Bible Road Trip ~ A 3 Year Bible Survey

Bible Road Trip ~ A 3 Year Bible Survey Parent/Teacher Guide

Bible Road Trip ~ The Short Explanation Bible Road Trip is a 3 Year Bible Survey Syllabus ~ A schedule of Bible study (book by book), Scripture reading and memorization, and additional activities such as: notebooking, crafts, and great videos and books. Each year consists of a 32 week, customizable schedule. ~ This schedule can be expanded to allow for more time for study in any given area. 5 separate levels of study (Preschool-Kindergarten, Lower Grammar ~ Grades 1-3, Upper Grammar ~ Grades 4-6, Dialectic ~ Grades 7-9, Rhetoric ~ Grades 10-12) Each level is designed to coordinate with the other grade levels, while allowing growing students to delve deeper and even begin to share what they are learning in new and exciting ways (consistent with the theories underlying Classical Education). Bible Road Trip does not address specific theological or doctrinal arguments. (There are some discussions over the manner in which we approach Scripture in the upper grades.) For example: Though I believe in the literal Creation account, and I was careful to choose materials that did not discount that very valid view of the Bible, you will not find anything here that specifically addresses Creationism. There are many wonderful ministries that you can consult for additional materials. Rather, weeks 3-5 of Year One of Bible Road Trip will acquaint students with the book of Genesis its authorship, themes, storyline, and timing in actual history. Bible Road Trip offers free weekly notebooking packs for students in the Lower Grammar, Upper Grammar, and Dialectic levels of study. You can find these at Bible Road Trip.org. Bible Road Trip is free for you to use in your home or small group. I ask that you refrain from copying (in whole or in part) any part of the curriculum to your blog, website or social media, but I encourage you to share the links to the curriculum so that your friends can have the opportunity to begin their own Bible Road Trip in their homes!

You ll need: A Bible! I absolutely recommend giving each child their very own Bible. For Preschool and Kindergarten, we re using a Bible storybook: 365 Great Bible Stories by Carine Mackenzie. For the Lower Grammar level, I ve suggested The ESV Children s Bible. It has nice illustrations, but is also a full-text Bible. Of course, a nice study Bible will work as well Each grade level has necessary texts, as well as suggested resources. A detailed list follows. I have no affiliation with any of the publishers or authors I ve suggested in the resources. Every resource listed has been suggested by a pastor, a number of reputable catalogs and indexes, or is a resource that my family already uses and loves. Many of the resources can be located at the local public library, but it was my goal to choose resources of value, so that every family can invest in discipling their children. Many of the spine resources will take your children through the full three year survey in their grade level. Basic art supplies: Scissors, 3-ring binders, cardstock and construction paper, pens, pencils, paints, etc. I ve tried to make the craft projects simple to coordinate, and something your children can value for years to come. Time! You ll want to schedule time each week to spend with your family taking advantage of Bible Road Trip. This can be daily, or several times a week.

Bible Road Trip ~ The Long Explanation Bible Road Trip is a 3 Year Bible Survey for children and young adults, beginning in Genesis and progressing through Revelation. Year One covers the books of the law and history in the Old Testament. Year Two covers the books of poetry and prophecy in the Old Testament. Year Three covers the New Testament. Bible Road Trip may be used as a class in your homeschool, in a Sunday School, co-op or small group setting, or as a plan to assist in your evening family worship. The Bible Road Trip syllabus is highly customizable. You may choose the items that appeal to your family. The time your family needs each week will depend upon which level you are using, and how many of the additional resources you choose to apply. For example, there are several craft suggestions each week for the Lower Grammar level. You can do all, or none, of the crafts. DVD and literature suggestions may enrich your Bible Road Trip experience, but are, again, optional. Each year is scheduled over a 32 week period of time. This allows for four weeks of leeway in a standard 36 week school year. You may choose to use those four weeks to spend more time in any given book. You will notice the reading per week is divided by topic rather than by work load. You may wish to spend more time on a week with a heavy reading load, such as Year One Week Eight ~ Leviticus. The survey is written as a syllabus, and divided into grade levels. You may choose from Preschool-Kindergarten, Grades 1-3, Grades 4-6, Grades 7-9, Grades 10-12, or you may pick and choose resources from the 3 sections to meet the needs of your family. You will want to consider your students individually when choosing the level for your family. Bible Road Trip will prepare your students for a lifetime of Bible study. Students will journey through the Bible book by book, studying each book for the background history, major themes, key verses, God s messages, and the book s role in the overall revelation of God s story. Suggestions are included each week for core background reading, Scripture reading, notebooking, memory verses, prayer, enrichment activities, and art projects. Following are the yearly schedules, as well as the primary resources required for each level. Please observe the copyright statement when using Bible Road Trip ~ I appreciate your consideration.

Year One ~ The Books of the Law and History Week One Week Two Week Three Week Four Week Five Week Six Week Seven Week Eight Week Nine Week Ten Week Eleven Week Twelve Week Thirteen Week Fourteen Week Fifteen Week Sixteen Week Seventeen Week Eighteen Week Nineteen Week Twenty Week Twenty-One Week Twenty-Two Week Twenty-Three Week Twenty-Four Week Twenty-Five Week Twenty-Six Week Twenty-Seven Week Twenty-Eight Week Twenty-Nine Week Thirty Week Thirty-One Week Thirty-Two What is the Bible? Exploring the Old Testament Genesis Part One Genesis Part Two Genesis Part Three Exodus Part One Exodus Part Two Leviticus Numbers Part One Numbers Part Two Deuteronomy Joshua Part One Joshua Part Two Judges Part One Judges Part Two Ruth 1 Samuel Part One 1 Samuel Part Two 1 Samuel Part Three 2 Samuel Part One 2 Samuel Part Two 1 Kings Part One 1 Kings Part Two 1 Kings Part Three 2 Kings Part One 2 Kings Part Two 2 Kings Part Three 1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Esther

