Grade Ten Links

Section I: Christ and culture -- Foundations

1. What does it mean to be human?

2. Why do we need one another?

3. Are we good?

Famous 5 Foundation http://www.famous5.org

This site offers information on the famous ‘Persons’ Case of 1928. Much of the site includes bibliographies on the famous 5 woman, history and highlights of the ‘Persons’ Case, activities that can be used by teachers for their students and many links to other famous Canadian women. This site compliments the Grade 10 theme, that ‘we are all persons by virtue of being created in God’s image and likeness’, as well as recognizing that we are persons and equal in the context of our written law. The site can also be used in the Social Studies courses.--Silvia Palumbo

L'Arche Canada http://larchecanada.org/

Having been introduced to L'Arche Daybreak (more formally in the religion AQ course offered at the board) and to the inspiring work of Jean Vanier, this site gives the students background information of L'Arche than the brief mention of it in this unit, which cannot capture all of the wondrous opportunities this community has to offer. Vanier's vision of community is essential, where all belong and can share in each other's special gifts regardless of "race, religion, culture, abilities or disabilities" ties in perfectly with this unit about humanity, but more specifically, 'why do we need one another?' , exploring the very core of our being - that God created us as social beings and the desire for relationships that are fulfilling. We need a sense of belonging in order to survive and L'Arche fulfills that belonging.--Diana Palumbo

United Nations Cyberschool Bus http://www.cyberschoolbus.un.org/discrim/race.asp

The unit explains the five principles of humanity, in which the first states that, "all humans are sacred, whatever culture, race or religion, whatever their capacities or incapacities, and whatever their weaknesses or strengths may be. Each of us needs help to become all that we might be". What grabbed my attention to this site, was the lesson plan given on discrimination based on race. We are constantly faced with how to teach our students to be inclusive to all people regardless of their race and much of our bullying has to do with those who "don't belong" to a particular ethnic group. I feel that the site is extremely helpful to teachers who would like to teach four to five lessons on this topic. The site is thorough - it provides a lesson overview, materials and preparation and directions on 1) introduction to race 2) racial discrimination: influences and impacts and 3) positive steps against racial discrimination. I truly feel that this site will be a great resource for teachers, especially teaching in a culturally rich country as ours. In every generation, Christ awakens among the young the sense that they "are called to play a special part in shaping and building a better world...In solidarity with their brothers and sisters of different nations and races and cultures, it is possible to them to change the world and shape a better future for all." Pope John Paul II--Diana Palumbo

Red Cross http://www.redcross.ca

The Red Cross site has many useful resources that can be used or implemented in the Religion, Social Studies, English and Family Studies curriculum. The article on bullying (search bullying on this site): ‘Let’s Stop the Bullying-for kids’ It is informative providing youth with helpful tips and advice relating to bullying and harassment. This site also provides interactive information for youth. Educators will find useful on-line learning information on Prevention Education. --Silvia Palumbo

4. What is culture?

5. What are the sights and sounds of culture?

6. What does religion have to do with culture?

Hollywood Jesus http://www.hollywoodjesus.com/

This web site provides students with a number of resources, such as media sources and reviews, an area to communicate about their faith, and a section called "for the soul". This last section was the primary reason why I choose this site because it provides for students an outlet to discover passages in the Bible that can help them during difficult times with self and others. This can help them to understand what it is to be human, and more specifically, a human of faith.--Andrea Spence

7. How did God shape the Hebrew culture?

8. How does Jesus reveal God to us?

9. Christ and culture in conversation

10. Self-understanding in our culture

11. The desire for God is written on the human heart

12. Friendship

13. Intimacy, sexuality and love

14. A life of generosity

15. Me and institutions

Life Issues.Net: Clear Thinking about Critical Issues http://www.lifeissues.net

This is an excellent teacher and student resource. It is a website that offers articles written from a Catholic perspective and is updated daily. Currently there are well over 1000 articles on various ‘life issues’ organized in “Topic Libraries”. Topics include: AIDS, Abortion, Bioethics, Death Penalty, Family, Homosexuality, Birth Control as well as several others. The site also contains many Church encyclicals found in the pertinent topic libraries. Examples of some Encyclicals that can be accessed from the site are: Persona Humana (Sexual Ethics), Humane Vitae (On human Life), Evangelium Vitae, etc. I highly recommend this site as a tool for teachers wishing to have more background on the topics that they teach in the Textbook units listed above, or for educating themselves on the various moral issues currently being discussed in the Church. This is also an excellent resource for students doing research projects on moral issues.--Caterina Giordano

Canada's Site for Volunteering http://www.volunteer.ca/

This unit also deals with issues of generocity and how generocity can help fulfill a Catholic life. This web site allows the student an opportunity to witness the goodness of generocity for others in society and the world. This site shows the students how Canada contributes in volunteering on a global level, access to information about volunteering, and the opportunity to credit a volunteer. This shows the students that volunteering is a global effort, and something of which to be proud. --Andrea Spence

Catholic Marriage l Catholic – Pages.com l Sacrament of Holy Matrimony http://www.catholic-pages.com/marriage/sacrament.asp

This website is an excellent resource when discussing marriage with Grade 10 students. It provides a solid starting point for students who are conducting research on marriage or who are working on an activity. The site explains that marriage is a sacrament and a vocation. In addition, it reinforces its information with bible passages. The site is easy to read as it is written in narrative text format. This is of particular importance if there are students in your class who are struggling with their literacy skills. Overall, this site is a valuable resource for the Grade 10 curriculum.

