Pro-Life Education Program
Outline & Resources
Our mission is to develop a true and lasting understanding among children from K - 12th grade of the sanctity of all human life - unborn, handicapped, the terminally ill, and the aged. We are commanded by the Gospel to create a "Culture of Life" in our families, schools, parishes, communities and the world. Only by living out the Gospel of Life, and teaching it, can we hope to accomplish this awesome task.
Christian educators and especially those in charge, have a specific and unique opportunity and obligation: To rebuild a Culture of Life by teaching COMPREHENSIVELY the sanctity of Life. This is particularly true in a singular way for parents, as parents are the first and primary teachers of the Christian Faith and of morals.
We must acknowledge the reality that if we do not teach our children the truth NOW, we are all doomed to a future of a worsening culture of death.
We are in no way proposing sex education. We propose teaching the sanctity of life--from conception to natural death.
We are not presenting a finished program here. We are developing an outline, and offer it as a guide to be used in bringing about a full curriculum. There is an abundance of available material that is suitable for classroom use. Dozens of videos, books, booklets, and pamphlets, as well as fetal models, and posters are readily available.
Materials: This is only a partial list.
Third and Fourth Grade:
Book 1: The Wonderful Way that Babies are Made by Larry Christensen. A really unique book to help you teach your children about families, babies and God's design for the family. Each page has two sets of text - big bold text to read to children 3-8 and smaller text which elaborates on God's gift of children in language appropriate for children 9-14. (42 pages) Victory One
Book 2: Life Before Birth by Dr. Gary E. Parker Published by: Master Books (1997) Were we people before we were born? Do we have useless leftover animal parts inside us? Dr. Gary Parker's popular Christian family book brilliantly combines a family teaching book about the development of a human being from the DNA upwards, with a very powerful pro-life and procreation message. Highly recommended for every Christian family. This is an excellent book describing for children the stages of development of the human fetus. A special focus is on God's special working in this process. I recommend this book for the entire family! Children wonder where babies come from. They wonder what they looked like when they were still growing inside their mother's womb. And they wonder why some people say its okay to kill pre-born babies, while others say it is wrong. Dr. Parker and his wife, Mary, explain the Biblical view of life before birth. Such topics as abortion and birth defects are covered in a special way.
For grades 4-6, a firmly Biblical and reverent treatment, with scientific confirmation, of the God-ordained process of human reproduction. Illustrated. This sensitively written book with its 85 full-size pages of warm, colorful illustrations allows mom and dad to deal with important reproductive questions while communicating the awesome love of the Creator to children.
From grades 5-12: Begin each class with prayer of Spiritual Adoption
Plastic Model of 11-12 Week Preborn Baby (aprox. 2 ¼" Long) Only 26 cents in large quantity. Each model comes with a PHOTO FRONT card which details fetal development on the back. From Victory One.
This is a very powerful but inexpensive model that is excellent for hands on teaching with students. When a student holds this model pre-born baby in their hands and is taught the truth of life before birth it will create a lasting impression. Students are instructed to "keep baby safe" as they will be all bringing "their babies" back to class for future lessons. Used till end of High School.
Posters similar to this one are excellent for display in religion / bible study class all year long.
POSTERS:
Beautifully illustrated collection of nine 16" X 20"posters documents the growth stages of a baby for nine months in the womb. These posters are an excellent teaching tool. Display them individually on a monthly basis or as a set. Heritage House
Resource List
Human Development from Conception to Birth
SPIRITUAL ADOPTION PRAYER
Dear Jesus, child of Mary, I love you and thank you for your unconditional love. I plead with you to save the life of ______ and _______, the unborn children whom we have spiritually adopted and whose lives are threatened by abortion. May these children be allowed to grow in wisdom, age and strength in your presence and in the sight of all. Amen"
K- 3rd Grade Notes
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A NEW LANGUAGE FOR THE CULTURE OF LIFE
Re-Humanizing the VERY young citizen
We have many otherideas like the one at right. As well as storyideas for class etc.
The goal is to establish a personal link between the American citizen on the street and the American citizen waitingto be born.