Year Two ~ The Books of Poetry and Prophecy Week One Week Two Week Three Week Four Week Five Week Six Week Seven Week Eight Week Nine Week Ten Week Eleven Week Twelve Week Thirteen Week Fourteen Week Fifteen Week Sixteen Week Seventeen Week Eighteen Week Nineteen Week Twenty Week Twenty-One Week Twenty-Two Week Twenty-Three Week Twenty-Four Week Twenty-Five Week Twenty-Six Week Twenty-Seven Week Twenty-Eight Week Twenty-Nine Week Thirty Week Thirty-One Week Thirty-Two What is the Bible? Exploring the Old Testament Job Part One Job Part Two Psalms Part One Psalms Part Two Psalms Part Three Psalms Part Four Proverbs Part One Proverbs Part Two Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon Isaiah Part One Isaiah Part Two Isaiah Part Three Jeremiah Part One Jeremiah Part Two and Lamentations Ezekiel Part One Ezekiel Part Two Daniel Part One Daniel Part Two Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habukkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi and the Inter-Testamental Years

Year Three ~ The Books of the New Testament Week One What is the Bible? Week Two Exploring the New Testament Week Three Matthew Part One Week Four Matthew Part Two Week Five Matthew Part Three Week Six Mark Part One Week Seven Mark Part Two Week Eight Luke Part One Week Nine Luke Part Two Week Ten John Part One Week Eleven John Part Two Week Twelve John Part Three Week Thirteen Acts Part One Week Fourteen Acts Part Two Week Fifteen Acts Part Three Week Sixteen Romans Part One Week Seventeen Romans Part Two Week Eighteen 1 Corinthians Week Nineteen 2 Corinthians Week Twenty Galatians Week Twenty-One Ephesians Week Twenty-Two Philippians Week Twenty-Three Colossians Week Twenty-Four 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians Week Twenty-Five 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy Week Twenty-Six Titus and Philemon Week Twenty-Seven Hebrews Week Twenty-Eight James Week Twenty-Nine 1 Peter and 2 Peter Week Thirty 1 John, 2 John, 3 John and Jude Week Thirty-One Revelation Part 1 Week Thirty-Two Revelation Part 2

Necessary Resources for Bible Road Trip Years One Three Preschool Kindergarten Years One Three 365 Great Bible Stories, Carine Mackenzie Grades 1 3 and 4-6 Years One Three What the Bible is All About: Bible Handbook for Kids, Frances Blankenbaker or What the Bible is All About for Young Explorers, Frances Blankenbaker (older version) What the Bible is All About Resources: Reproducible Maps, Charts, Time Lines & Illustrations (Gospel Light) Window on the World, Daphne Spraggett with Jill Johnstone Bible o A full-text Bible of your choice. We like the ESV Study Bible. For Lower Grammar, the ESV Children s Bible is a nice choice. Grades 7-9 Years One Three The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook, J. Daniel Hays and J. Scott Duvall Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation (7 th Edition, 2010), Jason Mandryk Grades 10-12 Years One Two Encountering the Old Testament, Second Edition with CD-ROM, Bill T. Arnold and Bryan E. Beyer Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation (7 th Edition, 2010), Jason Mandryk Year Three Encountering the New Testament, Second Edition with CD-ROM, Walter A. Elwell and Robert W. Yarbrough Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation (7 th Edition, 2010), Jason Mandryk

Suggested and Optional Resources for Bible Road Trip Year One Preschool Kindergarten What s in the Bible? With Buck Denver ~ DVDs #1-7 (Highly Recommended) Grades 1-3 What s in the Bible? With Buck Denver ~ DVDs #1-7 (Highly Recommended) God s Special Tent, Jean Stapleton (Highly Recommended) How the Bible Came to Us, Meryl Doney (Recommended) Grades 4 6 What s in the Bible? With Buck Denver ~ DVD Series #1-7 (Highly Recommended) God s Special Tent, Jean Stapleton (Highly Recommended) How the Bible Came to Us, Meryl Doney (Recommended) The Student Bible Atlas, Tim Dowley (Suggested) Tirzah, Lucille Travis (Optional Historical Fiction) Hittite Warrior, Joanne Williamson (Optional Historical Fiction) God King, Joanne Williamson (Optional Historical Fiction) Within the Palace Gates: The King s Cupbearer, Anna Pierpoint Siviter (Optional Historical Fiction) Grades 7-9 and 10-12 How the Bible Came to Us, Meryl Doney (Recommended) Drive Thru History with David Stotts Holy Land DVD #1: Covenants, Kings and the Promised Land (Suggested) Drive Thru History with David Stotts Holy Land DVD #2: Jericho to Megiddo: Conquest, Canaanites, and the Holy City (Suggested) Drive Thru History with David Stotts Holy Land DVD #3: Miracles, Messiah, and the Roman Empire (Suggested) Drive Thru History with David Stotts Holy Land DVD #4: Temple, Cross, and the Empty Tomb (Suggested) Tower of Babel DVD, Bodie Hodges (Optional) The Exodus Revealed: Search for the Red Sea Crossing, DVD Questar The Fall of Jericho, DVD Vision Video (Optional)

Suggested and Optional Resources for Bible Road Trip - Year Two Preschool Kindergarten What s in the Bible? With Buck Denver ~ DVDs #8,9 (Highly Recommended) Grades 1-3 What s in the Bible? With Buck Denver ~ DVDs #8,9 (Highly Recommended) How the Bible Came to Us, Meryl Doney (Recommended) Grades 4 6 What s in the Bible? With Buck Denver ~ DVD Series #8,9 (Highly Recommended) How the Bible Came to Us, Meryl Doney (Recommended) The Student Bible Atlas, Tim Dowley (Suggested) Victory on the Walls: A Story of Nehemiah, Frieda Clark Hyman (Optional Historical Fiction) Adara, Beatrice Gormley (Optional Historical Fiction) A Sparrow Alone, Alicia Peterson (Optional Historical Fiction) Grades 7-9 and 10-12 How the Bible Came to Us, Meryl Doney (Recommended) Drive Thru History with David Stotts Holy Land DVD #1: Covenants, Kings and the Promised Land (Suggested) Drive Thru History with David Stotts Holy Land DVD #2: Jericho to Megiddo: Conquest, Canaanites, and the Holy City (Suggested) Drive Thru History with David Stotts Holy Land DVD #3: Miracles, Messiah, and the Roman Empire (Suggested) Drive Thru History with David Stotts Holy Land DVD #4: Temple, Cross, and the Empty Tomb (Suggested)

