Anyone familiar with "Faith and Life" and "Faith First"?

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Our school is considering new textbooks. Does anyone know of any documents available that compare the content and orthodoxy of these two curriculums (or also including “Image of God” by Ignatius Press).

I’m also looking for any comparisons - with cited references - on their publishers - Ignatius Press and RCL-Benziger in terms of orthodoxy, teacher support, etc.

I’d appreciate any help anybody could provide. Thank you!
 
dranzal said:
We are homeschooling our children and using the Faith and Life series. They also have a page with free downloads.

ignatius.com/Textbooks/FaithAndLIfe/downloads.htm

Sorry, I don’t have what you are specifically asking for.
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Thank you . I didn’t know about the on-line downloads. This will help. I know one thing that helps ‘sell’ Faith First to teachers is their slick website and all the on-line teacher resources at their fingertips. I still think Ignatius Press wins hands down on content and orthodoxy.
 
We have used both. Faith First is more “fluffy”, Faith and Life is both deep and broad.

Faith First - I had to stretch or add an art project every week to make the class last an hour.

Faith and Life - you will never run out of lesson!

I would choose F & L.
 
Oooh what a great opportunity! I can only dream of my parish changing from the rediculously bad program that it uses.

I used Image of God for Preschool and Kindergarten with my children and loved it. I am now teaching my son with Faith and Life 1st grade, and I have the Image of God 1st grade materials to help me supplement the awful program that my parish uses as I teach 1st grade CCD at church. Both programs are going to teach good content. Only having gone through about a quarter of the work so far, I notice these differences between the two:

-Faith and life uses beautiful classic artwork throughout its book. Image of God is illustrated with cartoonish drawings.
-Each chapter in Faith and life has question(s) from the Catechism for the student to memoize. Image of God doesn’t have this.
-The Faith and Life student book is for reading - each lesson has a couple of pages of reading about the topic. Image of God’s Student book has some reading, but is more workbooky. Faith and life has a separate Activity Book for the workbook pages. At least in the 1st grade, I find only some of the workbook pages (either program) useful and not just time fillers. On the other hand, young children can’t be inundated with too many facts all at once, so if you have a long class, worksheets aren’t necessarily bad.
-The Faith and Life teacher’s manual divides each chapter into 4 lessons. There is a lot of instruction to the teacher in it. Image of God’s Teacher’s manual is not nearly as large. It is divided into sections like “lesson presentation, living the lesson, application”, but is not as specific in showing you how to put the lesson together.
-Image of God probably requires more prep-work, because it relies more on the teacher making a presentation and less on a reading in the student book.
-Faith and life seems to be a little more heavy-duty. I think that my group of first graders at church, who didn’t even know the sign of the cross, would be overwhelmed by it. Image of God seems a little gentler in its presentation. It is a little more modern in style. On the other hand, my homeschooled son does great with Faith and Life, and really enjoys looking at the pictures.

My general preference (so far) is Faith and Life, but I think that Image of God is probably better for some parish CCD programs. And it is still going to give you a solid, orthodox, informative program.
 
catechizeme said:
RCL-Benziger in terms of orthodoxy, teacher support, etc.

I’d appreciate any help anybody could provide. Thank you!
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forget RCL-Benziger note that two publishers of problematic texts have just merged and that does not bode well for either line.

begin with the texts approved by the diocese.
choose the Ignatius press texts when possible. Image of God is excellent but has not been updated recently, In my mind that is a good thing, because in general publishers come out with a newer, more expensive version every 5 years, necessitating a new investment (and as sales opp for reps trying to get you to change).

It is a huge investment, and for a school Ignatius Faith and LIfe is a good one, because the books are reusable, only the student workbooks are purchased each year. Once the content is written in conformity with the CCC there is no need to change it.
 
puzzleannie said:
forget RCL-Benziger note that two publishers of problematic texts have just merged and that does not bode well for either line.

begin with the texts approved by the diocese.
choose the Ignatius press texts when possible. Image of God is excellent but has not been updated recently, In my mind that is a good thing, because in general publishers come out with a newer, more expensive version every 5 years, necessitating a new investment (and as sales opp for reps trying to get you to change).

It is a huge investment, and for a school Ignatius Faith and LIfe is a good one, because the books are reusable, only the student workbooks are purchased each year. Once the content is written in conformity with the CCC there is no need to change it.
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Excellent points . I was hoping you would respond to this post.

RCL-Benziger (Faith and Life) is approved by our diocese.
So is Faith and Life. The teachers so far like “Faith and Life” - in large part due to their slick website (lots of easy things for the teachers to access).

I want to talk to our principal about focusing on content and orthodoxy.

