Collection: Curriculum Components

Curriculum Components

Lesson Summary and Teacher Encouragement
The first page of each lesson includes a summary of the section of Scripture being studied as well as some words of encouragement for the teacher.  A suggested schedule for the class is included in the sidebar.  Teachers get an overall view of what they will be teaching and some Biblical motivation to teach God’s Word with passion!
 
Welcome
Each lesson begins with a welcome which introduces the student to the day’s study.  We like to think of it as a “call to study.”  The WELCOME section may be a thought question (in the younger grades) or a verse or two from the Psalms and Proverbs (older grades) that specifically calls us to focus our minds on the study of God’s Word.
 
Drill Time
The DRILL TIME is the weekly opportunity for the students to be quizzed on what they have learned in the past.  Sometimes, the questions come from the week before.  Often times, the questions are from other parts of Scripture that demonstrate the connectedness of all of God’s Word.  The DRILL TIME helps to ensure that our children are reminded of stories that they have learned in the past.
 
W.O.W!
The W.O.W! is our Word of the Week.  This component is vital in order to begin the building of our children’s Christian vocabularies.  The W.O.W! is most often found in the text itself.  Sometimes, the W.O.W! is an essential theological word that is taught in the text.  Either way, the Word of the Week is a great memory tool to help children remember what they learned from God’s Word that day.
 
Historical Context
The HISTORICAL CONTEXT section is included to regularly train the children to understand that the Bible is real history, not disconnected stories.  A timeline is included in the lesson for the teacher to put on the board and discuss.  The children learn the context of the story in history as they come to appreciate the chronologies of all stories, events, and writings of the Bible. 

Bible Investigation
The BIBLE INVESTIGATION time is the heart and soul of the weekly lesson.  God’s Word is read straight from the New International Version text itself (not a paraphrase), and then observed, discussed and applied.  After each portion of Scripture, questions are asked of the text to get the children interacting with it.  Application is not left until the end of the lesson, but interwoven throughout the BIBLE INVESTIGATION time.  Children are taught to think about the text, answer questions about it and discuss it together.  The goal is not just for the children to take away one big truth or theme, but to be exposed to a myriad of truths that help them learn more about God.
 
Lesson-At-Home
At the end of each lesson, the students are taught a Scripture memory verse.  This memory verse either comes directly from the text being studied or connects to the truths of the lesson from another part of Scripture.  The children are sent home with a bookmark that includes the Scripture Memory as well as a short list of phrases that describe aspects of the lesson.  The children are encouraged to share the lesson in their homes, and parents can use the cards to converse with their children about what they learned.