Suggested and Optional Resources for Bible Road Trip - Year Three Preschool Kindergarten What s in the Bible? With Buck Denver ~ DVDs #1-7 (Highly Recommended) Grades 1-3 What s in the Bible? With Buck Denver ~ DVDs #10-13 (Highly Recommended) How the Bible Came to Us, Meryl Doney (Recommended) Grades 4 6 What s in the Bible? With Buck Denver ~ DVD Series #10-13 (Highly Recommended) How the Bible Came to Us, Meryl Doney (Recommended) The Student Bible Atlas, Tim Dowley (Suggested) Forbidden Gates, Denise Williamson (Optional Historical Fiction) Out of Darkness, Alicia Petersen(Optional Historical Fiction) Quintus, R. Weerstand (Optional Historical Fiction) Polycarp: Reign of Fire, William Chad Newsom (Optional Historical Fiction) Twice Freed, Patricia St. John (Optional Historical Fiction) Grades 7-9 and 10-12 How the Bible Came to Us, Meryl Doney (Recommended) Drive Thru History with David Stotts Holy Land DVD #1: Covenants, Kings and the Promised Land (Suggested) Drive Thru History with David Stotts Holy Land DVD #2: Jericho to Megiddo: Conquest, Canaanites, and the Holy City (Suggested) Drive Thru History with David Stotts Holy Land DVD #3: Miracles, Messiah, and the Roman Empire (Suggested) Drive Thru History with David Stotts Holy Land DVD #4: Temple, Cross, and the Empty Tomb (Suggested)

Why Bible Road Trip? It was in the midst of a terrible time in my life that I first read the Bible cover to cover. I spent 88 days reading roughly 12 pages a day. It changed my understanding of who God is, and what His plan for humanity is. It wasn t that I hadn t studied the Bible before I had. I had done those Bible studies that start with a point and then rocket you to verses all over the Bible to prove the point. I had read snippets of the Bible, whole books, and I had even studied sections in order. I had read the Bible all of it as a disjointed conglomeration of happenings and thoughts. It wasn t until I read the Bible from beginning to end that I really got it. I really understood God s story. I was excited. So excited that I started a 90 Day Bible Challenge on Facebook (it s still there with a reading schedule under the info tab). Every summer, I read through the entire Bible, taking in the stories, the prophecies and the truth. Soon, it wasn t enough to just read the Bible cover to cover. I wanted to really study each book. I wanted to understand all that I could. I was excited about this ancient manuscript that holds the answers to life. It holds meaning. It points me to Jesus the whole way through. I wanted more than to intimately know God s Word. I wanted my kids to know it too. But I couldn t find a curriculum that had my children actually studying the Bible and reading it too. I wanted them to really read Scripture not just snippets of it. I found curriculums that taught theology, doctrine and worldview. I found synopses of the Bible. I found a curriculum with study questions for each verse, but nothing to guide the children into the history of the writers and the books. Where were the Bible curriculums that would teach my boys about Judges who wrote it, when, why, what the major themes were, and what it all means then walked them through reading it? Where were the multi-media curriculums that still used the Bible along with their teaching? I couldn t find what I wanted. I know I m picky. But the Bible is important to me. Teaching it to my kids is the main focus of my parenting. I can t think of anything more important than having my children understand the whole of Scripture. We plan to do Bible Road Trip over and over until they leave home that should give them 3 times through the Bible at deepening levels. That s my reason for writing Bible Road Trip. It has turned out to be much more consuming than I had anticipated. I do a lot of research each week to ensure my study questions aren t completely off-base, and that the intro page is accurate. That research has been a gift to me, as it has driven me deeper into the Word. I am growing, and I m so pleased to experience the same with my boys. Watching them dive into God s Word each week has been so exciting. I can t think of a better way to spend my time.

Stages of Learning ~ The Five Levels of Bible Road Trip One of my favorite ways to educate and disciple our children both before we homeschooled, and now as we educate at home has always been to gather at the couch, read aloud, discuss what we ve learned, then apply those lessons in some concrete way. As children age, this approach changes a bit. After all, we want to help our children own their faith in Christ. Part of discipleship is passing the torch onto another believer. What a blessing to be able to do that for our children! Bible Road Trip, is a program that allows every family member to survey the Bible at their own developmental level. Yet even with five levels of learning, your family will be able to discuss the week s lessons at the dinner table. You ll notice that each developmental level is studying the same area of Scripture at the same time, yet with a different emphasis. Bible Road Trip is designed so that a child beginning the program in 1st grade can cycle through the Bible survey four times before they leave home. Each trip through the Bible will provide a deeper, richer experience. This design follows the Christian Classical model of education. For those who want to include their Preschooler and Kindergartners in the Bible Road Trip journey, I ve added a fifth level. While this age level isn t included in the classical model, 4 and 5 years olds (and precocious 3 year olds) can really benefit from the program. Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn of Trivium Pursuit have written a terrific article Definition for Classical Education on the different developmental or learning stages employed in Christian Classical Education. Their work may help clarify some of the thinking behind the stages. You can find that article at their blog. Here s the address: http://www.triviumpursuit.com/articles/definition_for_classical_education.php I m going to briefly outline the five grade levels employed in Bible Road Trip. Please do not feel constrained by the grades I ve listed. I have put grades in to help you choose a level that is appropriate, but the program levels are based on the developmental stages of learning: Grammar, Dialectic (or Logic), and Rhetoric. You ll want to have an idea about how each stage develops, as it will help you understand the goal for your child.

