A Fertile Heart - Year 6 (S) by fertileheart.org.uk

Key Stage 2 Year 6

A Fertile Heart Receiving & Giving Creative Love

Love is creative. To have a fertile heart is to love, grow and make a positive difference.

A Fertile Heart Receiving & Giving Creative Love

Children have a natural desire to love. They have a longing to make a difference. They love growing. A Fertile Heart helps them understand that these desires are all connected. God’s first words to us were, “Be fertile!” And the whole of the Bible teaches us that we are fertile through healthy, loving relationships – with God and each other. Learning to authentically and appropriately receive and give love leads to us having fertile hearts. Using the concept ‘fertile’ helps the children see the similarity between plants growing through fertile soil, sun and water, and us growing through a caring environment, love and truth.

Key Stage 2: Year 6

A Fertile Heart | Receiving & Giving Creative Love Panda Press Publishing would like to thank the following contributors to A Fertile Heart: Kathryn Lycett, John Cook, Mary Dickenson, Maryanne Dowle, Bernadette Eakin, Christopher Hancox, Louise Kirk, Gavin McAleer and Rebecca Surman Thanks also to Dr Charlie O’Donnell, Joe Smiles, Michael H. Barton, Mary Flynn, Rev Dr Stephen Morgan and Fr Wayne Coughlin for their kind support. ISBN: 978-0-9930555-6-0 A Fertile Heart KS2 Scripture quotations taken from various authorised translations. Every effort has been made to locate copyright holders and to obtain permission to reproduce sources. For those sources where it has been difficult to trace the originator of the work, we would welcome further information. If any copyright holder would like us to make an amendment, please inform us and we will update our information during the next reprint. All images and illustrations used under licence. Design © 2021 Panda Press Publishing Limited Illustrations and Images: Shutterstock All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the Publisher who can be contacted at hello@fertileheart.org.uk British Library Catalogue Publication Data. A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library. Printed and bound in the UK and published under licence by Panda Press Publishing Ltd, 1 Newcastle Street, Stone, Staffordshire, ST15 8JU Company Number 11786188 Printed, bound and distributed in Australia by Createl Publishing, 98 Logistics Street, Keilor Park, Victoria 3042, t: 03 9336 0800, f: 03 9336 0900, www.createl.com.au Keep in touch Facebook @afertileheart Linkedin.com/company/a-fertile-heart Twitter @afertileheart visit A Fertile Heart at www.fertileheart.org.uk Version 7, September 2021

Imprimatur:

Nihil Obstat for KS2, 3 & 4: Reverend Jonathan Veasey. Bernard Longley, Archbishop of Birmingham, 30th November 2020.

A Fertile Heart | Receiving & Giving Creative Love

04/07/2018

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Foreword His Grace George Stack, Archbishop of Cardiff Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel “The Glory of God is humanity fully alive”. Thus wrote St. Irenaeus in the 3rd century. His words remain true to this day. They mean that God is the creator of the gift of life. In that gift, each human person receives a share in His own creative love. His revelation in life and love, as well as through creation, is pure gift. This is the ‘grace’ of which we speak, in order that “we may have life and have it to the full” (Gospel of St. John 10:10). This truth lies at the heart of the Gospel. It is what it means to be truly human. The gift of life is bestowed by God in order that we may flourish and thrive. We do this in the first place simply by living with gratitude. We do it by responding to His love in a life of joyful communion with Him. We express it by actively engaging in the good of others so that mutual ‘flourishing’ may take place. The more we give, the more we receive. The ‘Gospel of Life’ outlined above is, indeed, ‘Good News’. It is revealed in every aspect of human nature and creation itself. This is the life-giving teaching we seek to hand on to our children who are “the messages we send to tomorrow”. The Rite of Baptism reminds us that parents are the first and best teachers of their children. The Catholic school exists primarily to educate children to receive and respond to God’s love for each one of them and for all. Our schools are designed to help parents fulfil their God given task of caring for their children in the school of love. The Catholic school is not just a place for professional education – existing for improvement in learning - important though that is. It is a place of formation, a place in which ‘lessons for life’ are imparted, received and shared. The whole school community teaches and learns these lessons in a truly Catholic environment. Human relationships are obviously at the heart of life and flourishing. We are made to relate to each other, body, mind and spirit. The physical, emotional and spiritual reality of our being are part and parcel of the ‘holy trinity’ of each one of us. Thus affective sexuality education is a crucial part of human formation. A Fertile Heart is the culmination of several years work of dedicated individuals [teachers, theologians, education advisers and parents] from within the dioceses of Birmingham, Cardiff, Clifton, Arundel and Brighton and Shrewsbury. They have worked tirelessly to create a resource which puts the human person and the flourishing of our pupils at the heart of the Catholic school. It is offered as an important aid to pupils, parents, teachers, governors and clergy to remind us all that “We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the beginning God had meant us to live it” (Ephesians 2:10).

Introduction If you don’t know how a car works, you’re not likely to be able to fix it. If you don’t know something about how crops grow, you’re not likely to be a great farmer. If you don’t understand a mobile phone, you’re not likely to get the most out of it. Understanding what it is to be a human person will help us know how to think and act, and so be happy and fulfilled. This booklet is the second stage of a curriculum that goes from Reception to Y11, comprising 11 modules for Years 3-6. A Fertile Heart seeks to give a coherent vision of what it is to be human, empowering the young person to understand themselves more deeply, and therefore make better, more informed choices. In KS1 we focused on Bible stories to help the children learn about life, growing and love. This continues in Y3, with a focus on Jesus in John’s Gospel, and in particular on: receiving and giving; Jesus being our light and living water; decreasing in selfishness so that we can increase in life and love; and bearing much fruit in union with Jesus. In Y4 we begin to turn to reason more, to help the children grasp the foundational understandings of personhood and relationship. Just as there is no point in branching out into other subjects if children have not learnt how to read, write and do arithmetic, so it is more important to thoroughly cover the essentials than it is to cover a breadth of less important things. Thus, personhood, relationship, dignity, freedom, happiness, tolerance and the importance of being rational and being open to faith are all dealt with thoroughly. Some concepts are introduced that maybe, by themselves, don’t seem central. Please be assured that they are, as will be more apparent in looking at the whole curriculum. Two very important dimensions to being human are the need for love and relationship, and the desire to grow and make a meaningful difference. We can only truly grow and make a meaningful difference if we have meaning and purpose. Thus, underpinning PSE/PSHE and RHE/RHSE is the need to help the pupil to understand themselves: both in their given-ness - including what it is to be human - and in their uniqueness - their personhood. Key to gaining correct self-understanding is the ability to think correctly. If they don’t get that process right they won’t understand themselves correctly and be able to withstand destructive pressures from within and without. As humans, therefore, we have to come to understand ourselves in the light of reason. Crucially, authentic faith strengthens reason and opens it up to deeper realities. This curriculum is completely set against the polarisation of faith and reason. Whether referring to faith or not, it always seeks to reflect and think things through logically, and help the young person to slowly learn to do the same. Central to the understanding of being human is that we are called to be fertile. We use ‘fertile’ and ‘fruitful’ interchangeably in KS2 - with the emphasis on growing, helping others to grow and making a difference. At the core of reality, all creativity comes from the communion of persons in reciprocal complementary unity. Reciprocal complementarity is when, as well as the equality of personhood, the God-given differences between persons shape the relationship between them in a bond of mutual love. This is true of God himself, and of the relationship of each of us with God, and with each other. Within this creativity is the fertility of procreation, but so are all dimensions of creativity and growth. KS2 will focus on this general truth, helping every pupil to gradually get in touch with their deeper fertility at the heart of their personhood, and their ability to cooperate with others for the good of all. This will allow us, in KS3 and 4, to situate procreational fertility within this deeper, richer understanding of the communion of persons, and uniquely, marriage. This prevents sexuality, sex and parenthood being dealt with in a reduced or even merely functional way. This curriculum is not dumbed down. Some of the concepts dealt with might challenge the pupils and stretch them, but all modules have been tried and tested and found to really engage and lead on the young person. Please persevere in rational trust! The last three modules, on faith and science, are more specialist and so the modules and powerpoints are enhanced by extended podcasts, embedded in the powerpoints and available separately on our website. The modules often refer to parents and family - and obviously your pupils will be in very diverse family situations: you will know best how to keep the example but communicate it sensitively. The curriculum deliberately does not deal with reproductive biology, as we think this is best done discretely. And finally life is joyful. The modules are open to a sense of fun - please use that opening!

A Fertile Heart | Receiving & Giving Creative Love

Family Involvement The Church consistently speaks of the triangle of family, parish and school that, working together, truly help the young person grow. With increased emphasis on a school’s responsibility to help the child grow in RHE/RHSE, it is essential to seek parental involvement. These modules are written with this in mind. Each module has various suggested activities, with corresponding downloadable worksheets when needed. Perhaps one of these activities could be adapted or continued - or one of your own used - for the child to go home and discuss with their parent/carer, with a view to returning to school with something to add to the subject. The worksheet might sometimes help with this. Modules & Prayer The 44 topics included here are called modules, not lessons. Piloting the curriculum revealed that much more was gained from each topic being visited over the week focusing on a lesson, rather than being simply a stand-alone lesson. The home activity and follow-up discussion in the class complement this. Thus, a quote from the module might be on the whiteboard Monday morning - with a little five-minute discussion on it during the day, the main lesson be on Tuesday and a continuation take place later in the week, after the home activity. This more holistic approach also helps communicate to the children the importance of learning about themselves: situating self-understanding at the heart of education, not merely being an imposed add-on. At the heart of this self-understanding is the truth that we discover ourselves in relationship, especially with God. Therefore, from module 4e onwards, the lessons start with a meditative prayer (except for 6e when it is part of the lesson, and 6i-k when it is at the end). The concepts and truths learnt here are always secondary to the reality of that relationship. Planting Seeds The whole curriculum starts, in Reception, with both the creation stories of Genesis 1 and 2. These are filled with fertile images of gardens, seed and fruit, which show us that God’s call to man and woman to ‘Be fertile!’ (Gen. 1:28) isn’t separate from the fertility of all life. Thus, we also encouraged the children to plant and tend seeds as a living backdrop to their learning. This could be done again in Y3, especially in conjunction with their science module. This gives a good setting for exploring that, for instance, being loved and belonging is the fertile soil of us growing, that the light of truth helps us grow, that grace waters us into life, and that true freedom and tolerance mean we can all grow together. We are unique within creation as being able to think, choose and relate to each other and our Creator. This means we can consent to what we are, and cooperate in our growth. Such obedience is like being directed towards the sun (cf. key point in module 4h & drama in 4i), and allows us to grow in true beauty. At the heart self-understanding is the knowledge that I need to receive from God before I can respond, and give - and this is eloquently reflected in the seed receiving light, nutrients and water and then being able to blossom and seed itself. Starting at Y5 or Y6 A strength of this curriculum is its integrated, developing vision. However, a side-effect of this is that it is slightly harder to immediately enter into it at the start of Y5 or 6. This will, obviously, only be a problem in the first year of using A Fertile Heart. The glossary provided helps if words that have been thought through in Y5 say, suddenly appear in Y6. References back to previous modules should also be an aid. However, if the children can be won over to accept modules from earlier years, there would be benefits, as a one-off, in completing Y4 and Y5 modules in Y5, and a selection of Y4 and 5 modules, and then all of Y6 ones, in Y6.

