Unit Overview

In this unit students will further explore the loving relationship between God and humanity through the particular lens of Jesus’ teaching and lived example. They will examine Jesus’ use of parables to communicate an understanding of the Kingdom of God and relate it to their own lives as Christian disciples.

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Enduring Understanding

The actions and teachings of Jesus provide a guide for Christians to be people of the kingdom.

Objectives

A student will

value and appreciate 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
develop knowledge and 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

explains Jesus’ principal teachings. (RECKA8)
draws meaning from the actions and parables of Jesus and applies this to everyday living and Christian discipleship. (RECSA8)
recognises the relevance and importance of Jesus’ teachings. (RECVA8)

Essential Questions

How did the people of first-century Israel hear Jesus’ teachings?
What is the kingdom of God like? How did Jesus use stories to tell people about God’s Kingdom?
How do Jesus’ teachings guide Christians in their everyday life today?

Learning Focus & Statements of Learning

Students will develop their understanding of Jesus’ teachings by
- examining the Sermon on the Mount.
- reflecting upon a range of Scripture passages to identify key themes.
- considering how Jesus taught others through his actions.
- exploring Matthew 5:1-12 The Sermon on the Mount.
Students will develop an appreciation of the parables of Jesus by
- reading and reflecting upon a range of parables.
- considering the effectiveness of ‘story’ as a way of teaching and communicating meaning.
- exploring the recurring theme, ‘Kingdom of God’.
- relating the key ideas of the parables to their own life and the world around them.
- exploring Matthew 13: 1-9 The Parable of the Sower.
Students will value the enduring significance of Jesus’ teachings by
- considering how they provide a guide for living the Christian life.
- relating them to a range of contemporary issues and situations.
- exploring the concept of covenant.
- identifying how they are expressed and lived out in the life of the Church.
- exploring Mark 10:17-31 – The Rich Man.

Compulsory Scripture

Learning Focus 1: Matthew 5: 1-12 – The Beatitudes
Learning Focus 2: Luke 8: 4-15 – The Parable of the Sower
Learning Focus 3: Mark 10: 17-31 – The Rich Man

Church Documents

CCC 544, CCC 2546 – poor in spirit

CCC 326 – heaven

CCC 541-546 – “The kingdom of God is at hand”

CCC 567 – The Mysteries of Christ’s Life – In Brief

CCC 1716-1717 – Our Vocation to Beatitude

CCC 1725-1726 – Our Vocation to Beatitude – In Brief

CCC 1807 – The Human Virtues

CCC 1836 – The Virtues – In Brief

CCC 2518 – pure in heart

CCC 2305, CCC 2330 – peacemakers

CCC 2544-2547 – Poverty of Heart

CCC 2555-2557 – The Tenth Commandment – In Brief

CCC 2816-2821 – “Thy Kingdom Come”

CCC 2859 – The Final Doxology – In Brief

KWL

Year 8 TKWL Chapter 16: 16.1 What is a Parable? p204

Year 8 TKWL Chapter 16: 16.3 Kingdom Images p209

Year 10 TKWL Chapter 2: 2.10 Jesus in Galilee pp31-32

Year 10 TKWL Chapter 12: 12.2 ‘Christian Love and the Kingdom of God’ pp238-241.

Year 8 TKWL Chapter 8: 8.4 Death in the Hebrew World p103 (Mark 10:17)

Year 10 TKWL Chapter 12: 12.2 Christian Love and the Kingdom of God, p241 (activity #4)