Preschool-Kindergarten Bible Road Trip ~ A 3 Year Bible Survey The ages of 3, 4, and 5 are a wonderful time of exploration and learning. Time spent on formal education should be short, fun and focus on the vitals. This is a great time to acquaint children with the basics: Who God is, the gospel, the basic story of the Bible, and what Jesus has done for us. Children this age love highly visual resources, fun songs, hands-on crafts, and time spent with Mom and Dad (or Grandma and Grandpa!). The program at this stage is all about helping children understand the very basic themes of the Bible. There won t be a notebook assignment for this age. We ll concentrate on family read-alouds, a weekly movie time, a fun craft, and a short memory verse. Lower Grammar ~ Grades 1-3 The grammar developmental stage is all about gathering facts, information, and knowledge. Children in the lower grammar stage delight in learning new things. The world is a fascinating adventure, and YOU are the tour guide! This is a wonderful age to introduce children to the Bible. As they learn about God s Great Book, they re laying a foundation for the rest of their lives. Bible Road Trip will help your children understand that the Scriptures are more than just random stories. The Bible is the story of God s plan for redemption for the human race. Children this age love highly visual resources, fun songs, hands-on crafts, and time spent with Mom and Dad (or Grandma and Grandpa!). The program at this stage is all about building a framework to understand the Bible. This is foundation on which their understanding of the Bible can be built.

Upper Grammar ~ Grades 4-6 Bible Road Trip ~ A 3 Year Bible Survey Upper Grammar students also delight in gathering knowledge. Their brains are ready to soak up whatever they encounter. What better information to encounter, but the Word of God? As Upper Grammar students progress, they can take on more of their learning on their own. If you have not started a daily Bible reading program with your child, you may want to begin by reading the Bible aloud together, and end in Year 3 with your child reading silently, then meeting with you later to discuss the reading. At this developmental stage, it is wise to support your child s educational journey, yet to allow them greater freedom to learn on their own. Perhaps Scripture reading will remain a family activity, and notebooking will be an individual project. Children at this age are growing, and we must watch them for clues as to their needs. Bible Road Trip for the Upper Grammar student is still highly visual, relational, and creative. Traveling through the Word of God is an exciting adventure, and the middle grade years are an important time to begin, or continue, the journey. Is your 1st 3rd grader ready for a little greater challenge? Move them up to Upper Grammar! Is your 4th grader struggling with one too many Bible memory verses? Adjust it to the Lower Grammar level, or something in between. Don t worry about grades or ages ~ we re concerned about developmental stages. As your children develop a deepening understanding of the Bible, they will be able to take on greater challenges, and to layer in more information. Dialectic ~ Grades 7-9 The Dialectic stage can be among the most challenging for parents. These are the ages at which children are developing a greater understanding of connections. They re making developmental leaps, and looking for ways to relate the knowledge they ve gathered. This is the Logic stage where everything is a debate, and everything is negotiable. Our tendency, as parents, can be to throw up our hands at this age and walk away. Instead, let us delight in the fantastic mental pathways our children are forming! The Dialectic stage is vital. Our kids are learning to debate, to stand on their own beliefs, and develop a deep understanding of Scripture on their own. I can think of no more important time in childhood to depend upon the Lord for strength, to persevere, and to marvel in the opportunity we have to disciple growing human beings. Bible Road Trip for the Dialectic student will encourage children to develop research skills, and to make connections not found in the text. Many of the notebooking and crafting projects for this age will incorporate information that will help your children put a solid structure of understanding on the foundation they are already building. Mini-research projects, a timeline (because events in the Bible occurred in history and we know when!), and an increasing challenge to learn about and pray for believers around the world are all a part of the Dialectic level of Bible Road Trip. I have intentionally left a lot of room for creativity in Bible Road Trip. I want you, and your children, to be able to own this journey.

Rhetoric ~ Grades 10-12 Bible Road Trip ~ A 3 Year Bible Survey The Rhetoric developmental stage is truly a time for children to take the wheel. On this Road Trip, your high school aged students should be driving, and you should become a trusted navigator and companion. In the Rhetoric stage, young adults begin to apply all the knowledge and the logic they ve gathered and connected. This is the stage at which your children will begin to venture into the world, to develop wisdom, to communicate what they ve learned. The Rhetoric stage allows young men and women to apply what they ve learned in a supported environment, to dig deeper, to own their faith, and to develop their walk with Christ. Bible Road Trip for the Rhetoric student should be a challenge. Encountering the Old Testament and Encountering the New Testament are beginning college level texts. A student who has been trained to think, and who has been educated and discipled consistently, should be challenged by the resources, yet not stymied. If your student has not trained him or herself to think deeply yet, you may consider using the Dialectic text instead; this will still provide your child with an excellent overview of the Bible. However, if you are spiraling upward through the levels in Bible Road Trip, the previous stages should have prepared your Rhetoric student sufficiently. Because Rhetoric students are moving into an adult role, in which they are able to appropriately communicate their faith and their wisdom, the Crafting Through the Word section includes a 3 year project in which your student will begin a blog or a vlog (a video version of a blog) to communicate what he or she is learning on a weekly basis. I understand that there may be concerns about internet safety. I leave all decisions to actually publish your student s work online at your discretion. Should you be uncomfortable with a public format, students could make a series of videos, edit them and store them on a DVD. They could publish to a private blog, or just keep a notebook of blog entries. Alternately, they could begin their own small group, in which they lead (with your supervision) a Bible Road Trip of their own a week or two behind their personal studies. Rhetoric students are preparing to share their faith. Whether they practice or actually make the leap to a public forum is up to your family. The Lord has placed you as their shepherd, and I trust your discernment. The Rhetoric level will also feature a deepening emphasis on service and community involvement. Again, all suggestions are intended to allow your young adult to develop a faith and a walk of their own. Because Rhetoric students are preparing for college, I have not created notebooking sheets for this level. I want to give your high school students the freedom to take notes as they feel led, on the subjects that interest them.