Glossary Person A rational being for whom relationship is central to their fulfilment and happiness. This is a richer understanding than ‘individual’, which can mean a thinking being whose fulfilment is found primarily in themselves. Fertility The capacity to cooperate in growth. We are not Creators, but we are not sterile either: we can cooperate in our own growth, the growth of the other and the relationship between us. We tend to think in terms of babies when we hear the word fertile, but you can have fertile crops or a fertile imagination or intellect, etc. Understanding fertility in this broader sense helps us understand that it is as a person that you are fertile, not primarily as a gender: every person is called to be fertile in this sense and every person can be. It is through communion with God and each other, in love, that we are most fertile. Freedom The ability to readily act in complete accord with my true nature - in harmony with who I truly am. True human freedom always seeks truth and love. The false understanding of freedom is to be able to do what I like. Tolerance Respect for the other’s true freedom. (So, if we misunderstand freedom, we will misunderstand tolerance as well.) Nature The given-ness of something, of who I am. Justice Acting in accord with the nature of things. Joy The deepest experience of being alive, growing, and being in life-giving relationship; of being and living in accord with who I truly am. Initiator The one who takes a lead in a relationship of love: not a controller or someone who dominates, but one who initiates out of love for the other. In turn, the initiator receives from the receiver & responder. Receiver & Responder The one who first receives from the initiator in a communion of love, and loves in return by accepting the love offered and responding to it. In the Bible, this receiving of love is often called obedience or submission, but in a respectful way that is in no way demeaning, and is fulfilled in the response - often an initiating in itself - being then received by the initiator, and responded to, etc. - resulting in a life-giving relationship of mutual submission and respect. Reciprocal Complementarity This is the relationship of love between initiator and receiver & responder, where both persons benefit from the other and their genuine differences enrich each other. It helps us see how right order in relationship does not mean domination, but rather can be mutually beneficial. It can be seen that the three above definitions are interconnected. This relationship is primarily between persons, but can also be between things - such as reason and emotions. Appropriate Vulnerability Relationship and intimacy require a certain vulnerability on behalf of both persons. Especially as we are growing, we can tend towards too little vulnerability or too much. Appropriate vulnerability is the ability to allow one’s relationships to grow steadily and with appropriate boundaries, that benefit both persons.

A Fertile Heart | Receiving & Giving Creative Love

Year 6 Modules a-k

Contents: Year 6 In Y6 we explore what it means to be a person and what it means to share human nature; we see how all of creation reflects the Trinity as initiator and receiver and responder in love; we look again at the rational knowledge of God’s existence; understand the importance of being; take a further look at tolerance and reflect on who we allow to influence us. We finish with mini-series of faith and science - because understanding the complementarity of faith and reason is vital to mature growth. Module 6a: God-given Nature, Freedom and Consent To understand more the given-ness of human nature. To get the most out of my potential, I need to, firstly, understand and accept my given-ness and then cooperate with it. Module 6b: Person and Nature To communicate we need something in common and something unique about us: our nature and my unique personhood respectively. We explore these and the idea of objective and subjective. Module 6c: Life is Fractal! We have seen how our relationship with God reflects the Trinity itself: initiator and receiver & responder united in love. However, all creation, and every part of creation, and every part of every part of creation reflects the relationship of the Trinity. We really are made in the image of God! Module 6d: Intellect, Order and Beauty All of creation reflects the Creator. Reflecting on the order and beauty of creation helps us see this. Module 6e: Being and Doing It is more important to be aware of my being, than my doing. Keeping Sunday holy, and prayer, are the best ways of peacefully getting in touch with my being, my relationship with God and what is important in life. Module 6f: Tolerance of what others think and do We learnt in 5f and 5g about tolerance, focused on God-given differences. This is now complemented by thinking how we should be tolerant of what others think, say and do - differences due to their choices. Module 6g: Formed in their image We are made in the image of God, but we also reflect who we admire. We explore how the part of me that is formed by my thoughts and actions is deeply affected by my choice of whom I most admire. Module 6h: Safe but not Scared We see that trust is never blind: and that it doesn’t hurt to share a concern with an adult. We help the children get better in touch with their inner ‘alarm bells’, so as to be as safe as possible. Module 6i: Faith and Science: the Beginning Faith and Science can truly enrich our lives. Questions about the beginning of the Universe and its purpose are deep within us. Physics tries to help us understand what happened; theology, why: the search for both truths is important and helps us understand ourselves. Module 6j: Faith and Evolution Similar to the last module, we see that the evolution of life is in harmony with the Christian faith. What we know from God and from reason helps us understand the mystery of evolution - both the ‘how’ and the ‘why’. Module 6k: Science and Christianity History shows that science has uniquely come alive in the Christian culture. Reason reveals why. Believing in a lawful God who made us, soul and body, in his image, to discover his truth, and who calls us to journey into the fullness of that truth, is exactly what we need for science to ignite.

God-given Nature, Freedom and Consent

Learning Objective

Success Criteria

To understand that to get the most out of my potential, I need, firstly, to understand and accept my given-ness and then cooperate with it.

1. I can understand the given-ness of human nature.

This year we will focus more on what it is to be a person. At the heart of this is understanding that there is an objective part of me - a given dimension, including the nature I share with all other humans - and a subjective dimension - the thing that makes me, me, in my unique self-awareness. It is a hard idea to get, but it is very important, so please persevere! If we only emphasise the objective dimension, we focus on truth, intellect, things in common; if we only emphasise the subjective, we focus on compassion, the will, things that make us unique. However, we need both dimensions to truly be persons. We are living in a culture that massively emphasises the subjective - my truth is mine and your truth is yours - but this cannot be life-giving. Human freedom cannot decide what it is to be human; I can only consent to what being human is, and within that, cooperate in me becoming more fully, and more uniquely, me.

2. I can recognise that I need to accept and cooperate with my given-ness in order to achieve my potential.

Step 1 Ask the following questions and allow time for discussion and feedback. What would happen if I didn’t drink any water? (I would eventually die.) What would happen if I decided I didn’t need water, so didn’t drink it? (I would still die.) What would happen if I ate a poor diet with not enough vitamins? (I might become unwell.) What would happen if I decided I didn’t need vitamins etc.? (I would still become unwell.) What would happen if I shut myself away from love? (I would die spiritually and would become very lonely.) Note that we can feel lonely even when we are loved. What would happen if I decided I didn’t need love and chose not to receive any? (The same thing.) What would happen if I shut myself off from God? (I would die spiritually, lose my sense of purpose, not grow as I should, because God is love.) What would happen if I decided I didn’t need God and shut myself off from him? (The same thing.)

“Mary said, ‘Behold, the handmaid of the Lord. Let what you have said be done to me’”. Lk. 1:38

“Man is the only creature who refuses to be what he is.” Albert Camus

Step 2 Explain: This teaches us something important about being human. We don’t have the freedom to decide what it is to be human. So much about “me” is given to me by God. Human freedom means that we can accept what it is like to be human, or not, but we can’t decide what it is like. Only God can do that. God chooses what he is and he chooses to be love. He doesn’t change that decision: he is love, always and for ever. Freedom isn’t about being able to do exactly what we like, it is about living and acting in harmony with our nature. That is true for God and for us. We call what makes us human our “nature”. Most of the time we don’t think about whether we consent to our nature, but we can rebel when we don’t like the consequences or the limits of our nature. We know we need a good night’s sleep, but we still rebel when we want to stay up really late. Ask the children for more examples. Discuss and feedback. Step 3 Explain: As persons we have the capacity to cooperate in forming who we are. We do this with every choice that we make and this defines what is good and evil. Good is acting in accord with our true nature and causes us to grow. Evil, or sin, is acting against our true nature and causes us to “shrink”. But although we can cooperate in forming who we are, we can’t decide it completely. If we do that, we are making ourselves into our own god, which is not helpful. Ask the children for further examples. Discuss and feedback. 82

A Fertile Heart | Receiving & Giving Creative Love

Let what you have said be done to me.

Step 4 Explain: There are 3 stages to growing as a person: understanding what it is to be human; consenting to what it is to be human; and cooperating in this through the choices we make. We can learn what it is to be human from experience; if we don’t drink, we get thirsty, which helps us learn we need water. We can also learn through education; science tells us that we need vitamin D and that we get it from the sun. Most of all, we can learn the deepest things about us from the God who made us. Ask: Who knows every single function on their mobile phone, or tablet, or computer? Most people only use a fraction of the functions on their device because they haven’t studied the user guide. And it’s the same with you and me. For the best results we follow the maker’s instructions. Explain: The more we learn from God about ourselves, the more we are likely to consent to how he made us. But also, we will be more likely to turn to God and the Church to help us understand how we work, because we will feel less rebellious at not being able to decide for ourselves what we are.

Suggested Activities 1. Using Lk. 1:26-38 and pictures of the Annunciation as stimuli, work on a Q&A conversation with Mary to illustrate her response to God. 2. In pairs/groups write a prayer asking Mary to help us to listen and consent to God.

Suggested Resources 1. Picture(s) of the Annunciation. 2. Bible(s).

Key Point The more I understand myself and consent to who I truly am, the more I will act in accord with this, and the happier and freer I will be. Such consent, though, might not be obvious to us: we don’t often think “Shall I consent to how God made me?” But it is there in so many ways: grumbling about going to bed; too easily deciding life isn’t fair; wanting my own way and for everything to be mine… Discuss and mind map further examples. Ask: Which human gave us the best example of consent? It was Mary. She was asked by Gabriel to be the mother of Jesus, the Christ. That must have been so scary - she would probably have only been about 16. It would have been impossible to truly understand, but all her life she had consented to everything from God, and she continued to do so: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, let what you have said be done to me”. (Activity 1.)

