The providers of Christian RI use authorised program resources and are committed to best-practice programs that have been reviewed by independent curriculum experts. The most popular Christian RI program resources in use in Queensland state schools are: Connect, Beginning with God and Big Questions (all published by Christian Education Publications) and GodSpace (published by Burst Christian Resources).

Beginning with God is a one-year program consisting of 40 lessons that introduces students to the key themes of the Bible and the Christian faith. Children engage with the themes through music, drama, reading and writing, puzzle-solving, drawing and asking questions.

The seven main themes for the lessons are:

  • God and his world
  • A troubled world and God’s remedy (includes 2 Easter lessons)
  • Jesus, God’s Son, is always with us
  • Jesus cares for people
  • Responding to Jesus and God
  • People in God’s unfolding plan
  • God’s plan fulfilled (with 4 lessons for Christmas)

See lesson structure: https://cepconnect.com.au/images/uploads/BWG-Syllabus-all.pdf

 

Big Questions is designed for students in their last year of primary school. Over two consecutive school semesters, the program explores concepts such as ‘What is God really like?’, ‘What’s gone wrong with the world?’, ‘Does God really care about me?’, ‘What’s the purpose of my life?’ and ‘How will I make choices about my future?’. Lessons include reading and discussion of key Bible verses.

See lesson structure: https://cepconnect.com.au/images/uploads/Big-Questions-Syllabus.pdf

 

Connect is a three-year program presented across three levels of schooling – infants, lower primary and upper primary. The lessons are Bible based covering Bible history from creation to God’s ultimate purpose. Each lesson introduces concepts, themes and major characters from the Old and New Testaments. Lessons also cover key Christian events such as Easter and Christmas. Students engage with the concepts through music, drama, reading and writing, puzzle-solving, drawing and asking questions.

See lesson structure: https://cepconnect.com.au/images/uploads/Connect-scope-and-sequence-all.pdf

GodSpace comprises a three year curriculum for children aged 4 to 12 years and is designed to introduce the Bible and the core beliefs common to all mainstream Christian denominations. GodSpace is presented across four age groups engaging children through games, puzzles, memory verses, use of puppets and singing:

  • Explorers, for children ages 4-6 years
  • Adventurers, for children ages 6-8 years
  • Navigators, for children ages 8-10 years
  • Voyagers, for children ages 10-12 years.

See lesson structure:

GodSpace Yellow – Scope and Sequence

GodSpace Green – Scope and Sequence

GodSpace Purple – Scope and Sequence

Participating faith groups

Local Christian Churches come together to offer Christian RI on a cooperative and non-denominational basis. These local Churches may, amongst others, include Anglican, Australian Christian Churches, Baptist, Catholic, Churches of Christ, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Salvation Army and Uniting Churches.

State-Wide Christian RI Cooperative Arrangement

Outline of your Faith Group’s Aims and Goals

The aim of Christian RI is to inform students about the basic beliefs of the Christian faith from a non-denominational perspective.

 

Outline of lesson structure

Christian RI may involve a variety of up-to-date teaching methods including storytelling, prayer, music, drama, craft, activity books, games, quizzes, video clips and puppet shows. Program resources are written by professional educators and are age-appropriate.

 

Amount of time for lesson per week

Typically 30 minutes per week