Planning the Church's Educational Ministries
(Updated)Curriculum Overview 2009
This list represent many (not all) of the curricula used in churches in the Massachusetts Conference, UCC.
Prior to considering resources and curricula for educational ministries, take a few moments to have a conversation around the following questions. Possible conversation partners might include CE director, pastor(s), CE committees, teachers, etc. Your answers will guide your selection process.
-
Does you congregation have a vision for education? How will these resources help you carry out your congregation’s vision?
-
Are these resources consistent with the overall life of the congregations—its worship practices, outreach, and mission?
-
How is the Bible used in the material? Which translation of the Bible is used or suggested?
-
What are the theological beliefs expressed in the material?
-
How are God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit described and portrayed? What kind of language is used?
-
How are the theological beliefs consistent with those of you congregation and the beliefs shared from the pulpit?
-
How do these resources reflect diversity, or the need for diversity in your congregation, denomination, or community?
-
How are men, women, families, and people of different ethnicities, abilities and faiths portrayed?
-
Is the language in the curriculum consistent with the language used in your church setting?
-
How are leaders and teachers supported in ways that give them confidence?
-
How do these resources encourage home or parental participation?
-
What would be the overall cost—including all required materials—to use these resources in this setting?
*Akaloo
Publisher: Augsburg Fortress
Foundation Statement: Everyone is united behind a single theme: We are called to follow Jesus.
Content: The program is organized by age group—Children, Youth, and Adults—with each stage focusing on five areas or units of discipleship: Bible, God, Disciple, Church, and World.
Teacher Support: Answers stop a conversation—questions keep it alive. With Akaloo, disciples grow through age-appropriate questions that increase in complexity and repeat across the lifespan: "Who is God's Son?" "How can my family help others?" "What is God calling me to become?" Each Akaloo lesson responds to these questions, offering further questions and continued growth.
Format: Downloadable and printed materials.
More information: www.akaloo.org
*Best of Whole People of God
Publisher: Woodlake Publishing
Foundation Statement: Explore, live and celebrate our faith with lessons related to everyday life.
Content: Lectionary based. Follows the Revised Common Lectionary.
Teacher Support: Detailed lesson outline for each class.
Format: All materials are download-able. You print only what you need.
More information: www.wholepeopleofgod.org
*Gather Round: Hearing and Sharing God’s Good News
Publisher: Brethren & Mennonite (can purchase through the UCC Resources)
Foundation Statement: Bible Story centered with an emphasis on strengthening the connection between church and home, discipleship, and peace and justice issues.
Content: Biblically based on three foundational texts; Luke 10:27 (…where two or three are gathered…), Matthew 18:20 (the golden Rule) and Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (the shema).
Teacher Support: Teacher guide contains detailed lesson plan for each class. Accompany pack with posters and reproducible sheets
Format: Leader’s Guide, resource pack and magazine for kids
More information: www.gatherround.org
Living the Good News
Publisher: Moorehouse Publishing
Foundation Statement: The leading lectionary-based curriculum that helps bring the weekly readings alive for all ages.
Content: Lectionary based
Teacher Support: Detailed lesson outline for each class.
Format: Leader’s Guide, take home sheet and companion visuals
More information: http://www.livingthegoodnews.com/rcl_lectbased.htm
*Rock Solid
Publisher: Cokesbury
Foundation Statement: In order for children to have faith and build a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, they must first experience what faith is like and see it lived out in the adults around them
Content: 3 year cycle - Bible story based.
Teacher Support: Detailed lessons for each class using multiple intelligences.
Format: Leader guide, bible story book and fun pack.
More information: www.iamrocksolid.com or www.cokesbury.com
*Seasons of the Spirit
Publisher: United Church Press, Multidenominational
Foundation Statement: To provide God's people with lectionary-based, ecumenical resources that empower all ages to be transformed in Christ as they explore meaning and mystery in the Bible and celebrate in worship, sacraments, education, and service
Content: Lectionary based
Teacher Support: Leader’s guide includes materials for photocopying. Detailed class outline with variety of activities. The congregational life material ties the learning in Sunday school to worship experience.
Format: Materials can be purchased on paper, disc or downloadable
More information: www.spiritseasons.com
*One Room School House
Publisher: Cokesbury
Foundation Statement: Living and Learning God’s word. A curriculum specifically created for small multi-age classrooms.
Content: Quarterly scope and sequence 33% OT and 66%NT
Teacher Support: Teacher book contains specific plans for designing lessons. Pictures, games, maps, songs, posters included.
Format: Everything comes packaged together
More information: www.cokesbury.com
Workshop Rotation Curricula
Come Join the Circle - www.logosproductions.com
Come Join the Circle welcomes learners and leaders into the heart of the Bible’s great stories. These rotation-style learning materials help create the kind of learning environment where the Bible is at the center and fun and creativity abound.
