Religion Grade 8 Level Standards
for Catholic Schools Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Scripture/ Christian Life
- Explains the relationship between Old Testament and New Testament Scriptures.
- Tells stories from Scripture that describe the person and ministry of Jesus Christ:
The Rich Man and Lazarus (Lk 16: 19-331);
The Money Changers in the Temple (Mk 11:15-18, Mk 13:23, Lk 21:25-28);
The Baptism of Jesus (Lk 3:13-17); The Last Judgment (Mt 25:35-40):
Jesus announces his mission (Lk 4:14-23); Jesus:
The Second Adam (1 Cor 15:47); Temptation (Mt 4:1-11).
- Associates Jesus as a friend and model of how we are called to be friends:
Lk 8:1-3, Lk 9:28-36, Lk 10:38-42, Mt 10:1-4, Mt 19:13-15, Mt 26:36-56, Jn 1:40-48, Jn 11:1-53, Jn 19:25-27, Jn 15:12-17.
- Connects Scripture stories to life issues:
Life of the Christian (Acts 2: 42-47, 4:32-35);
Light Under a Bushel Basket (Mt 5:14-16);
God’s Mercy and Compassion (Lk 1:68-79);Church as a Family (Ephesians:14-21);
Justice of God (Jeremiah 22:13, Lk 6:36, 38);
Kingdom Parable and Actions (Lk 10:33, 19:10, Mk 2:17);
Share My Mission (Mt 28:20).
- Uses the Bible as a source for daily prayer.
Sacraments/Worship
- Names the Sacraments of the Church and associates them with life experiences, e.g. family meals and Eucharist.
- Identifies and experiences Catholic rituals, for example, Baptism, Eucharist, Reconciliation.
- Experiences a relationship with God in individual prayer, including meditation and spontaneous prayer.
- Recognizes and experiences belonging to a community that prays with and for each other.
- Participates regularly in Sunday Eucharist.
- Recognizes and understands the real presence of Christ in the Eucharistic Liturgy.
- Participates in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
- Articulates the cycles of the Liturgical Year, including Feasts.
- Identifies the ritual nature of life and associates it with the ritual of Church, for example:
seasons of nature and seasons of the Church Year.
Morality/ Social Justice
- Recognizes the Ten Commandments, the Corporal and Spiritual works of Mercy
as guidelines for living a good life and applies them to daily life.
- Describes experiences of conscience which signal what is right and wrong.
- Identifies and begins to develop virtues such as justice, courage and wisdom.
- Articulates a consistent Life Ethic from a Catholic perspective-
Understands personal choices in relationship to the moral life.
- Associates social, economic and political choices with Christian morality.
- Recognizes that some sins are collective and social - the wrongful acts of a group.
- Begins to integrate skills of justice and peacemaking.
- Recognizes that our call to the Christian life may be counter cultural to the message in some contemporary music
and media, yet can identify the positive messages in the same.
- Is conscious of racial, ethnic and class differences and makes definite efforts to be inclusive in relationships.
- Reaches out to those who may be isolated from “in” groups.
- Can articulate an awareness in the disparity of resources (both locally and globally)
and can connect that to the need to reach out to the poor and disenfranchised.
- Recognizes that “globalization” and technology have implications for the life and dignity of the human person.
- Begins to understand the impact of or world on the development of the Church.
- Participates in Christian Service activities.
Christian Faith and Practice
- Connects the beliefs of the Catholic Church to the lived experience of youth.
- Recognizes major periods in the Bible and in the history of the Catholic Church: Genesis - Exodus;
New Testament period; Development of the early Church.
- Describes the Marks of the Church.
- Identifies the significant components in the hierarchical nature of the Church.
- Defines Lay Leadership and articulates the role of the laity in building the Kingdom of God.
- Recognizes inter-religious dialogue as the effort to foster cooperation and improve understanding between and among
different Christian traditions.
- Describes the contribution of saints and holy people to our faith tradition, for example:
St. Teresa of Avila; St. Vincent Palloti; St. Rose of Lima; Dorothy Day; Archbishop Oscar Romero.
- Recognizes different images and titles for Mary:
Our Lady, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Lourdes, Sorrowful Mother, Queen of Heaven.
- Recognizes holy people of other traditions: Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Identifies one’s self as being a unique creation, made in God’s image.