Mapping the Journey ~ An Overview of Bible Road Trip Sections Dig Deep The first page of the syllabus for each level covers the Dig Deep section. Here, you ll find Researching the Word and Reading the Word. The Dig Deep section of Bible Road Trip is the crucial part of the curriculum. If you do nothing else, be certain to introduce your children to the section of Scripture being studied through Researching the Word, and to read the Scripture selections listed in Reading the Word. The discussion questions are designed to allow your family to explore the Scripture section together. As children age, you will want to have them become responsible for more independent reading. You ll know when they re ready to read the Bible on their own. (I knew because mine insisted on reading aloud to me, then began to read on their own). Meditate On It The top half of the second page for each developmental level covers the Meditate On It section. Here, you ll find Memorizing the Word, Notebooking the Word, and Praying about the Word. I encourage you to memorize Scripture with your child. I ve provided more verses to memorize as the children move up in the developmental stages. However, children can have vastly different aptitudes for memorization. It s important that you adjust the number of verses per week depending upon your child s abilities. Notebooking is an important skill that aids retention and comprehension. For younger children, notebooking may be too much work. You may want to take their dictation for them, or you can stick to crafts, and the memory verse art project described in Year One Week One (your children will illustrate their verse each week). For the older children, I encourage you to have them keep individual notebooks. The amount they record is completely at your discretion ~ you know your own child better than anyone! To help you implement the notebooking, and to make it fun, I ve created weekly notebook sheet packs which are available for free on BibleRoadTrip.org. The prayer section of Meditate On It will give children an opportunity to learn more about the Church in the world today. Students will learn about other cultures, religions, and the challenges to modern missions. This section is provided to help you affect your child s perspective and worldview. The reading for the Dialectic and Rhetoric levels should be spread over several days, as it can be hefty. Over the three year survey, students will cover the entire book they are using. This section, while valuable, is certainly optional. Your family may choose another prayer focus. Be sure to pray together, though! The time you spend praying with your children now will help form a lifelong habit for them.

Explore Further The Explore Further section on the bottom of the second page of each level gives students an opportunity to explore fun resources, put their new knowledge into practice, and create some fun crafts (projects for the older students). Everything in this section is optional, but highly recommended. If you can find the time for these activities, your child is far more likely to enjoy and remember what they ve learned. For the Grammar levels, I ve recommended the excellent DVD series What s in the Bible with Buck Denver. These videos are written by Phil Vischer (of Veggie Tales fame), and are just fabulous. For the Dialectic and Rhetoric levels, I ve chosen a few fascinating documentaries for Year One, as well as the Drive Thru History [Holy Land] with David Stotts series for Year One through Year Three. They re fun, engaging, and they allow your children to actually see the places history was made. There are other suggestions, but I just wanted to mention those two series, as I am truly excited about the multi-dimensional feature they add to the curriculum. If cost is an issue for you, please consider approaching your public librarian. Our public library carries the What s in the Bible with Buck Denver series only because a little friend of ours advocated for the purchase every time she went in! The DVDs are blessing numerous families now, and many of us have loved them enough to purchase our own. The Long Story Short Bible Road Trip was designed to help facilitate your family s journey through Scripture. Don t like something about it? Change it. You can add, subtract, or alter the curriculum without any guilty feelings what-so-ever. After all, you are in the driver s seat!

Dig Deep ~ Researching the Word ~ An In-Depth Look Researching the Word is a vital part of the Bible Road Trip curriculum. The work your family does here will help map your trip through the Bible that week. Children will have an opportunity to become familiar with the book they ll be studying. They ll learn about the storyline, the theme and message, the characters, the writer, biblical archaeology supporting information found in the book, ancient literature, and (for the older grades) any debates or issues surrounding the book itself. Let s take a quick look at the spine resources for Bible Road Trip, used in Researching the Word : What the Bible is All About for Kids, based on work by Henrietta C. Mears ~ used for Upper and Lower Grammar (grades 1-6), Years One Three o What the Bible is All About for Kids is a fantastically visual, easy-to-understand resource which outlines the Bible book by book. It helps children understand the books of the Bible in the context of the greater library of God s Word. What the Bible is All About Resources: Reproducible Maps, Charts, Timelines & Illustrations ~ used for Upper and Lower Grammar (grades 1-6), Years One Three o This wonderful resource coordinates with What the Bible is All About to allow children to book outlines, timelines and maps to their individual notebooks (be sure your child has a three-ring binder!). My younger children have been using this resource for several years (they re headed into 3 rd and 4 th grade), and will often copy a page when they want something to color. The resource is worthwhile for the black-and-white outline maps alone. The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook, Edited by J. Daniel Hays and J. Scott Duvall ~ used for Dialectic (grades 7-9), Years One Three o This fantastic book-by-book Bible guide has four pages of contributing scholars listed! With over 500 full-color illustrations, maps and photos, the book is highly visual and engaging. Each section is written for the lay person, and does a fantastic job of explaining the book, the issues, and the theme(s). There are sidebars that cover archaeology, ancient literature, customs of the day, and important biblical themes and concepts. The book is written for the lay person, and is perfect for middle school (or for the high school level, should you choose to have your Rhetoric students use this book instead). Encountering the Old Testament: A Christian Survey (Second Edition), by Bill T. Arnold and Bryan E. Beyer ~ used for Rhetoric (grades 10-12), Years One Two o First, let me tell you that I am loving Encountering the Old Testament! Recommended to me by one of our pastors, Scott Gassoway, this is a fantastic resource, well worth owning. Second, let me tell you that this is an entry-level college course text. The text is highly visual and engaging. It does, however, require a student to think. Much of the teaching involves explaining specific

