CHAPTER 1: JESUS–THE WAY THE TRUTH AND THE LIGHT

End of Chapter Test: due for completion by our next meeeting on 9/19/2022
Please complete the chapter test in the textbook. Keep this test to be turned in at our next meeting.

Lesson and Overview
Chapter 1 Lesson and Overview Downloadable Resource 
In this chapter the students will continue to learn more about Jesus, who shows us the way God the Father wants us to live. They will begin to understand that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. By following Jesus, we grow closer to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

In this chapter the children will learn:

• God sent his only Son to us
• Jesus shows us how to live
• Jesus Christ is our Savior
• The disciples spread the Good News of Jesus Christ

Family Activity:  Helping Those in Need
Activity Sheet Download
Invite your child to talk about ways they have helped someone in need. Using the panel with the lines, guide them to write about their experiences, and in the blank panel, attach a photo or make an illustration.

Family Activity:  Stewardship
Remind the students that Jesus' life on earth was humble. He had few material possessions. Sometimes we have many possessions. Ask the students to consider donating a game or some clothing to a local drive for those in need.

CHAPTER 2: JESUS LEADS US TO HAPPINESS

End of Chapter Test: due for completion by our next meeeting on 9/19/2022
Please complete the chapter test in the textbook. Keep this test to be turned in at our next meeting.

Lesson and Overview
Chapter 2 Lesson and Overview Downloadable Resource 
In this chapter the students will learn that Jesus Christ leads us to happiness.

In this chapter the children will learn:

• Jesus trusted God his Father
• Jesus taught the Beatitudes
• Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God
• Jesus’ disciples share his mission

Family Activity:  Jesus Leads Us to Happiness
Activity Sheet Download
Remind the students to use their  We Believe texts to help them match each  Key Word  to its definition. Provide the students with the following colored crayons to find the hidden message contained in the puzzle: red, blue, purple, yellow, and green.

Answers:
d. Beatitudes—teachings of Jesus that describe the way to live as his disciples 
b. Peace—the freedom that comes from loving and trusting God and respecting all people 
e. Kingdom of God—the power of God's love active in the world 
c. Justice—respecting the rights of others and giving them what is rightfully theirs 
a. Mission—the work of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and spreading the Kingdom of God 

Hidden message: We trust in God's love

Prayer Discovery:  Our Father
After the Last Supper Jesus prayed that the cup of suffering might be taken away. Yet he chose not his will but his Father's will to be done. Even in his suffering on the cross Jesus trusted in God his Father. When we pray the Our Father at each celebration of the Eucharist, we are reminded of Jesus' trust in God. We say "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Only in perfect trust could Jesus do his Father's will and endure the pain of the cross to save all people.

CHAPTER 3: SIN IN OUR WORLD

End of Chapter Test: due for completion by our next meeeting on 10/24/2022
Please complete the chapter test in the textbook. Keep this test to be turned in at our next meeting.

Lesson and Overview
Chapter 3 Lesson and Overview Downloadable Resource 
In this chapter the students will learn that God gives us the freedom to choose to love and follow him. They will learn that choices that lead us away from God are called sins.

In this chapter the children will learn:

• God gives us the freedom to choose
• Sin leads us away from God
• Sins can be things people do or fail to do
• We are called to value and respect all people

Family Activity: Solidarity
As the students learn more about the effects of sin on their relationship with God and others, ask them to think of ways to counteract these effects. Point out that different groups work together for the good of others. These groups promote and advocate peace and justice in families, communities, and nations. Help the students to see that when they make an effort to serve the common good, they can make a difference in society.

CHAPTER 4: OUR CONSCIENCE, OUR GUIDE

End of Chapter Test: due for completion by our next meeeting on 10/24/2022
Please complete the chapter test in the textbook. Keep this test to be turned in at our next meeting.

Lesson and Overview
Chapter 4 Lesson and Overview Downloadable Resource 
In this chapter the students will learn about conscience and the way it helps them make good choices and brings them closer to God and others.

In this chapter the children will learn:

• God calls us to be close to him
• God gives us the gift of conscience
• We form our conscience
• We examine our conscience

Family Activity: Write a Story
Activity Sheet Download
Talk about a book or movie that contains a character that uses his or her conscience to make a difficult decision. You and your child write a story that involves a character using his or her conscience to make a difficult decision.

CHAPTER 5: CELEBRATING PENANCE AND RECONCILIATION

End of Chapter Test: due for completion by our next meeeting on 10/24/2022
Please complete the chapter test in the textbook. Keep this test to be turned in at our next meeting.

Lesson and Overview
Chapter 5 Lesson and Overview Downloadable Resource 
In this chapter, they will learn about the peace and unity that comes from receiving God’s forgiveness and love through the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation.