- Explains the relationship between Old Testament and New Testament Scriptures.
- Tells stories from Scripture that describe the person and ministry of Jesus Christ:
The Rich Man and Lazarus (Lk 16: 19-331);
The Money Changers in the Temple (Mk 11:15-18, Mk 13:23, Lk 21:25-28);
The Baptism of Jesus (Lk 3:13-17); The Last Judgment (Mt 25:35-40):
Jesus announces his mission (Lk 4:14-23); Jesus:
The Second Adam (1 Cor 15:47); Temptation (Mt 4:1-11).
- Associates Jesus as a friend and model of how we are called to be friends:
Lk 8:1-3, Lk 9:28-36, Lk 10:38-42, Mt 10:1-4, Mt 19:13-15, Mt 26:36-56, Jn 1:40-48, Jn 11:1-53, Jn 19:25-27, Jn 15:12-17.
- Connects Scripture stories to life issues:
Life of the Christian (Acts 2: 42-47, 4:32-35);
Light Under a Bushel Basket (Mt 5:14-16);
God’s Mercy and Compassion (Lk 1:68-79);Church as a Family (Ephesians:14-21);
Justice of God (Jeremiah 22:13, Lk 6:36, 38);
Kingdom Parable and Actions (Lk 10:33, 19:10, Mk 2:17);
Share My Mission (Mt 28:20).
- Uses the Bible as a source for daily prayer.
Sacraments/Worship
- Names the Sacraments of the Church and associates them with life experiences, e.g. family meals and Eucharist.
- Identifies and experiences Catholic rituals, for example, Baptism, Eucharist, Reconciliation.
- Experiences a relationship with God in individual prayer, including meditation and spontaneous prayer.
- Recognizes and experiences belonging to a community that prays with and for each other.
- Participates regularly in Sunday Eucharist.
- Recognizes and understands the real presence of Christ in the Eucharistic Liturgy.
- Participates in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
- Articulates the cycles of the Liturgical Year, including Feasts.
- Identifies the ritual nature of life and associates it with the ritual of Church, for example:
seasons of nature and seasons of the Church Year.
Morality/ Social Justice
- Recognizes the Ten Commandments, the Corporal and Spiritual works of Mercy
as guidelines for living a good life and applies them to daily life.
- Describes experiences of conscience which signal what is right and wrong.
- Identifies and begins to develop virtues such as justice, courage and wisdom.
- Articulates a consistent Life Ethic from a Catholic perspective-
Understands personal choices in relationship to the moral life.
- Associates social, economic and political choices with Christian morality.
- Recognizes that some sins are collective and social - the wrongful acts of a group.
- Begins to integrate skills of justice and peacemaking.
- Recognizes that our call to the Christian life may be counter cultural to the message in some contemporary music
and media, yet can identify the positive messages in the same.
- Is conscious of racial, ethnic and class differences and makes definite efforts to be inclusive in relationships.
- Reaches out to those who may be isolated from “in” groups.
- Can articulate an awareness in the disparity of resources (both locally and globally)
and can connect that to the need to reach out to the poor and disenfranchised.
- Recognizes that “globalization” and technology have implications for the life and dignity of the human person.
- Begins to understand the impact of or world on the development of the Church.
- Participates in Christian Service activities.
Christian Faith and Practice
- Connects the beliefs of the Catholic Church to the lived experience of youth.
- Recognizes major periods in the Bible and in the history of the Catholic Church: Genesis - Exodus;
New Testament period; Development of the early Church.
- Describes the Marks of the Church.
- Identifies the significant components in the hierarchical nature of the Church.
- Defines Lay Leadership and articulates the role of the laity in building the Kingdom of God.
- Recognizes inter-religious dialogue as the effort to foster cooperation and improve understanding between and among
different Christian traditions.
- Describes the contribution of saints and holy people to our faith tradition, for example:
St. Teresa of Avila; St. Vincent Palloti; St. Rose of Lima; Dorothy Day; Archbishop Oscar Romero.
- Recognizes different images and titles for Mary:
Our Lady, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Lourdes, Sorrowful Mother, Queen of Heaven.
- Recognizes holy people of other traditions: Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Identifies one’s self as being a unique creation, made in God’s image.