debates regarding an area of Scripture. The authors are thorough and careful in explaining the issues, without assuming prior knowledge on the part of the student. They present both the argument and the flaws in the theory. This was not true of many of the texts I reviewed for Bible Road Trip. You will want to review the text as well, so that you can discuss the reading with your young adult. This book is best suited to children who have some experience with challenging their minds. If you are beginning Bible Road Trip with a high school-aged student, and you re concerned about the level of academics involved, you may wish to use the spine text for the dialectic level: The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook. In addition to being a fantastic resource in and of itself, Encountering the Old Testament (Second Edition) includes an interactive CD-ROM with software you can load to your computer. Students can read each chapter on the computer, quiz themselves after each section, view maps, videos, photographs, read about various areas of biblical life and culture, etc. It s fantastic! The CD- ROM in the second edition is compatible with Windows 7 and older versions of Windows. Encountering the New Testament: A Historical and Theological Survey (Second Edition), by Walter A. Elwell and Robert W. Yarbrough ~ used for Rhetoric (grades 10-12), Year Three o This text follows the same structure as Encountering the Old Testament, and also includes an interactive CD-ROM. I expect it will be just as fabulous as the Old Testament text.

Reading the Word ~ An In-Depth Look Reading the Word is the central part of the Bible Road Trip curriculum. The whole goal behind Bible Road Trip is to allow your children to gain a knowledge and understanding of the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation. As they cycle through the developmental stages, they will have the opportunity to learn the Bible with a deepening comprehension and awareness. By the Rhetoric (or high school) stage, your child will read - and study! the Bible cover to cover in three years. For the lower stages, I ve tried to keep the weekly reading to a manageable level. Because the curriculum addresses the Bible somewhat thematically, you will not find an even amount of reading each week. Rather, you will find reading related to one particular section of the Bible. For instance, in Year One Week Three, we read Genesis 1-11. In Year One Week Four, we read Genesis 12-36. In Year One Week Eight, we cover all of Leviticus. All of Leviticus takes about two hours to read. I think that for a high school student, two hours of reading in a week is reasonable, even on top of the rest of the curriculum. However, if you find your student needs more time on the weeks with a heavier reading schedule, you can always take two weeks. A standard curriculum length is 36 weeks. Bible Road Trip is 32 weeks long to allow you to schedule extra time in your year if you need it. For the lower stages, I ve worked hard to have a more even reading schedule. Let s talk about what they ll be covering: Preschool-Kindergarten Preschool and Kindergarten students will be learning to understand the story of the Bible. The amount of weekly reading for this level will be highly variable. Narrative sections of the Bible are naturally a better fit for a Bible story book than genealogies or sections of law. Some chapters of prophecy would be quite scary for a four-year-old. On weeks where you don t feel there is enough reading for your child, feel free to use chapters from the weekly Lower Grammar assignments. Read aloud to your student; make it a bonding time. Lower Grammar (Grades 1-3) For Lower Grammar Students, my goal is to limit the reading to around 5 chapters a week; that s one chapter a day for five days. However, there are weeks when your student may be reading an extra chapter a day, as some of the narrative is vital! Is your Lower Grammar child clamoring for more time reading the Bible? Move them up to the Upper Grammar reading schedule. Read aloud to your student; make it a bonding time. Upper Grammar (Grades 4-6)

For Upper Grammar Students, my goal is to limit the reading to around 10 chapters a week; that s two chapters a day for five days. However, there are weeks when your student may be reading an extra chapter a day, as some of the narrative is vital! Is your Upper Grammar child a terrific reader? Do they want more challenge? Move them up to the Dialectic reading schedule. Are they struggling with two chapters a day? Read aloud to your student; make it a bonding time. Dialectic (Grades 7-9) Dialectic readers will be reading about 15 chapters a week, or three chapters a day. Again, this isn t a hard and fast rule, but it should hold true most weeks. There may be weeks when the narrative is very important, and more reading is called for (or the chapters are very short), and some when we just don t have as much reading to do. If your Dialectic student needs more of a challenge, they can always do the Rhetoric reading schedule. Rhetoric (Grades 10-12) As I mentioned above, the Rhetoric students will be reading the entire Bible in 3 years. Even on the heaviest weeks, the reading shouldn t take more than 2 or 3 hours total for the week. May I suggest that you, as the parent, also read according to the Rhetoric schedule? Discussion Questions Every learning stage but the Preschool-Kindergarten includes discussion questions for each chapter. These questions are meant to help you connect with your student and find important facts or major themes in each chapter. You can use the questions in a family worship setting, in a discussion time in your homeschool, or you can have your child journal the answers (just be certain they re not overwhelmed with work ). I ve included the same questions for each level to facilitate an effective discussion time in families with children in multiple developmental stages.

What About the Tough Passages? Bible Road Trip ~ A 3 Year Bible Survey Let s be honest some passages in the Bible are difficult to understand as an adult. Children are going to need your help processing some of the reading. For Upper Grammar readers, I took out some of the dicier sections, but if you hand your child a Bible, they may read it! By the Rhetoric stage, everything is read. So how do you address issues like sex, rape, and violence? My husband and I have found it s best to be really honest and straightforward. We explained to our children what sex is, how it works (just basic mechanics), and THEN we explained God s plan for sex. After our kids had a good idea of what God s plan for sex is, we were able to address how fallen our world is. We could talk about sin, evil, and the broken choices people make. Round Robin Reading ~ One Way to Read Our boys are in 3rd and 4th grade, so we ve been using the Upper Grammar level, which has an average reading load of ten chapters a week from the Bible, in addition to reading about the Bible and other cultures. We read two chapters a day, five days a week, and discuss each chapter as we go. We ve been reading the (adult) Bible together for about four years now. I ve read the Bible to them while they colored, and they ve read the Bible to themselves quietly. With Bible Road Trip, I wanted our journey through the Bible to truly be a joint venture. We bought each boy an ESV Study Bible (the adult kind), and I got one for myself as well. We each have the same version of the Bible, which is helpful as we read together. We sit at the table together, and we each read a paragraph, going in a circle until we re done. It s working really well for us! Everyone remains engaged in the narrative, we all get a turn to read out loud, and no one carries the majority of the load. I think we ll continue this way for the next two years, and reassess when we reach the Dialectic level. I m finding that using the discussion questions helps engage the children as well. They usually have a number of their own questions, and it gives me time to add information from my studies.

