Theology of the body for Teens: Middle School Edition
“Discovering God’s Plan for Life and Love”.
The Theology of the Body for Teens Middle School program is divided into 8 unique segments that reflect the pedagogical approach of St. John Paul II’s revolutionary teaching.
The program gives sixth through eighth graders the answers to their tough questions concerning their bodies, their sexuality, and their future. The program has been designed specifically as a catechetical program to fit perfectly into Catholic schools, youth ministry, CCD, and homeschooling settings.
Theology of the Body for Teens Middle School Edition has been granted an imprimatur and a nihil obstat.
Description
The Theology of the Body for Teens: Discovering God’s Plan for Love and Life Middle School Edition applies the principles of Pope St. John Paul II’s teaching to the lives of teenagers, specifically addressing questions relating to identity, chastity, and sexuality. This program seeks to play an important role in answering the call made by the Congregation for Catholic Education in the document Educational Guidance in Human Love: “…in the actual socio-cultural situation there is urgent need to give positive and gradual affective-sex education to children, adolescents and young adults, paying attention to the dispositions of Vatican Council II” (109).
Engaging video presentations, student workbooks, and easy-to-use guides for leaders and parents progressively call young people to understand who God created them to be and how to love with the heart of Christ. The program features the Pope’s original schema, but we have taken into account the unique needs of teenagers, and, therefore, it intentionally deviates from the original order of catechesis.
The content, however, is not changed or altered; rather, it is merely presented in a manner that will best facilitate a teenager’s desire to learn the material, as well as making it easily understandable for them.
Audience of the program
The program was specifically designed for middle school students, and the presenters and materials speak to the students at that particular academic and emotional level about issues that are highly relevant to them and their life experiences.
The program takes great care to treat difficult topics about human sexuality with great reverence, and it respects the vital role that parents play as the first and primary educators of their children.
Countries
USA
Additional resources
Theology of the Body Certification Course
Ascension’s Theology of the Body Training Certification Course is a 3 session training designed to empower parents, catechists, and anyone working with youth to form them in identity, chastity, and vocation.
The course features top Theology of the Body experts Brian Butler, Jason Evert, and Colin and Aimee MacIver and includes 10 video segments, thought provoking questions, and simple checks for understanding along the way.
This training is a completely online certification program that can be done at home. It can also serve as a great opportunity to gather as a team for visioning, discussion, and implementation. This course is a great way to maximize the efficacy of Theology of the Body studies for youth.
Methodology
The primary authors of the program—Brian Butler, Jason Evert, and Colin and Aimee MacIver— are recognized leaders in education, youth ministry, and chastity education, who carefully designed the lessons to provide a variety of teaching methods and learning styles.
The video presentations, which are highly engaging and thought provoking, are unpacked in the classroom, which provides the opportunity for more active learning. The lesson components are designed for both a whole class and small group setting, and journaling exercises are aimed at individual reflection. Both inductive (looking at our own life experiences and desire for happiness and gradually unveiling how this is fulfilled in the Church’s teaching on the Theology of the Body) and deductive learning (unpacking the Church’s teaching to see how it fulfills the human desire for happiness) are used throughout the program. There is also opportunity for prayer, reflection, discussion, class assignments, and projects.
Note that while the videos were originally developed to be shown in a classroom group setting, some groups have adapted their formats to have students watch videos individually at home and then join together for teacher-led group discussion, either in person or online.
GoodLove members: qualify for a 20% discount on materials on this program by using this code: GOODLOVETOB