We can’t decide we don’t need water.

Explain: We should ask Mary to help us consent to what we are, and to God’s plan for us, which will always be in accord with who we truly are. And that will be the best foundation to help us cooperate in becoming our true selves, and really making a difference. (Activity 2.)

Summary It is amazing that we can cooperate in fully becoming ourselves. However, to do that we first need to understand ourselves, our given-ness, and consent to it. That allows us to grow by acting in harmony with our true selves. Mary did this perfectly, and as our mum, will help us to do so as well, if we ask her.

Person and Nature

Learning Objective

Success Criteria

To further understand that to be a person, to be able to communicate, we need two things: something in common so that we can communicate and something different so that we have something to communicate.

1. I can explain what a person needs in order to communicate.

Relationship is at the heart of reality; it gives meaning to life. We are called to be persons, not merely individuals. We talk of human nature, and at its heart nature is about how we relate. Ultimately it concerns how I relate to God, because how I relate to anyone ultimately has to be within how I relate to God - that is why there can be no separation between loving God and loving each other (Mt. 22:34-40). Although talking in terms of person and nature, the objective and subjective, is a little abstract for 10-11 year olds, it is central to understanding life. All education, especially the faith, helps us understand objectivity, especially what God and I are really like. But life is also about each person integrating that with their unique subjective reality. If we don’t, we either end up with cold facts or directionless emotion. It will take our children a lifetime to cooperate in this process, but if we can help them to understand the process now, then we are giving them a massive head start. So much misunderstanding of life is caused by people focusing on either the objective or the subjective, rather than on both and integrating them in the right way.

2. I can explain what is meant by objective and subjective, by structure and uniqueness.

“Most of us must learn to love people and use things rather than loving things and using people.” Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart.

Step 1 Ask: If you think about 2 relationships between humans, are they the same or different? Think about your relationship with your mum, and with one of your friends. What do you do together? What do you talk about? Discuss and feedback.

Key Point There is something similar about these relationships, but also something unique. Even within our friendships, each one has something unique. The “structure” of human relationships is given by our nature - that given-ness to what we all have in common, how we work, and especially how we relate. The uniqueness is given by the two persons themselves. House or home? Step 2 Explain: (using IWB) We could describe it like this: Person A

Nature A

Nature B

Person B

The nature of persons A and B give the “structure” to how they relate; their personhood gives movement and uniqueness. This means that there are things that are the same about all human relationships - because we share the same nature, but every relationship is different because every person A and person B are unique. Similarly between God and each of us: the relationship is structured by God’s nature and ours, and he is always the unchanging person A, but each of us is unique and therefore, there is a uniqueness to each of our relationships with him.

A Fertile Heart | Receiving & Giving Creative Love

Key Point

Suggested Activities

That is why we can all help each other to grow in love of God. Because you have a unique relationship with God, you know him in a way no one else does, and can share that with us to help us grow.

1. Show images (using powerpoint or creating your own). Children decide if they depict a house or a home.

Step 3 Explain: This idea of structure and uniqueness, of direction and movement is quite difficult to get hold of - but worth it. Ask: What is more important for a tent - the frame, or the canvas? Discuss and feedback. You might say the canvas, because at least you could use that as a giant sleeping bag, without the frame. Sleeping under the frame without a canvas is really just sleeping outside! But the answer is that we need both because they work together. The frame gives the structure - we could call it the “nature” of the tent and the canvas gives it its uniqueness. Another example is the difference between a house and a home. We all want a home, with the unique characteristics that make it our home, stemming from the people who live there. But it can’t really be a home without it first being a house. (Activity 1.) Explain: When the building work, plumbing and electrics are in place then we can focus on the curtains, furniture, pictures that give it character. Very few adults enter a home for the first time and comment on the plumbing - they notice pictures or colour scheme. Ask: What do you notice first? Discuss and feedback. However, if there was no roof, or heating, or toilet, that is what you’d remember rather than the colour of the curtains. The house gives the structure; then we make it a home. (Activity 2.) Step 4 Explain: It is the same with us. I am most aware of me being a person. That is my “subjectivity”. But to get the most out of my subjectivity, out of me, I need to understand my nature - my objectivity. Just as the frame gives structure to the tent and the house to the home, so your nature gives structure to your person. Recall the symbol we used for God and ourselves in Year 4 (modules 4e and 4j, see below, right). Ask pupils to demonstrate to show understanding.

2. Downloadable worksheet, to label houses to show understanding of what constitutes both structure and uniqueness, house and home.

Suggested Resources 1. Pictures of houses/homes: use powerpoint or create your own. 2. Downloadable worksheet depicting 2 outline drawings of a house, to be annotated to show understanding of “house” as structure and the uniqueness of “home”. 3. Downloadable large image of the symbol in Step 4.

Explain: Every relationship has direction and movement. Nature gives direction and personhood gives movement. Life is an amazing journey of growing as a person, but getting the right process regarding that journey is vital.

Key Point You have to understand your nature - and that of the other person - and let that shape the relationship. And that allows the two persons to give movement to the relationship. This is especially true of your relationship with God. Once you understand this, you’ve still got a lot of growing to do, but at least it will be in the “right direction”!

All relationships are unique.

Objective

Subjective

Summary Relationship is central to persons. The nature of the two persons gives the structure or direction to their relationship, their personhood gives the uniqueness and movement to it. We will only relate properly to the extent we understand our nature and allow it to direct the way we relate.

Life is Fractal!

Learning Objective

Success Criteria

To understand that all creation, and every part of creation, and every part of every part of creation reflects the relationship of the Trinity.

1. I can understand that my relationship with God reflects the Trinity itself.

Again, by itself, this is quite a hard point to make - but it is so worth the perseverance because it leaves the pupils with an amazing sense of the interconnectedness of everything - and their part to play in it all.

2. I can understand that all creation, and every part of it also reflects the relationship of the Trinity.

The basic model of the Trinity we have been using (see below) is reflected in our relationship with God, but how each of us operates within ourselves also reflects this, and how we relate to each other, and to creation. In all these we need to understand who or what is the initiator (reflecting the Father) and who or what is the receiver & responder (reflecting the Son), but also understand that it is the authentic unity between the two that makes any difference life-giving (reflecting the Holy Spirit). This is also true of the relationship between the objective and the subjective, and of other “pairs” - such as reason and emotions, truth and reason, reality and my understanding. It all leads to a very dynamic, inspiring and unified vision of everything!

“A fractal is a way of seeing infinity.” Benoit Mandlebrot

Step 1 Show a large image of a fern on the IWB. Ask: What shape is it? Zoom in to look at a frond. What do you notice about the shape? Then look at one stem of the frond. It is a similar shape again. Explain: When a shape appears like that within a shape, within a shape, within a shape, it is called a “fractal”. (It was the French mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot who first used the word “fractal”, in 1975.) Watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_MNQBWQ5DI How fractals can help you understand the universe (3:10) and then https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=XwWyTts06tU&feature=emb_logo Fun with Fractals (first 1:32). (Activity 1.) Discuss observations. Step 2 Recall: Our simple image of God (modules 4e, 4j & 6b) reflects the love that the Father and the Son have for each other; that love is the Holy Spirit which unites them. The Father is the initiator; the Son is the receiver & responder and the Holy Spirit is the unity between them. In this unity, both Father and Son give and receive love, but in the right order of Father and Son. In our relationship with God, he is the initiator, we are receivers & responders in the Son, and the Holy Spirit unites us. Explain: This is also reflected in human relationships: parent and child; teacher and pupil; headteacher and teacher; bishop and priests; priest and parishioner. They don’t reflect the Trinity in exactly the same way, but the pattern is the same. You and I are both humans with equal dignity, and that unites us. But we are different. As your teacher, I initiate by being in charge of the classroom and teaching the lessons, not to make you all serve me, but so that I can help you learn and grow in a safe and happy atmosphere. You respond to me in lots of different ways: answering questions, doing your work, being helpful. If this is done in love, then the better everything works, the happier we all are and in that, we reflect the Trinity. I’m an adult, so my relationship with the headteacher is different from yours . I’m not here to learn, but I am here to help the headteacher make the school work. So (s)he initiates, but does so for the good of the school, and I receive from her/him and respond, and in that way we are united as staff of the school. The pattern of your relationship with your 86

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A fern frond.

parent is similar to your relationship with your teacher, but in the setting of the family, not the school. In the parish the priest is the initiator and we are receivers and responders, similarly with the bishop in the diocese. Discuss to assess understanding. Ask the children to give examples of initiating and responding within different relationships. Explain: Marriage reflects the Trinity too: husband and wife are called to be one communion of love, where each submits to God and the other in love (Eph. 5:21). Can you think of examples of where the husband initiates in love? And where the wife does?

Key Point The most important part of any relationship is the unity between the two, followed by the genuine differences, which complement, or enrich the other.

Suggested Activities 1. In small groups examine images of fractals with magnifying lenses. 2. Write a “Stewards’ Charter” to demonstrate understanding of how we should care for the earth. 3. Observational drawing of a fractal pattern, using images and magnifying lenses.

Step 3 Ask: What is our relationship with nature? Explain: Humans are more important than the rest of the earth, but that doesn’t give us the right to just take what we want and not care. We are in relationship with the rest of the planet, as initiator to receiver & responder and so should be good stewards of the earth. What is a steward? Discuss and mind map: How can we show that we are good stewards? (Activity 2.) Step 4 Explain: In the Trinity, the love they share doesn’t make them less persons - it makes them more. So it is the same with us. When we understand the right order of all our relationships: between us and God, with other people, with creation; when we understand the unity between these, and cooperate with it, everything becomes more life-giving, and we become more ourselves; happier and freer. (Activity 3.)

Suggested Resources 1. Fun with Fractals; Patterns in Nature (Fractals Everywhere); Romanesco Broccoli Fractals Timelapse; plus Mandelbrot Fractal zooms for mathematical fractals, all YouTube. 2. Sets of images of fractals in nature. 3. Magnifying lenses.

Summary Everything is relational and any authentic relationship echoes the Trinity, that of initiator and receiver & responder in love. Now we understand this better we can have better relationships. We can cooperate in making the whole of creation a whole fractal pattern of love.

Fractals everywhere!

Intellect, Order and Beauty

Learning Objective

Success Criteria

To understand that we don’t need faith to know that there is a God.

