Q: What age group is Equipped for Life Academy designed for?

• A: This curriculum is crafted for high school students of any grade. While some lessons could be used with middle school students, please be aware that the topics discussed in this curriculum are mature. Our team would not recommend using Equipped for Life Academy with students younger than 8th grade. However, you know your students best! There is no requirement that your students be a particular age to purchase the curriculum. 

Q: Can adults use the Equipped for Life Academy Curriculum?

• A: Yes! College students and adults of any age are welcome to purchase and use Equipped for Life Academy. However, please be aware that this curriculum is designed for high school classrooms, so you may want to modify some activities or assignments for your adult setting. If you’d prefer to take a course designed for adults, check out The Equipped for Life Course! While The Equipped for Life Course is video-only and designed for individuals, not groups, it does come with a workbook to assist you in learning and practicing the material.

Q: Do I need to know a lot about abortion and apologetics in order to teach Equipped for Life Academy?

• A: No. Rest assured that you don’t need to know anything about abortion or apologetics to effectively teach this material in your classroom. In this curriculum, you will go on a journey with your students, guiding them as they dive into the history of abortion, the arguments surrounding all sides of the debate, and the practical ways that both they and our society can foster a pro-life culture. Core material is taught to students via short video lectures from the pro-life apologists at ERI, guided discussions that you will facilitate in the classroom, and student research projects. With this framework in mind, this curriculum deliberately provides flexibility for you to mix and match, customize, and overall make the curriculum work for the particular needs of your classroom.

Q: Is Equipped for Life Academy a religious curriculum?

• A: Yes and no! While we believe that faith is a crucial part of the abortion conversation, we also know that the pro-life movement must be equipped to engage with the abortion debate in our secular culture. Equipped for Life Academy thus examines the abortion debate from both religious and secular perspectives. All of the Core Lessons consider the abortion debate and teach pro-life arguments in a completely secular framework (Lessons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8) while students integrate their faith into the abortion conversation in the Bonus Lessons (Lessons 1A, 4A, 4B, 6A, and 8B). This curriculum is designed to fit existing Catholic Education Standards; you can download a guide to how Equipped for Life Academy fits both the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools and The Cardinal Newman Society Catholic Curriculum Standards above. Every lesson also includes Guided Prayer Cards, which we encourage you to use as you lead students in prayer before each day’s lesson begins, spiritually preparing them for the challenging topics and conversations they will encounter.

Q: 8 Core Lessons, 6 Bonus Lessons, and a Summative Assessment would take 15 class periods! I don’t have time in my classroom for that!

• A: That’s okay! This curriculum deliberately provides flexibility for you to mix and match, customize, and generally make the curriculum work for the particular needs of your classroom. While you are welcome to teach or skip any lesson as you see fit, we also provide you with a list of Suggested Lesson Groupings in the Equipped for Life Academy Orientation Materials (which you can download and review before purchasing!). Think of the Suggested Lesson Groupings as a menu of options to mix and match the lessons to fit your needs! We provide specific recommendations for teaching Equipped for Life Academy in a 2-Week Unit, 3-Week Unit, Apologetics Mini Unit, Theology Mini Unit, Philosophy Mini Unit, Church Youth Group Sequence, and even what to do if you only have time for 2-3 lessons!  

Q: I have 15 students in my class. Do I have to buy the “Unlimited Teachers & Up to 20 Students” package? What about the 5 extras I’m purchasing?

• A: You must purchase the package that corresponds to the number of students you have in your class. If you have between 11 and 20 students in your class, this means purchasing the “Unlimited Teachers & Up to 20 Students” package. However, after enrolling, you will be required to upload your class roster, and we will keep track of how many students actually partook in the curriculum during your One Year Membership. If that number of students is lower than the number of seats you purchased, those extra seats will be rolled over to the next year. For example:
• Year 1: You have 15 students in your class. You purchase the “Unlimited Teachers & Up to 20 Students” package. After enrolling, you upload your class roster showing your 15 students, and we record that number. 
• Year 2: You want to purchase Equipped for Life Academy again, this time with 13 students in your class. The 5 extra seats you purchased last year will be credited to your account, meaning that you are only required to purchase 8 seats this year. So, for Year 2, you will purchase the “Unlimited Teachers & Up to 10 Students” package even though there are 13 students in your class during Year 2.

Q: Can we split a membership with another church or school? What about another class or teacher in my same church or school?

• A: Memberships to Equipped for Life Academy are on a per-school or per-church basis. While you cannot share a membership between your church or school and another church or school, you can share a membership with another class or teacher in your same church or school.  

Q: I have a different question! Who should I contact?

• A: Email EquippedforLifeAcademy@equalrightsinstitute.com and our team will get back to you within 2 business days.