An important message from Andrew Jefferson, President Federation of Americans waiting to be born
Fifth and Sixth Grade:
"How Babies Grow" - 13 minute VHS presentation narrated by Dr. Jack Willke and Barbara Willke, R. N. This presentation goes a little more in-depth with fetal development and the fact that babies can be born prematurely and still live. Teacher focuses on self-respect as a good way to respect others - whether they are like us or not. Reinforces the fact that a baby is a human being from conception. Again, abortion is nevermentioned at this age level.
LIFE Magazine- Life Before Birth Reprint - Leonart Nilson photographs (1965) The Famous photos of life before birth, detailing the development of a child from conception to birth. It contains the original 1965 LIFE text. An excellent, inexpensive pictorial. (20 pages) (should be reviewed in each grade level through Twelfth grade!)
Objectives: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to state that:
1. Conception is when a cell from the mother and a cell from the father join together.
2. A new life begins at conception, not birth--and is from God.
3. The baby is inside his or her mother for nine months.
4. The unborn baby has a beating heart.
5. The unborn baby has finger prints and toe prints.
6. The unborn baby sucks his/her thumb and breathes fluid.
7. The unborn baby kicks and makes swimming motions.
8. The unborn baby can learn.
9. The unborn baby can feel pain.
10. Unborn babies are just as human as we are.
The purpose of this lesson is to provide the children with a body of information, which will enable them to reject pro-abortion messages that they will be exposed to, as they grow older. This lesson does not mention abortion at any time. It simply informs them about the development of the unborn baby in order that they will know it is not a "blob of tissue," but a little human being.
Procedure:
Tell the children that we are going to see some very special pictures today. Their parents and teachers couldn't have seen this sort of movie when they were in school because a new kind of camera was needed. The technique is called fiber-optic photography. It involves a very tiny camera on the end of a thin tube or "fiber" which is inserted into the body. Doctors use fiber-optic photography to see inside the human body to diagnose and treat various medical problems. It can also be used to see a baby growing inside his or her mother.
Show the film "How Babies Grow." Tell the children that we will discuss the film after it is over, and that they should remember any questions they have. After showing the film, guide the discussion by asking the following questions designed to highlight the main concepts of the film:
1. How long were you inside your mother before you were born?
2. Were you alive before you were born?
3. When did your life start?
4. What could you do inside your mother?
5. What happens if a baby is born before nine months have passed?
6. Does it look a little different?
7. Is it still a baby?
8. Do you look the way you'll look when you're all grown up? Discuss at this point that life is a continuum - we all look different from the way we looked when we were younger and we will all look much different when we are older. How a person looks at any particular stage of life does not determine how human he or she is. In fact, growing and changing in appearance is a characteristic of being human).
9. Is he/she still a baby even though they look different? Are they still alive?
10. Why do some people think a baby is not a real, live baby before he is born? (Answer-because they have not seen the baby yet).
"Preview of a Birth" - 16 minute VHS presentation on fetal development produced by Georgia Nurses for Life through the Human Development Resource Council. Fast paced and imaginative presentation creates a dynamic learning experience for 11-year-olds through adults. Abortion is never mentioned in the film itself. The classroom instruction explores the issue by presenting the basic facts and asking the class to look at an issue based on whether it is "right" because it is legal. Fetal models are also used at this age level as a teaching tool for fetal development.
Book 1 : IS THE FETUS HUMAN? By Eric Pastusek Biological, medical, legal, cultural, social and emotional evidence combined in an amazing array of facts to prove the fetus is human, plus many personal testimonies. One of the best pro-life books ever!
Book 2. The Tiniest Humans
Concepts:
1. Life begins at conception - this is a biological fact
2. The right to life is God-given
3. Abortion is the intentional taking of a human life
4. Teenagers account for 400,000 of the 1.3 million abortions each year.
Books for Sixth Grade:
Book 1: PRO-LIFE CHRISTIANS HEROES FOR THE PRE-BORN By Joe Gulotta Short Inspiring stories of 28 Christians who fight abortion today in a variety of ways. Just about every facet of the Pro-Life Movement. Positive, inviting and full of personal experience stories!
Every Student has a ruler.
Why not have one that teaches the truth of "Life before Birth"