1. I can understand that I do not need faith to know that there is a God.

Although our culture is dominated by the idea that we can know physical things through science, but spiritual things can only be a matter of opinion, this doesn’t make it right. I think that Australia, my heart, the earth’s atmosphere, love, all exist. I can’t see them, but there are rational reasons why I can be confident that they exist; similarly that Julius Caesar, Napoleon and Genghis Khan existed. I trust the measurement of gravity on earth, that all other drivers will keep to the highway code and drive on the left, that the food I buy hasn’t been poisoned. All these are rational trusts, based on reason, without which life would be impossible. The existence of God is more certain than all of these. Not understanding about his existence takes away any chance that I will have meaning and purpose in my life, except in a temporary way. A person or culture that does not recognise God’s existence can have no sense of eternal meaning, for which the human heart longs. Step 1 Display a picture of the Mona Lisa on the IWB. Ask: Who painted it? (Feel free to improvise on the following script). There is something else really interesting about this painting, that you won’t know. Leonardo da Vinci didn’t really paint it at all. I’ll tell you what happened. He was planning to paint a new picture, so the night before, a bit like you might get your bag ready for school, he got all his paints out and put his new canvas on the floor next to them. But the next morning he overslept! He got up, all bleary eyed and yawning, blundering around hurrying to get ready, and he accidentally knocked over the paints. When he woke up properly, he looked at the canvas on the floor and to his amazement the paints had landed like this: a picture of a smiling woman with scenery in the background. (Probably not everyone is convinced.)

2. I can reflect on the order and beauty of creation to reason that there is a Creator behind them.

“For what can be known about God is perfectly plain to them, since God has made it plain to them: ever since the creation of the world, the invisible existence of God and his everlasting power have been clearly seen by the mind’s understanding of created things.” Rm. 1:19-20

No, of course, it wasn’t quite like that. The beginning bit was true; he did get the paints ready the night before, but da Vinci was a sleep walker! And that night, he sleepwalked out of his bed, into his studio, and sat down and painted the Mona Lisa. When he walked to his studio the next morning, he was astounded when he saw what he had done! (Even fewer are convinced now.) Okay. You’ve worked out that wasn’t quite how it happened. But the reality is even stranger. The beginning bit was true like I said, but da Vinci had a dog, a Jack Russell I think, and when da Vinci went to bed, his dog waited till he was asleep, then padded over, sat at the easel, and painted the Mona Lisa. Imagine da Vinci’s surprise when got up and saw the painting. He did think he must have sleepwalked, but then he saw all the paint on Bruno’s paws and realised what an amazing thing had happened. Actually, I have been teasing you and none of these stories are true. Ask: How did you know they could not be true? (There may be several suggestions, but at the heart of them should be that we know that something so ordered, designed and beautiful can’t come about by accident, even though they may not use those words.) Step 2 Explain: But what is true about the painter who painted a woman, is much more true about the God who made woman, man, sunsets, stars, new born babies, mountains, dinosaurs, plants, trees, animals, fish, birds and you and me. When we look around, we can see things that have been made: the tables and chairs, The Mona Lisa. 88

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the projector. Things like that don’t just happen. But then neither do living things either, or any of creation. So, just as you didn’t believe me that the Mona Lisa was an accident, don’t let anyone convince you that you are, either. No one is an accident, each of us is loved and called into creation by God. You are made; you were given a beginning by someone, and that means he made you for a reason, for a purpose (Jer. 1:5). Da Vinci wouldn’t have painted the Mona Lisa for no reason, and God wouldn’t have made you for no reason either. (Activity 1.) Step 3 Explain: Whenever we see any order, we automatically know that is a sign of intelligence. If I see some apples exactly in a line , I know someone has put them there; they couldn’t fall that way. If I see a lot of squiggles in a row that make up a word in English, I know someone has written it; I don’t think it just happened to be like that. So, although we can’t see God, we know he exists, because if there was nothing to start with then there would be nothing now, and certainly no order. (Activity 2.)

Suggested Activities 1. In small groups, write an acrostic poem “CREATED” to demonstrate understanding of a creator who has revealed intelligence, design, order and beauty in his creation. 2. Create a class well-being book “You’re beautiful because...”. Each child has an A4 sheet with their photograph or ‘self-portrait’ in the middle. Everyone in the class adds a word or phrase to suggest how that person is beautiful.

Key Point

Suggested Resources

Some people will try and convince you that God doesn’t exist, but if you believe them, you are shutting yourself off from understanding the unity of all creation, the unity that comes from being made by the same God, just as the unity you have with your brothers and sisters comes from having the same parents. You are also deciding that you are an accident and that is horrible. Lots of people nowadays want to be famous, or rich or powerful, but that is all very short-term. When it’s gone, it’s gone. The human heart longs for eternal meaning, but that can only happen if there is an eternal God who made you intentionally.

1. Image of the Mona Lisa (or use slide 5 of powerpoint). 2. Images of creation, as a stimulus for the poem. (‘God is...’ powerpoint in 4d, slide 7 could be used.) 3. Photographs of children in the class.

Step 4 Question: Have you ever thought, or heard people say, that all the suffering in the world proves that there can’t be a God? Discuss and feedback. Explain: It is hard to understand why a good God allows suffering. It is even harder to accept bad things happening if a good God has, at least, allowed them to happen. It is easier to believe it is just “fate”. But even if we don’t understand why God allows suffering, it doesn’t make sense to argue that suffering proves there isn’t a God. That’s like saying if a painting is bad, there was no painter. We have to question God as to why he allows suffering, but we can’t decide that suffering means there isn’t a God. That isn’t rational. Our reason tells us there is a God, a creator, and that he made us for a reason, for a purpose. And not only is that logical, it is very good news too!

Order not accident.

Summary Design, order and beauty all point to intellect. The design, order and beauty of the universe point to a creative intellect who made everything, including you and me. That means we are not accidents; we have an eternal purpose, which saves us wasting time wanting short term purposes that don’t last.

Being and Doing

Learning Objective

Success Criteria

To understand why it is important to be aware of my being, more than my doing.

1. I can understand what it means to be aware of my being, and why it is important.

We live in a world that is busier and busier. This is disastrous. It makes us all overanxious. If I am too busy to stop and touch God, nature, my own being, then I am too busy. We are increasingly working faster and faster, more and more, trying to solve the problems caused by working faster and faster, more and more! The Sabbath was given to us so that we don’t get fixated with doing. Contemplative prayer is given to us as a means of becoming aware of our deeper selves. Breathing is a particularly powerful vehicle for gaining awareness of receiving and giving love to God, at the core of my being.

2. I can explain that prayer and keeping Sunday holy are the best ways to live peacefully and to be in touch with being.

Step 1 Ask: Who knows what an Award Ceremony is? Can you give any examples? Take suggestions (which may include Oscars, BAFTAs, Pride of Britain, Sports Personality of the Year etc.) What do the recipients usually say in their acceptance speech? Watch the video of Jacob Tremblay’s speech: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=sjjf_rrCq7Q (2:16). Explain: They normally thank the important people in their lives and say they “couldn’t have done it without them”. But it doesn’t mean they didn’t do the acting, or the camera work, or the running or the swimming. It simply means that they have had a lot of help and support from other people. It is the same for us; we are persons, not individuals, so in life we help other people and other people help us. This is especially true about our parents. Hopefully, they have helped us in many ways, but first of all, we would not even be here if it wasn’t for them and that is also true of our grandparents and great-grandparents etc. We should be thankful for all the help we have received and still receive from other people. Discuss and mind map some suggestions of the people who help us and how. (Activities 1 and 2.)

“Be still, and know that I am God, supreme among the nations, supreme on the earth.” Ps.46:10

Step 2 Explain: This is especially true of God. In Y4 (module 4e), we learned that God didn’t just create us, but creates and sustains and guides us at every moment of our lives. This is what makes us receivers & responders. It can be hard to understand this because when we are doing things, it feels like we are being the initiators; we are the ones who are thinking, speaking, listening, eating etc. Sometimes children find it easier to be aware that they are receivers & responders, because they receive so much from parents and others, and life would be hard for them without that. However, the older and more independent we get, the more the experience of being the initiator takes over. In fact, some people start to get bored with God when they get older, because they like the idea that they are their own initiator, and can decide things for themselves. Step 3 Explain: When we focus on “doing” we tend to think of ourselves as the initiator, but when we focus on “being” we are more aware that we didn’t make ourselves. It is important that we find time just to be. This is the reason we are asked to keep the Sabbath special; for Christians that is Sundays. Ask: How can we keep Sunday special? Discuss and take feedback. We need to work, to do things, but we also need time to “re-centre” on God, on being, on the truth that we are receivers & responders. Not finding time for God leads to anxiety, because when

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Be still and know that I am God.

we live as if we are our own initiators, then we think that we are responsible for everything. When we live in thankfulness to God and others who help us, then we realise we are channels of God’s initiative. That is an important role, but the ultimate responsibility is his, so we live in trust; and that is much more peaceful. Step 4 Explain: Finding time to stop and be still is really important though it can be a bit inconvenient and can seem a bit boring. It can also be hard, because things inside us tend to bubble up to the top when we stop. It can even make us feel a bit lonely. But just being with God can be really relaxing and peaceful, and we then find that for the rest of the day we are more peaceful too. We are receivers & responders to God; we can’t change that. Living in that knowledge means our self-knowledge is in harmony with what is true. Living as if we are the initiators is not in harmony with truth, and is not good for us.

Key Point The beautiful thing is that, by being in touch with who we are, and by receiving from God, we find we are able to make much more of a difference than when we try to live as if it is all down to us (Mt. 6:33).

Suggested Activities 1. Make a mind map of the people who help us and how. 2. Write a prayer of thanksgiving for all those who help us. 3. Prayer podcast.

Suggested Resources 1. Jacob Tremblay acceptance speech on YouTube (embedded in powerpoint); many others available but check suitability. 2. Prayer podcast available in powerpoint and on website.

(Activity 3.) Introduce and deliver the podcast prayer session. (You will be used to this podcast by now, but this module allows the children to reflect on it a little more. If necessary, remind the children regarding appropriate behaviour. It may be helpful for the children to move their chairs away from their tables a little, and sit in a way that will minimise distractions. Invite them simply to listen to the podcast and follow. After the prayer session, discuss and take feedback about how the children felt during it. What makes stopping and just ‘being’ difficult? What are the benefits? How have you felt after previously using this podcast? How could you do something similar at home? Would anyone at home join in, if you asked them?)