Rose of Sharon - Services for Young Mothers http://www.therose.ca/

The Rose of Sharon site is an excellent resource to use when discussing intimacy and sexuality with teenagers. It can be used to discourage students from engaging in sexual intercourse before marriage by pointing out the challenges of being a teenage parent. This site has many benefits. Firstly, it provides information on a prevention program to students in York Region called the “Realities of Teen Pregnancy and Parenting Program”. Teachers can also access this site and may choose to have this presentation in their classrooms. Secondly, the site offers contact information to students in need of assistance dealing with pregnancy related issues. Lastly, the site has a FAQ (frequently asked questions) link designed to answer questions for students doing an assignment on Teen Pregnancy. Overall, this is an excellent site for teenage students in our board.

16. Let's celebrate time

17. The voice of justice

18. "Peace be with you"

19. Power and service

This is an American website that offers resources to support themes related to media study. It offers publications from reputable authors and sources on many topics found within the Grade 10 text. This site offers an on-line catalogue of publications on media-related issues, information on topics such as: Children and the Media, Media Literacy, Substance Abuse, Violence etc. and links to related organizations. Some publications are free, others you have to pay for. Especially useful for the textual themes mentioned above is the section on violence found in: ‘Publications’. Examples of articles in this section are: ‘Youth and violent Music’, ‘Violence, Women and Media’, and many others that relate directly to the topics discussed in the text. This is an excellent teacher resource with articles that can be brought into the classroom to use as supplementary material to the text or as the basis of a classroom project or activity. --Caterina Giordano

Global Women's Project http://www.coc.org/focus/?ID=907

This Global Women's Project approaches the question of women's rights and equity. Through research, it reflects on gender and race to illustrate the effects of political, economic and social policies on women and seeks to promote changes in the attitudes put forth by that society.

The articles would provide background information for the teacher but may also be incorporated in the teacher's pedagogical techniques. I have used the site and incorporated it into a justice assignment. students would investigate the site and discuss the justice issue being presented.

The students would be asked to define the type of justice (individual,social, distributive,ecological)that is presented and incorporate their own thoughts as to how it might be achieved quicker or more efficiently in the particular situation.

Bread for the World http//www.bread.org/

This site would be useful to the teacher for background information. It also provides many ideas for possible ways to engage in advocacy. I have asked students to visit the site and complete an assignment. The students are asked to briefly describe the site and the type of justice that is presented. The students are then asked to present this site to the class and promote a round table discussion on the justice issue and possible ways to achieve justice more quickly or efficiently. The teacher may choose to present the site to the class as an introduction and for the purpose of discussion. Other possible justice sites: http://secondharvest.org/ | http://salt.claretianpubs.org/ | http://www.greenpeace.org/international_en/ | http://environment.miningco.com/ |

20. The Catholic Church -- sacrament of Christ

21. The presence of God's Spirit in the Catholic Church

22. Encountering Christ in the sacraments.

Origins of the Rosary: http://www.catholic-truth.org/Essays/rosary.htm

This site explains the origins of the Rosary. The practices of prayer and the evolution of the Rosary are excellent topics to cover in class when learning how to pray the Rosary. Many sites are available on the topic of the Rosary. Most sites seem to focus on the miracle side of the Rosary. I found this site particularly good because:it is written in a teen friendly way; it focuses on historical prayer practices; it is a short article; questions on the article can be made for students to answer; and it is very informative. --Joseph Pezzelato

Catholic.net http://www.catholic.net
One aim of this unit is to explore the structures and meaning of the institutional church. This website offers a plethora of information on the living church which can help teachers who are teaching this particular lesson gain a better understanding about the history and background about the Catholic Church. This website is also very user friendly and offers a number of link to the Catholic Church and other relevant information including: information on Pope John Paul II, Culture of Life: Faith and Morals and much more.--Dina Pincivero

Diocese Report http://www.diocesereport.com
Additional aims of this unit is explore the sacramental life of the church and to celebrate the sacramental encounter with Christ. This particular website offers a large number of links that aid the teacher in acquiring the resources needed for this unit. Some examples of these links are:

a.Catholic newspapers where the teacher can download articles that relate to the topic being taught
b.Catholic Periodicals - i.e. Catholic Faith Magazine
c.Catholic Website Resources- i.e. Catholic Insight- very user friendly, provides the teacher with a collection of great information and links

Not only is this website of use for the teacher, it can also help a student for further clarification on a certain topic discussed or assist them when researching information for a seminar presentation, CPT, and various assignments throughout this unit and the remainder of the course.--Dina Pincivero

23. Bearing witness to Christ

24. Social witness in Canada

25. Social witness in our world

Section III: Celebrating Christ in our culture

26. We are a eucharistic community

27. We celebrate Christ's promise in our lives