Culture of Life Studies Program
Building a culture of life, one student at a time
Pro-life education is easier than you think!
Components of the Program
The Culture of Life Studies Program consists of five levels broken down by various grades, plus additional multimedia supplements.
Beginning their studies in Life Primer, students learn how God creates each human being to be unique, valuable, and deserving of respect regardless of age, race, size, background, or ability. In middle school, students continue their studies of the basic principles of the gospel of life in the Life Connections, Life Quest, and Life Foundations series by examining age-appropriate pro-life topics in literature, history, science, and religion.
When students reach high school, more emphasis is placed on evangelization and communication through critical thinking and hands-on activities in Life Lens, which analyzes a specific text, moment in history, or Church document in great detail through a written supplement.
PreK – 2nd grade
3rd – 4th grade
5th – 6th grade
7th – 8th grade
9th – 12th grade
Life Lens (9th – 12th grade) supplements give students a deeper understanding of the threats facing human beings in our society and what each person can do to stand up for vulnerable people. High school students grapple with complex pro-life questions surrounding the dignity of the human person and learn how they can build a culture of life in their own communities.
Free Book and Movie Discussion Guides
These guides discuss the culture of life in media. Each downloadable guide includes a story summary, a culture-of-life theme that explores a specific pro-life message in the film or book, discussion questions, and suggested activities for parents to guide their children through popular media that support the culture of life.
Questions?
What are CLSP’s discussion guides?
CLSP’s discussion guides focus on finding the culture of life in entertainment and helping parents teach their children how to differentiate between media that promotes life and media that degrades the gift of life. For these guides, we have selected movies and books that portray the culture of life in a positive light, whether they are staunchly pro-life films (like Bella) or life-affirming films (such as The Ultimate Gift). The books and films in our database focus on all issues concerning life in order to provide parents with new ways to explore difficult topics with their children. We have tried to stay away from media with more objectionable content or films with unsteady pro-life content.
How can I use these lessons?
Download our free study guides and use them as a starting place when looking for appropriate pro-life films and books to share with your family. We also encourage parents to have similar discussions about other forms of media that their children are using. Each study includes background information, a story summary, discussion questions, and a Life Theme (how the culture of life is at play in the story in a very specific way). Some contain bonus activities and Catholic Connections where appropriate.
Does CLSP promote and endorse all of the films and media in this database?
No. The purpose of the Culture of Life Studies Program is to support the culture of life in all academic disciplines and forms of media. Through this media project we hope to provide parents and teachers with more ways to discuss culture-of-life issues with their students.
What about the advisory content in the media guides?
As we create the media guides, we try to remain sensitive to objectionable content by providing parents with a list of cautions to watch out for during the film. In addition, we provide discussion questions to help parents facilitate discussion with their children.
What if I am uncomfortable showing one of the films/books to my family?
Every family’s standards are different. Preview the film or book before showing it to your family. Use the Life Theme and the discussion questions as an opportunity to discuss important issues with your children. As always, use your personal discretion when deciding which of these stories are appropriate for your family.
Can I suggest a book or film for you to review?
Absolutely! We try to choose books and films that are popular (both recently released and timeless classics), and whose stories have strong life-affirming themes. If you have an idea for a book or film that isn’t already in our database, please send us a message at sciancio@all.org.