Building a culture of life, one student at a time
Components of the Program
CLSP consists of six series:
- Life Primer
- Life Connections
- Life Quest
- Life Foundations
- Life Lens
- Life Scope
Beginning their studies in Life Primer, students learn how God creates each human being to be unique, valuable, and deserving of respect regardless of age, race, size, background, or ability. In middle school, students continue their studies of the basic principles of the gospel of life in the Life Connections, Life Quest, and Life Foundations series by examining age-appropriate pro-life topics in literature, history, science, and religion.
When students reach high school, more emphasis is placed on evangelization and communication through critical thinking and hands-on activities in Life Lens and Life Scope. Where Life Lens studies a specific text, moment in history, or Church document in great detail through a written supplement, Life Scope presents information through multimedia outlets and challenges students to use media tools to proclaim the gospel of life.
FAQs
What is the Culture of Life Studies Program?
The Culture of Life Studies Program is an educational initiative that gives educators the tools they need to teach about pro-life topics and the sanctity of every human being’s life in every subject and at every grade level from preschool through high school.
The Culture of Life Studies Program strives to build a culture of life by helping students to understand the value of every human being and by inspiring a new generation of young people who will defend preborn children, respect all human beings from creation to death, and speak the truth with confidence in defense of the innocent.
What is a culture of life?
In his encyclical Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life), Saint John Paul II defines the culture of life as the recognition of the sacredness and value of every human being’s life from the very first moment of creation until death and that works to defend every human being as a gift from God. Someone who lives out the culture of life in the way that God intended sees every human being as a gift, regardless of size, age, beauty, ability, or any other criterion, and treats other people with love, respect, and dignity. A person who fully lives out the culture of life is aware of his surroundings and seeks to maintain peace, defend the innocent, and preserve the beauty of creation.
My family is already pro-life; why do I need this program?
Just like catechetical teachings, pro-life truths must be instilled in our youth at a young age and then reinforced throughout their lives. We know that by living a pro-life life you are already doing a great job showing your children what it means to be pro-life. But just like our Catholic faith, it never hurts to have help along the way to reinforce the core values you are already teaching in your home. We make it easy (we’ve done all the research for you), affordable (with donor support we keep our prices very low), and even fun (with projects that reinforce what you are learning) to keep your family up to date on all that is happening in our culture related to life.
Let’s face it: With our culture waging open war against marriage, the family, preborn children, and people with disabilities, there has never been a greater need for an educational program that teaches students the truth about the value of all human beings, the sacredness of the sacrament of marriage, and the necessity of the family as the building block of society.
What setting is this program designed for?
All of our supplements and materials can be used in schools, homeschools, religious education programs, co-ops, or any other group or classroom setting.
How does the Culture of Life Studies Program handle sensitive issues, like abortion, with younger children?
Because of the innocence of young children, we do not introduce the topic of abortion to children until 5th grade. Instead, we focus on the beauty and inherent value of every human being regardless of age, ability, or appearance—laying the groundwork for more sensitive topics in later grades.
In middle school and beyond, we teach students what abortion is, but instead of dwelling on the harsh realities of the procedure, we emphasize what each student can do in his or her life to build a culture of life.
If abortion does come up with younger children, this blog post has some suggestions for parents about what to say.
Is abortion the only topic you cover?
In order to build a culture of life, we must respect the dignity of all human beings from their creation until death. Abortion is the most dangerous threat to human dignity, so we absolutely put a focus on educating students about the dignity of preborn babies and equipping them to help end abortion, but our program goes way beyond that. We help students to see their own value and dignity. To combat the eugenic mindset that is taking hold in our world, we challenge them to look beyond someone’s appearance, age, or ability and see the beauty in their fellow man. We focus on end-of-life issues and the ever-growing threat that euthanasia poses to our world. We help students and educators live out the culture of life in their everyday lives by teaching selflessness and charity. This is an all-encompassing program that not only educates, but stands to completely transform the culture.
Is this a sex-ed or chastity/abstinence program?
No. There are experts with whom we work who have chastity education covered. At the CSLP we believe that it is parents’ God-given duty and responsibilty to educate their children when it comes to sexuality. That being said, we know that is not always possible, so we do try to equip parents and teachers with the skills and knowledge to teach virtue, including purity. In addition, we focus on the inherent value and dignity of every human being. With the world so intent on destroying the innocence of our children, we focus on protecting that innocence with materials that build students up and protect their minds and hearts.
What is the length of each lesson?
Most of our lessons take between 35 and 50 minutes to complete, depending on the grade level. However, we encourage instructors to extend the lesson to more than one session if engaging discussions ensue. In many of our lessons, there is enough material to spread over multiple days.
Do I need special training in order to teach this material?
No, you don’t have to be a pro-life expert to teach your students about the culture of life.
Every lesson from the Culture of Life Studies Program is written with the help of pro-life leaders, activists, and experts, as well as teachers and homeschool instructors. All of our discussion questions contain answers so that you do not have to spend your time researching. Many parents and teachers have even admitted that they are happily learning right alongside their students! Each supplement that we produce also includes learning objectives, a lesson overview, and teacher instructions to help the instructor easily plan and teach each lesson.