1. Catholic Education A cross the Curriculum
How to give
Catholic identity
to all subjects
Web Edition
2 min

2. Introduction
Assistant Principal of Curriculum at St. Charles Catholic High School
Contributing Writer and Consultant to Our Sunday Visitor Curriculum Division

3. Little Jonny Goes to Catholic School
3 min / 5.5 min
Little Johnny was doing very badly in math. His parents tried everything, tutors, flash cards, special learning centers, in short, everything that they could think of. Finally in a last ditch effort, they took Johnny down and enrolled him in the local Catholic School. After the first day, little Johnny comes home with a very serious look on his face. He doesn't kiss his mother hello. Instead, he goes straight to his room and starts studying. Books and papers are spread out all over the room and Little Johnny is hard at work. His mother is amazed. She calls him down to dinner and to her shock, the minute he is done he marches back to his room without a word and in no time he is back hitting the books as hard as before. This goes on for some time, day after day while the Mother tries to understand what made all the difference. Finally, Little Johnny brings home his report card. He quietly lays on the table and goes up to his room and hits the books. With great trepidation, his mom looks at it and to her surprise, little Johnny got an A in Math. She can no longer hold her curiosity. She goes to his room and says: " Son, what was it? Was it the Nuns?" Little Johnny looks at her and shakes his head. "Well then," she replies "was it the books, the discipline, the structure, the uniform, WHAT was it??" Little Johnny looks at her and says " Well, on the first day of school, when I saw that guy nailed to the plus sign, I knew they weren’t messing around."

4. What do you see?
3 min /8.5 min

5. What does it mean to do Catholic education across the curriculum?
Understanding your role as a teacher in a Catholic school can be as subtle and at the same time be as significant as the difference that you see in the picture.
Doing Catholic education across the curriculum is an old way of thinking that has come back in a new way.
.5 min / 9 min

6. Understanding the Curriculum as SACRED
Part I
Understanding the Curriculum as SACRED

7. The Story of Ego and Spirit
2.75 min / min (In this story, over Ego’s objections, Spirit states his beliefs that there is life after birth, they have a mother and father, and that one day soon they will see their mother’s and father’s face.)

8. Catholic Education Across the Curriculum
Invites you to
approach education from
Spirit
not ego.

9. Does creation reveal God’s love to you? CCC 288

10. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. (John 1:1&3)
1 min / 12 min
Helix nebula “Eye of God”

11. All of creation is the curriculum of human inquiry.
.5 min / 14 min

12. Past, present and future creation comes into being through Christ.
.5 min / 14 min

13. Christ is the principle of creation and redemption. CCC 792
.5 min / 14 min

14. Catholic education understands that the mystery of God is being revealed in its curriculum.
.5 min / 14 min

15. We come to know the artist through the art.
.5 min / 14 min

16. Through the study of each of our disciplines we encounter the mystery of God.
.5 min / 14 min

17. Each of us are invited to do “Catholic education” across the curriculum.
.5 min / 15 min

18. As Catholic educators we are invited to help our students see…
their relationship with the world, their relationship with others, and their purpose in life as sacred endeavors.
.5 min / 14.5 min

19. The Invitation to Each Teacher in a Catholic School
Part II
The Invitation to Each Teacher in a Catholic School

20. Does this mean I have to add teaching religion to my curriculum?
No!
That is the job of the religion / theology teachers of your school.
They are the “catechist” of the school.
.5 min / 15.5 min

21. Broken Escalator
What Happens when the escalator brakes?
Search UTube

22. We can support each other in our mission as a Catholic school.
A CATECHIST is someone who’s teaching is specific to the topics of religion/theology,
Bible, doctrine, moral law, prayers, sacraments
.5 min / 16 min

23. Doing Catholic education across the curriculum has a broader application so as to support the mission of a Catholic school.

24. Catechesis Catechesis is from a Greek word meaning “to echo,”
as in to echo the specific teachings and practices of the Catholic faith.
.5 min / 16.5 min

25. Doing Catholic education across the curriculum supports the “religious education” of the school.
Religious is from a Latin word meaning “to bind or tie together,”
as in to unite together in order to make stronger,
as opposed to all wondering aimlessly without purpose or meaning.
Education comes from a Latin word meaning “to lead out.”
.5 min / 17 min

26. Supporting Catholic religious education means…
As Catholic school teachers we use the virtues and values of the Catholic faith
to lead students out
in a way that unites them to their greater purpose – God, Church, Mission.
.5 min / 18 min

27. Brick Layer

28. Brief History of Religious Education

29. What is the First Article of Faith?
God created everything seen and unseen.
Using faith and reason, creation is the worlds first religious educator.
“Creation is revealed as the first step towards this covenant, the first and universal witness to God's all-powerful love.” CCC 288
1 min / 19.5 min