Summary We live happier, more fruitful lives when we are aware of the help and support we get from others. This is especially true about God. Knowing he creates, sustains and guides us allows us to know that we are receivers & responders, and to rest in his love.

Prayer helps us see Jesus.

Key Point Prayer, and keeping Sunday holy, are the best ways of being more aware of being, rather than just doing.

Tolerance of what others think and do

Learning Objective

Success Criteria

To understand how we should show tolerance towards others.

1. I can explain the need to always treat people with dignity and respect.

True tolerance is central to giving every person the dignity they deserve. We saw how, because we are persons, called to solidarity, tolerance needs to be seen within the understanding of the call we all have to help each other grow (modules 5g & 5h). It is strengthened by communication, which overcomes fear and leads to God-given differences being life-giving and enriching, and the appreciation that many other differences are just not important at all. We also need to be tolerant of what others think, say and do, but because these are things that they are choosing, they have a responsibility to choose lovingly. Our right to choose does not include the right to choose what the truth is. Our right to act does not include the right to damage our neighbour. Famously it was said that the right to freedom of speech does not include the right to falsely shout, ‘”Fire!” in a crowded theatre (Justin Holmes). So, treating someone negatively over something they have no control over is prejudice. We may have to treat others differently in response to what they choose to do, but tolerance says we should always treat them equally lovingly. Step 1 (Use a Q&A approach and allow the children to use paired talk throughout. Maybe even prime a “reliable” child to act this out.) Explain: Let’s imagine that one of you started shouting in class. I asked them to stop, but they carried on shouting. What might I do? Yes, send them out of the class - maybe even to the Head Teacher. Am I being intolerant? No. Why not? Because I’m here to teach you all. It’s not right for them to stop me teaching them; it certainly isn’t right to stop me teaching the rest of you. What about if I asked one of you to leave the class because you’ve got brown hair and I don’t like brown hair? Is that being intolerant? Yes. So, what’s the difference? There are two: firstly, whoever has brown hair didn’t choose that, whereas the one shouting out did; and secondly, you having brown hair isn’t hurting anyone, but shouting out in class is. Explain: So, we always have to treat people with dignity and respect - it wouldn’t be right for me to pick you up by the ankle, swing you round my head and throw you out of the classroom while making fun of you, even if you had been shouting - but we show tolerance for people’s choices in a different way to showing tolerance for things about them that they have no choice over. How we react depends on whether their choice is hurting them or others.

2. I can explain that tolerance is connected to truth, freedom and love. 3. I can reflect on how we are all journeying in life together.

“This Vatican Council declares that the human person has a right to religious freedom. This freedom means that no one should ever be coerced by individuals, peer pressure, or any human power, to act in a manner contrary to their own beliefs, within due limits. This right to religious freedom has its foundation in the very dignity of the human person as this dignity is known through the revealed word of God and by reason itself.” Vatican II, Decree on Religious Freedom, n. 2.

Step 2 Explain: Tolerance is connected with freedom. If we were individuals, who were completely free to choose what we liked, then I would have to be completely tolerant of every choice you made. Instead, because we are persons, we have laws that make it illegal to do certain things that are obviously damaging to others. Not everything that hurts others is illegal though - it’s not illegal to call people names, or lie, or be impatient, but you still have no right to be like that, and we shouldn’t tolerate it if you are. Reflect: Can you think of any examples of this in your own lives?

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Key Point We are persons, called to live in harmony and community. We are all of equal dignity - so no-one has the right to be happy by making others sad.

Step 3 The Church has a lovely name for itself: The Pilgrim People of God. Ask: What do you think this means? Discuss and take feedback. It has the very important idea that we are all on a journey of growth into God - as persons and as humanity. Watch https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFK5zzlBwkY&feature=emb_logo Journeying together in hope (2:32). (Activity 1.) Explain: Tolerance is more easily understood when we understand that we are all on that journey together. As you grow up, you need the freedom to try and work out what life is about - what is important and what isn’t. To start with, we tell you, and then gradually, we try and help you grow so that you can discern for yourselves. So, you need freedom to think for yourself, but you haven’t got the freedom to decide what is true. So, what do I do when what you decide to think seems wrong to me? Do I challenge the belief or not? (The following examples are suggestions for whole class/group discussion, but can be amended if required.) Well, it depends. Let’s say you believe in the tooth fairy. I don’t agree, but I’m not worried if that’s what you think. I’m probably going to say nothing. Let’s say you think it’s right to treat girls worse than boys. Now, I am going to challenge that, and challenge it now, because it is obviously wrong and someone is going to get hurt by you if you think that. Let’s say you think that it is really important to be famous, and fame makes you happy. I think that’s wrong; I think it is obviously wrong, but I also know you probably have to come to that understanding yourself, so I might try and guide you to see that it is wrong, but I’m not worried if it takes you time to realise it. Step 4 Explain: There are people with different religions in the world. What should unite us is that we want to know the truth, and we want that truth to help us to love more. If we both think that, then any discussion between us is going to help us to grow, and even if we disagree about important things, our desire for truth and love should draw us closer to each other and help us work together to help others. Trying to stop someone living by truth and love is being very intolerant.

Suggested Activities 1. Use a “footprint” template to answer the question for display “Why are we the Pilgrim People of God?” 2. Complete mind map of situations where tolerance may be needed and what approach might be applied. 3. Role-play scenarios when tolerance may be required. Use freeze-frames to provide opportunities to outline thoughts and feelings from various viewpoints. 4. Create a poster promoting tolerance amongst peers in school.

Suggested Resources 1. Downloadable footprint template. 2. Downloadable mind map template.

Step 5 Explain: Also some people choose life-styles that are different from what I would choose; even maybe different from what I think is good for them. How I react to them is going to be affected by lots of things. If they are my friend, I might try, lovingly, to share my concern with them, particularly if they asked me what I thought. If I didn’t know them, the chances are I’m going to say nothing. If they start trying to convince my children to do the same as them, then I’m probably going to try and stop them from doing that. (Ask the children for some suggestions of situations where tolerance is needed, but have some additional examples prepared to consolidate understanding.) (Activities 2 and 3.) So, we can see that how we are tolerant of others’ thinking, and what they say and do, isn’t always the same. However, it should always be done lovingly and respectfully.

Summary We are called to be tolerant towards everyone. There is a difference in how we tolerate things that others don’t choose and things they do. We need to be tolerant of what people have freedom to do. Since true freedom is the freedom to seek the truth and the freedom to love, when we are all committed to truth and growing in love, it is a lot easier to be tolerant of each other. Understanding that we are all on a journey also helps us to be tolerant. However, my love for others might mean I cannot simply let you hurt them by your choices.

Tolerating others in seeking truth and growing in love.

Formed in their image

Learning Objective

Success Criteria

To understand that I am deeply affected by my choice of who I most admire. To identify the true characteristics of an admirable person.

1. I can reflect on the need to choose wisely who I most admire.

Our young people are given a whole culture by our media. At the heart of it tends to be singers, film stars, footballers etc. What is communicated is that they are good at singing, acting, football etc. However, what is also communicated is that they are cool, and you want to be like them, or rather you want to be like the image the media presents of them. It is important for us to help our young people be discerning in their relationship with media, and even more importantly of rationally choosing whom they admire, who they want to be like.

2. I can understand how it is easy to just follow celebrities simply because ‘they are cool’. 3. I can see how good people, like the saints, are worthy of ‘lasting admiration’.

Step 1 (Choose a few pictures of famous youth culture stars - preferably from different areas: pop, film, football, other sport…) Who is this? Do you like them? What do you like about them? How do you know what they are like? Would you like to be like them? (Activity 1.) The discussion can go various ways from here, depending on you and the children. Important points to make: wanting to be able to sing like, say, Katy Perry, is not the same as wanting to be like her. The image of Cristiano Ronaldo we get given by the media isn’t necessarily the real Cristiano Ronaldo. Just as a lot of pictures of stars are air-brushed to make out they are perfect physically, so the media image can have similar treatment regarding them as persons. Also, what is classed as “cool’”may not be the same as what makes us truly happy. Do you really think that being thin will make you happy? Or being famous? Why? What makes you happy now? Is it how thin or famous you are? (Remember, this lesson isn’t seeking to convince them they are wrong to admire these people, just to make them more discerning - Katy Perry may indeed be a good role model, and I would really enjoy getting to know her, given the opportunity: what I’m less interested in is getting to know an image that has been manufactured by media people.)

“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Mt. 6:21

Key Point We are made in the image of God. By admiring and following those who lived in his image, we are inspired to become who we were created to be. Step 2 Reflect: Have a think back on yourself over the last year. Think about how you have grown. Questions to discuss: What has helped you to grow? What has made you happier? What has been hard and worked against you being happier? How much of that is connected with what we’ve just been discussing? In Y4 you looked at how relationships and making a difference make us joyful, other stuff gives us pleasure. A lot of media gives us pleasure - we should be clear about its lack of capacity to bring us joy. (Activity 2.) Step 3 (Activity 3, using research/downloadable fact sheets.) For this activity, Mother Teresa is a must, the other two are flexible, e.g. Carrie Fisher (someone who was famous, but also had a life with ups and downs) and Stalin (someone who achieved a lot, but through evil). After researching, ask the children which story inspires them most. It will be Mother Teresa. Give a bit more biography of Mother Teresa at this point:

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Mother Teresa.

Teresa was born in Skopje, North Macedonia on 26th August, 1910. During her early years she was fascinated by stories of the lives of missionaries and their service in Bengal, India. By the age of 12, she thought she should commit herself to be a religious sister. She had an experience, at 18, while praying in front of a picture of Mary, which confirmed that desire, so shortly after, she left home to join the Sisters of Loreto at Loreto Abbey in Rathfarnham, Ireland. She then went to India and taught for many years. However, she was increasingly disturbed by the poverty she was seeing around her. In 1948, she received what she called “the call within the call”, and left her convent in order to live among the poorest of the poor. She trained a little as a medical worker and spent the rest of her life loving people in their poverty, one person at a time. Her order - the Missionaries of Charity have been faithful to her vision of love of the Eucharist, and living and helping the poor, ever since. Notice how she was first inspired by missionaries who had really made a difference to other peoples’ lives through the Gospel and through helping the poor. Then she inspired many others to do the same. Not everyone likes the Catholic Church, but everyone is inspired by Mother Teresa - Saint Teresa of Calcutta - because her life was so clearly full of goodness. Watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEZGjL1akt0&feature=emb_ logo Mother Teresa - 20th Century Humanitarian (2:52). Step 4 Explain: Jesus is the example that inspires us, followed by Mary. However, if it was just them and us, we might think we couldn’t really be like them. There are so many saints, though, throughout every time from Jesus to now, who have lived like Jesus, and made a real difference. They convince us we can be like Jesus; we can make a lasting difference. When we hear the saints’ stories, we are inspired to be like them, but also the feelings they imprint in our hearts stay longer than when we hear stories of others. Importantly, the admiration we feel allows us to follow them, whereas normally, the admiration we feel for stars doesn’t lead to us being able to copy them, just to a desire to be like them that can’t be fulfilled. Reflect on Saints chosen by the class for Confirmation. What calls you to follow the example of a particular Saint? (Activity 4.)

