2nd Grade Religion – Scope and Sequence
2nd grade is a huge year in terms of religious studies. Baptized Catholic
students will receive the sacraments of Penance, Eucharist and
Confirmation. We will spend the majority of the year learning about the
sacraments and preparing to receive them. Non-Catholic students study
the sacraments as well as part of the graded curriculum. At-home support
and study greatly increases the retention and meaningfulness of our
sacramental study.
Tentative Scope ad Sequence of 2nd Grade
Religion Education for the 15/16 School Year:
August through March:
Catholic Saints
August/September:
Safe Environment/Right Relationships
September-November:
The Holy Trinity
God the Father
Jesus the Son
The Holy Spirit
November/December:
Advent
Catholic Sacraments
Baptism
January:
Baptism
Penance
February/March:
Penance
Lent
March/April:
Lent
Confirmation
Eucharist
May/June:
Eucharist
Confirmation
2nd Grade Religious Education Overview
The summaries and links provided are meant to help families stay abreast
of what we’re covering in religion, and to empower parents as the primary
faith educators of their children. Please contact me at slemcke@utmcs.org
with any questions about 2nd grade’s religion curriculum. For families who
aren’t Catholic, I encourage you to go over religion materials that come
home on a regular basis and compare and contract your family’s personal
beliefs with what we cover in class. All students, regardless of faith, attend
religious education at every grade level, and are graded upon their
knowledge and understanding of the content.
Catholic Saints
In class, we define saints as “people who have a special relationship with
God.” Catholic saints are venerated for exceptional piety or actions during
their lives. Catholics believe that saints intercede on our behalf in prayer.
In class, we’ll focus on a variety of Catholic saints on a regular basis for
the first semester and beyond as a means of familiarizing students with
different saints to aid in their choice for their Saint research project in
March, as well as Confirmation patron saints for students who are Catholic.
All students will choose and research a Catholic saint and prepare a
response project about what they learned and why they’re interested in a
particular saint. Catholic students will research their Confirmation patron
saint. For students who aren’t Catholic, they will pick a saint who interests
them. All second graders, regardless of faith, will complete the research
assignments and will be graded on their work.
For more information on Catholic saints, please visit
http://catholicism.about.com/od/thesaints/f/What_Is_A_Saint.htm or
http://www.catholic-saints.info
Safe Environment/Right Relationships
The Safe Environment/Right Relationships program was established by
the Diocese of Salt Lake after the United States Conference of Catholic
Bishop’s Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People’s call to
better educate students in recognizing the harmful actions of others and
empowering students to seek out help in vulnerable situations. Students in
Catholic schools and religious education receive Safe Environment training
every year.
For more information on Safe Environment Training, please visit
https://www.dioslc.org/safe-environment
The Holy Trinity
Catholics believe that the Holy Trinity – God the Father, Jesus the Son,
and the Holy Spirit – are three distinct beings, but all constitute one God.
Catholics believe God to be the creator of everything and without origin.
Catholics believe Jesus was begotten by God, but is also fully God and
fully man. Catholics believe the Holy Spirit to be a being which expresses
and carries out God’s will.
For more information on the Holy Trinity, please visit
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15047a.htm
Advent and Lent
Advent is the beginning of the Catholic liturgical calendar. It covers the
four Sundays prior to Christmas, and is the season of preparation for the
birth of Christ. The Christmas season begins on December 25th and
concludes with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Lent is the roughly
six weeks before Easter, and is a solemn time of prayer, sacrifice and
service. It concludes with Holy Week, where we remember Jesus arriving
in Jerusalem, celebrating his Last Supper, and his arrest and death on the
Cross. Catholics believe Jesus resurrected from the dead on Easter
Sunday. The Easter season lasts about seven weeks, and concludes with
Pentecost Sunday, where Catholics believe Jesus’ disciples were filled
with the Holy Spirit.
Please visit
http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/advent/ and
http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/lent/ for more
information.
Catholic Sacraments
Catholics celebrate seven sacraments, three of which many 2nd graders
will receive this year:
-Baptism: The first of the three sacraments of initiation.
