Student activities will also be provided in French so that educators in French Immersion and Extended French schools can utilize these resources and activities in their religion classes. We hope that this will assist educators in addressing these concepts and questions while addressing the four competencies of second language acquisition. This allows for consistency between the courses in the two language streams.

The French student materials and slide decks will be accessible through links in the English lesson documents.

Students may pose challenging questions during these lessons, especially around matters of faith and belief and their application to the contemporary context. Consider consulting the Institute for Catholic Education monograph, Engaging Student Voice: Courage on the Journey, for strategies and ideas to help strengthen student faith. Alternatively, you may consult the CCC resource, Listening with the Heart, which has techniques for classroom community building, co-creation of classroom norms, and much more. It also includes a great deal of facilitation notes and ideas which can be applied to The Thinking Classroom for Secondary Religious Education. 

Taking into account students’ lived experiences and recognizing that they may not all share the same perspective is an important consideration for each lesson. Remind students that as they explore this concept in collaborative groups, respect of others’ perspectives and lived experience is paramount in order to investigate this concept in a safe and meaningful manner.

*Accommodations: This resource has been created for Grades 9-12, but the expectation is that teachers will use discretion and be responsive to students and their needs (e.g. age appropriate, alignment with curriculum, differentiated learning, assistive technology such as Google Read & Write, etc). 

Our Purpose

The Catholic Curriculum Corporation is a consortium of seventeen Catholic school boards across central and western Ontario. As an important partner in Catholic education, we recognize that Catholic education exists to provide a holistic formation of people as living witnesses of faith. We demonstrate our mission when we engage with, and support, our member boards in sustained, substantive school improvement and student growth that is reflective of a Catholic professional learning community.

Our Mission

Our mission is to build and sustain the Catholic capacity of educators through the development and provision of high-quality Catholic curriculum, resources, support, and professional development. 

Our Vision

Faith Through Learning – A Distinctive Catholic Curriculum

Message from the Executive Director

On behalf of the Catholic Curriculum Corporation, I would like to thank Veronica Tuzi, project lead, and the team of contributors from Toronto, Dufferin-Peel, and Wellington Catholic District School Boards for their expertise and dedicated efforts in producing this resource. Thanks are also extended to Grant McMurray for his guidance as Curriculum Manager.

This resource is based on a loose adaptation of Peter Liljedahl’s The Thinking Classroom for Mathematics, in that the strategies, techniques, and practices derived from his book are modified to apply to the secondary religious education classroom. This resource will help students to become discerning believers through reflecting on theological terms, critical thinkers who engage with various forms of media as they delve deeper into understanding these terms, and responsible citizens who take what they have learned from their faith and apply it to their everyday interactions and learning.

Once again, I offer sincere thanks to those who have supported our teachers with this resource. I wish continued success to all who use this resource while sharing and celebrating our Catholic mission in education.

Ab Falconi,

Executive Director