Summary We are given many role models in our lives, but as we grow up, we have to decide who truly inspires us, because we become like the people we admire, because where our treasure is, there will our heart be also. Don’t just accept what the media tells you - learn to step back, reflect and choose wisely.

Suggested Activities 1. Discussion activity. Who inspires me? Who are my role models? In groups, add notes on to an A3 page next to the images. 2. Children to create a timeline of growth in the last year to reflect developments that stand out for them in their own lives and, if possible, to acknowledge the growth of others too. 3. Research the life of St. Teresa of Calcutta, plus two other famous people who struggled to find happiness in different ways. Use IT/ downloadable fact sheets. 4. Link this session closely to activities usually explored for Confirmation preparation (“lasting admiration” for a specific Saint and their example).

Suggested Resources 1. Saints books e.g. by M. McAllister or V. Hoagland. 2. www.holyspiritinteractive.net/ kids/saints 3. Timetable access to media for research purposes. 4. Famous people picture prompts/ downloadable fact sheets.

Reflect and choose wisely those things which you hold dearest in your heart. 95

Safe but not Scared

Learning Objectives To see that trust is never blind: it doesn’t hurt to share a concern with an adult. To understand that the better in touch I get with my inner ‘alarm bells’, the safer I will be. Step 1 Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZpYMr-Ed0Q God speaking to Moses from the Burning Bush (4:09). How did Moses feel when God spoke to him in the burning bush? Scared! God asked Moses to do something he wasn’t happy about. Moses must have felt two very strong emotions: awe and panic - this is God!- but he is asking me to do something I don’t want to do! Argh! However, God is loving. He understood that Moses needed reassuring. So, he reminded him of his faithfulness, and suggested he took Aaron with him. This is really important. God doesn’t believe in blind trust! Not even of him. Read Eph. 2:10. God has created us for amazing things - we are his masterpiece! He teaches us to be open, but not careless. He gave us a brain to use, not to bypass! So, he always answers our genuine concerns. I can trust Jesus completely, but he still helps me in my genuine confusion. Step 2 This is important for all our relationships. Trust should never be blind. If we didn’t trust anyone, we would never grow; if we trusted everything then we would soon get hurt. A kind person won’t be insulted if you are confused that what they are saying or asking doesn’t seem right. It is never wrong to politely ask them why, or even to wait and then ask an adult you do know you can trust. It might be that, like Moses, you can be reassured that it is okay. But, just sometimes, it might be that something isn’t quite right.

“We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has called us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

Success Criteria 1. I can understand that I have spiritual and physical places that people shouldn’t ‘enter’ without permission. 2. I can see how understanding my inner alarm system, and not being afraid to communicate my concerns, keeps me safe without being scared.

We do have something within us that helps - we have ‘alarm bells’ that go off inside us if something doesn’t feel right. When does the fire alarm go off in school? What do we do when it does? What would happen if we always assumed it was a false alarm? Explain: Don’t be scared to raise any concerns with an adult you can trust: they can help you see if it is a ‘real fire’ - small or large - or a false alarm. In this lesson, we are going to test your ‘fire alarm’! Ask: If an adult you don’t know talks to you, what do you do? Go through different scenarios: visitor with the headteacher; visitor I welcomed into class; stranger in school; stranger on street. Explain: People should never try and win your trust by offering you nice things. If you have a concern, they should answer the concern, not try and distract you from it. Always tell an adult you trust about anyone unexpectedly talking to you. That keeps us safe but not scared. Step 3 Explain: We are all special! When Moses approached the burning bush, God told him to show respect because he was on holy ground. You are holy ground! God lives in you. You are a child of God. So everyone should treat you with dignity and respect - and you them. There are lots of things you know about yourself! (Activity 1.) Some are public knowledge; some are ‘private space’. When you are in a safe conversation, it is okay 96

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Moses is uncertain.

Key Point There is a difference between keeping something personal and keeping something secret. If someone talks to you about something private to you, and then tells you to keep the conversation a secret, your alarm bells should ring loudly. And please, please remember that sharing a concern will not lead to you being told it was your fault. Don’t let your fears or anyone else tell you otherwise.

“For I know the plans I have for you, plans for peace and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

to answer such questions regarding ‘public knowledge’. But some things are more private space - maybe concerning things that have hurt or confused you in the past, or made you sad, like a relative dying. I might ask you sensitively about this, but if someone else did, you might be confused why they were asking. Alarm bells would start off inside you. It might be that you just aren’t comfortable about talking about that subject. But it might be that they shouldn’t be asking. You never have to answer about private subjects if you feel those alarm bells. If someone gets annoyed with you for not answering, then more alarm bells should go off. There can be other times when you can feel that your inner private space is being invaded: if someone tries to bully you; or dares you to do something you shouldn’t; or you see something on the internet that makes you feel uncomfortable. Listen to your alarm bells. Remember, I’m not trying to scare you, I’m trying to keep you safe. We have had a fire alarm system in school every day of your life here - how often are you afraid of a fire? You’re not! Because we have the alarm system, and you know what to do when the alarm goes off. This is the same. By learning about our inner ‘alarm bells’ and understanding how to respond to them you can feel safe, but not scared.

Fire alarms keep us safe.

Public knowledge and private space.

Safe but not Scared

Step 4 Explain: just as we have spiritual private spaces so we have physical private spaces: we sometimes call these our private parts. These should also be treated with the same respect and dignity. There’s nothing to be ashamed of about them - they’re part of who we are - but there’s a good reason why they are private. Conversations about our private parts will set alarm bells off - unless we really know we are safe, like when the nurse gives us a lesson on growing up, or mum or dad tries to help you understand how you are growing. Even then, they will do it openly and sensitively. If anyone else starts talking to you about private parts, your alarm bells should be going off very loudly. If they ask you to keep it secret, then it is definitely time to tell someone. You might also feel awkward when a stranger is physically close to you, such as when you are on a bus, or in a queue - but you can see a reason why. If you can’t see a reason why, or if someone touches you when you don’t expect it, then there should be some alarm bells. If they try and touch you anywhere near your private parts, your alarm bells should be very loud indeed! Tell someone. There is also never a reason for anyone to want to damage you - no matter how many people tell you to trust that it is okay. Sadly, in some cultures, particularly girls can be told that something is going to be done that will hurt them, but to not worry. They can even be told it is a ‘special event’. This is wrong. If this happens to you, or a friend or relative, tell someone you can trust. Tell me. You will never get told off for sharing a concern. Trust is not blind. It works alongside reason. If the fire alarm went off now and it turned out to be a false alarm, it would still have been right to respond to it. Likewise, it is still right for you to share concerns, even if it turned out things were okay. It would only be wrong if you deliberately set the fire alarm off, knowing there was no fire. That would be wrong, but also very different. Step 5 Dealing with what can go wrong isn’t nice. But we do it so things won’t go wrong. Being human is amazing. Making friends is wonderful. We have so much to learn from each other. But we can get hurt too, especially if we are careless. Understanding our inner ‘alarm system’ means we can feel safe but not scared. (Activity 2.) Then read Jer. 29:11. God wants us to live free from harm, in peace and hope.

Summary If your alarm bells go off, don’t ignore them. Communicate with an adult you trust. If you still feel uncomfortable, communicate again. Trust is not blind; it is reasonable. Trust builds slowly. Trustworthy people will always treat you with respect, understand if you are uncomfortable, and be sensitive to what is best for you. If in doubt, communicate.

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Suggested Activities 1. Using the downloadable worksheet, decide what you would be happy to share with others, about you. 2. In groups, design posters for display - ‘Safe but not Scared’.

Suggested Resources 1. Downloadable worksheet for Activity 1.

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Faith and Science: The Beginning

Learning Objective To explore the relationship between Faith and Science. There is, indeed, a great harmony between authentic faith and science. Both seek the truth. Unfortunately, a lot of people tell our children that we have to choose one or the other - to see it as a clash between reason and superstition. In truth, superstition is the enemy of both faith and science. As this whole course has tried to show, the Christian faith strengthens reason and opens new depths to it, but no Christian belief is irrational. Some of them are surprising - not least that God would die for love of us - but that isn’t the same as being irrational. These three sessions help us to see the great harmony between the Christian faith, specifically, and science. The steps these lessons take are all simple enough in themselves, but due to there being more content, there are three podcasts to go with the lessons (available both in the powerpoint and on the website.) Step 1 Ask: What do we feel and think when we gaze up at the stars? Wonder? Amazement? The vastness of the Universe? Is there life out there? Think: Inbuilt in the human person is the desire to understand. This leads to science and theology - the science of God! Question: Where do we use technology today? Discuss and feedback. (Computers, cars, phones, televisions, planes, so much.) But also think about what makes us truly happy: love, making a difference, purpose, meaning, faith. It would be a very sad world without these, but it would be a harder world without technology, too. Which one should we choose? Science or religion?

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…” Gen. 1:1

Success Criteria 1. I can identify a relationship between faith and science. 2. I can understand how reason helps us discern the truth in both religion and science. 3. I can see how Genesis explains why God created the Universe and the Big Bang helps explain how.

Of course the answer is: both! Consider: You can seek love and try to make a difference without faith, but they can’t have lasting meaning. You can try and make life a bit easier and richer without science, but you won’t get anywhere like as far. But so many people say that we have to choose one, that religion is about superstition and science is about reason. This is wrong: both include reason. The difference is that they deal with different dimensions of life. Step 2 Question: Why am I here today? I mean here in this classroom? I can answer that by saying that it is because I got up this morning, got into my car, drove through town, turning this way then that, drove onto the car park, got out of the car, entered school etc., and here I am. I can answer it further by saying that I love children (sometimes!) and love helping them develop, and so I trained to be a teacher and here I am. Which one is the right answer? Of course, they are both right. The first is more about how I got here - the reasons we can see; the second is more about why - the reasons we can’t see. And that really is the difference between science and religion. Science seeks to understand how and religion, why. We are going to think about the Big Bang in a moment, but no matter how much we understand about what happened at the beginning of the Universe, science can say nothing about why it exists. Religion helps us to understand why, but can’t say anything about how gravity or electricity works. We like to know how and why, and if we only bother with one of those questions we don’t fully understand.