-Confirmation: the 2nd sacrament of initiation
-Eucharist (Communion): The 3rd of the sacraments of initiation
-Penance (Confession, Reconciliation)
-Anointing of the Sick
-Matrimony
-Holy Orders
Students who are baptized Catholics will receive Penance, Eucharist and
Confirmation this year. However, all students, regardless of faith, will
study the sacraments alongside their Catholic classmates and are
expected to understand the purpose behind the sacraments. Our primary
sacramental focus this year will be on Baptism, Penance, Confirmation and
Eucharist.
We’ll define sacraments in general as signs of God’s love and grace, and
ways for us to become closer to Him. The focus of our baptism study is on
baptism as a welcoming sacrament, which brings us into the community of
the Church. In Penance, we’ll focus on what sin and forgiveness are, and
how we can ask God’s forgiveness and guidance to help up make the right
decisions or help to heal past mistakes. In Eucharist, we’ll focus on how
Catholics believe that we receive the Body and Blood of Christ through
transubstantiation, and that the Church gathers as a community to share a
meal in remembrance of Christ. In Confirmation, we’ll focus on how we
recognize that all people can carry out the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and how
Confirmation blesses us and acknowledges those abilities. The gifts of the
Holy Spirit are wisdom, knowledge, piety, Fear of the Lord, counsel,
fortitude, and understanding.
Please visit
http://www.americancatholic.org/features/special/default.aspx?id=29 and
http://www.beginningcatholic.com/sacraments.html for more information.
Required Prayers/Tentative Study/Due Dates
All second graders, regardless of religion, are tested and graded on
retaining prayers and Mass responses. The choir and altar servers plays
an important leadership role in responding during Masses, and preparing
early is essential for students, regardless of faith.
Exact due dates will be sent home with homework, and students will
practice prayers and responses in class and at home for about a month
per assignment.
The Prayer of the Penitent (January/February)
My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart
In choosing to do wrong, and failing to do good,
I have sinned against You, whom I should love above all things
I firmly intend, with Your help,
To do Penance, to sin no more,
And to avoid whatever leads me to sin.
Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us
In His name, my God, have mercy.
Mass responses:
Confiteor (March/April)
I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done,
and in what I have failed to do;
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;
therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.
Apostles Creed (May/June – studied, but not required to memorize)
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by
the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius
Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell;
the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into
heaven, is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from
thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in
the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints,
the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life
everlasting. Amen.
Sanctus (November)
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of
your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in
the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Angus Dei (October)
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, grant us peace.
Lord I am not worthy (August/September)
Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof
But only the say the word and my soul shall be healed
Sacrament Eligibility Criteria
Students must be baptized Catholics in order to receive the sacraments of
Penance, Confirmation and Eucharist.
Catholic students receiving Confirmation (Confirmandi) will choose a
sponsor. Sponsors are-confirmed Catholics
-16 or older
-not the parent of the confirmandi
-considered to be an excellent role model in faith formation and life
-required to obtain permission from their parish pastor
-can be the baptism godparent of the confirmandi
Sponsors will need permission from their parish priest – see attached form.
CATECHETICAL PURPOSE
“Catechesis aims to bring about in the believer an ever more mature
faith in Jesus Christ, a deeper knowledge and love of his person and
message, and a firm commitment to follow him. “ (NDC, 19A)
“The fundamental task of catechesis is to achieve…the formation of
disciples of Jesus Christ. Jesus instructed his disciples; he prayed with
them; he showed them how to live; and he gave them his mission.” (20)
The parish religious education program:
 Promotes knowledge of the faith.
 Explains the meaning of the liturgy and the sacraments.
 Instructs people in the teachings of the Church and promotes
moral formation in Jesus Christ.
 Teaches the Christian how to pray with Christ.
 Prepares the Christian to live in community and to participate
actively in the life and mission of the Church.
 Promotes a spirit of Christ that prepares the faithful to be
witnesses as Christians in today’s society.(20, 1-6)
The mission of Catechesis is “to propose the Christian faith in its entirety
and in its authenticity, in accordance with the Church’s understanding.”
(GDN No. 175)
“In this catechesis, the Church recognizes and celebrates the diversity
within the community of faith, affirms the fundamental equality of every
person, and acknowledges the need for charity, mutual respect, and justice
among all groups in a pluralistic society in ushering in the Kingdom of
God.” (NDC, No. 52)