UUA Religious Education: Curricula

Jewish and Christian Heritage Curricula

For All Ages - From UUA and Non-UUA Sources

Primary (Grades 1-3) | Elementary (Grades 4-6) | Junior High/Middle School (Grades 7-8) | Senior High (Grades 9-12) | Adult

Primary (Grades 1-3)

Bible Stories by Joan M. Hunt. 29 sessions. Introduces elementary-age children to the central figures and stories in the Bible. Retells the stories in simple language; invites children to relate their own experience to the human values described in the stories. Arts and crafts projects, games, and creative dramatics reinforce story themes. (Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship, 1987)

Faith Footsteps:: Bible Stories for Primary Ages by Joan M. Hunt. 28 sessions. Developed by Unitarian Universalist Christians, this curriculum introduces children to their faith tradition through selected Bible stories. Each lesson is based on one story, with activities that allow children to experience the story with their senses. (Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship, 1992)

Special Times: Honoring Our Jewish and Christian Heritages for Grades 1 and 2 by Betty Jo Middleton. 26 sessions. Acquaints children with the Jewish and Christian heritages and engages them in celebrating Jewish and Christian holidays and other "special times" such as the Shabbat/Sabbath, Thanksgiving, and everybody's birthday. (UUA, 1994) At UUA Bookstore.

Super Heroes: Bible People by Gaia Brown. 19 sessions. This curriculum is a values-based curriculum for primary aged children using stories about people from the Jewish and Christian Bibles. (Gaia Brown, 2002)

Elementary (Grades 4-6)

Jesus and His Kingdom of Equals: An Intermediate Curriculum for 4th-7th Graders on the Life and Teachings of Jesus by Cheryl Gibbs Binkley and Jane Mitchell McKeel. 33 sessions. This year-long curriculum introduces students in fourth through seventh grades to the life and teachings of Jesus. While based on the stories as told in the Gospels, this curriculum uses insights from modern Biblical and historical criticism where appropriate. It focuses on Jesus’ basic themes of love and justice, which remain true in any era. (Polebridge Press/Westar Institute, 2001)

Living the Promise: A Values-Oriented Unitarian Universalist Curriculum Based on the Hebrew Scriptures for Upper Elementary Children by Cheryl Gibbs Binkley and Jane M. McKeel. 30 sessions. Based on two interrelated scriptural themes: the development of monotheism and the meaning of covenant. Focuses on the major people and events of the Hebrew scriptures by portraying responsible, positive, and noble ways of life, and looks at how we view ourselves, others, and all of creation. Provides a Unitarian Universalist and humanist perspective on a cornerstone of Western religion: Judaism. Participants are encouraged to consider a "covenant of being," a promise of goodness and opportunity that life should bring to all, as they answer such questions as "What is our part in such a covenant?" and "What would it mean to live responsibly within that vision?" (Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, VA, 1991)

Moses, His Life and Times by Cynthia Berg and Judith Hoehler. 12 sessions. This introduction to the life and times of Moses includes a beginning study of the Bible, the concept of covenant, the Ten Commandments, and a Seder meal. (Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship, 1978)

The Life and Teachings of Jesus by Donna Wheelock and Judith Hoehler. 25 sessions. Explores the events of Jesus's life, his teachings, and the customs of the times. Offers opportunities for discussion, activities for enrichment, and celebrations. (Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship, 1980)

Junior High/Middle School (Grades 7-8)

How Can I Know What To Believe? by Charlene Brotman and Barbara Marshman. 27 sessions. Helps young people explore, formulate, and articulate their attitudes and beliefs about people in the Bible, God, death, and Unitarian Universalism. Explores humanist roots through the history of great ideas and the lives of Erasmus, the Buddha, Bertrand Russell, Margaret Sanger, Felix Adler, and others. (Brotman-Marshfield, 1986)

How Others Worship by B. June Hutchinson. 21 sessions. A study of the beliefs and practices of Judaism and several mainline Christian groups. Beginning with Judaism before the birth of Jesus, the program traces the rise of Christianity, the Roman Catholic church, and the subsequent fracturing that produced the Protestant movement. The format includes visits to different houses of worship, and, usually, attendance at a worship service. (Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship, 1978)

Senior High (Grades 9-12)

Truth and Meaning: Questions about the Western Religious Heritage of Unitarian Universalism for High School Youth by Jeff Liebmann. 25 sessions. This curriculum for high-school youth explores questions about Western religions that young people encounter in their daily lives. In particular, it compares and contrasts Unitarian Universalism with other Western religions. The sessions are grounded in the format of questions about religious practices and theological concepts, life and afterlife, religious "extremes," religious prejudice, and dogma and creeds. Rather than offer concrete answers, the questions invite youth to develop their own answers. (Jeff Liebmann, 1998)

Adult

Conversations With the Bible: Spiritual Growth for Religious Liberals by Stephen C. Washburn. Based on an interactive method of Bible study developed by Walter Wink, Conversations With the Bible is an opportunity to explore Hebrew and Christian scriptures from a liberal religious perspective. Participants read selected texts and explore biblical scripture through discussion, dialogue, guided meditation, small-group work, and creative exercises. This program is ideal for those who have had negative or limiting experiences with the Bible, as well as those who wish to enhance their knowledge of biblical scripture in the context of a supportive group. (UUA, 1994)

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