I. Course Description:

110 Catholic and Salesian Identity- 1 credit/full year Grade: 9 Catholic and Salesian Identity provides students with an introduction to the Catholic faith that is rooted in Scripture and Tradition and that is shaped by the life and teachings of our patron, Saint Francis de Sales. Guided by the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the student will be led to understand and to appreciate what we believe, why we pray, and how we are called to act. The student’s lived experience is the foundation for fostering the development of his Salesian identity. The experience of the Church will be developed as students complete 10 hours of service through their parish or faith community. The students must complete 10 hours of service prior to the February 20th submission deadline for the reflection paper. This mandatory reflection paper due on February 20th will be graded based on content and the submission of the Christian Service Pamphlet. If all criteria are successfully met, the student will receive a passing grade for the Christian Service requirement which is separate from the Catholic Salesian Identity Course.

II. Course Objectives: This course will enable freshman to:

1. Use the Bible for information and formation
2. List and explain the core beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church
3. List and explain the core practices of the Roman Catholic Church
4. List and explain the core attitudes of the Roman Catholic Church
5. List and explain the core beliefs of the Salesian tradition.
6. List and explain the core practices of the Salesian tradition.
7. List and explain the core attitudes of the Salesian tradition.
8. List and then apply the STOP method of moral problem solving to moral issues.

III. Course Requirements

Textbooks:
The Catholic Youth Bible: The New American Bible, Fireside Edition, St. Mary's Press. Winona, Minnesota, 2006
Our Catholic Faith, Ave Maria Press. Notre Dame, Indiana, 2006
The following material is necessary for class and you are responsible for having all these materials everyday in class along with the textbooks listed above: Student Plan Book, writing instruments, composition notebook for notes and homework and a folder for storage of handouts.

IV. Grading Policy:

The grading scale of this course follows the grading policy of Salesianum School (7 pt. scale with pluses as stated in the handbook ). Your marking period grade in this course will be determined on a percentage of total points earned in the following categories:
- Chapter Tests – 40%
- Quizzes – 30%
- Journals/Short written assignments- 10%
- Homework– 10%
- Class Participation- 10%

Class participation: Can be positive or negative (Positive by being involved in the class (being involved in class discussions, class work, etc.) (Negative by failing to bring in required materials, by disrupting the class in anyway, violating of testing procedures, etc.) I will enforce the strict adherence to the Handbook policy on Violation of Testing Procedure, Academic Integrity and the behavior expected of you as a Salesian gentleman. Your behavior is reflective of yourself, our class and our school and your best behavior will insure an exemplary year of study and growth.

An exemption from taking the final exam can be achieved by getting a grade of “A” in each quarter.

V. Assignments:

For all chapters, homework/journals are a daily practice. I will grade on completion of the assignments as well as for clarity and content. There will be written assignments from the textbook, Salesian material and other material that can be graded. There will be quizzes for comprehension and preparation for tests. Projects will be given to assess comprehension of Salesian thought, Biblical integration and connection to textbook. Tests and quizzes will employ a variety of testing styles including, but not limited to, Multiple Choice, Short Answer, True/False, Matching and/or Essay questions. If an essay question is assigned, it must be completed at home and submitted as a written paper following the criteria listed as follows. All graded materials, be they tests or quizzes or projects, will be announced.
All papers must adhere to the following rubric:

Rubric for all typed assignments: 1-inch margin all around; 12-point font; double-spaced; Times New Roman; and follows all rules for grammar, spelling and sentence construction and submitted to Turnitin.com as directed.

Whenever a student is absent, they must check the website or contact a fellow student for the missed assignment. The assignments are due on the first day of a student’s return unless the illness is too severe to allow for this. In the case of an absence on a test day, students must schedule an appointment for a make-up test at the earliest possible date but no later than one week after the student’s return. This policy will be amended in the case of prolonged, excused absences. A penalty will be assessed daily of 1/3rd the total grade for lateness for a graded assignment. Two days beyond the due date that an assignment is not submitted, the grade is a '0'. Any make-up work, due to a medical or other excused absence, is to be scheduled with me for a time convenient for all parties.

VI. Final Grade for the class will be calculated as follows:

The final grade will be based on the average of:
the four quarter grades
Final Exam Grade- this will be based on three distinct projects and more information on this can be found on the website and will be distributed in class
Each quarter is worth 20% with the final exam counting as the last 20% of the final grade

VII. General Outline of Courses

1st Quarter: Identity and welcome to Salesian Family; Unit 1of the textbook discussing the Holy Trinity and the Church

2nd Quarter: Unit 2 of the textbook dealing with the Liturgy and the Sacraments

3rd Quarter: Unit 3 of the textbook concerned with Christian Morality incorporating the Stop Model

4th Quarter: Unit 4 of the textbook focused on Christian Prayer and the study of the Introduction to the Devout Life