By Susan Ciancio
American Life League’s Culture of Life Studies Program is a Catholic pro-life educational program for students in preschool through high school. Our lessons cover a wide range of topics—from one-day lessons on saints; to handprint lessons with activities for younger kids; to four-day lessons on euthanasia, the sanctity of marriage, and the preborn baby; to four-week picture book lessons about caring for and protecting others; and more!
All of our lessons are age appropriate and adhere to Catholic teaching. Many have a nihil obstat and imprimatur. These lessons are used throughout the country in Catholic schools, by homeschoolers, in religious education programs, and in youth groups.
Our lessons fit easily into any existing curriculum. You can even use them at home or on the weekend as part of teaching your children or grandchildren to love Catholicism.
And as we begin a new school year, now is the perfect time to incorporate our lessons into your student’s life.
Why?
Take a look at the state of our country. The culture of death has gotten a stranglehold in politics, in schools, on social media, and on TV. Everywhere we turn, we see a rejection of morality, a disdain for faith, and adults sexualizing children or even tempting them to change their gender.
We cannot stand by and allow our religious freedoms to become suppressed. We cannot allow our children to grow up in a world so fraught with immorality.
That’s why—now more than ever—lessons from the Culture of Life Studies Program are so relevant and so important.
We recently released three new lessons, and we have more new lessons on the horizon. So we want to share a bit about these new lessons and then highlight some of our most popular lessons that will help you build that necessary foundation of faith in your home, school, or youth group. All are downloadable, so it’s easy to order, print them, and start learning and talking right away!
In this lesson, 3rd and 4th grade students will learn about Jesus’ teachings from the Sermon on the Mount, specifically the Beatitudes. Through these teachings about who is considered blessed, children will learn that even when life may seem or feel difficult, Jesus walks with us, cares for us, and loves us. This lesson helps children see others through Jesus’ eyes and teaches them ways to build a culture of life by caring for those in need or who may be hurting because of how someone has treated them.
2. St. Ignatius: Loving and Caring for the Whole Person
St. Ignatius had dreams of being a knight, living an exciting life, and fighting battles. But a terrible accident kept him bedridden for months. During that time, he read several books that changed his life. He realized that he had been living for worldly things rather than with the goal of spending eternity with God. He changed his life, and from his teachings, we get the Ignatian term cura personalis, which means “care for the whole person.” This middle-school lesson explores Ignatius’ life and how to apply the concept of cura personalis to our own lives.
3. St. Ignatius: Cura Personalis
In this two-day lesson, high school students will learn about the Ignatian concept of cura personalis—care for the whole person. The first lesson in this two-part series challenges students to care for themselves by caring for their whole person (heart, soul, mind, and body). The second lesson teaches students the importance of cura personalis toward others and debunks the lie of the “you do you” mentality. Through readings, discussion, and thought-provoking activities, students will come to understand the importance of caring for a person, both body and soul.
4. Blessed Carlo Acutis: Extraordinary in the Ordinary
This one-day lesson for high school students teaches about the short yet impactful life of Blessed Carlo Acutis, a youth who used his exceptional computer skills to create a website cataloging the Catholic Church’s approved Eucharistic miracles and who will become the first Millennial saint! Carlo is a beautiful example of how living an ordinary life can become extraordinary because of faith, love of Jesus in the Eucharist, and generosity toward others. This lesson reinforces students’ understanding of and faith in the True Presence of the Eucharist, it teaches students that holiness can and should be attained through ordinary things, and it guides students as they seek to live a holy life and build a culture that respects all people.
5. The Beauty of the Developing Human Being
This is a four-class lesson for middle schoolers that explores the science of the earliest moments of a person’s life and gives students a firm foundation regarding the fact that every human being’s life must be protected from creation until death.
This one-day lesson for kids in k-4th grade shows students how to emulate this amazing saint who lived boldly for Christ. It ends with a fun craft project!
Using Church documents, the Catechism, and subject-matter experts, this four-class supplement for teens provides students with a basic understanding of the Catholic Church’s teachings on euthanasia and gives students the tools they need to defend those teachings against current cultural attitudes and pro-euthanasia arguments. This lesson examines the complex topics of euthanasia and assisted suicide and teaches students the reality behind what the culture of death advocates regarding end-of-life issues.
This 16-class lesson for kids in kindergarten and older helps students understand that every human being has value because we are all made in the image and likeness of God. Our value does not depend on our appearance, ability, or background. This four-week unit study examines Down syndrome, autism, the beauty of the elderly, and the fact that it’s okay to be different.
This four-class lesson for middle schoolers teaches students that God created marriage between one man and one woman. Through the lives of saints and saintly couples, students learn how they can stand up and defend marriage and the family in our society.
10. St. Joseph: Pro-Life Saint, Hero, and Role Model
This one-day lesson for children third grade and older teaches about the beauty of fatherhood through the example of St. Joseph as he cared for Jesus and Mary. In this lesson, students will learn about why we honor St. Joseph, the foster-father of our Lord Jesus, as the guardian of the Church. They will also learn the important role that fathers play in our lives and why we should turn to St. Joseph for his intercession.
11. When Heroes Become Saints: Saint Damien de Veuster of Molokai
This lesson tells the story of St. Damien de Veuster of Molokai, a heroic priest who volunteered to serve the lepers on the desolate peninsula of Molokai in Hawaii. This lesson challenges students to think about the outcasts whom they encounter in their own lives—a teased fellow student, a lonely relative, an argumentative sibling—and how they can follow the example of St. Damien by reaching out to them.
12. Who Was the Real Margaret Sanger? Unit Study
Produced as a three-lesson unit study and video set for high school students, Who Was the Real Margaret Sanger? exposes the truth about the founder of the largest abortion provider in the United States.
Lessons from CLSP help build a culture of life in your home or school so that you and your students can build a culture of life in your community. All are easy to teach at home. And all will engender beautiful discussions about culture-of-life topics.
Now is the time to sit down with your children and help them understand the sanctity of all life and the importance of standing up for the vulnerable.