In this chapter the children will learn:

• Jesus tells us about God’s forgiveness and love
• We receive God’s forgiveness in the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation
• We celebrate the Sacrament of Penance
• Reconciliation brings peace and unity

Family Activity:
Activity Sheet Download
Use the code to complete the sentences and to unscramble their circled letters at the bottom of the page.

Answers:

• Jesus tells us about God's forgiveness and love.
• We receive God's forgiveness in the sacrament of reconciliation.
• We celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
• Reconciliation brings peace and unity.
• What do we call the person seeking forgiveness in the sacrament of Reconciliation? penitent

CHAPTER 8: LEARNING ABOUT GOD'S LAW

End of Chapter Test: due for completion by our next meeeting on 11/28/2022
Please complete the chapter test in the textbook. Keep this test to be turned in at our next meeting.

Lesson and Overview
Chapter 8 Lesson and Overview Downloadable Resource
In this chapter they will learn about God’s covenant with Moses and the Israelites, the promise God kept by sending his Son, and Jesus’ teaching about God’s Law.

In this chapter the children will learn:

• God calls his people
• The Ten Commandments are God’s Laws for his people
• Jesus teaches us about God’s Law
• Jesus teaches us to love one another

Family Activity: Connecting to Mission
The Church lives out its mission to share the gospel message in many ways. One way the Church does this is by sending missionaries throughout the world to spread the good news to all peoples. Explain to the students that missionaries show respect for the local cultures in the countries they serve and present the gospel to the people in their own languages. I encourage you to find out about missionary work in their diocese.

CHAPTER 9: THE FIRST COMMANDMENT

End of Chapter Test: due for completion by our next meeeting on 11/28/2022
Please complete the chapter test in the textbook. Keep this test to be turned in at our next meeting.

Lesson and Overview
Chapter 9 Lesson and Overview Downloadable Resource
This chapter will present the First Commandment, which teaches us that there is but one true God.

In this chapter the children will learn:

• We believe in the one true God
• We honor the one true God
• We love God above all things
• We place our hope and trust in God

Family Activity: Stewardship
As the students learn that they are to believe in and honor God, remind them that they can do so both by praying to and worshiping God and by providing help to others. Jesus is an example of this: He helped others because it was what God his Father called him to do. Invite the students to suggest ways that they can help or serve others, such as by helping tutor a younger student. Help them to see that doing God's will in this way shows honor and love for God.

CHAPTER 10: THE SECOND COMMANDMENT

End of Chapter Test: due for completion by our next meeeting on 11/28/2022
Please complete the chapter test in the textbook. Keep this test to be turned in at our next meeting.

Lesson and Overview
Chapter 10 Lesson and Overview Downloadable Resource
In this chapter the students will learn that we follow the Second Commandment by respecting and honoring the name of God.

In this chapter the children will learn:

• God’s name is holy.
• We respect God’s name.
• We call upon God’s name.
• We respect and honor sacred places. 

Family Activity: Word Scramble
Printable Activity Sheet
Unscramble the different titles we use to call on God. Use their We Believe texts if they have difficulty unscrambling the tiles for the titles of God. 
Answers:
1. Lord 
2. Father 
3. Merciful God 
4. Creator 
5. Holy One

CHAPTER 11: THE THIRD COMMANDMENT

End of Chapter Test: due for completion by our next meeeting on 12/19/2022
Please complete the chapter test in the textbook. Keep this test to be turned in at our next meeting.

Lesson and Overview
Chapter 11 Lesson and Overview Downloadable Resource
In this chapter they will learn about the Third Commandment and ways we observe the Lord’s Day.

In this chapter the children will learn:

• God gave us a special day to rest and worship him.
• We keep the Lord’s Day holy by participating in Sunday Mass.
• The Lord’s Day is a day for rest and relaxation.
• We keep the Lord’s Day holy by caring  for the needs of others. 

Family Activity: Word Scramble
Printable Activity Sheet
Read the following list. Place a C in front of a Corporal Work of Mercy. Place an S in front of a Spiritual Work of Mercy. Discuss the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy on page 138. Decide on one work that you could do together as a family.

CHAPTER 12: STRENGTHENED BY THE EUCHARIST

End of Chapter Test: due for completion by our next meeeting on 12/19/2022
Please complete the chapter test in the textbook. Keep this test to be turned in at our next meeting.

Lesson and Overview
Chapter 12 Lesson and Overview Downloadable Resource
In this chapter they will focus on the Eucharist and will learn that receiving the Body and Blood of Christ nurtures and strengthens them to be active followers of Christ.

In this chapter the children will learn:

• The Introductory Rites unite us and prepare us for worship.
• During the Liturgy of the Word, we hear the Word of God. 
• During the Liturgy of the Eucharist, we offer gifts of bread and wine and receive the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. 
• In the Concluding Rites we are sent to live as disciples of Jesus.

Family Activity: Word Webs
Printable Activity Sheet
Encourage the students to review the parts of the Mass in their We Believe texts before beginning the activity. Make word webs to explain what happens during each part of the Mass.