Scripture correctly, the reader must be attentive to what the human authors truly wanted to affirm, and to what God wanted to reveal to us by their words.
110 – In order to discover the sacred authors’ intention, the reader must take into account the conditions of their time and culture, the literary genres in use at that time, and the modes of feeling, speaking and narrating then current. “For the fact is that truth is differently presented and expressed in the various types of historical writing, in prophetical and poetical texts, and in other forms of literary expression.”
129 – Christians therefore read the Old Testament in the light of Christ crucified and risen. Such typological reading discloses the inexhaustible content of the Old Testament; but it must not make us forget that the Old Testament retains its own intrinsic value as Revelation reaffirmed by our Lord himself. Besides, the New Testament has to be read in the light of the Old. Early Christian catechesis made constant use of the Old Testament. As an old saying put it, the New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New.
14 – “The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures as she venerated the Body of the Lord” (DV 21): both nourish and govern the whole Christian life. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps 119:105; cf Is 50:4).
2653 – The Church “forcefully and specially exhorts all the Christian faithful to learn ‘the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ’ (Phil 3:8) by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. Let them remember, however, that prayer should accompany the reading of Sacred Scripture, so that a dialogue takes place between God and man. For ‘we speak to him when we pray; we listen to him when we read the divine oracles’.

KWL

Unit Content 1
KWL Book 6 Chapter 10 The Word of God p91-93

Unit Content 2
Read KWL Big Book, Old Testament Stories, Noah and the Ark p2-15 and Abraham and Sarah p16-23
Read KWL Big Book, Old Testament Stories, KWL Big Book, Joseph the Dreamer
Abraham and Sarah p16-23
KWL Big Book, Moses
KWL Big Book, King David

Prayer

Eucharist and Liturgical Rites
Prayers associated with the Liturgy of the Word

Praying with Scripture
Scripture passages from the Bible

General Capabilities

Australian Curriculum
Cross Curriculum Priorities		The General Capabilities
	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures		Critical and creative thinking
	Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia		Ethical understanding
	Sustainability		Information and communication technology capability
Other important learning identified by the NSW Educational Standards Authority (NESA):			Intercultural understanding
	Civics and citizenship		Literacy
	Difference and diversity		Numeracy
	Work and enterprise		Personal and social capability

A5 – Our Sacred Scripture