General Outcomes 1: Explore how believing is integral to human living (8-18 hours). Investigate the role of truth, goodness, the spiritual and religious community in the search to believe (4-5 hours).

Focus: What does it mean to believe? What contributes to our beliefs? What do you believe? Can something come from nothing? Does God exist? Do humans have immortal soul? Do humans have free will? What does it mean to be a Christian in the world today?

Specific Topics:

1. What does God think about us?
2. What kind of person do I want to become?
3. Basis of Belief.
4. Important moments?
5. Reflect on what you believe.
6. I believe in music.
7. Personal Essay Tips.
8. Values
9. Personal Writing Prompts
10. What do you believe?

General Outcomes 2: Study the Bible as a source of Christian belief (11-17.5 hours). Understand the message of Jesus (21-42 hours). Identify ways in which Christians cooperate in bringing about the Reign of God (10-35 Hours).

Focus: What is the relationship between the Bible and Christian beliefs? How does the Catholic community understand the Bible? Why is Jesus important? What did Jesus teach? Can something come from nothing? Does God exist? Do humans have immortal soul? Do humans have free will? What does it mean to be a Christian in the world today?

Specific Topics:

1. The last supper.
2. The life of Jesus.
3. Temptation.
4. Jesus and the money changers.
5. The teachings of Jesus.
6. Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Zealots.
7. Pharisees and Jesus.
8. The lost sheep.
9. The prodigal son.
10. The Rich Fool.
11. The Golden Rule.
12. Love of enemies.
13. The treasure and the pearl.
14. The Good Samaritan.
15. Paralyzed.
16. Blindness.
17. The wild man of Gerasenes.
18. Have no fear.
19. Doing good works.
20. The importance of love.

General Outcomes 3: Explore believing in the Great Religions of the East, Hinduism and Buddhism (8-12 hours).

Focus: How can we better understand the Great Religions of the East? Can something come from nothing? Does God exist? Do humans have immortal soul? Do humans have free will? What does it mean to be a Christian in the world today?

Specific Topics:

1. Origins of Hinduism.
2. Facts about Hinduism.
3. The spread of Hinduism.
4. Hinduism or Sanatana Dharma.
5. Dharma.

Final Exam Hint:
Final Exam: Seven key themes of Social Justice What does it mean to be a Christian in the world today? What does the Catholic Church teach about Social Justice?

FYI
Religious Studies 25 Course General Outline
Religious Studies 25 Focus Questions: Believing is Integral to Human Living

©2009 Pingo Lingo. All Rights Reserved.

Consider the “Decisions–Action or Apathy” focus questions.

Focus your discussion on a book(s) you have read this term.

What ideas(s) does the author of your chosen text(s) reveal to you about values, beliefs, and pressures that surround decision making?

Pingback/comment your final post here.

©2009 Pingo Lingo. All Rights Reserved.

What are the most amazing mobile apps out there? I bet nothing on any other mobile phone platform compares to the iPhone, though.

©2009 Pingo Lingo. All Rights Reserved.

After reading The Bean Trees, making some notes, and writing the exam, choose a focus questions for your essay. Try one of these questions as written by your classmates:
View Poll

Pingback your essay ASAP.

©2009 Pingo Lingo. All Rights Reserved.

A while back I received the following invitation:
“A Panacea of Poetry East Central is having a poetry contest! It will be positively poetic and panoptic!

The first phase we undertook in Grades 9 and 10 was to explore Ladders to the Dark. The first poem was published, April 21, 2009. And today 38 students have written over 350 poems, fragments, and musings.

Links to all published poems can be found at our Queneau blog, aka Random Poetry, in the comments section following each exercise.

Now, here’s what I would like to see from students, today:

1. Write a post that contains links to three of your best poems and/or links to three of the best poems written by your classmates
2. Submit a comment below with a link to that post.
3. Return to this blog later today to find out who I’ve seleted to advance to the next phase

Today, three poems in Grade 9 and three poems from Grade 10 will be entered in the next phase of the contest.

Winners(and prizes???) of A Panacea of Poetry will be announced June 15, 2009.

Good luck.

UPDATE: 3:30PM May 6, 2009
The Finalists:
Grade 9
My Mind Is High
Ivory
In the Midst of the Fire
Grade 10
Unique
Reflection
Turning Back

©2009 Pingo Lingo. All Rights Reserved.

We recently watched The Terminal with Tom Hanks.

We looked at the true story of Merhan Nasseri.

What do you think about this “Lost Canadians” news article at CBC?

What do you think about this video titled “Waking up Canadian”?

Consider questions related to our course focus in your writing: The Human Condition: In Search of Self.

Pingback SVP.

©2009 Pingo Lingo. All Rights Reserved.

Tonight I was “surfing the net while sitting on the couch” again and I stumbled upon a terrific site for generating random ideas for writing short stories.

“Tropes are storytelling devices and conventions that a writer can reasonably rely on as being present in the audience members’ minds and expectations.”

Here’s one

And another …

The real value is when you click the Setting, Plot, Narrative Device, Hero, Villain, Character As Device, and Characterization Device. A wiki opens explaining the pattern, theme, cliché, or archetype with connections to examples from literature, film, comics, and video games. Very rich. Happy digging.

Have you ever googled “Applied Phlebotinum“?

©2009 Pingo Lingo. All Rights Reserved.

Create a “Who Am I?” crossword puzzle for your group/class.

• get every person’s name to fit somewhere
• get at least one descriptive adverb or adjective for each person in the group
• get at least one favorite activity listed for each person

Example clues:
Across:

1. a friendly boy, when he’s not playing basketball
2. Bob’s favorite sport

Use the following, or similar, crossword puzzle maker.

Attach a printable copy of your completed puzzle to a post and pingback here.

©2009 Pingo Lingo. All Rights Reserved.

Grandfather would prowl through the living room as though seeking a place of rest and not finding it, would stare fixedly without speaking, and would then descend the basement steps to the rocking chair which sat beside the furnace. — Margaret Laurence, “Mask of the Bear”(139)

… not selfishly–or not always selfishly, we are in search of our identity, the identity of our human condition.
- Malcolm Ross & John Stevens

The most profound discovery that we can make is our discovery of self. Our identity rests in the kind of people we are. To understand who we are and to develop fully as human beings, we must explore the nature of our humanness and the purpose of our lives. Who and what are we? What are the common human qualities and ideals we hold? What roles do other people (e.g., friends, family) play in our lives? What brings us joy, inspiration, and fulfillment? What doubts and fears do we have? By examining our lives and searching for answers to these and other questions, we can find meaning and fulfillment as human beings.

The life which is unexamined is not worth living.
- Plato

Read closely Margaret Laurence’s, “The Mask of the Bear.”

As the title suggests, masks are a significant literary device in the development of character in this story.

30-1 Write a five paragraph essay in which you discuss the ideas suggested by Laurence about the relationship between masks and the search for identity.

30-2 Write a five paragraph essay about masks. Research masks, psychological and cultural. How are masks significant in your life in 2009?

Pingback SVP.

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