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“How?’”and “Why?” work together well!

Example For Consideration Aristotle was a great Greek thinker and he gave a simple example to show the same point. What do you need to make a statue? He said you need marble, or whatever it is made of; you need a sculptor with tools which can shape the marble; you need the sculptor to have an idea in his head about what the statue should look like, otherwise they wouldn’t have any idea of which bits to chip away; and you need the sculptor to have a reason for doing it. Science deals with the first two of these things: what things are made of, and how these things affect each other; faith is about what is going on inside us, and why.

“The Cosmic Egg exploding at the moment of creation” Fr. George Lemaître describing what we now call the Big Bang.

Step 3 Explain: Genesis chapters 1-3 give us a beautiful insight into creation. They give two accounts of creation - but they are different accounts! (Read the scripture passages to support teaching.) In Genesis 1, man and woman are made together, after the other animals (verses 24-27); in Genesis 2, woman is made after man and the animals (verses 7, 19, 22). If Genesis was a science lesson, it’s not a very good one! Because, as regards what we can see, these can’t both be right. But instead, Genesis is helping us understand why we were made. It teaches us that we are made by God, for a purpose; that we are part of creation but different to the rest too; that creation is good and that we make it very good; that God wants us to grow and thrive and cooperate with him in shaping creation; that man is made in the image of God and woman is made in the image of God, but that, uniquely, man and woman are made in the image of God; that part of being human in this life is being lonely and that God doesn’t want us to be lonely; that we should let him guide us to what is good for us; that he wants to be friends with us. (The children aren’t expected to remember this list, nor does the lesson need to go into detail about them - but it is good to glimpse just how much Genesis says about us - and all about why, not how.) When Genesis 2 says that Adam was formed from the earth and God’s breath, it is not giving us a science lesson but helping us to see that we are spiritual and physical, and the dimension we can’t see - the breath - is the most important dimension. Furthermore, can you remember when God made the sun in Genesis 1? It was on the fourth day. So, what was a day before the sun was made? Remember: It doesn’t make sense literally, but it was never meant to be true literally - we wouldn’t have two accounts if it was. (Activity 1.)

Suggested Activities 1. Highlight key elements of the accounts of Creation. 2. Research Albert Einstein and Fr. George Lemaître - (their relationship is a really interesting story!) 2. Create a class display about creation combining elements of the Creation story and the Big Bang theory.

Suggested Resources 1. Podcast, available both in powerpoint and on website. 2. Bibles.

Step 4 Explain: Up until the 1930s, physicists believed that the Universe was more or less unchanging - that it had always been like it is. Albert Einstein was one of the most amazing physicists ever and he helped us see that space and time can change, but the speed of light is always the same. He wrote some equations, some maths, to show how things changed. Fr. George Lemaître took those equations and understood from them that the Universe was expanding and that it seemed to have started from a single point. We now call this the Big Bang. It is only a theory - it could be wrong - but it doesn’t look like it. Watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMBqa5BdN_8&feature=emb_logo Introduction to the Big Bang (3:50). (Activities 2 and 3.)

Key Point The Big Bang helped us understand the Universe better, and how it began. It is beautiful, and it was discovered by a Catholic priest who was also a physicist.

Summary We long to understand how and why. Science and religion seek answers to these questions, both using reason (though not only reason). Genesis 1-3 teach us about why creation happened; the Big Bang about how it happened. They are both beautiful - truth always is. Both faith and science enrich us; there is no contradiction between Christianity and science.

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Faith and Evolution

Learning Objective

Success Criteria

To recognise physical, biological and spiritual evolution and that all of them require a spiritual guide.

1. I can highlight examples of evolution and order in the world.

Charles Darwin observed adaption within species and in so doing came up with a theory of evolution. This isn’t the same as physics, where we can come up with a theory and test it by experimentation, but it is a very important theory. What we now know about genetics backs up a lot of what Darwin proposed about the “how” of evolution. However, right from the start, people have used his theory to argue against there being a “why” to evolution. This is anti-science, because observation cannot possibly prove there is no the reason for things. Indeed, the opposite is true: as we reasoned when considering the Mona Lisa (module 6d), when we see order, we automatically, and rightly, see intellect behind it. In an accessible way as possible, this lesson seeks to show the pupils that science, experience and philosophy all tell us that the physical, by itself does not become more complex, more ordered - but rather less. One of the fundamental definitions of life is that it is an organising principle - and as such there is a “nonphysical’”dimension to it. Faith and philosophy rationally seek the “why”; biology can only rationally seek the “how”: they work best in harmony. Please remember the podcast. Step 1 Listening is key and a list of vocabulary, possibly a glossary of terms, would be useful. Prompt children to note-take as they go. You are amazing! Yes, you. When thinking about what we should do when we grow up, and how much you need to grow, we can easily lose track of how amazing we are already. Seeing. Hearing. Talking. Walking. Thinking. Choosing. Loving. All are amazing. How did we come to be this amazing? The human brain is the most complex thing in the Universe by a long way (so far at least). Billions of neurons which, just like us humans, don’t work best by themselves, but by cooperation with each other and by building “relationships” in the brain - “neural pathways” we call them: just like within humanity, we try and build connections that help us grow. Ask: How did we come to be like this? And why? - those two important questions that we long to think about. In Genesis, all the animals and man and woman are made pretty well in an instant. But, as we’ve said, Genesis isn’t about “how’” but “why”. In science we tended to assume that things were always like they are, but then Charles Darwin observed lots of animals - including finches and tortoises - and came up with an idea that we physically evolved. It was an amazing idea that took the world by storm. It is beautiful. Since then, we understand a lot more about what happens on the very small level inside animals - we call this genetics, and how genes also work in relationship with each other, but those tiny changes in the order of these genes can cause very big changes in the living thing. The complexity of the gene is amazing. But where did it come from?

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2. I can see how evolution needs the spiritual dimension of life. 3. I can explain that God guides all evolution, and invites us to cooperate in it.

“When I see the heavens, the work of your hands, what is man that you care for him, mortal man that you care for him?” Psalm 8:3-4

Faith allows for the full evolution of humanity.

Step 2 Evolution gives us a good understanding of how, perhaps, all life came from very simple cell life, and gradually got more complex. We can’t prove this theory like we can in physics, because we can’t really come up with experiments reflecting things that happened over millions of years, but the genetic similarity between animals does very strongly argue that some sort of evolution is right, regarding the physical process that allows evolution to happen. But how could it possibly happen accidentally? Surely reason argues that an intellect was guiding such an amazing journey. For physical things to evolve they have to get more complex, which means they have more order. However, physics, experience and our reasoning all tell us something very important: that the physical can’t cause evolution to happen, it cannot order. The 2nd law of thermodynamics tells us that the physical by itself always becomes less ordered, not more.

“A moral being is one who is capable of reflecting on his past actions and their motives - of approving of some and disapproving of others.” Charles Darwin

Examples Imagine some helium balloons in a room. We know where the helium is! If I burst the balloon, very quickly the helium spreads throughout the room and I have no idea where any particular helium molecule is - the situation is less ordered. This is similar to sheep in a pen in a field. If someone opens the gate of the pen, very soon all the sheep will be all over the field: more random, less ordered. Similarly, if something hot is in contact with something colder, then heat passes to the colder body, until they are the same temperature, and that is less ordered than before.

Suggested Activities 1. Sorting/matching activity to assess understanding.

Turning to experience: if I put some garden tools in the shed over winter, when I go back for them in the spring, I hope they haven’t got less ordered by rusting - I hope they are the same as when I left them, but I don’t have any hope that something has happened to them that has made them more useful. That just doesn’t happen! So, we can see that the physical doesn’t order. So what does? One thing special to living things is that they are able to order things. Life orders. This really is a definition of life: that it orders. A visible example is the butterfly. The caterpillar eats lots of food, and then as a pupa, it orders all this food, transforming into something more ordered, more complex and more beautiful. How amazing is that? Even a simple plant takes sunlight and water and food and changes them, ordering them into itself, giving itself energy to grow. Animals can order more: they also order food etc. to keep themselves alive and grow. However, they can also order things around them to build nests etc. Humans can go further still, and order their thoughts which allows them to order so much more.

Life flows from God, through the spiritual, to the physical.

Key Point By looking at everything, and reflecting, we realise that the physical cannot order. Instead, life uniquely has the ability to order things. Therefore, life has a dimension that is more than physical: we call it spiritual. The Latin for ‘soul’ is anima from which we get the word ‘animals’: animals have an anima - a nonphysical dimension. (Also ‘animate’ means ‘bring to life’.)

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Step 3 So, the spirit can order and the physical cannot, but where does the spirit come from? It can’t just create itself. And it can’t evolve from something. So, it has to be created by God. Only God can give life. This is why we sense that the moment of creation of any creature is always very special: when God unites a soul with some physical cells. God also guides growth. So, when anything develops or evolves, it is God who is guiding this, and the new creation is cooperating by organise itself and its food to live and develop. Evolution is God and creation cooperating together to make a difference - which even for God is more fun! All this is especially true of humans, of persons. The moment of your creation is uniquely special. From then on you have the capacity to develop, but that is only in cooperation with your Creator. When you do, you help all of creation to evolve! As the Pilgrim People of God, therefore, we see that it is as a whole Universe that we are journeying into God… with us humans leading the way! Step 4

“A man’s friendships are one of the best measures of his worth.” Charles Darwin

Suggested Resources 1. Podcast available both in powerpoint and on website.

People have misused the theory of biological evolution to say there isn’t a God. This is illogical and unnecessary. It also takes away any sense of meaning and purpose in life. We are not an accidents!

2. Downloadable printout of two column table labelled “how” and “why” to assist with note taking.

The two key quotes from Charles Darwin help show that he very much understood the importance of growth and relationship in our own development - or evolution. Having a fertile heart is about these two aspects of life - growth and relationships - being central to our happiness, because we long to make a difference, or as we could now put it, cooperate in evolution!

