Supporting Whanau

DEVELOPMENT OF NZ RE CURRICULUM

The development of the New Zealand RE curriculum began in 1994.


It is made up of 6 learning strands:
God
Jesus
Holy Spirit
Church
Sacrament
Communion of Saints

These form the main teaching strands and cover the teachings of the Catholic Catechism. 

There are 4 learning modules:
The Liturgical Year
Prayer
Myself and Others
Sacramental Celebrations

These supplement the program and should are used as required throughout the year.
We usually start each term with a week of learning from the prayer module.
Sacramental celebrations and the liturgical year are used as appropriate e.g. for teaching on specific feast days.
Myself and Others is the accompaniment to the NZ Health Curriculum.  It is expected that teaching in the Health Curriculum is taught through the lens of "Myself and 
Others."

There are other picture and music resources supplied to support the curriculum.

The Family-Whanau book was traditionally given to families when their first child 
started school.  It is a resource which guides parents through a basic understanding 
of the RE curriculum.  This resource is now available online:


To view Family Whanau book click link
Religious Education :Te Whakaakoranga Whakapono
What is Religious Education: Te Whakaakoranga Whakapono about?
Religious Education in Catholic primary schools is about teaching and learning what the Catholic Church believes and teaches.  It enables children to know, understand and appreciate what the Catholic Church believes and teaches and how it celebrates, lives and prays.  It also teaches them how to respond freely to God according to their gift of faith.
Why study Religious Education: Te Whakaakoranga Whakapono?
Catholic schools exist because of their Special Character and Religious Education is an integral part of it.  All learning areas in Catholic schools seek to develop children’s knowledge, understanding, skills, attitudes and values in keeping with the Gospel values of Jesus Christ.  In Religious Education children learn what it means to be Catholic, how they can take their place as members of the Catholic Church, to understand the faith response to the ultimate questions about the origin and purpose of human life and to develop the skills required to engage in an examination of and reflection upon religious belief and practice.  At the heart of Religious Education is the fostering of the spiritual lives of children and the development of their relationship with God.
How is the Religious Education Curriculum structured?
The Religious Education curriculum consists of:
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Format and Structure of the Religious Education Curriculum
The Religious Education curriculum sets out clear areas of knowledge for children to learn and understand at each year level.  The curriculum provides a variety of ways for the required knowledge to be taught and learnt and seeks to cater for the increasingly wide range of children, with their diversity of cultures and learning styles, their various levels of ability and literacy, who attend our Catholic primary schools.  The digital RE Resource allows teachers to incorporate 21st century technology into their teaching and learning.
The Learning Strands and Learning Modules
The expected learning in Religious Education is spread through six Learning Strands and four Learning Modules.  These identify the major content areas to be covered in Religious Education during the eight years of primary school.
The Learning Strands are:
·    God - Te Atua - Io Matua Kore - “the Father almighty”[1]
·    Jesus Christ - Hehu Karaiti - “his only Son Our Lord”[2]
·    The Holy Spirit - Te Wairua Tapu - “the Lord, the giver of Life”[3]
·    Church - Community of Disciples - Te Whānau a Te Karaiti
·    Sacrament - Hakarameta
·    Communion of Saints - Te Kotahitanga o Te Hunga Tapu
The Learning Modules are:
·       Liturgical Year
·       Prayer                      
·       Sacramental Celebrations
·       Myself and Others
These Learning Modules are to be used at appropriate times of the year and are essential learning material.  The Prayer and Sacramental Celebrations modules are published in one book.
Cross Strand Themes
Cross Strand Themes are contexts of essential learning that are interwoven throughout the Learning Strands.
The Cross Strand Themes are:
·    Scripture/Tradition
·    Prayer/Liturgy
·    Doctrine
·    Christian Living
Format of the Curriculum Content
The Learning Strands and Learning Modules contain the basic content of the curriculum and they specify what will be taught during each year of the eight year levels in New Zealand Primary schools.
This format allows for flexibility within schools.  Schools are able to decide which Years are most appropriate for use with their composite classes.  Schools can record which Years are to be used in their annual School Plan.  This format also allows for long term planning within schools.
Achievement Aims
Each Learning Strand and Learning Module has a set of Achievement Aims which gives an overview of the content to be covered in each strand and supplementary resource during the eight years of primary education.  These aims are not assessable.  From the Achievement Aims more specific ideas called Achievement Objectives are derived for each year.
Achievement Objectives
At each year a set of achievement objectives describes the expected learning in knowledge, understanding, skills, attitudes and values related to Religious Education.  These are assessable.
From these Achievement Objectives specific Learning Outcomes are developed for each lesson.




[1] The Apostles Creed.
[2] The Apostles Creed.
[3] The Nicene Creed.
                                                                                                                      


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Veritas means truth                                                    JJ means Just like Jesus &        Journey with Jesus
Religious Education at St Joseph’s
  • The RE curriculum is consistent with the vision and the principles of the New Zealand Curriculum. The RE curriculum has high expectations, acknowledges the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, reflects cultural diversity, seeks to be inclusive, encourages coherence in learning, engages children in reflection on their learning, connects children to the wider community of faith and is future focused. It also engages with all of the key competencies and is firmly based on Gospel values.
  • All children will take part in the Religious Education Programme at the appropriate level.
  • Religious Education lessons will be taken with the following time allocations -
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  • Experiences of Prayer and Liturgy will flow from and support the Religious Education lessons
  • The teaching approaches used will be varied and based on the needs of the children and the content of the programme.
  • The Religious Education programme will be integrated with other curriculum areas where possible.
  • There will be regular communication with the family through the weekly news and class blogs.
  • The school and the parish will support the family in the Sacramental preparation of their children
ASSESSMENT
  • SOLO (Structured of Observed Learning Outcomes) The whole school assess to the main concepts taught in each strand using SOLO. Progress will be tracked (presently 2014-2016). Gaps identified from previous year are reviewed and inform teaching for current year.
  • Whanau groups from across the school meet at the end of a strand to share their learning from the strand.

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