30. Pre-Modern
The pre-modern had a one world view under God’s creation of the seen and the unseen.
The world was a manifestation of God’s Spirit.
“Teachers” are religious leaders of the community.
.5 min / 20 min

31. Modern Modernity proposes a split between
the spiritual and material world
Spirit becomes the ghost in the machine, i.e. Wizard of Oz.
the human and natural world.
The natural world is something that humans must enforce its control over.
The natural world’s role as sacred revelation is diminished.
The natural world becomes the “wild”-erness rather than the sacred home of humans.
.5 min / 20.5 min

32. Post-Modern
Because of the Judeo-Christian commitment to faith and reason
and science’s move away from the Newtonian mechanistic view,
there has been a reconciliation between religion and science / faith and reason / sacred and secular literature / religious ritual and the arts.
.5 min / 21 min

33. Wall-E as a Catholic Educator: A Parable for Our Times
Search UTube

34. As Catholic educators we are invited to…
- disturb, - expand, - transform, and - grow our students so that they may become aware of their relationship to the world, each other, and their purpose.
.5 min / 26 min (Put flavor in bottle of water.)

35. The Call to be a Religious Educator in a Catholic School
Goes beyond being an instructor.
It is a call to be a “Teacher.”
What does Mary Magdalene call Jesus after the resurrection?
1 min / 27 min

36. The Invitation to Be a Catholic Educator
Uses learning to transform the person,
instead of simply transmitting information.
.5 min / 27.5 min

37. The Invitation to Be a Catholic Educator
Is focused on teaching the students
NOT a subject.
.5 min / 28 min

38. The Invitation to Be a Catholic Educator
Understands the world as a communion of subjects rather than as a collection of objects.
.5 min / 28.5 min

39. The Invitation to Be a Catholic Educator
Sees learning as a dynamic co-creative process rather than as a passive collection of information.
.5 min / 29 min

40. Spirit Part III Bringing Catholic Education Into Your Curriculum:
Helping Students to See with Their
Spirit

41. Look what happen to Mr. FedEx.
Search UTube

42. Three Areas Where You Introduce Catholic Education Into Your Curriculum
Cosmic Awareness
Social Awareness
Spiritual Awareness

43. First: Cosmic Awareness / Understanding the World Around Us
To call students into awareness of their relationship to the world.
(How) Does your curriculum awaken your students to their relationship to the world around them?
3 min / 32 min

44. Second: Social Awareness
To call students into awareness of their relationships with other people.
(How) Does your curriculum awaken your students to their relationships with other people?
3 min / 35 min

45. Third: Spiritual Awareness
To call students into awareness of their purpose for being.
(How) Does your curriculum awaken your students to their purpose?
3 min / 38 min

46. Catholic Curriculum Design
Incorporate religious education questions and discussion into lesson components.
Big Idea or Essential Questions
Discussion points for Catholicity connection
Assessments
Design questions to assess understanding your disciplines concepts, content, or skills while at the same time making the Catholicity connection.
1 min / 45 min

47. Sample Social Studies Lesson on Egypt
Essential question: Is the U.S. the Egypt of our day? (Compare and contrast theocracy to democracy?)
Catholicity Discussion: What is the role of religion in government?
Assessment: Compare and contrast Egypt’s theocracy and the U.S. democracy.

48. Sample Essay
This student relates types of numbers to an understanding of God’s creation.

50. Check out a school system that has a well developed Catholic curriculum - Saskatchewan Catholic Curriculum Online.

51. Three Categories of Catholic Education Curriculum
Word
Works
Worship
1 min / 39 min

52. Word – beliefs

53. Sacred Word Questions Word type questions have to do with beliefs.
Who is God?
What is creation?
Why was it created?
Why did God create humans?
Who are we?
What is the meaning and purpose of life?
1 min / 40 min

54. Works – Moral teachings

55. Sacred Works Questions
Works type questions have to do with how someone or societies act or live.
Is an action right or wrong?
What value does this action hold?
How will an action benefit or hurt others or other parts of God’s creation?
How does the curriculum lend itself to the Gospel call to justice?
Is God calling me to act one way or the other?
1 min / 41 min

56. Worship - prayers, rituals, or liturgical celebrations

57. Sacred Worship Questions
Worship type questions have to do with prayers, rituals, and liturgical celebrations.
What are we asking of God and our world, and what is God and our world asking of us?
How do we show gratitude to God and for creation?
What experiences shape our world or signify passage to a new world?
What significant events in life are recalled through celebrations or memorials?
2 min / 43 min

58. Questions to Avoid
Do not ask questions that are meant specifically for religion/theology class.
Don’t ask…
Can you recite a prayer?
Can you list the 10 commandments?
What is your relationship with God?
Do ask…
How is learning math like learning to pray?
How is a character of a story supporting or breaking God’s commandments?
What affect does science have on your relationship with God?
1 min / 44 min

59. Sample Questions Sample questions are meant to prime the pump.
Use your expertise in your curriculum to create good questions for discussion.

