Curriculum and Instruction
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Christian Education Curriculum
Philosophy
- Pastoral Letter on Catholic Schools by the Catholic Bishops of B.C.
- Guiding Principles of Christian Education
- Sexuality Education Guidelines
Assessment
- CE Proficiency Scale
- Discipleship in CE Proficiency
- Cross Referencing CE Curricular Competencies with Core Competencies
Education Curriculum
- K-12 Scope & Sequence of Big Ideas
- K-12 Scope & Sequence of Content
- Kindergarten Word | PDF
- Grade 1 Word | PDF
- Grade 2 Word | PDF
- Grade 3 Word | PDF
- Grade 4 Word | PDF
- Grade 5 Word | PDF
- Grade 6 Word | PDF
- Grade 7 Word | PDF
- Grade 8 Word | PDF
- Grade 9 Word | PDF
- Grade 10 Word | PDF
- Grade 11 Word | PDF
- Grade 12 Word | PDF
CISVA UNIT PLANNING FRAMEWORK
INTRODUCTION
| The BC Curriculum presents what your students are expected to Know, Do and Understand. How students arrive at these expectations is not prescribed. A unit plan brings together the elements that are essential for 21st century learning: a concept-based approach to learning and a focus on the development of competencies to foster deeper, more transferable learning within a Catholic Worldview. The Framework is not intended to be a template that is filled out by a teacher, but to guide the teacher’s thinking and decision-making as he/she creates a unit plan. The unit plan is an organized, flexible, working plan structured to meet the learners’ needs that includes: 1. The Essential Elements that must be in a teacher’s unit plan. 2. The Guiding Questions that align with the spirit of the Redesigned Curriculum that allows a teacher to explore new, open-ended, more flexible ways of planning, rather than meeting a minimal standard. 3. The Framework encourages teachers to focus their planning through the lens of the Catholic Worldview as based on thePrinciples of Catholic Education. |
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| CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS | |
| ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS | GUIDING QUESTIONS |
| Catholic Worldview | 1. How has the Catholic Worldview been infused throughout your unit plan (content, methodology & resources)? 2. How are the Principles of Catholic Education demonstrated in your unit plan? |
| Core Competencies | 1. How does your unit plan reflect how the core competencies align with the age/stage of your students within the context of the development continuum? |
| Big Ideas (Understand) | 1. What are the fundamental ideas in your unit plan on which new concepts will be built? 2. What are the enduring understandings your students will be able to remember and apply throughout their lives? |
| Curricular Competencies (Do) | 1. What are students expected to be able to do? 2. What are the opportunities for students to make meaningful and real-life connections? |
| Curricular Content (Know) | 1. What content and concepts are students expected to know? |
| EVIDENCE OF LEARNING | |
| ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS | GUIDING QUESTIONS |
| Assessment Practices | 1. How will assessment criteria be communicated to or co-created with students? 2. How does the assessment allow students to receive ongoing feedback in order to make revisions and improve their learning? 3. How will students demonstrate their understandings of the curricular connections in multiple ways? 4. What opportunities will there be for students to reflect on their thinking and feelings as part of their learning? 5. How will parents provide ongoing feedback to contribute to their child’s learning? |
| LEARNING EXPERIENCES | |
| ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS | GUIDING QUESTIONS |
| Flexible Learning Environment | 1. How will you intentionally build a sacred, inclusive, safe and caring learning environment? 2. How will you create a flexible learning environment with the creative use of time and space to adapt to students’ needs and interests? |
| Evidence of Differentiation | 1. How will you make learning accessible for all students to succeed? 2. How do you support the individual spiritual, social, emotional, physical and academic needs of your students? |
| Personalized Learning Opportunities | 1. What opportunities are there for continued development of literacy and/or numeracy skills? 2. How will you provide opportunities to engage students (i.e. voice & choice) and access background knowledge? 3. How have you scaffolded learning to help students move from a concrete understanding to transforming and applying their learning? 4. How does your unit plan connect to more than one area of learning to examine an inquiry, theme, issue, problem, topic, or experience? 5. What opportunities have you provided for integrating the First Peoples Principles of Learning? |
| ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS | |
| ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS | GUIDING QUESTIONS |
| Teacher Reflection | 1. How did it go? 2. What do I need to change? 3. Where to next? |
| Resources | 1. What materials, technologies, equipment, etc. will you use? |
FOUNDATIONS OF THE CATHOLIC FAITH
The “Foundations of the Catholic Faith” course is a “condition of employment” requirement for teachers new to the CISVA schools and should be completed within the first three years of employment. Further information can be found in the Policy 313 Memorandum of Agreement for the Foundations of the Catholic Faith.
Teachers can register for the Foundations of Faith on our Professional Development page.
I AM A GIFT FROM GOD
“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.” – Luke 10:27-28
The “I Am a Gift from God” program is mandated by the Archbishop and designed to be integrated with the existing religious education program. It is intended that the home, the school, and the parish will combine their efforts in this program designed to protect the dignity and worth of God’s children.
The “I Am a Gift from God” program begins with God’s love for us. It invites the children, and their families, to reflect on and appreciate the love they receive from family members, friends, and others. It provides children with the fundamental skills to safeguard themselves and encourages children to express themselves to their parents, other family members, friends, and trusted adults. It invites children to seek and be supported by the community in the best Christian tradition. It is about hope and the shared responsibility of the Christian community to promote and protect the dignity and worth of God’s children.
This program is implemented in all CISVA schools in Grades K and 3.
PRINCIPLES OF CATHOLIC EDUCATION
(C) CHRIST-CENTERED – Catholic Education fosters a personal relationship with Jesus Christ in the family of the Church; our faith in Christ is evident and permeates all facets of the educational environment.
(A) APOSTOLIC – Catholic Education is founded on and guided by the truth of the Gospel, beginning with the apostles and handed on by the Pope and bishops.
(T) TRADITION – Catholic Education guides us in the selection of excellent content, pedagogy and resources in the pursuit of Truth through faith and reason.
(H) HOLY – Catholic Education draws upon scripture, the sacraments and prayer to help us to respond to the universal call to holiness.
(O) ONE – Catholic Education responds to Christ’s desire “that they may all be one” (John 17.21) by integrating the various parts of what we learn into the coherent whole.
(L) LOVE – Catholic Education calls us to witness that God is love; and therefore, recognizes the inherent dignity of every human person, especially the marginalized and most vulnerable.
(I) INALIENABLE – Catholic Education promotes that “the right and the duty of parents to educate their children are primordial and inalienable” and “parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children” (CCC 2221, 2223).
(C) COMMUNION/COMMUNITY – Catholic Education is inclusive and welcoming where every student is nurtured in developing a right relationship with God and others by balancing the rights of the individual with the Common Good.