Combined Unit of Work for
12A Religions of the World & 12D Loss Death Grief and Dying
ACHIEVEMENT AIMS
Through this course of study students will gain and apply knowledge, skills, values and
attitudes to understand:
1. The nature and function of religion.
a. Religion as a response to the universal human experience of loss, death,
grief and dying.
2. The Catholic Church’s attitude and response to:
a. Non-Christian religions
b. Death and the afterlife.
3. Significant features of major world religions and of indigenous religions of the
Pacific region.
a. Emphasising cultural and religious beliefs and practices associated with
death and dying.
4. The centrality of Christ’s death and resurrection in the Christian perspective of
life and death.
ACHIEVEMENT OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to:
1. Explore the nature and function of religion:
a. In understanding human loss and grief.
b. Providing ways of dealing with loss and grief.
2. Develop an understanding of the Catholic Church’s attitude, beliefs and
response:
a. To non-Christian religions.
b. To death and dying.
3. Develop an understanding of the indigenous religions of the Pacific region,
including traditional Māori spirituality.
a. Māori tangihanga.
4. Identify and investigate what the major world religions – Hinduism, Buddhism,
Judaism, Christianity and Islam believe and teach about life after death.
a. Including funeral rites.
LEARNING INTENTIONS
At the conclusion of this course of study students will:
 Identify the nine dimensions of religion and link them to features of Catholicism.
 Explain the Catholic Church’s attitude towards non-Christian religions.
 Identify features of Polynesian religion.
 Identify distinctive features of Māori religion.
 Present the Hindu understanding of reincarnation, death and dying.
 Explain the Buddhist understanding of nirvana, reincarnation, death and dying.
 Describe Jewish beliefs and practices associated with death and dying.
Religions of the World / Loss Death Grief and Dying
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Recall important Christian beliefs about death, dying and resurrection.
Describe Catholic beliefs and practices associated with death and dying.
Identify implications of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead for his first followers
and for Christians today.
Distinguish features of Islamic beliefs and practices associated with death and
dying.
ASSESSMENT
The course work lends itself to being assessed through AS 90823 Religious Studies 2.4
Explain the significance of a key belief within two religious traditions.
EG:
Describe and provide reasons for the significance of the belief in life after death
within Catholicism and one other religious tradition.
KEY IDEAS (material that would need to be covered so that the achievement objectives
are met)
Students will be able to:
1. Explore the nature and function of religion:
a. In understanding human loss and grief.
b. Providing ways of dealing with loss and grief.
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Characteristics of religion.
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Features of Catholicism.
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Processes of grief and loss, how religions help
people move through them.
2. Develop an understanding of the Catholic Church’s attitude, beliefs and
response:
a. To non-Christian religions
b. To death and dying.
 Declaration of the Relation of the Church to Non-Christen religions.
 Jesus Christ the unique saviour of the world.
 The Christian understanding of death and other attitudes to death.
 Resurrection of Jesus and its importance to beliefs about life after death.
 Helping those who suffer loss.
 Catholic funeral rites.
3. Develop an understanding of the indigenous religions of the Pacific region,
including traditional Māori spirituality:
a. Māori tangihanga.
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The Church in Oceania.
Religions of the World / Loss Death Grief and Dying
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Practices of traditional Pacific communities,
foreign influences and resulting changes.
Māori spirituality.
Māori funeral customs.
Significant features of Māori religious
movements.
4. Identify and investigate what the major world religions – Hinduism, Buddhism,
Judaism, Christianity and Islam believe and teach about life after death.
a. Including funeral rites.
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Significant features of the Hinduism.
o
Reincarnation, - beliefs and practices around
death and dying.
o
The Bhagavadgita.
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Significant features of Buddhism.
o
Nirvana, reincarnation, beliefs and practices
around death and dying.
o
The Four Noble Truths.
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Significant features of Judaism.
o
Beliefs shared by Christians.
o
Beliefs, traditions and practices around death
and dying.
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Significant features of Islam.
o
Similarities and differences between Islamic
and Christian beliefs and values.
o
Beliefs, traditions and practices around death
and dying.
Possible lesson focus: This is based on 28 hour periods prior to assessment. It
works with only one of the student text books at a time. It would however, be desirable
that the teacher has access to both teacher guides, 12A and 12D throughout the
teaching and learning cycle.
It would help if students kept a graphic organizer for a particular religion regarding belief
around life after death throughout the course of learning. Groups could become experts
in a particular religion. An integrated approach is required so that the material covered
in the second stage of the programme is linked back to the appropriate material in the
first topic.
Religions of the World / Loss Death Grief and Dying
Religions of the World / Loss Death Grief and Dying
Religions of the World / Loss Death Grief and Dying
It is presumed that the teacher has read the two teachers guides for these topics and is familiar with the overall learning intentions and
content of the programme of teaching and learning.
STA references to the student text 12A: Religions of the World.
STD references to the student text 12D: Loss, Death, Grief and Dying.
TGA reference to the teachers guide for 12A.
TGD reference to the teachers guide for 12D.
Lesson/s
Why religions exist
1-2
3
How religions operate
Basics of Christianity
4-5
6-7
8-9
Catholic Christianity
Catholics and other non-Christian
religions
Pacific Religion
10 -11
Māori Spirituality and Religion
12-13
14-15
16-17
Hinduism
Buddhism
Judaism
18-19
20-21
Islam
Coverage
 What are the big questions of life? STA 2
 Definitions of religion STA 3
 Characteristics of religion – card activity, STA 4, TGA 6, 20
 Nine dimensions of religion STA 4,5
 Beliefs held in common the Creed STA 35, TGA 11
 The life, death and resurrection of Jesus STA 34
 Christianity today TGA 97
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What identifies a Catholic as Catholic?
Nine dimensions of religion and Catholicism STA 5
Nostra Aetate – In Our Day STA 7, TGA 7, 30-32
Christ Saviour of the World STA 6, TGA 32 -34
Valuing other religions STA 9
Indigenous religion STA 13, TGA 42-46
Polynesian religion STA 18-19, TGA 53-55
Eccelsia in Oceania – The Church in Oceania STA 14
Tapu , Mana – the spiritual realm STA 20-21, TGA 63-65
Ringatū STA 40-41, TGA 110-117
Rātana Movement STA 42-45, TGA 119-128
Significant features of Hinduism STA 22-24, TGA 68-71
Significant feature of Buddhism STA 25-28, TGA 75-80
Significant features of Judaism STA 30,32 TGA 84-88, 89-90
Shared beliefs with Christians STA 29
Relationship with Christians STA 30, TGA 85,
Beliefs and origins of Islam STA 37- 39, TGA 100-102
Religions of the World / Loss Death Grief and Dying
Christianity
22-24
25
Need to change student text
Human loss and grief
Death
26-28
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Islam in the contemporary world STA 39-40, TGA 103-105
Importance of the life death and resurrection of Jesus STA 34, TGA 9294, TGD 23-24
The Creed STA 35
Developments in Christianity STA 36, TGA 95-98
Christians and death STD 3, TGD 24-25
Different types of loss STD 4-8, TGD 27-28
Stages of grief as a response to loss STD-11, TGD 34-39
Concepts of death STD 16-17, STD 25-26, TGD 62-63
Christians and death STD 18-19, 20-23, TGD 49-51, 55-57
Catholics and death STD 36-38, 39-41, TGD 55-57, 103-112117-123
Hindus and death TGA 69
Buddhism and death TGA 76-77
Māori and death STD 33-35, TGD 88-99
Religions of the World / Loss Death Grief and Dying