-
Features of Come Join the Circle:
-
Holistic - Relies on leading mainline theology - Honors all people and cultures through language, music, and art - Encourages learners to live their faith in community - Raises awareness of the wider world
-
Inexpensive - Each unit includes all necessary materials for students and teachers - One unit equips any size church school - Each unit can be used for 3–5 weeks - Resources are reproducible and reusable
-
Intergenerational - Ages 3–12 explore the same story each unit - Reproducible newsletter shares themes with the whole congregation
-
Supportive - Each unit includes teacher training - Come Join the Circle Planning Guide ($12.95) offers program overview and additional background information
-
Complete - Biblical and educational backgrounds included for leaders - Three to six storytelling options - Response activities organized in eight different learning centers - Resource comes with print music, reproducible lyrics, CD, and color teaching visuals
*Cornerstone - http://www.cstones.com/
-
Cornerstones Publishing is committed to supporting and empowering the educational ministries of the local church by providing creative, flexible, biblically sound educational resources. With engaging curriculum, both participants and teachers will develop a faith that is integrated with their life experiences.
Cornerstones Publishing is the only Christian education curriculum that allows you to customize your education program. Our unique CD format allows you to custom fit the curriculum to meet the educational goals of your congregation.
Cornerstones offers you:
-
The convenience of over 600 lessons at your fingertips with our exclusive CD format - Every story has up to 11 lessons for you to choose from - The ability to choose one lesson at a time, a full unit or a full year of curriculum - The ability to have instant access to lessons via our web site ordering process - The ability to edit the lessons to suit your congregation - The ability to email the lessons to your teachers.
*Potters Workshops - http://www.potters-workshops.com/
The Potter’s Workshops writes and publishes Christian Sunday School Curriculum for the Workshop Rotation Model using the multiple intelligences theory of learning by Howard Gardner and is biblically based using key themes and concepts. The Potter’s Workshops believes that the workshop rotation model is more than just snazzy room environments and fun activities. We believe that Biblical concepts drive the rotational units, stories and engaging activities are the vehicles, and the room environment is an enhancement. The Potter's Workshops curriculum will uphold the integrity of your workshop rotation model Sunday school. It honors children as multi-dimensional learners with God-given multiple intelligences. It is solidly based on theology, current research in education, and educational best practices.
-
THE POTTER'S WORKSHOPS PROVIDES YOU WITH multiple intelligence based curriculum, biblically based curriculum using key themes and concepts, theologically sound curriculum, creatively designed curriculum for children Kindergarten through Sixth Grade, rotational units on CD that are adaptable and easily modified to your Church's needs, curriculum that makes spiritual connections to children's lives, teacher-friendly lessons.
*PowerExpress - www.cokesbury.com
Ideal for churches using a rotation format where children alternate between learning stations each week. Engage children in Bible stories and characters by using your volunteers' skills as artists, cooks, musicians, technicians, or fun-loving teachers!
-
Designed for children in kindergarten through sixth grade, this curriculum provides complete lesson plans, scripts, and activities, as well as ideas for station setups, and a complete listing of resources needed. Also in each unit are a CD, print music, and lyric transparencies. Each resource includes eight stations: Art, Computer, Cooking, Games, Music, Science, Storytelling, Video
*5 week Rotations from Woodlake Books (publishers of Whole People of God) www.woodlakebooks.com
Additional web based resource www.rotation.org
Other Methodology
*Godly Play – www.godlyplay.com
http://www.faith-at-home.com/godly-play.html This website offers a very good description of how Godly Play works.
Godly Play teaches children the art of using religious language - parable, sacred story, silence and liturgical action - helping them become more fully aware of the mystery of God’s presence in their lives.
"Godly play" is a term coined by Jerome Berryman to describe an approach to children's spiritual formation that is based on creating a sacred space in which to present the stories of our faith, wonder about them together, and then allow the children open-ended opportunities, usually with art supplies, to engage the story on their own terms.
The stories are told very simply, with simple props, and without interpretation or moral instruction. After a story is presented, the children and the storyteller wonder together about aspects of the story that draw their interest. For instance, with the parable of the Good Shepherd, they might wonder together how the sheep felt as they followed the shepherd. Or whether the sheep have names. Or how it might feel to be inside the sheepfold.
After a time of exploring the story with wondering, the story is put away, the children choose the art supplies they would like to work with, and they spend some time creating whatever they choose, in response to what they feel is most important in the story, or most interesting.
All Godly Play materials can be purchased through the Godly Play website: www.godlyplay.com
*Samples of these curricula for viewing on site are available at the Massachusetts Conference Resource Center.
This list was compiled by the Massachusetts Conference United Church of Christ Resource Center. The Center is made possible by Our Churches Wider Mission and Fellowship Dues.
|
