Using Literature to Enhance Religion Classes
The following titles provide a sampling of the many novel/drama curriculum units that reinforce concepts in the high school Discipleship in the Catholic Tradition Series.
For Grade 9
Catholic Identity: Valuing Our Tradition
All Creatures Great and Small How can we show our love for all living things?
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl How can we grow, even in difficult circumstances?
The Little Prince What are the things that really matter in a person's life?
Personhood: Growing in Wholeness and Holiness
The Catcher in the Rye How do peer and social pressure affect us?
A Separate Peace What struggles are involved in growing up?
A Prayer for Owen Meaney How does a person deal with being different from one's peers?
For Grades 9-10
Hebrew Scriptures: Growing in Faith
The Chosen Is it difficult to live according to Scriptural values?
East of Eden Will the human person always struggle between good and evil?
Christian Scriptures: Responding to the Good News
A Day No Pigs Would Die How difficult is it to live in the spirit of the Beatitudes?
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Why did Christ choose to die for humanity's sins?
For Grades 10-11
Church: Tracing Our Pilgrimage
Murder in the Cathedral What was Thomas Becket's role in the early church?
Saint Joan What happens when the forces of church and state conflict?
A Man for All Seasons What does it mean to have personal integrity?
Sacraments: Living Our Faith
Our Town How can we recognize sacramental meaning in everyday life?
Les Miserables Can forgiveness bring about a metanoia?
For Grades 11-12
Justice: Fulfilling the Church's Social Mission
To Kill a Mockingbird How should one respond in the face of injustice?
Survival in Auschwitz What happens when evil goes unchallenged?
Hiroshima Are nuclear weapons moral?
Conscience: Developing Skills for Moral Decision Making
Lord of the Flies How does sin affect individuals and society?
Crime and Punishment How does a conscience respond to sin?
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn What happens when a person's sense of right and wrong contradicts social norms?
Antigone Are there some things worth dying for?
Sexuality: Connecting Mind, Body, and Spirit
Jane Eyre How does one reconcile passion with reason?
The Catcher in the Rye How does one live chastely in today's world?
World Religions: Reverencing Faith Traditions
Number the Stars What is it like to be the object of religious discrimination?
The Brothers Karamazov Is the ultimate choice Christ or chaos?
For Grade 12
Faith: Developing an Adult Spirituality
Night How can society guard against the human potential for evil?
Siddhartha How does one find a path that gives meaning to life?
Commitments: Growing in the Catholic Lifestyle
The Secret Life of Bees How do we learn to love and be loved?
Death of a Salesman What responsibility does a father have to his family?
Anna Karenina Is it more important to be true to one's heart or one's commitments?