Language & Religion Overview

Language & Religion Unit

Unit Title: What is SOcial Justice?

Summary & Background Information:

This unit focuses on the concept of social justice. It will be examined through a variety of Catholic Social Teachings on the common good. Students will be introduced to the topic through a series of 40-minute lessons. They will explore the various social justice topics and be asked to reflect upon their role and the role of their school community in working towards just and equitable solutions. Also, the idea of Catholic servant leadership will be explored as well as how each individual is called upon by God to take action and fight injustices. Students will see how social justice issues disproportionately affect marginalized people and children. Students will explore scripture and Catholic teachings regarding our responsibility to all of our brothers and sisters.

Curriculum Links:

Language - Reading for Meaning

1.1 read a wide variety of texts from diverse cultures, including literary texts, graphic texts and informational texts.

1.2 identify a variety of purposes for reading and choose reading materials appropriate for those purposes.

1.3 identify a variety of reading comprehension strategies and use them appropriately before, during, and after reading to understand increasingly complex texts.

1.6 extend understanding of texts by connecting, comparing, and contrasting the ideas in them to their own knowledge, experience, and insights, to other familiar texts, and to the world around them.

1.7 analyse increasingly complex texts and explain how the different elements in them contribute to meaning.

1.9 identify the point of view presented in texts; determine whether they can agree with the view, in whole or in part; and suggest some other possible perspectives.

Religious Education:

Grade 3:

LS2: Focus: Human dignity

Understand that God created all persons in his one image; equal in their human dignity yet

diverse in their being (i.e. male and female, weak and strong, diversity of race, colour,

creed, charisms, talents) and this equality and diversity is to be respected.

Grade 4:

LS2: Focus: the common good and stewardship of creation

Demonstrate an understanding of how the gifts received as human beings invite us to be

responsible stewards of creation (i.e. natural world created by God) and to bring about His

reign in the human community (i.e. common good of societies and nations of the earth).

Grade 5:

LS2: Focus: Fundamental love for the poor and vulnerable

Understand that human solidarity in our Christian living, understood as “friendship”, is

reflected in the example of Jesus who calls us to act justly by putting the needs of the poor

and vulnerable first.

Catholic Graduate Expectations:

3. REFLECTIVE, CREATIVE AND HOLISTIC THINKER who solves problems and makes responsible decisions with an informed moral conscience for the common good.

6. A CARING FAMILY MEMBER who attends to family, school, parish and the wider community.

Guiding Questions:

1. What is social justice?

2. What are the causes of injustice?

3. What is Catholic Servant Leadership?

4. What is the impact of injustice on people?

5. As Catholic Christians, how can we make a positive contribution to society and the world?

6. How can we work for the common good of all people?

7. How can we use a variety of reading comprehension strategies to aid in understanding texts?

8. How can identifying and understanding an author's points of view help in understanding texts?

9. How can connecting ideas in texts to our own knowledge and experience, to other familiar texts, and to the world around us help to extend understanding?

Learning Goals:

By the end of this unit, students will be able to:

• understand the definition of social justice in relation to various perspectives.

• identify and understand the causes of injustice and assess our individual and societal responsibilities and how these impact our communities.

• use a variety of forms (e.g., oral, written, graphic, multimedia) to communicate learning and ideas to a variety of audiences and for a variety of purposes.

• employ a variety of comprehension strategies to make inferences and extend understanding of a variety of texts.

• identify and understand various points of view held by authors of texts examined.

• connect ideas in texts to their own knowledge, experience, and insights, to other familiar texts, and to the world around them to help extend understanding.

• develop attitudes and values founded on the Principles of Catholic Social Teaching and act to promote social responsibility, human solidarity and the common good.

• become models of Christian living for all those we encounter in our daily lives.

• understand the difference between justice and charity and the need for both.

Success Criteria:

I can…

• explain what social justice means, give examples, and how it affects the poor disproportionately.

• identify and understand the causes of social injustice and how societies and the actions of individual people affect my community.

• communicate my learning in a variety of ways (speaking, writing, drawing, recording).

• use comprehension strategies to make inferences and extend my understanding of texts.

• identify points of view in the texts I examine.

• connect the ideas in texts to my own knowledge, and experience, to other familiar texts, and to the world around me to help extend understanding.

• demonstrate improved understanding of the Catholic social teachings and act to promote responsibility and acting together (solidarity) for the common good.

• become a model for Christian living for my school and local community.