Memorizing the Word ~ An In-Depth Look Long ago, before Jesus was born into the humble home of sheep and cattle, and long after Joseph brought his brothers and their father into the green land of Goshen, the people of Israel messed up. They didn t mess up just a little. No, the people of Israel committed spiritual adultery for generations. They turned their backs on the Lord, and they bowed to carved sticks and golden statues. God s people forgot Him. It s not that God didn t remind His people to turn from evil and follow Him. God sent prophets to remind His children Who they belonged to. Even so, the people of Israel persisted in their idolatry. God is really patient. But every action has a consequence, and Israel was taken into captivity and led from the land God had given them. It was in the post exilic era that we think Psalm 119 was written. Now, I know Psalm 119 is really long. If Psalms could run marathons, this Psalm would be the winner. Still, it s worth reading this week. There are 22 strophes, so you could read 3 a day. Maybe read 4 on one of the days. Maybe read it aloud to your children. Let s read the Beth Strophe (Psalm 119:9-16 ESV) together: How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. Could there be any better reason for memorizing Scripture? How can our kids follow God s Word if they do not know it? Memorizing the Word gives children the opportunity to store God s Word in their heart. That way, they can keep their way pure!

I considered giving you statistics and important facts about memorizing Scripture. But I decided that the words of a man exiled from his country, in love with God s Word, and committed to living for the Lord - would be more effective. In Bible Road Trip, I chose Scripture memory verses that pertain to the week s Scripture reading either to the content, or to the theme. Rhetoric students will memorize more Scripture than Lower Grammar students. Do you have verses you feel are more relevant? By all means, use those. Do your children need more of a challenge? Add some work for them. Bible Road Trip is ready-to-use, yet you are welcome to customize it for your children. I ve only cited the Scripture references, so that you can choose the Bible version you d like your children to memorize.

Bible Memory to Go When our children were younger, I used to print a Bible verse on the bottom of a piece of cardstock and have them create a work of art to illustrate the verse. Then, we d tape the cardstock to the door and read the verse aloud several times a day until they knew the verse well. Now, my children are not excited about illustrating the verses, and we have more verses to work on. We started our verse memorization for Bible Road Trip by writing the verses on a 4 6 card at the beginning of the week. We used the cards to memorize the verses. The problem? The cards were getting stained or misplaced. So, we laminated the verses. Then I purchased some 2 book rings, a $2 hole punch, and voila! we have our own Bible verse rings. The kids don t lose individual cards, nothing gets bent or sticky (I know that never happens with your children), and we can carry them around with us. We don t eat a lot of sugar in our house, so for fun I reward the kids for memorizing the verses. They get a piece of licorice for each new verse. At the end of the week, if they can say every verse for me with minimal prompting, they receive another 3 pieces of licorice. That s 5 licorice pieces a week it makes the whole thing fun for them. By the end of Year One, we should have some 60 or 70 verses memorized (I m memorizing, too!).

Notebooking About the Word ~ An In-Depth Look Notebooking simply involves creating a notebook for a given subject in which a student can write, draw, map, keep a timeline, do copywork, and record their observations. Writing (and composing sentences and paragraphs) helps a student retain information in an entirely different manner than listening, crafting, or filling in blanks. When a student is able to create their own record of what they ve learned, they re able to employ their mind fully. This, of course, adds to their retention of what they re studying. Throughout history, notebooking has been an important part of education and innovation. You may recognize the names of a few notebookers from years ago; Thomas Edison, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein all kept notebooks.

Your children may be prolific writers, or writing may be painful for them. Don t push your students too hard. Allow them to record their observations in a manner that you both agree on. This may be in the form of lists, drawings with labels, or in a full-blown weekly essay (for older students). Certainly, as you work through three years of Bible Road Trip, you will both notice a vast difference in your child s first notebook page, and in their last notebook page. Anything we practice is bound to improve! To help you and your students with the notebooking, I have created notebook page packs for each week for the Lower Grammar, Upper Grammar and Dialectic levels. You ll find these listed with the corresponding week of curriculum on the indexes at the top of the page at BibleRoadTrip.org.

Praying About the Word ~ An In-Depth Look I wanted children to develop a habit of daily prayer, and of mission-minded concern for people groups around the globe. Did you know that, according to the Joshua Project, there are 4,366 unreached people groups in the world? The Joshua Project defines unreached as: An unreached or least-reached people is a people group among which there is no indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize this people group. The original Joshua Project editorial committee selected the criteria less than 2% Evangelical Christian and less than 5% Christian Adherents. That s a lot of people who have no access to the Word of God. Children who go through Praying about the Word will learn about countries and people groups across the globe. They ll hear about the problems facing missionaries and Christians, the hopeful signs of Church growth, and the areas which really need prayer. Lower and Upper Grammar students will cover major countries (and a number of smaller ones) over the 3 year survey. Window on the World is a fantastic book that allows kids to see a slice of life in a given country, and explains the state of Christianity there. Dialectic and Rhetoric students will cover every country in 3 years. They ll read important statistics, and detailed explanations of the state of each country. They ll hear about the challenges the Church faces, and how they can pray for disciples in each area. Operation World is an incredible resource. Older students will come away from Bible Road Trip with a mature understanding of global Christianity today. I urge you to include Praying about the Word for your children. As you study the Bible as a family, begin to pray for other families throughout the world.

