Call for Authors: Tapestry of Faith Children's Curricula Grades K-1 and Grades 2-3
The Lifespan Faith Development staff group of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is seeking authors to write Tapestry of Faith children's programs.
Program Background
Tapestry of Faith nurtures four faith development strands—Unitarian Universalist (UU) religious identity development, faith development, ethical development, and spiritual development. Big questions, central stories, spiritual practices, sustained anti-bias foci, and UU Principles and Sources are also essential to the Tapestry fabric. Programs provide clear “take away” messages and guide leaders to nourish each child's quest to understand what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist. Each program's design reflects an understanding of child development and how children experience, work, create, sing, share, serve and learn in different ways.
Tapestry of Faith, Series Three: Beloved Community
The next series of Tapestry of Faith programs for children, Beloved Community, will focus on finding and sharing our Unitarian Universalist faith in community. Programs will call participants to appreciate the richness of belonging to a UU community by sharing stories about our rituals; our heritage of love/faith/hope and reason/freedom/justice; our common values and Principles; and how Unitarian Universalists help each other find answers to life’s big, theological questions.
Authors or co-author teams of two are needed for 16-session programs for Kindergarten/1st Grade and for Grades 2/3.
Writing will begin in June 2008 with full manuscripts due in January 2009. Authors are provided with a Word-based template for program design and manuscript preparation, an outline of suggested session topics, and resources for selecting central stories. UUA staff work closely with authors is developing the curricula.
Authors interested in applying should look at two Tapestry of Faith programs currently in field test online: Creating Home for Grades K-1 and Moral Tales for Grades 2-3.
Criteria for Curriculum Authors
- Has proven writing skills, preferably in curriculum writing
- Is competent in developmental age-appropriateness
- Has ability to communicate UU faith and values
- Uses anti-racist and anti-oppressive lenses
- Meets deadlines
- Accepts and responds well to feedback
- Offers creative educational design
- Creates original material
- Understands and addresses diverse learning styles
- Is open to the vision of the Tapestry of Faith project
How to Apply
Please submit a resume or CV, a writing sample (preferably a curriculum-writing sample) and brief answers to these questions:
- For which age group are you applying?
- What expertise do you have with this age group(s)?
- What skills and interests do you bring to your curriculum development and writing?
- What three attributes of a curriculum do you believe are most important to consider when developing children's programs?
- What support would you need to write a children's curriculum to be used in Unitarian Universalist faith development programs?
If you have applied previously to be a Tapestry of Faith children's program author, please provide relevant updates to your experience and qualifications.
Please send your application electronically by June 6, 2008, to Judith A. Frediani, Director of Lifespan Faith Development, Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, jfrediani @ uua.org.
Last updated on Monday, May 12, 2008.