Do you know anything specific about the problems with RCL-Benziger that I could cite? That is where I can see an impact being made in regard to their decision. (I hope).
 
catechizeme said:
Excellent points . I was hoping you would respond to this post.

RCL-Benziger (Faith and Life) is approved by our diocese.
So is Faith and Life. The teachers so far like “Faith and Life” - in large part due to their slick website (lots of easy things for the teachers to access).

(I hope).
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I’ve seen the slick website for FF, but, if Faith and Life has a slick website - please post the link!!
 
when evaluating textbooks the first think I look at is the format of the lesson, and the suggestions in the catechist manual for how to present a lesson:
most publishers have long since gone to the “new age” format of
begin with personal experience, a story, an example from the news, a fictional situation
give a bible story that relates to the situation posed in the “personal experience” story
state the “lessons” to be learned from these stories
state the Church teaching that relates to this “lesson”
give the vocabulary that should be learned to discuss the “lesson”
do an activity to review the concepts

a much better approach is
begin with Church teaching (in an organized fashion)
cite the relevant Scripture that underlies or exemplifies the teaching
show how the teaching came from Christ’s message
relate the teaching to the actual life in Christ of the learner
use activities which reinforce and aid memory of the concepts.

so the catechist manual (and added resource including websites–do not neglect links, some are problematic) are the first place to look.

the next thing to look at is the section on teaching sacraments, particularly Eucharist and Confession.

if celebration, gathering, community etc. are emphasized to the exclusion of the sacrifice, beware
if sacrifice is barely mentioned beware
if the Eucharist and Mass are presented as primarily the action of the community, with the priest as a relative bystander, beware

if confession is presented without a good discussion of the nature of sin and need for sacramental confession to a priest for absolution, beware
if confession is an option, not a necessity, beware
if the examination of conscience ignores serious sins that are common among the age group targeted by the text, beware.

then in relation to this look at teachings on the Moral Life
if commandments have been rewritten in PC terms, beware
if the examination of conscience ignores sexual sin (stated appropriately for the age group, beware)
if the entire discussion of sin is posed as a matter of “good and bad choices” without the underlying moral dimension, beware.

in texts for teens and older, look specifically at the discussion of moral issues like homosexuality, marriage and family including contraception, abortion and the like. if the mode of moral judgement tends to the “if it feels right do it” side, or emphasizes personal conscience without the corresponding need to properly form the conscience in line with Church teaching, beware
 
Why does the USCCB approve texts that are at best ‘okay’ or are from questionable publishers (I’m thinking of books by RCL Benziger, even the “Blest Are We” series). I’ve learned the “Faith First” 6th grade books renamed 2 gifts of the spirit (“Awe and Wonder” are used instead of “Fear of the Lord” and another one I can’t remember).

I’m anticipating hearing this: “If the USCCB has approved it, then it is obviously in conformity with the Church, and any book we choose is just a matter of personal prefernce. Who is to say that “Faith and Life” is better, as long as we choose a list from the USCCB list.”

How can I respond to this, without coming across sounding “more Catholic than the Pope (or the USCCB in this instance - no jokes or snide comments about the USCCB , please. It won’t help my cause!).”

(Our diocese has approved the use of any book on the USCCB conformity list).
 
catechizeme said:
(Our diocese has approved the use of any book on the USCCB conformity list).
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Your diocese is in conformity with Rome’s guidelines. It is a matter of preference among the list of approved books. You just happen to prefer one that isn’t what the diocese chose. 😛

Here’s what I’ve learned from teaching 8th graders for 3 years: they don’t read the material in the first place and what I do make them read doesn’t sink in. You can practically see in their faces that Peanuts strip over their heads of the kids in a classroom and the teacher talking but we hear words from her mouth, just the sound of a horn wah-wah-wahing.

I’ve learned what they take away from RE doesn’t come from the books. It comes from what I do in the classroom. The more I use activities which get them to interact with each other the more likely they are to walk away from class having learned ONE lesson of what it means to be Catholic in real life (not just on Sunday during mass).

I know these kids can study dates, names, events and vocabulary. They’re in 8th grade so they’ve passed their regular school courses. They just choose not to apply those study skills to RE and I can’t force them to. There is no consequence if they don’t. They don’t get held back and their peers don’t think any less of them for not knowing the facts 'cause their in the same boat. I’m still drilling them to learn the commandments, the sacraments and the beatitudes when I should be focusing on morality and social justice. It’s a shame but I make the most of the time I have with them.

