Unit Overview

This unit focuses on God’s love for all people through an exploration of key Old Testament figures. The students are introduced to the biblical figures of Moses, Jonah and David. These stories speak of God’s protection, unconditional love, compassion and forgiveness. God is full of compassion and love for all people and often chooses unexpected people to do his will. God’s love and compassion is for everyone, not just his chosen people.

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Objectives

Enduring Understanding

Sacred Scripture reveals the unconditional love, protection and compassion of God for all people.

A student will

value and appreciate their personal responsibility for moral decision-making; recognise that moral decision-making can be both complex and demanding; accept the need to work with compassion for justice in the world; believe in their own potential to effect change
develop an understanding of Catholic moral teaching, its relationship to moral issues and place in personal decision-making, including its call to work for justice in the world
research into and reflect on Catholic moral teaching; develop the ability to make responsible moral decisions; apply the principles of justice and compassion in their lives

Outcomes

A student

recognises that God is with us in times of need. (RECVEK)
describes how Sacred Scripture teaches us about God’s unconditional love. (RECKEK)
identifies how God’s love offers protection, compassion and forgiveness for all people. (RECSEK)

Essential Questions

What does Sacred Scripture teach us about God’s love and protection?
What does Sacred Scripture teach us about God’s unconditional love, compassion and forgiveness?
What does Sacred Scripture teach us about God’s love for all people?

Learning Focus, Statements of Learning & Course Content

Students develop an understanding of God’s love and protection by

- exploring Sacred Scriptures.
- Recognise the Bible as God’s Word and the importance of showing reverence for the Bible.
- Identify known stories in the Bible that teach us about God and his people.
- exploring the story of Moses.
- Locate Egypt on a historical map and identify the Hebrew people who lived there as slaves.
- Define ‘slaves’ and explore the feelings associated with slavery.
- Explore Exodus 2:1-10 The Birth of Moses (storytelling).
- Describe how God helped Moses.
- Read KWL Big Book, Moses, The Birth of Moses p4-11 and learn about God’s love and protection of Moses.
- exploring how God loves people today.
- Explore the qualities of love, including the need for protection.
- Describe people who need God’s love and protection today.
- Pray the prayer in KWL Book Prep/Kindergarten Chapter 13 Prayer p99 and thank God for his loving protection of Moses and humanity.
- Compose and pray prayers of thanksgiving for God’s love and protection.

Students develop an understanding of God’s unconditional love, compassion and forgiveness by

- exploring the story of Jonah.
- Define the terms ‘unconditional love’, ‘compassion’ and ‘forgiveness’.
- Explore Jonah 1-4 The Story of Jonah (storytelling).
- Describe how God showed compassion and forgiveness to Jonah.
- Define the term ‘prophet’ as special people who speak about the ways of God.
- Read KWL Big Book Jonah p2-19 and describe God’s relationship with Jonah and the people of Nineveh.
- Locate Assyria on a historical map and identify God’s unconditional love for the people of Nineveh, not just the people of Judea.
- recognising how we experience this today.
- Describe how people today experience God’s unconditional love, compassion and forgiveness.
- Celebrate a prayer service, using Jonah 4:2b including appropriate hymns which give thanks for God’s unconditional love, compassion and forgiveness.

Students develop an understanding of how God loves all people by

- exploring how David, a simple shepherd, became king.
- Explore 1 Samuel 16:1-13 God Chooses David (storytelling).
- Identify how God chooses David, the youngest son of Jesse, who is a simple shepherd and becomes king.
- Read KWL Book Prep/Kindergarten Chapter 14 God Chooses David p100-108 and explore the phrase “God’s Spirit filled David.”
- Define ‘anointed’ and relate David’s anointing to the ritual of being anointed during the Sacrament of Baptism.
- exploring how David was victorious over Goliath.
- Locate the Kingdom of Israel and the Philistine state on a historical map and identify the people who lived there.
- Read KWL Big Book King David, David and Goliath p12-19 and identify the Israelites as God’s Chosen People.
- Define ‘strength’ and ‘trust’ and identify David’s trust in God.
- Read KWL Book Prep/Kindergarten Chapter 15 David and Goliath p110-118 and explore the phrase “God will be my helper and my strength.”
- recognising ways God is always with us.
- Identify times when you or others, like David, have received God’s help.
- Pray the prayer in KWL Prep/Kindergarten Chapter 15 Prayer p119 and praise God for being always with us.

Compulsory Scripture

Unit Content 1
Exodus 2:1-10 The Birth of Moses

Unit Content 2
Jonah 1-4 The Story of Jonah

Unit Content 3
1 Samuel 16:1-13 God Chooses David
1 Samuel 17:1-54 David and Goliath

Storytelling

Unit Content 1
Exodus 2:1-10 The Birth of Moses

Unit Content 2
Jonah 1-4 The Story of Jonah

Unit Content 3
1 Samuel 16:1-13 God Chooses David
1 Samuel 17:1-54 David and Goliath

Church Documents

Catechism of the Catholic Church

121 – The Old Testament is an indispensable part of Sacred Scripture. Its books are divinely inspired and retain a permanent value, for the Old Covenant has never been revoked.

123 – Christians venerate the Old Testament as the true Word of God. The Church has always vigorously opposed the idea of rejecting the Old Testament under the pretext that the New has rendered it void (Marcionism).

218 – In the course of its history, Israel was able to discover that God had only one reason to reveal himself to them, a single motive for choosing them from among all peoples as his special possession: his sheer gratuitous love.38 And thanks to the prophets Israel understood that it was again out of love that God never stopped saving them and pardoning their unfaithfulness and sins.39

220 – God’s love is “unconditional”: “For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you.” Through Jeremiah, God declares to his people, “I have loved you with an unconditional love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you” (Jer 31:3).

323 – Divine providence works also through the actions of creatures. To human beings God grants the ability to cooperate freely with his plans.

KWL

Unit Content 1
KWL Big Book, Moses, The Birth of Moses p4-11
KWL Book Prep/Kindergarten Chapter 13 Prayer p99

Unit Content 2
KWL Big Book Jonah p2-19

Unit Content 3
KWL Book Prep/Kindergarten Chapter 14 God Chooses David p100-108
KWL Big Book King David, David and Goliath p12-19

Prayer

Prayers of Tradition
Examination of Conscience

Eucharist and Liturgical Rites
Response to Second Reading
The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God

Praying with Scripture
Jonah 4:2b

Other Prayer Forms
Prayers of praise, thanksgiving and gratitude

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

EK – God Loves All People