Long Ago and Far Away
Curriculum by Dan Harper currently in development, v. 0.1
Copyright (c) 2026 Dan Harper
Version history: v. 0.1, 2026, stories developed.
Long ago and far away
I dreamed a dream…
In Jerome Kern’s 1944 song “Long Ago (and Far Away),” the dream was a dream of romantic love. In this curriculum, the dream is an age-old dream of human dignity and freedom.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction
About this curriculum
About the session plans
“Biblical literacy”
Reinventing the Bible for human dignity and freedom
Stories and Session Plans
Stories are complete and can be used as is, though expect further editing as curriculum development progresses. Session plans are merely outlines at this point.
HEBREW BIBLE STORIES
1. How Moses Gained Freedom from Pharaoh
2. Moses and the Golden Calf
3. David and Goliath
4. Saul and David
5. Abigail and David
STORIES TOLD BY JESUS
6. The Empty Jar
7. How To Feed Five Thousand People
8. The Good Samaritan
(More stories to come…)
Goals and objectives
BOILERPLATE TEXT, will be updated as curriculum development progresses.
(1) We want children to have fun and feel they are part of a community.
We want this both because our religious tradition values community and a sense of belonging to a group of caring people; and also because we want children to want to come to Sun-day school, for if they don’t come (or don’t want to be here when they do come), they won’t learn anything.
How we work towards this goal in this curriculum:
a. We will take attendance each week so the children will hear each other’s names (including the names of any visitors or newcomers).
b. We will allow time for check-in during an opening circle, so each child may say something good and something bad that has happened in the past week.
c. We will sometimes allow time for free play; and/or we will allow time for activities that allow the children to socialize (such as drawing pictures).
How we will assess the group’s performance:
a. Watch attendance as a percentage of enrollment. 50% attendance is average; 60% attendance is good to excellent.
(2) We want children to gain the basic religious literacy expected in our society. This is both so children can better participate in democracy in a multicultural society, and so they understand basic cultural references.
How we work towards this goal in this curriculum:
a. We will expose the children to some important stories from some important religious/cultural traditions, based on a general list of topics for religious literacy.
b. We will expose children to some stories from lesser traditions, that may be at the margins of American culture and world culture, but which still have their own importance as human cultural productions.
c. We will help the children remember these stories.
d. We will have conversations with the children about these stories, to help them begin to understand the differences and similarities between different cultures and religions.
How we will assess the group’s performance:
a. We will ask the group to repeat each story back to us during the class session (e.g., before they act out the story, during a closing circle, etc.).
b. We will have a conversation with the children about each story, so they can make sense out of the story, and to help them better remember what the story was about.
(3) We want children to learn the skills associated with liberal religion, things such as public speaking, singing, basic leadership skills, interpersonal skills, etc.
How we work towards this goal in this curriculum:
a. We will help children learn interpersonal skills by help-ing them cooperate together to act out stories, and/or to do group illustrations of stories, and/or through other modes of the whole group working together.
(4) We aim to prepare children to become Unitarian Universalist adults, should they choose to become Unitarian Universalists when they are old enough to make their own decisions. To this end, we help children to become sensitive, moral, and joyful people, people who have intellectual integrity and spiritual insight.
How we work towards this goal in this curriculum:
a. We will remind the children that this is a Unitarian Universalist congregation, by saying the typical opening words each week (see sessions plans).
b. We will find opportunities in class sessions to support children in their moral growth and emotional sensitivity.
c. We will seek ways to bring joy into the classroom.
d. We will foster intellectual integrity and spiritual insight through open and serious conversations.
Introduction
FULL TEXT COMING AS CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT PROGRESSES.
About this curriculum
Stories from the Hebrew Bible and the Christian scriptures, about freedom, friendship, human relationships, and how humans relate to the divine.
About the session plans
Text to come.
“Biblical literacy”
About the notion of Biblical literacy, to understand a myriad of cultural references.
Reinventing the Bible for human dignity and freedom
How we can reclaim the Bible from Christian nationalists and others who use the Bible as a tool of repression. Instead, we can use the Bible to show the way to human dignity and freedom, and to show how we can stick up for the poor and downtrodden.