Anyway, don’t stress about the particular text material. Focus on what you do with the material that’s in it. If you come across something that isn’t quite right with you, then be sure to have your lesson make up for the deficit. When you come across something done well, have the lesson delve more into it. The text is a resource, a tool. You are the key.
 
catechizeme said:
Why does the USCCB approve texts that are at best ‘okay’ or are from questionable publishers (I’m thinking of books by RCL Benziger, even the “Blest Are We” series). I’ve learned the “Faith First” 6th grade books renamed 2 gifts of the spirit (“Awe and Wonder” are used instead of “Fear of the Lord” and another one I can’t remember).

).
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the approval simply means the content is in conformity with the CCC (and several series had to be completely rewritten to conform), in that there is nothing overtly against Catholic teaching as expressed in the CCC. It does NOT imply that the text presents all the content necessary in a complete, systematic way for the age level or topic covered. for instance, there is nothing inherently wrong or heretical by describing the Mass as a celebration, but if that aspect is emphasized and the sacrificial dimension virtually ignored, or mentioned in passing, the text is in conformity, but woefully inadequate.

the textbook is one thing I would look at in my child’s Catholic school or RE program, but not the only thing, I would be much more concerned about the people doing the teaching. A good catechist can teach well with a mediocre text. A bad catechist can teach error with an excellent text.

quite frankly the text is not the major contributor to learning and formation in RE. Since the reading level of so many public school children here is so low, and their attention span so short, the students actually have minimal contact with the text. It is the teacher who needs the text as a framework and a guide to “what must I know and master in order to convey it to my students.”
 
I don’t know if this personal anecdote will have any persuasive power with your pastor, but FWIW–

My kids are already very well catechized at home. DH&I don’t do anything formal, but we talk about these things a lot over the course of daily life. The catechists at CCD always comment on how much my kids know.

For some reason that does not make much sense to me, the CCD program teaches in combined grades, i.e. K-1, 3-4, 5-6, even though the classes are quite full doing it this way. Even further not making sense, they alternate textbooks year by year, one year using Faith and Life, and the other year using this other series (I forget the name) which, while not unorthodox or watery per se, simply doesn’t have the same richness and depth that Faith and Life does.

Last year was a NON Faith and Life year. By the middle of the year, my normaly cooperative 3rd and 5th grade boys were whining about having to go to CCD every week because it was “so stupid.” They were nearly in armed rebellion by June! Back to Faith and Life this year, and the whining has dropped again.

Basically, my point is this: kids will come to the school or CCD program with varying levels of formation. You can teach rich, deep content, like Faith and Life does, and **all **the kids will come away with something more. Use something with lighter, more ambiguous content, and the kids who came in not knowing much will walk away with formation ranging from fluffy to downright unorthodox, and the well-formed kids will be bored to tears.

Any school that prides itself on a solid, well-grounded academic program should implement nothing less in the religion department.

That’s my two cents, anyway…

Margaret
 
I just ordered the Image of God Preschool Workbooks A & B, and the Kindergarten Workbook to use with my 4 year old daughter. Is the teacher’s manual a must at that level?
 
Faith and Life by Catholics United for the Faith is the best. I tis so rich and deep and yet succinct.

I don’t send my kids to CCD. I just do it at home.
 
Cohibas said:
I just ordered the Image of God Preschool Workbooks A & B, and the Kindergarten Workbook to use with my 4 year old daughter. Is the teacher’s manual a must at that level?
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IMO it is not essential at any level for homeschoolers to have the catechist manual, because you probably already have many of the resources and techniques. If you are new to HS, however, it might be very helpful. try to get used ones from parishes who are ordering new editions, since the manuals don’t change much in content.
 
Cohibas said:
I just ordered the Image of God Preschool Workbooks A & B, and the Kindergarten Workbook to use with my 4 year old daughter. Is the teacher’s manual a must at that level?
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The workbooks are simply reinforcement of the material presented in the teacher’s manual. Dot to dots, coloring pages, very simple cut out activities etc… There is no instruction in them, so I think you really do need the TM. In fact, I’d say you’re better off with the TM than you are with the workbooks (if you had to choose). No reason a used copy wouldn’t work just as well though.

Edited to add, I remember that the back of the worksheets often had little notes to parents about the topic, but IIRC, the amount of information is miniscule compared to all the concepts and explanations in the TM.
 
I have been teaching the Blest Are We program for four years. I finally had to do my own research to see if something better existed. I ended up ordering the Faith and Life student books for grades 5, 6, 7, and 8. We read these at home as a family at night now. It is WONDERFUL!

I still teach and donate my time as a Catechist. All I can say is Blest Are We is very weak and misleading. Faith and Life is so good. I wish our parish would make the switch to Faith and Life.

God bless!
 
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