By Susan Ciancio
American Life League’s Culture of Life Studies Program is a Catholic pro-life educational program for students preschool aged 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 do them at home or on the weekend as part of teaching your children or grandchildren to love Catholicism.
And now that school is about to begin, this 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 and a disdain for faith.
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—the CLSP is so relevant and so important.
We want to familiarize you with our program, so we have chosen to highlight 10 awesome lessons—for a wide range of ages—that will help you build that necessary foundation of faith in your home, school, or youth group.
1. Defend Life: The Beauty of the Developing Human Being (digital and printed versions)
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.
2. Embracing a Culture of Life: Blessed Chiara Luce Badano (print and digital versions)
Blessed Chiara Luce Badano was a joyful young Italian girl who bravely battled a painful bone cancer. Until her death, Blessed Chiara encouraged her friends to trust in God, even in times of great pain and suffering. This lesson teaches teens the value of suffering in bringing us closer to God, especially at the end of a human being’s life.
3. St. Patrick (a saints mini lesson; digital download)
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!
4. Without Mercy: An Introduction to Euthanasia, Assisted Suicide, and Other Threats to the Medically Vulnerable (print only)
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.
5. All Shapes and Sizes (print only)
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.
6. Defend Life: Marriage and Family (print and digital versions available)
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.
7. Serving the Poorest of the Poor: St. Teresa of Calcutta (print and digital versions available)
This one-class lesson for elementary aged students teaches about St. Teresa of Calcutta, who is best known for her love of the poor. But she was also a staunch defender of preborn children and took every opportunity to remind others of their value. This lesson also assists parents and teachers in explaining how to live out the Corporal Works of Mercy.
8. St. Joseph: Pro-Life Saint, Hero, and Role Model (print and digital versions available)
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.
9. Pro-Life Citizenship (digital only)
Pro-Life Citizenship shows high school students the importance of political action and helps students understand their role in government, even when they have not yet reached voting age. In this lesson packet, students learn about what it takes to form their moral conscience and how the moral conscience plays an integral role in helping voters carry out their civic duty.
10. When Heroes Become Saints: Saint Damien de Veuster of Molokai (digital only)
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. St. Damien showed his flock that even though they suffered from a debilitating disease they deserved to be treated with dignity and respect and honored as adopted sons and daughters of God. 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.
Our lessons all 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!
For a limited time, all of our lessons are on sale. To find a complete list of pro-life lessons and pro-life apparel, visit our store at culture-of-life-studies.myshopify.com.