The Fifth Grade Special BIBLE READING Program
June 26, 2013
The 5th grade special Bible Reading program is focused on two New Testament books and three very theologically significant Psalms: the Gospel of Luke, Acts of the Apostles, Psalms 51, 23, and 24.
It has both a reading component and a writing component. Students are permitted to receive help from parents on the written work.
The reading of the Bible, for this program, should be done in the order listed, beginning with the Gospel of Luke. There are 52 chapters in the New Testament books to be read, and then 3 more chapters for the selected Psalms. The suggested schedule for completing this program is:
- Finish Luke by the end of October, 2013;
- Finish Acts by the end of April, 2014;
- Finish the three Psalms: 51, 23, and 24 (in that order) by the end of May, 2014.
There are no specific due-dates, except for the final end-date of the program, which is the last Sunday in May, 2014. The writing will be more time-consuming than the reading, so students should pace themselves, doing some work each week and taking advantage of free-time during school vacations/holidays by doing extra work when school is not in session.
The students can participate in the reading component of the program, without doing the written assignments, if they choose. Also, it is suggested that the reading and writing be completed together, during the same week, but that is not mandatory. A student can read a chapter one week, and then turn-in written work later. After reviewing the written homework, it will be returned to the student, and we will provide a folder later this summer so students can assemble their written work into a personal commentary booklet, on these Bible books and Psalms. Points are awarded for completion of reading and writing, and students with a high level of achievement in the program will be recognized on a quarterly basis -- with the Readers are Leaders recognition and a gift.
PARENTS please note: This program is assigned as Homework.
In-class lessons will follow the format described in our Class Introduction, using the Bible Adventures and The Bible is God’s Message for Me curriculum materials, which include Scripture Memory work and some other written homework assignments.
Parents should note that one hour per week of Sunday School is just the start toward meeting the learning objectives for Fifth grade -- Making a personal commitment to Jesus, and to Christianity as a Way of Life, which we refer to as Being a Young Disciple of Jesus.
Your child is just starting 5th grade, and has not yet had the benefit of studying our in-class lessons. So, it is particularly important for parents to encourage their children -- assuring them that the High Expectations we have for them are justified and that they are very capable -- able to meet the challenges of 5th grade. Encourage them to trust that God will help them, and that you will help them.
This is a summary of the purpose and goals of this program, reprinted from the June 9th Class Summary.
The program combines reading, for building Bible literacy, and project-based learning, where the students will be writing a Kid's Commentary on the Life and ministry of Jesus Christ, the launching and the history of the early Church, and Psalms about Confession, Repentance, and Restoration, the Good Shepherd, and the King of Glory. The writing is done one chapter (or part of a chapter) at a time, throughout the entire Sunday School year, starting this week (June 24, 2013) although students can begin at any later time, if they wish. Starting later will require working at a faster pace to finish the entire program by the end of next May.
This is additional information about the writing component of the program, and about Bible Study tools parents can use when helping their child.
In Fifth grade, the students will be learning to express themselves clearly, in writing, throughout the year. This involves learning to organize their thoughts in an orderly way, to express an idea. Then, it includes learning correct sentence structure, combining three or more sentences into a clear paragraph, and eventually, to combine paragraphs into an essay, story, or theme, with three or more paragraphs.
Now, at the very beginning of the fifth grade year, the students are likely to need help with their writing. Parents can give them help, to write their ideas down, clearly. Also, some of the writing can be just phrases, made into a list, rather than full sentences. Any version of the Holy Bible may be used; all that is necessary is that the name of the version used is written on the papers that are turned-in.
We are providing a list of three sets of questions. These questions are shown below and should be answered, using 3-ring lined paper, to produce the written reports, one for each chapter. Parents and students should note that if the student wants to only report on part of a chapter, they can do so. Just hold that written report until the additional reports covering the rest of that chapter are finished and then turn them in together.
The three sets of questions that students are to answer in the written report cover these categories: (A) Description of Content of the chapter; (B) Meaning and Importance; and (C) Personal Thoughts, Comments, Prayers.
Questions:
(A) 1. What happened in the chapter --
- what are the major events,
- who is involved in these events
(B) 1. What is the meaning of what has been said or done in the chapter;
2. Explain why what is described in the chapter is important;
3. Is there a Truth-Statement (one, or more) in the chapter -- a highly-significant law or principle, that applies to everyone, not just the people in the chapter.
(C) 1. What do you think about this chapter --
- are there things you can or will do, because of reading this chapter.
These are links for online Bible dictionaries:
These dictionaries are recommended for parents to use if they want to do research about words, names, or other content in the Bible. There also are other types of study tools in addition to dictionaries at the website www.biblestudytools.com . However, none of the tools reviewed were written at a 5th grade reading level, so they are recommended for parent’s use.
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