60. The “Spirit” of Language Arts
Created "in the image of God," man also expresses the truth of his relationship with God the Creator by the beauty of his artistic works. CCC 2501

61. Language Arts “Word” Questions
(Grammar) Using the rules for writing a complete sentence, describe the characteristics of God.
(Literature) How is this novel describing what it means to be human?

62. Language Arts “Works” Questions
(Grammar) How would you relate the rules for grammar to the 10 commandments?
(Literature) Compare and contrast a character in literature to the ideal Christian life.

63. Language Arts “Worship” Questions
How can the self-expression of journalism be important to spiritual development?
Where can you find the paschal mystery, life-death-resurrection, expressed in literature?

64. The “Spirit” of Math
“…there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. CCC 159
Math is one expression of our human gift in the art of reasoning.
Math holds one of the primary keys to understanding the order of God’s universe.

65. Math “Word” Questions
What concept in math describes how or why God created the world?
What concept or principle in math helps describe who God is to you?

66. Math “Works” Questions
Think of a math equation that has rules, procedures, or concepts that can be applied to living our life?
Where would survival on the planet be today without our human ability to do math?

67. Math “Worship” Questions
How can doing math be considered a form of prayer?
What is a key formula or principle of math that should be celebrated because of the creative opportunities that it has provided?

68. The “Spirit” of Science
“The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are.” CCC 159
“God did NOT throw dice
to create the universe.”
Einstein

69. The “Spirit” of Science
Post-modern science rejects the modernist notion of “survival of the fittest.”
Instead, it embraces the Gospel concept of “survival of the most loving.”
Search UTube for Being Present by Brian Swimme.

70. Science Word Question
How has science contributed to your understanding of what place humans hold in the universe?

71. Science Works Questions
Describe something you have learned from science that if more people knew or understood would help to make a better world.
What would be the wrong uses of science?

72. Science Worship Question
There have been significant discoveries made in science. Which one do you think has made the greatest impact on our lives?

73. The “Spirit” of Social Studies
"The Church. . . believes that the key, the center and the purpose of the whole of man's history is to be found in its Lord and Master.“ CCC 450

74. The “Spirit” of Social Studies
If God is master of history, there is always a sacred lesson in the story of the world. We should no more neglect the stories of our planet anymore than we should neglect our stories of faith.
Characteristic of free societies is to take the study of history and social systems very seriously.

75. Social Studies Word Questions
Do you believe God acts in history in some way? Why or why not?
What do specific events tell us about our human condition?

76. Social Studies Works Questions
Why is the knowledge and understanding of social studies important to the Christian mission?
Take a significant event in history and relate it to the Gospel message.

77. Social Studies Worship Questions
What event in history, outside of Church and Scripture, should we be most thankful?
What current event do you think most deserves our prayers?

78. Sample Questions for Other Disciplines

79. Sample Word Questions
Foreign Language: What characteristic about foreign language tells us something about God?
Physical Education: If God was a sport or a type of physical activity, which would God be?
Fine Arts: What is the relationship between God creating the universe and any artistic creation of your own?
Home Ec: What does good nutrition say about what God wants for human beings?
(handout)

80. Sample Works Questions
Foreign Language: How does the study of foreign languages help us to fulfill our role to live good Christian
Physical Education: How does learning a sport help with living the Christian life?
Fine Arts: What do the disciplines of the arts teach us about living the Christian life?
Home Ec: Why is proper nutrition an important responsibility for Christians?
(handout)

81. Sample Worship Questions
Foreign Language: Why is learning a foreign language like learning to pray?
Physical Education: In what ways could exercise be considered a prayer.
Fine Arts: In what ways do the arts give expression to our spiritual lives?
Home Ec: In what way is food considered more than just nourishment?
(handout)

82. Recommended Book
Sacred Universe by Thomas Berry

83. Recommended Book
The Universe is a Green Dragon by Brian Swimme

84. Recommended Book
Faith, Science, and Reason by Christopher Baglow

85. Contact Information or
Go to to get PowerPoint.

86. The End

87. Special Thanks to …
Faculty and Staff of St. Charles Catholic High School

88. Special Thanks to …
Our Sunday Visitor