Factual knowledge at each level opens the mind so that light from the spiritual world may flow in. (Arcana Coelestia 5934)

Curriculum is the order and organization of knowledge at the natural, civil, moral and spiritual levels. This knowledge should be ordered according to the states and needs of the student. Ideally it should build from one year to the next, laying foundations for deeper and higher concepts, while instilling a love for learning. If these concepts and facts are organized from the Word, with the Lord at the center, the Lord can arrange them into a heavenly pattern in each individual, enabling him or her to become a good and useful citizen of this world and the next. It is the endeavor of New Church curriculum development to help the Lord with this ordering.

There are many teachings in the Heavenly Doctrine with implications for curriculum development, such as:

"The human mind is formed into regions.... These regions are opened in people successively-from infancy to childhood by means of knowledge; from childhood to youth by means of thought from knowledge; and from youth to adulthood and onward by means of perceptions of moral and spiritual truths" (True Christian Religion 42).

Curriculum development based on the above and other ideas has been continuous from the beginnings of New Church education. Teachers in the Academy of the New Church and in the General Church school system are working together to develop a coordinated curriculum for Kindergarten through Grade 12. The first step is to agree on spiritual goals for each discipline, and we invite you to browse through the underlying goals for:

Religion (PDF)
Language Arts (PDF)
Sacred and World Languages (PDF)
Social Studies (PDF)
Science (PDF)
Math (PDF)
Art (PDF)
Health (PDF)
Physical Education (PDF)

You may also be interested in seeing the entire religion curriculum for Kindergarten through Grade 8, which is available online:

• Kindergarten
• First Grade
• Second Grade
• Third Grade
• Fourth Grade
• Fifth Grade
• Sixth Grade
• Seventh Grade
• Eighth Grade

To see how the religion curriculum helps students learn about the Lord God Jesus Christ, you may want to look at the Concepts of the Lord (PDF). Starting with the idea of the Lord as our Heavenly Father (taught in kindergarten), students are shown a new aspect of the Lord at each grade level.

If you are interested in purchasing the religion curriculum and other curricula as these become available, please email us or call 267-502-4949.