The Catholic studies curriculum identifies grade-specific outcomes to achieve the program aim and goals. In addition, each grade has an overarching conceptual 'focus' or broad theme that is emphasized by several of the outcomes at that grade. This focus may also serve as inspiration for rallies, retreats and projects.

Each grade of the Catholic studies curriculum has a different focus or overarching theme for the year or semester.

• Catholic Studies 9 focus: Journeying in Faith with Community
• Catholic Studies 10 focus: Understanding the Call to Evangelize
• Catholic Studies 20 focus: Exploring the Joy of a Catholic Identity
• Catholic Studies 30 focus: Embracing Spiritual and Religious Life

The Catholic Studies 30 outcomes focus in part on students' deepening personal commitment to their spiritual and religious lives. In outcome CS30.1, students examine Catholic teachings and consider why they believe what they believe. In outcome CS30.2, students examine God's vocational call to each individual, and in CS30.3, reflect on the daily commitment involved in living in covenant with God. In outcome CS30.7, students consider benefits and challenges of being both spiritual and/or religious and reflect on how their own values are influenced by Catholic teachings. As students deepen their understanding of traditional First Nations and Métis spirituality and other religions, in CS30.10 they examine the influence of ecumenical and interfaith dialogue on their own spiritual and religious lives.

Inquiry learning provides students with opportunities to build knowledge, abilities, and inquiring habits of mind that lead to deeper understanding of their world and human experience. Inquiry is more than a simple instructional method. The inquiry process focuses on the development of compelling questions, formulated by teachers and students in dialogue, to motivate and guide inquiries into topics, problems and issues related to curriculum contexts and outcomes.

Inquiry is more than a simple instructional strategy. It is a philosophical approach to teaching and learning, grounded in constructivist research and methods, which engages students in investigations that lead to disciplinary and interdisciplinary understanding.

Inquiry builds on students' inherent sense of curiosity and wonder, drawing on their diverse backgrounds, interests and experiences. The process provides opportunities for students to become active participants in a collaborative search for meaning and understanding.

Students who are engaged in inquiry:

• construct deep knowledge and deep understanding rather than passively receiving information
• are directly involved and engaged in the discovery of new knowledge
• encounter alternative perspectives and differing ideas that transform prior knowledge and experience into deep understandings
• transfer new knowledge and skills to new circumstances
• take ownership and responsibility for their ongoing learning and mastery of curriculum content and skills.(Adapted from Kuhlthau & Todd, 2008)

Inquiry prompts and motivates students to investigate topics within meaningful contexts. The inquiry process is not linear or lock-step, but is flexible and recursive. Experienced inquirers will move back and forth among various phases as new questions arise and as students become more comfortable with the process.

Well-formulated inquiry questions are broad in scope and rich in possibilities. Such questions encourage students to explore, observe, gather information, plan, analyze, interpret, synthesize, problem solve, apply critical and creative thinking, take risks, create, conclude, document, reflect on learning, and develop new questions for further inquiry. The following graphic represents various components or phases of this cyclical inquiry process.

Teachers and students can begin their inquiry at one or more curriculum entry points; however, the process may evolve into transdisciplinary integrated learning opportunities, as reflective of the holistic nature of our lives and interdependent global environment.

It is essential to develop questions that are evoked by student interests and have potential for rich and deep learning. These questions are used to initiate and guide the inquiry and give students direction for developing deep understandings about topics, problems, ideas, challenges, issues, or concepts under study.

The process of constructing compelling questions can help students grasp the important disciplinary or transdisciplinary ideas that are situated at the core of a particular curricular focus or context. These broad questions lead to more specific questions that can provide a framework, purpose, and direction for the learning activities in a lesson, or series of lessons, and help students connect what they are learning to their experiences and life beyond school.

Research indicates that developing students' knowledge within meaningful contexts is more effective for long term growth than learning individual facts or developing isolated skills (Johnson, 2002). This means that academic 'content', which is an almost limitless body of information, is best taught within 'contexts' that promote deep understanding and help students to make connections between what they are learning and their daily lives.

Contexts serve as higher-level conceptual organizers for inquiry. There are five required contexts that are the same for all grades. Each learning context is identified using a two or three letter code. These codes are listed under each outcome as a suggestion regarding which learning context or contexts most strongly support the intent of the outcome.

Following are the grades 9-12 contexts and codes:

1. Salvation History [SH]
2. Knowing God [KG]
3. Dignity of the Human Person [DHP]
4. Church [CH]
5. Seeking Spiritual Meaning [SSM].

Students need to experience learning through each context at each grade. They can be addressed individually or combined. In addition, 'big ideas' for inquiry relevant to Catholic studies have been identified for each context at each grade (e.g., context of 'Salvation History' and the big idea of 'Noah and the Flood' in Grade 9, or within the same 'Salvation History' context the big idea of 'Moses and the Law' in Grade 10). If time permits, teachers may also explore 'big ideas' beyond those identified.

Refer to Appendix C: Contexts and Big Ideas Continuum.

Before and during the inquiry process, students and teachers will formulate questions for inquiry. These questions help direct students' investigations and research. Questions may be specific to one context or apply to several. An inquiry question such as, "What does it mean to be made in the image and likeness of God?" relates to both contexts of 'Knowing God' and 'Seeking Spiritual Meaning'.