Learning More About the Word ~ An In-Depth Look In this section of Bible Road Trip, children will have an opportunity to examine what they ve learned in a new and different way. For the Lower and Upper Grammar levels (grades 1-6), this includes the incredible What s in the Bible with Buck Denver? DVD series. This series is so fantastic! If cost is an issue for your family, nag your local librarian until the library purchases copies of the series. We have friends who did this, and the series has blessed many children in the community. We love the series enough to make sure we own copies. We ve also given them as gifts many, many times. We ve been watching our DVD episode on Fridays to finish up our weekly unit my boys look forward to our puppet and popcorn time each week. For Upper Grammar (grades 4-6), I ve chosen several fantastic biblical historical fiction novels each year. I know your family is busy, and that your children have homework, or other classes with reading, so I ve spread the reading out over several weeks. This gives kids lots of time to get their reading done. Why read biblical fiction? It gives children an opportunity to envision themselves in the time period, living out some portion of what they ve read. Over time, I ll be reviewing these resources individually at Thinking Kids. Dialectic and Rhetoric levels (grades 7-12) also have the opportunity to see interesting videos throughout the course. The majority of these videos deal with biblical archaeology. One of my favorite resources for the upper grades of Bible Road Trip is the Drive Thru History: Holy Land (with Dave Stotts) series. The films are funny, engaging, and provide a tour through actual Holy Land archaeological sites. The episodes are scheduled geographically (rather than by book of the Bible), so I ve done my best to schedule them in a reasonably related manner. The goal of allowing young adults to learn about biblical archaeology is to allow them to see the Bible as a historically sound document. It s important that our children understand that the events of the Bible actually occurred! Dialectic students will also have the opportunity to do a mini-research project each week. The goal here is to give them a direction in which to explore, a little guidance, and see what they come up with. They can record their findings in their notebooks. Rhetoric students are not included in this research, as their crafting project each week requires its own research; however, they are welcome to use the Dialectic topics as a spring-board. I urge you to include Learning More about the Word in your family s weekly journey through the Bible. The DVDs and activities will help the Bible come to life for your students.

Crafting Through the Word ~ An In-Depth Look Crafting Through the Word allows children to really internalize what they ve been learning. When we create works of art to represent what we ve been learning, it employs our brains in a whole new method of study. Crafting Through the Word changes as children age. Explore Further ~ Crafting Through the Word ~ Preschool, Kindergarten, Lower and Upper Grammar For the Preschool, Kindergarten, Lower and Upper Grammar levels (grades 1-6), the crafting section of Bible Road Trip is designed to be simple, fun, and artistic. Children can experiment with different mediums and art forms, expressing what they ve learned for the week. Some projects, like the bookshelf pictured at the beginning of this post, are ongoing. The process of creating the bookshelf will help children remember the order and category of each book of the Bible. Other projects, like the painting above, deal with a portion of the reading for the week. Grammar students are still filing information into their brains for later use. They excel at facts and figures, and at memorization. Many grammar level children enjoy creating, and would much rather paint than write. Crafting is a wonderful way to help these students connect to the stories they ve heard, and to make the Bible come alive. As an art major, I always think that minimal instruction is best at this age. We want to give our kids a direction to work in, hand them the materials they need to complete their work of art, and encourage them liberally. For our art projects, we have a stock of colored and white cardstock, paper, construction paper, colored pens, permanent markers, colored pencils, crayons, paintbrushes, watercolors, acrylics, finger paints, scissors and glue. We also keep a few fun

3-dimensional supplies on hand for moments of inspiration. We have a basket of odds and ends like glitter, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, google eyes and pompoms. In short, the crafting suggestions in Bible Road Trip exist to help you support your children s creative expression of what they ve learned. Using their hands to form their lessons is a fantastic way to aid the educational process. Don t worry if your child s cloud and fire pillar drawing looks unrecognizable. Just encourage them for making the effort, tape it to the refrigerator (or file it in their notebook), and thank them for such great work. Over time, their ability to put ideas onto paper will improve. Children are often discouraged by the fact that the picture in their head doesn t always translate onto the page. Our job as parents is to let our kids know that art is creative, and that we may be surprised (a little) by the way something turns out. Art is also hard work. It takes practice to perfect our skills. As they become less sensitive about their work, we can note fun new techniques they can try that may change the look of their art. Explore Further ~ Crafting Through the Word ~ Dialectic For the Dialectic levels (grades 7-9), the crafting section of Bible Road Trip is designed to help your middle school students associate what they are learning about the Bible to history and to archaeology. It will also help them understand the chronology of the biblical narrative. Dialectic students will create and manage a biblical timeline for the three years of their Bible Road Trip. As they read, they will add dates to their timeline. By the third year of in Bible Road Trip, Dialectic students will have a good idea of how the Bible is situated in history. They ll understand how the various kings relate to each other, and where the prophets were located in the narrative. Additionally, they will have some knowledge of what was occurring in the rest of the world.

As students do their mini-research projects (see Learning More about the Word ~ Dialectic ), they can add dates they locate in their research as well. This allows children to truly engage in and own their Bible studies. Crafting Through the Word for Dialectic level students will help build a foundation of understanding for a life time of Bible study. Students will gain a solid understanding of the biblical narrative in history. It will become more 3-dimensional for them as they add layers of knowledge to their studies. Explore Further ~ Crafting Through the Word ~ Rhetoric For the Rhetoric levels (grades 10-12), the crafting section of Bible Road Trip is designed to help high school students communicate what they ve been learning about the Bible with others. By the time your student is in high school, they should be developmentally moving into the rhetoric stage of learning, where they are ready to effectively present information, respond to questions, and really share their faith and knowledge. I ve suggested that Rhetoric students choose a topic each week to blog or share a video presentation about. It is completely at the discretion of each family whether this presentation is made public. Whether your student shares their thoughts over the internet, or just with your family or youth group, I urge you to consider having your child write about their studies each week. The practice of sharing their new knowledge of the Bible will not only help cement the information in their mind, but will help them gain the confidence to speak about God s Word with some authority.