 Investigating God’s Word… is a seven year, comprehensive, Christ-centered Sunday School curriculum for Kindergarten through sixth grade. The curriculum covers all of God’s Word, from Genesis to Revelation, in a systematic way. Each quarter includes 13 lessons for a total of 52 weeks each year. To learn more about Investigating God’s Word… please read about the curriculum distinctives and components, and download any or all sample lessons.
Curriculum Distinctives
It’s all about God
We
believe that the Bible has been given to us first and foremost to teach
us about God. God is the main character of every story and the focal
point of all instruction. “What does this teach us about God?” is the
question by which God’s Word must be studied. All other characters of
the stories of Scripture are secondary to God. Our curriculum is neither
man-centered nor moralistic in its approach.
It covers all of God’s Word
ALL
Scripture is inspired by God and ALL Scripture is profitable for
teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteous (2 Timothy
3:16). Based on that truth, we believe our children should be taught the
entirety of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. Where other
curricula teach the same 30-40 “major” stories of Scripture, our
curriculum covers all of God’s Word over a period of seven years. We
believe that the same gospel truths repeat over and over again in the
Bible, which frees us to investigate almost all of God’s Word rather
than simply repeating the same stories each year.
It connects everything chronologically
When
other curricula teach the Bible as a series of disconnected stories, we
teach God’s Word as history. Therefore, our curriculum presents God’s
Word chronologically, demonstrating how all the stories and teaching of
Scripture connect to one another historically. Each year, the children
typically study two quarters in the Old Testament and two quarters in
the New Testament, moving in parallel from Genesis to Revelation (See
scope and sequence). Our curriculum, then, is not grouped by themes or
subject matter like other materials, desiring to see children study
through the Bible book by book.
It’s centered on Christ
We
believe that all Scripture, in both the Old and New Testaments, has
Christ as the central focal point. With that in mind, we teach all the
stories of Scripture to children with clear reference to Christ. Each
lesson should direct our minds to what we learn about who Christ is, why
we need Christ, and what it means to be Christ’s disciple. In other
words, the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is taught as the children
study from Genesis to Revelation.
Its method is conversational
The
methodology of our curriculum is the verbal transmission of God’s Word.
Teachers converse in a highly interactive way with their students about
God’s Word. Scripture is read, questions are asked, discussion is
engaged, and application is made. Within this process, students learn to
investigate God’s Word—observing, comprehending, interpreting and
applying it. It is our desire to see children learn God’s Word AND learn
how to study it for themselves.
It teaches children to learn it, love it, and live it
We
desire for teachers and their children to be captivated by God’s Word.
Therefore, we have minimized the “fluff” often found in children’s
curricula in order to make the most of their time in God’s Word. There
are no worksheets or crossword puzzles, skits or word searches. Teacher
and student spend their time investigating the Bible, so the children
learn God’s Word, love God’s Word and begin to live out God’s Word!
It’s easy to teach
Our
curriculum is a clear and organized scripted lesson plan, making it
easy to prepare and present. The main preparation is of the heart!
Teachers are not given multiple options or extra activities to put
together. This allows the focus to truly be on God’s Word, as it has the
power to change the hearts of our children. Our teachers testify to
learning along with the children as they investigate God’s Word
together!
Curriculum FAQs
What version of the Bible is used in the Sunday School curriculum?
The New International Version (NIV).
Why is the curriculum divided up into years rather than grades?
The curriculum is designed to be used for Kindergarten through sixth grade. But
rather than dividing them into grades, we chose to put them into more
generic “years” for greater flexibility and broader use. More importantly, this allows you to use the curriculum for classrooms of multiple grades, rotating years as needed.
Below is an example of how to use the curriculum if you currently have
your Sunday School classes divided into two-year groups:
|
|
2010-2011 |
2011-2012 |
|
4K & 5K |
Year One |
Year Two |
|
1st & 2nd Grade |
Year Three |
Year Four |
|
3rd & 4th Grade |
Year Five |
Year Six |
|
5th & 6th Grade |
Year Seven |
**Elective |
**
Since the curriculum is designed for 7 years, the second year of "5th
& 6th Grade" in the example above would have to use other materials.
We plan to add an eighth "Biblical Worldview" year in the future.
Your Sunday School curriculum seems more expensive than others. Why is that?
Our
Sunday School curriculum is printed on high quality, mylar reinforced
paper and put into long lasting three-ring binders in order for you to
use them year after year. While
most Sunday School curricula is consumable, it is our hope that you can
use these volumes for several years without the need for replacements. Also, with our curriculum, there are no consumable workbooks or worksheets for you to buy each year for each child. So, in the long run, you will end up saving money by not having to buy more material each year.
What about visual aids for younger children?
Visual aids are not included in the curriculum. We encourage the use of flannelgraph figures or pictures in Year One and Year Two that will help Kindergarten-1st grade children understand the stories of Scripture better. In the future, we hope to make flannelgraph figures available.
What handouts are included with the Sunday School curriculum?
“Lesson-At-Home” bookmarks are available for each lesson for you to send home with the children. These are included in the purchase of your curriculum as downloadable PDF files. In
this electronic format, you can make as many copies of the bookmarks as
you wish on card stock, never having to purchase new bookmarks year
after year.
Do you plan to publish the curriculum in other Bible versions?
Yes. We hope to publish an English Standard Version (ESV) curriculum in the future.
Can we make copies of Sunday School lessons?
Individual lessons may be copied for single use, such as for substitute teachers. The curriculum is copyrighted and may not be copied into complete books.
What is your policy on returns?We’re sorry, but at this time no refunds are given for unwanted curriculum. Of course, if you receive a defective item, we will promptly ship you a replacement.
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Curriculum Scope and Sequence
 You can download the Scope and Sequence of the Curriculum
by clicking here. This is in a PDF format.
You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader (or compatible program) to
view the Scope and Sequence document.
The Adobe Acrobat Reader can be downloaded by clicking on
the following link: Download Adobe Acrobat Reader
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