The teachers' role is to guide students towards achieving the learning outcomes throughout the contexts and inquiry process. Sample questions such those in the following chart will move students' inquiry towards deeper understanding.

Big Ideas for Inquiry

• living the covenant
• Evangelical Christians
• First Nations and Métis spirituality
• Eastern religions and spirituality
• Catholic Christians

Sample Inquiry Questions

• Why do I believe what I believe?
• How can I represent the scriptural concept of `one house, many rooms' (e.g., visual image, essay, digital communication)?
• How can the covenant be relevant in my daily life?
• To whom does the covenant apply?
• How do various religions and spiritualities describe their relationship with the creator?

Big Ideas for Inquiry

• Holy Spirit
• Pentecost and birth of the Church
• the Commissioning

Sample Inquiry Questions

• Why do Catholics believe the Holy Spirit is present in everyday life?
• How does one know when the Holy Spirit is active in one's life or the world?
• How does the Holy Spirit represent the female aspect of God?
• How are individuals affected by the Pentecost?
• How is working with the Holy Spirit a `messy' experience? (Pope Francis calls youth to make a "holy mess" at World Youth Day 2013)

Big Ideas for Inquiry

• free will and conscience
• morality and ethics
• value of human life
• peace and unity

Sample Inquiry Questions

• What is goodness?
• How is moral goodness influenced by the concept of faithful obedience?
• How can individuals and the Church support social justice for First Nations and Métis peoples and promote environmental, economic and social sustainability?
• Why would individuals seek martyrdom? Should there be limits to freedom?
• How do I decide between what I can do and what I should do?
• What does it mean to die with dignity?
• How do church teachings affect my views on suicide?
• How can science and dialogue expand views of bioethical issues?
• What role do humility and trust in God play in decision making or discernment?
• How do treaties in Saskatchewan encourage the development of good and lasting relationships among various peoples?
• What changes need to take place for there to be peace and unity in the world?

Big Ideas for Inquiry

• the place of self, Church and Christ in society
• past, present and future
• interfaith dialogue
• transforming society

Sample Inquiry Questions

• Why go to Church?
• How can I support the Church to spread the Good News (e.g., giving witness, volunteer in a soup kitchen, gathering clothing for refugees)?
• How are Pope Francis' views on sustainability and social action influencing individuals and Church communities?
• How do individuals and community support faith to grow and develop?
• What is the significance of the mass and sacraments of the Church evolving over time?
• In what ways is liturgy for you but not about you?
• What makes good liturgy?
• How do various world religions and spiritualities affect my belief in God?
• How do diverse views on marriage and the family reflect and influence societal values?

Big Ideas for Inquiry

• relationships
• prayer, grace, and miracles
• vocations and discernment
• living and expressing one's faith

Sample Inquiry Questions

• How are my values influenced by Catholic views on `right relationships'?
• How do we know when prayers are heard?
• Why do some prayers seem to be answered and others not?
• In what ways are traditional prayers and ceremonies of First Nations and Métis people an integral part of cultural identity and contemporary life?
• What is the relationship between grace and good works?
• Do miracles happen? If so, why do miracles happen for some people and not others?
• What type of support do I need in my faith journey and where can I find it?
• What does it mean to live one's faith?

Important to any inquiry process is student reflection on their learning as well as the documentation needed to assess the learning and make it visible to themselves and others. Student documentation of the inquiry process may take the form of reflective journals, essays, digital records, websites, presentation software, notes, drawings, three-dimensional models, photographs, blogs, visual and multimedia representations and displays, audio and video recordings of projects and presentations and more.

Saskatchewan First Nations and Métis content, perspectives and ways of knowing are infused within all provincial K-12 curricula including this Catholic studies curriculum (e.g., outcomes and indicators, components, contexts and inquiries). When studying the Catholic studies' contexts of "Knowing God", "Church" or "Seeking Spiritual Meaning", for example, students should also examine the role and importance of prayers and ceremonies from traditional and contemporary perspectives of Saskatchewan's First Nations and Métis peoples. Refer to Appendix A for additional information on incorporation of First Nations and Métis worldviews and big ideas for inquiry.

It is important to recognize the diversity among First Nations cultural and spiritual beliefs and ceremonies within Saskatchewan, Canada and throughout the world. While emphasis is to be placed on traditional First Nations and Métis spiritualities, it is important to recognize that many First Nations and Métis peoples are Christian - including those of the Catholic faith. Furthermore, many First Nations and Métis individuals and church communities combine both traditional and Catholic practices.

Effective Catholic studies programs recognize and draw attention to multiple rites within the Catholic Church (i.e., a Church with a place for all). Teachers are encouraged to draw attention to both Western and Eastern Catholic churches and rites including the Latin and Byzantine traditions prevalent in Saskatchewan. In addition, there are other Catholic rites represented in Saskatchewan, throughout Canada and the world. In this curriculum, the broad term "Catholic" is inclusive of all Catholic churches and Catholic rites (e.g., Ukrainian Catholic church celebrating according to the Byzantine rite).

It is important for students to understand when addressing the topic of salvation history that, although the fullness of Revelation can be found in Jesus, salvation history is not limited to the past. Tradition continues to reveal salvation and all people today are part of its story. Effective Catholic studies courses recognize the ongoing nature of salvation history in multiple ways (e.g., through the 'Salvation History' context and corresponding outcomes and indicators at each grade).