Grade 9 Religion Review:
Unit 1 : So What's the Good News ?
Introduction : No single individual has had a greater impact on human history than Jesus of Nazareth, a poor carpenter's son who died in his early 30's and never travelled more than 100 miles from his hometown. Almost all we know about Jesus comes from the Christian Scriptures and especially the Gospels. In this unit you be introduced to sacred scripture and the land of the Bible. You will begin to develop the skills necessary to not only read scripture but to also reflect on and integrate the message of scripture into your life.
TERMS TO KNOW:
Jesus Christ, Hebrew Scriptures, Christian Scriptures, Literary Form(s), Bible
Sea of Galilee, Dead Sea Scrolls, Galilee, Samaria, Bethlehem, Judea
JordanRiver, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Gospel
By the end of this unit you should be able to :
1. Describe what Jesus probably looked like.
2. Compare and contrast the Catholic understanding of the Bible with the ultra conservative "Fundamentalist" view.
3. Find a passage in the Bible using Book, Chapter and Verse.
4. Demonstrate an ability to access the other sources of information found in the Bible (e.g. maps, wordlists, timeline).
5. Identify the various types of literature found in the Bible.
6. Discuss the question "Is the Bible true ?" with reference to the different types of truth.
7. Describe the land in which Jesus lived in.
8. Discuss the significance of the fact that Jesus lived in such a land.
Unit 2 : An Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures
Introduction : Jesus was a Jew. He followed Jewish traditions, participated in Jewish rituals and had a vision for the future that was shared by his fellow Jews. His thoughts and teachings were shaped by those of his Jewish predecessors. In fact many scholars have made the point that all of the teachings of Jesus may be found, in one form or other, in the Hebrew Scriptures. If we are to truly appreciate the meaning of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ a rudimentary understanding of the major events, people and themes in Jewish History is indispensable. The Israelites were called the "Chosen People" because of their unique relationship with God. In this unit we will survey the biblical period of their 4000 year history, a history filled with triumph and tragedy, hope and despair, oppression and liberation.
TERMS TO KNOW:
Hebrew, Jewish, Israelite, Chosen People, Exodus, Covenant, Decalogue, Torah,
Yahweh, Messiah, Mount Sinai, Jerusalem, Synagogue, Temple, Moses,
The Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph)
The Kings (Saul, David, Solomon)
The Prophets (Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekial, Amos, Micah)
By the end of this unit you should be able to :
1. Arrange the key events in the history of the Hebrew People in chronological order.
2. Compare the history of the Hebrew people to the stages in our life cycle: Birth & Childhood, Adolescence, Adulthood, Mid-Life
Crisis, Wisdom and Maturity.
3. Describe why it is important to have an understanding of Jewish history in a course about Jesus.
4. Connect the meaning of statements made by Jesus to specific people and events in history.
Unit 3 : Background to the Christian Scriptures
Introduction: The situation in Palestine during the life of Jesus was anything but simple. The Romans had conquered the area and imposed military rule on the Jewish people. The Jews themselves were divided into many competing groups who sought to control the minds and the hearts of the Jewish people. Add to this the fact that we are dealing with a pre-scientific culture whose goals and priorities are very different from our own and you can see that this is a very complex period of time. When we learn something about the background of this time we can make more sense out of the actions and teachings of Jesus. His words and behaviour take on a greater significance when we appreciate the context in which he lived. In this unit we will begin to learn something about the world of Jesus in the hope that the Gospel stories will come to life for us in the remaining units of this course.
TERMS TO KNOW:
Gospel, Epistle, Synoptic, Acts of Apostles, Pharisees, Sadducees, High Priest
The Romans. Sanhedrin, The Herod Family, John the Baptist, Zealots
Christian Scriptures/New Testament
By the end of this unit you should be able to :
1. Describe the main themes of each of the four Gospels and the identify the audiences they were written for.
2. Describe how the Christian Scriptures came to be written and accepted by the first Christian communities.
3. Describe the social, political and cultural life of first century Palestine. Identify key factors that would influence the life and teachings of Jesus.
Unit 4 : Jesus and the Kingdom of God
Introduction: The ministry of Jesus lasted only about 3 years. These years must have been very intense ones as Jesus certainly attempted to address some of the most important issues of his day. In this sense it is crucial to be able to apply the teachings and example of Jesus to present day issues particularly as Jesus teaches these Gpspel values in the famous Beatitudes or Sermon on the Mount.
TERMS TO KNOW:
Kingdom of God, Beatitudes, Parable, Miracle, Prodigal Son, Discipleship
Gethsemane, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Jesus of History, Christ of Faith
Christian Love, Christian Values, Good Samaritan, The Last Supper
By the end of this unit you should be able to :
1. Compare and contrast the values of the Kingdom of God with the dominant values in contemporary North American society.
2. Summarize the essential moral teachings of Jesus and apply them to situations today.
3. Articulate the meaning of selected parables with reference to the Kingdom of God.
4. Articulate the meaning of selected miracle stories with reference to the Kingdom of God.
5. Articulate the meaning of selected Gospel stories with reference to the political, social and cultural context in which they were written.
6. Identify examples of people who model the life and teachings of Jesus for us today.
7. Summarize the details of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus and discuss the significance of these events for us today.
Grade 9 Final TERM Assignment
Final Assignment
2 Modern Parables: Due: Monday December 14th, 2009
One of the reasons that the stories of the Bible have been retold for centuries, and remain among the most revered and remembered of all time, is because they continue to teach us how to live and find meaning in the world of today. We need to update, retell, and re-present these stories in ways that will make them meaningful and accessible to all ages.
Prepare a meaningful and creative representation of two of the Parables stories told by Jesus in the Gospels. You may present it in either a "Children’s Book" format or a "Comic Book" format.
Each of the Parables must be a minimum of 3 pages each for a total of 6 pages, which should include both illustrations and text for the story. Then you must type and explanation page for each story (2 more pages) and a final page comparing and contrasting the two parables - for a total of 9 pages.
Make sure to pick two stories that have meaning for you.
Make sure that the symbols and metaphors in the story represent issues and questions that relate to TODAY.
Make sure that you retell the story in a way that makes it meaningful.
In Class Culminating Assignment written Fri Dec 20th, 2009
Why must we be Like Jesus?
O the foolscap provided, write a 500 word reflection on: Why must we be like Jesus? You must relate your paper to a current social justice issue that we need to address in our world. Pick from any of the issues we are discussing in class or one that interests you personally, such as: war, poverty, street people, violence, the environment etc ...
Remember this is short assignment but worth 10% of your final grade along with 20% for the final exam.