Prayer

We Gather…as a community and prepare to hear the Word of God	In the prayer space place the following items: a bowl of rocky soil, a bowl of sand and a bowl of good soil. Teacher provide each student with paper and pens/pencils/crayons. Leader: We take time now to recall that we are in the presence of God. ALL: We are here to praise you. Leader: God of our hopes and dreams. ALL: We are here to trust you. Leader: God who nurtures us and who provides all that we need. ALL: We are here to thank you.
We Listen… to the Word of God as it is proclaimed because Scripture is the heart of a liturgical celebration.	Students view and/or read the Parable of the Sower. View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9IOhGPrRvY Reader: Luke 8:4-15 – The Parable of the Sower
We Respond… with a ritual action such as a reflection on the Word, Prayers of the Faithful, PowerPoint, a ritual action and/or singing.	Teacher leads students to write prayers for A), B) and C) below. These prayers can be placed near the bowls and perhaps some could be read aloud. Leader: In Palestine at the time of Jesus, sowing seed was an everyday activity and in this story the farmer scatters handfuls of seeds in all directions, some falling on the path, some on rocky ground, some among the thorns and weeds, and then some in good soil. A) ROCKS: Write a prayer for those times when trouble, crisis or attack threaten or deaden the message of Jesus in your life; when rocky, barren emotion becomes the soil that compromises your understanding of the message. B) SANDY SOIL: Write a prayer for those times when you hear Jesus’ message and teachings guiding you in your life, but you fail to follow them because peer pressure and temptation become the sandy soil that makes it too difficult to follow through. C) GOOD SOIL: Write a prayer for those times when your experiences of love, peace, happiness, and wisdom, through your encounters with others, allow the message and teachings of Jesus to be nurtured and grow in your heart. Express your thanks for the people and experiences that become the good soil that allows your love and faithfulness in Jesus to grow.
We Go Forth… into the world to do what we proclaim and to give witness to the fact that we are disciples and followers of Christ. Use a final prayer, a blessing, a song or hymn.	Leader: May God, who gives seed to the sower, corn to the reaper and who provides our gifts, continue to open our minds and hearts to your Word being sown in us. Bless us as we conclude our prayer today. ALL: Amen
Useful Links

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

Life Skills

Religious Education for students studying a Life Skills program is developed from the unit outcomes, resulting in the Learning Focus and Statements of Learning. Students may demonstrate achievement of these learning statements independently or with support designed to meet the needs of the student. Such support may include:

the provision of extra time to complete tasks
physical and/or verbal assistance from others
the provision of technological support
the assistance of a scribe
participating in a group task
providing verbal or artistic responses along with written ones.

Outcome

A student

explains key teachings of Jesus in the New Testament and applies them to everyday living. (LRECKSA8)

Content

A student studying a Life Skills program will be able to:

develop their understanding of Jesus’ teachings
- recognise the principal elements of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
- describe how parables were used by Jesus as a teaching tool.
- relate Jesus’ teachings and/or a parable to an everyday life situation.

Examples of Essential Questions

How do Jesus’ teachings show us how to live good Christian lives?

Examples of Teaching and Learning Experiences

LS8A 1.1

Locate and print, or draw a picture of a mountain on an A4 or A3 sheet of paper.
Read Matthew 5:1-12, alternatively use the iSpeech function on Chrome to have the computer read Matthew 5:1-12 to you. Think about what each of these teachings mean and around the mountain on your sheet of paper, draw a picture showing each of the teachings in action (e.g. ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’ – you could draw a picture of two young people fighting and a third young person stopping the fight and speaking calming words).
Draw a picture of Jesus and the crowds at the top of the mountain listening to Jesus.

LS8A 1.2

Think about one of your favourite stories, it can be a story that a family member or teacher told you, or it may be a story from your childhood or a movie you like.
Describe what the movie is about. What message/s or lesson/s can do you get from listening to, reading or watching this story? Why are stories important for people to read and listen to?
View ‘Video Story: Parable of the Sower’ and then read the Parable of the Sower, or again, use the iSpeech function on Chrome to have the computer read Matthew 13:1-9 to you.
Describe in your own words what is happening in this parable (story). What message/s or lesson/s do you get from listening to Jesus’ story? Why do you think Jesus tells stories to his followers?

LS8A 1.3

Think about a time when you have done something or acted in a particular way that you think Jesus would be happy with. For example, you might have been kind to someone who had few friends. Imagine Jesus came to speak to you after you were kind, why do you think Jesus would be happy with you? What did he teach when he was on earth that taught us to be kind to others?
Think about a time when you have done something or acted in a particular way that you think Jesus would not be happy with. For example, you might have argued with your brothers and sisters. Imagine Jesus came to speak to you after you argued with them, why do you think Jesus would be unhappy with you? What did he teach us when he was on earth that taught us to be peaceful and not to fight?

Teacher note: There are many examples of this activity above. Depending on the ability of the student, the teacher may have to create the scenarios and connect them to a parable; or the student themselves may be able to create examples from real life that Jesus commented on.

References to KWL

Year 10 TKWL Chapter 9: 9.8 The Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes: Reflective Writing, pp 189-191.

Year 2 TKWL, p50. Note: this is a Year 2 level resource on the Parable of the Sower, which may or may not be useful, depending on the ability of the student.

Scripture

Matthew 5:1-12 The Sermon on the Mount
Luke 8:4-15 The Parable of the Sower

A8 – The Teachings of Jesus