Biblical Themes
of Salvation-History
A Basic
Outline for Teachers and Parents
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Creation
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Fall
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Promise
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Preparation
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Incarnation
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Redemption
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Church
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Kingdom
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LIFE
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Death
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Convenant
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Law/
Prophets
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Son
of God
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Death/Resurr.
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New
Life
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Salvation
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God
creates the World
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Sin
and Temptation
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Abraham
obeys God
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Moses
saves God's people
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Mary
says "yes" to God
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Jesus
is baptized
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Jesus
returns to the Father
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God
gives life eternal
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He
makes man/woman
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Adam/Eve
disobey God
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Father
of a great Nation
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The
Exodus from Egypt
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God
sends His Son Jesus
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He
brings God's Word
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He
sends the Holy Spirit
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He
will come again
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Made
in God's image
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Separated
from God
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Isaac,
Jacob, 12 tribes-Israel
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God
gives tablets of Law
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Jesus
is born as Man
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He
loves and heals
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The
Church is born
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He
comes to judge
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Given
care of God's world
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Expelled
from Paradise
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The
Covenant with God
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David-Solomon
Temple worship
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Jesus
comes to save us
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He
gives His life for us
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Baptism
gives new life
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He
brings a new creation
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Communion
with God
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No
longer live with God
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Period
of the Patriarchs
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Period
of the Prophets
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He
comes to bring new life
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He
rises from the dead
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The
Eucharist is God in us
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A
new heaven & a new earth
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Cognition in Children
and Suggestions for
Developing Biblical Knowledge and Skills
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Level
1 (4-7 yrs)
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Level
2 (8-12 yrs.)
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Level
3 (13 & above)
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Intuitive
thinking: Pre-logical, imaginative, "magical" stage
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Evolving
logical thinking, but limited to concrete realities, understandings
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Logical
abstract thinking develops, uses comparisons, metaphors
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Understanding
is determined by perceptions (how the child "sees it"), which
is not always the reality
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Can
distinguish the real from the imaginary; can order things in sequence
or group into classes
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Can
reason abstractly, "in his head," work with propositions and
hypotheses. and test his logic
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Persons,
stories and events are isolated and/or unrelated
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Can
tell a story from beginning to end, and relate characters to events
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Has
a sense of time and space, and emerging consciousness of history.
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May
focus only on one element, often peripheral, ignoring others. Can easily
miss the main point.
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Can
investigate or look up simple information and relate pieces of information
to one another.
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Can
develop Time-lines, rewrite or "translate" events into contemporary
terms (e.g., TV news reports)
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God
is perceived as anthropomor-phic, "humanized" & often under-stood
as a parental-figure
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(10-12
yrs.) Can find and use (with guidance) pictures and maps of biblical places
and events.
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Can
compare a biblical text with a liturgical hymn or verse of the same event,
drawing parallels/conclusions
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Teachers
or parents should tell (not read) a good story, using conversation and
dialogue. Select short texts/phrases for emphasis or ask questions to
elicit responses from children.
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Show
students how to find a biblical reference, going step by step with them.
Help them distinguish between Old/New Testament persons and events (e.g.,
what/who comes before or after the life of Jesus on earth).
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Help
students to use a Gospel Parallels to examine common texts within the
Gospels, and to use a Concordance, Bible Dictionaries and commentaries.
Help them com-pare bible texts and translations.
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Focus
on naming, and identifying persons, places and things. Use icons to identify
and retell stories.
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Learn
prokeimena, alleluia or communion verses related to bibical feasts. Learn
to sing the refrains.
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Encourage
students to use psalms for personal prayer and meditation; develop a pattern
of Bible reading.
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Role-play
(act out) behavior of characters. Make & use puppets.
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Make
murals in panels to show the sequence and relation of events.
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Show
how to locate and prepare texts for reading in church.
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