3. Downloadable resource sheet for Activity 2.

This is not claiming that Darwin would have completely shared the vision of this module. Through the rest of his life, he grappled with his thoughts and his faith. He remained a moral person who helped his parish community, but in later life was more comfortable being an agnostic, though was never an atheist. His philosophy of Natural Selection (rather than his science) doesn’t fit in with the sense of purpose in evolution that we hold is rational. But we can allow his theory of evolution to open us up more to the evolution of all things into God - allowing us to stand up to opinions that try to shut God out of life. Our faith helps us to see all evolution as a whole. Physics helps us to understand the Big Bang and physical evolution. Biology helps us to understand the physical evolution of life. Our faith helps us to understand spiritual evolution - our growing into the very life of God. Understanding all this increases our sense of wonder! (Activity 1.)

Summary Life is amazing; human life even more so - never lose your sense of wonder! Darwin helps us to see that life physically evolves, and genetics backs this up. Reason, physics and experience tell us the spiritual guides the physical - life organises. God gives life. Evolution is God guiding life - which he invites us to cooperate in. The evolution of the Universe, of life and of humans is all part of one journey back to God.

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Talk about these in unison, rather than as a contradiction.

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Science and Christianity

Learning Objective

Success Criteria

To understand the historical and ongoing relationship between Science and Christianity.

1. I can recall how historically Christianity has helped science to blossom.

Key Words

2. I can understand that this is because of what Christianity says about creation and reason.

Observe: To concentrate on what we can see and to record it accurately. Concept: A thought or idea that helps us to understand things we can see. Verify: To check our thinking, to see if it is right. A large part of our culture tells us that Christianity and science don’t get on. The tribunal of Galileo is normally mentioned as proof of this. In fact, there were two tribunals for him - in 1616 and 1633. At the first one, under the saintly Robert Bellarmine, Galileo agreed that he could not prove that the earth revolved around the sun, and so agreed to keep quiet - though he was not asked to stop researching. At the second one, Bellarmine had died and his gentleness was replaced with a more confrontational atmosphere from both sides. It was not the Church’s finest hour; they got it wrong. However, throughout history the Catholic Church has promoted science and education. It is only in Catholic Europe that universities took off, which was a key factor in the distinguishing of different academic disciplines. History actually bears out that science uniquely thrived in Christianity. This lesson looks very briefly at this and the reasons why it is true. It is central to the children’s development, as they seek to mature amidst the world of pressures and influences that they are entering, that they are equipped as much as possible, with the ability to reflect, in faith and reason, on what is true and what should be rejected. Please remember the podcast.

3. I can see how Christianity and science need each other to conquer superstition.

“God, our saviour... wants everyone to be saved and reach full knowledge of the truth.” 1 Tim. 2:4

Step 1 Recall prior learning: (module 6i) Give the children 20 seconds to name as many ways as they can in which science and technology affect our lives. Take feedback. Technology pervades our life, and it expands what we can do, and the comfort in which we can do it. Explain: Science really took off around 400 years ago. In lots of cultures beforehand, people had invented things, understood and discovered certain things, been able to measure the heavens and build amazing things. But no culture beforehand ever got to the stage where science took off. Most cultures have enriched our common heritage, and Western culture has been far from completely beneficial, but it still remains that almost every invention that affects our life now emerged from, or has been developed by, Christian Europe and America. The truth of that is plain to see. Is this coincidence? That seems difficult to believe - of all the cultures on Earth, throughout history, including many if not all, that sought knowledge, only one gave birth to robust scientific investigation that allows for ongoing development - but is this just coincidence? If only one person in the football team could kick the ball 60 yards, and they were the only person who had different boots, the most obvious thing to investigate would be whether it was those boots that meant they could kick further. Some people go even further and say that Christianity and science are almost enemies - that’s even harder to understand since science emerged from Christian culture. Step 2 Explain: Let’s look at why science uniquely came to birth within Christianity. What do we need for science to “work”? Firstly, we need things to obey laws. If sometimes this 106

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The Norse God, Thor.

pen fell to the ground when I dropped it, but at other times, under exactly the same conditions, it went up, then we can’t discover how things work or predict them. If you believe that thunder and lightning happen because Thor bangs his hammer on his anvil, as the Norse people did, then you don’t bother looking for laws and practical reasons. In fact, all western pagan religions tended to think that there was a pantheon of gods “up there”- maybe on Mount Olympus, or in Asgard or some Otherworld. For them, creation was an accident, and all religion could do was convince a god to help us or at least leave us alone, but all this was on their whim - the god could change their mind at any time, and were normally too busy living out a sort of soap opera - a sort of “divine Eastenders” to be really bothered with us. None of this encourages us to look for laws behind the physical world. Whereas, in Genesis God deliberately creates us, and even in the Old Testament God was seen as constant and always faithful, a God who wanted relationship with us. Remember the story of Moses and God speaking to him from the burning bush (Exodus 3:14)? When Moses asked his name, God said it was, “I AM who AM.” He was telling Moses that he was unchanging - Moses could rely on God and his faithfulness. (Activity 1.)

Key Point

“Whoever labours to penetrate the secrets of reality with a humble and steady mind, even if he is unaware of the fact, is nevertheless being led by the hand of God, who holds all things in existence, and gives them their identity.” Vatican II, The Church in the Modern World, n. 36.

For science to work, you need to do three things: you need to absorb information from the world (observation); you need to think about what you see and draw out what we call concepts from it; then you need to verify your thinking - to see if it is right or not. But we will only do this if we first of all believe that a lawful God created the Universe and has given us the power to discover his laws. Step 3 Explain: The three stages necessary for science are observation, creating concepts, and then verifying these. The observation and verifying are done through the physical, whereas the thinking is done in the mind. Therefore we need to trust the physical and the spiritual - and very few religions did. It is the religions of the Bible that are able to see the goodness of the spiritual and the physical. We look at three ways different religions failed: being over-physical; being superstitious; and being over-spiritual. Lots of religions were like the Egyptians - very physical. They worshipped beetles, goats and such. When a pharaoh died he was buried with a boat or chariot to get him to the Otherworld, and all the belongings he needed when there, often including his wife - even though she was still alive! They could not see that these physical things couldn’t really help once he was dead. They couldn’t move to the spiritual, because for them everything was physical. When we taught you arithmetic, we first taught you that 4 apples and 5 apples makes 9 apples. Then we taught you that 4 + 5 = 9. Now, that seems obvious to you, but that’s because you have learnt how to think in concepts. If you asked an ancient Egyptian what 5 stone blocks + 4 stone blocks were, they would know the answer, but they would struggle with 5 + 4, because they didn’t really do concept - their religion stopped them because it was over-physical. Their hieroglyphics were an amazing invention, but remained as each symbol representing a specific thing. They did have letters where a symbol didn’t represent a thing but a sound - but they only used them for Pharaoh’s name, because in general, they didn’t see the importance of concept.

Statue of Galileo, Florence, Italy.

Also: Some religions were too superstitious. The Mayans measured the seasons etc., but their two sacred numbers were 13 and 20, so primarily, their year was 260 days - taking priority over their physical measurements. 107

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Additionally: Other religions were too spiritual - and thought the physical was like a prison that trapped us. This included the Greeks. Plato thought that we all knew everything and just needed help in remembering, and if we could be free of our bodies, we would remember everything. If you believe that, you don’t observe or verify. Aristotle was better: he observed very carefully, but he didn’t think it was necessary to verify. He thought that force = mass x velocity, which isn’t bad, but is wrong. It took us nearly 2,000 years to find out, through Isaac Newton, that force = mass x acceleration. You’ll do more about that at secondary school, but the important thing for now is that if only Aristotle had checked, he would had found he was wrong. He also thought a body twice as heavy, would fall twice as fast. Eventually Galileo showed this was false - they fell at the same rate. If only he had checked! (Activity 2.)

Key Point The absorbing and verifying of science are done through the physical, the thinking is done in the mind. This means you need to see the importance of both the physical and the spiritual to be a real scientist. This might seem obvious - but it wasn’t to a lot of cultures. Step 4 Explain: Another thing science needs to thrive is the ability to evolve, to develop. Once we’re confident we have understood something, we can then build on that, and develop. Most eastern religions believe that reality happens in cycles - that what happens will happen again. Believing this doesn’t encourage us to try to develop. Would you believe, Christianity, and especially Catholicism, is the only religion with inbuilt evolution in it? We’re back to the Pilgrim People of God! Life is an onward journey of discovery. (Activity 3.)

Suggested Activities 1. Class discussion: sharing things the children have made and the questions we would like to ask them. 2. Sorting/matching activity showing the thinking of different cultures. 3. Compose prayers to contribute to a thanksgiving service.

Suggested Resources 1. Podcast, available both in powerpoint and on website. 2. Downloadable resource sheet for Activity 2.

Summary For science to truly grow, we need creation to obey laws, we need the confidence to know that there are laws, and the ability to discover them. We need to understand the importance of the spiritual and the physical - of absorbing information, forming concepts from it and checking these concepts. We need to believe in reason above superstition. We need to have an understanding of development of knowledge. It is only Christianity that has all these beliefs and understandings, and that is why science truly came to life under Christianity. Thank God for our faith, and for science!

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A Fertile Heart | Receiving & Giving Creative Love

Be thankful for faith, reason and truth.

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A Fertile Heart Receiving & Giving Creative Love

If you don’t know how a car works, you’re not likely to be able to fix it. If you don’t know how crops grow, you’re not likely to be a great farmer. If you don’t understand a mobile phone, you’re not likely to get the most out of it. Understanding what it is to be a human person will help us know how to think and act, and so be happy and fulfilled. This booklet goes from Y3 to Y6, comprising eleven modules every year. It seeks to give a coherent vision of what it is to be human, empowering the young person to understand themselves more deeply, and therefore make better choices. In KS1 we focused on Bible stories to help the children learn about life, growing and love. This continues in Y3, with a focus on Jesus in John’s Gospel, and in particular, on receiving and giving love. In Y4 we begin to turn to reason more, to help the children grasp the foundational understandings of personhood and relationship. Just as there is no point in branching out into other subjects if children have not learnt how to read, write and do arithmetic, so it is more important to thoroughly cover the essentials than it is to cover a breadth of less important things. Thus, personhood, relationship, dignity, freedom, happiness, tolerance and the importance of being rational and being open to faith are all dealt with thoroughly. A Fertile Heart unites thinking, reflecting, praying and discussing. It uses lessons, videos, activities and music. It invites parents, school and parish to unite in helping our young people to grow into truly life-giving, happy, fulfilled persons.

RRP £9.99 ISBN 978-1-7397628-6-5

9 781739 762865 Version 7 | September 2021