Student Bible Atlas-Revised Edition (Dowley)
An excellent mapbook and companion to the Greenleaf Guide to Old Testament History, the atlas contains a brief introduction, 30 maps, a gazetteer, key locations, and Biblical references to events for each major historical period in the history of Israel. 32 pp, sc.
For more than twenty-five years, The Student Bible Atlas has been a trusted companion for Bible students of all ages and interests. Clear, concise, colorful, and priced for any budget, there are nearly 100,000 copies in print!
All of the best features of The Student Bible Atlas are retained in this beautiful new edition. The table of contents remains the same, as does the tone and content. The layout, however, is beautifully redone, with new maps that convey essential information in a crisp, up- to- date way. It's a great atlas, now made even better!
The Student Bible Atlas contains thirty maps covering both Old and New Testaments, a helpful index of place names, and a guide to the major archeology sites of the Middle East.
The Bible is full of places and journeys: Abraham's epic journey from Ur to the land of Canaan; the Hebrews' journey from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land; Paul's pioneering series of missionary travels. All these and many more are covered in this invaluable and readily accessible Bible companion.
Unit Study Curriculums are "complete" curriculums based on the unit study approach that are intended to be used over a longer span of time (typically a year or more). They generally have an organized structure or flow and incorporate as many subject areas as possible. Typically, organizational materials and methods are provided along with some instruction for use. Broken into logical segments or "units" of study, they are intended to comprise the core of your curriculum.
What is a "unit study"? Briefly, it's a thematic or topical approach to teaching as opposed to the traditional by-subject approach. Rather than teach each subject separately, a unit study attempts to integrate many or all subject areas into a unified study - usually centered around a particular subject or event. Obviously History (the study of events) and Science (the study of "things") are well-suited to unit studies, and usually form the "core" around which other subjects are integrated. Subjects like Bible, Geography, Government, English (writing), and Reading/Literature, Music, Home Economics, Life Skills, and Art, are usually easy to integrate around a core topics. Remaining subjects (Math, Phonics, Grammar, Spelling) can be integrated to some extent via related activities. Each, however, has its own "system" (progression of skills, mastery of "rules") which must be followed to some degree. Since one of the additional advantages of a unit study curriculum is the ability to use it with students of varying ages and skill levels, these subjects are generally taught apart from the core curriculum. This may be as simple as assigning pages in a grammar or spelling book, or using a separate "program" for Phonics and Math. Unit studies also tend to be more activity-oriented than the traditional approach, a real boon to kinesthetic learners. Advocates of the unit study approach site studies showing that children learn best when learning is unified rather than fragmented and when learning is more participatory than passive.
These packs were compiled by Diana Waring for use with her Ancient Civilizations and the Bible Study Guide. Although it would be wonderful to have access to all the books referenced in the guide, Diana realizes that this isn't always practical and has thus provided three different packs. The Economy Pack provides just the essentials. The Basic Pack contains the essentials and some others that are also very useful. The largest pack, the Deluxe Pack, holds all the essentials plus extras that are also nice to have for your study. In case you wish to upgrade, Add-On packs are also available.
Sometimes books used in the packs below go out of print. We will make every effort to have the stock we need, however, if a book becomes unavailable, we'll substitute with another book of the author's (Diana Waring) choosing. Please note that because of this, not all books are directly referenced in the study guide.
Instead of isolating Bible and Christian history from what was happening in the rest of the world, the folks at Veritas aim to incorporate it. They offer four different history time periods (each aimed at a different grade level and designed to take one school year) which take students from creation to the present. The program originally had three parts: teacher's manual, history cards (an absolutely essential element of the curriculum) and a memory song on audio CD. The song is sung by a woman with a pleasant voice at varying tempos and is designed as a type of auditory time line. The history cards are fantastic! They have many interesting facets (the more you study them, the more you learn). The cards from the various time periods are color coded and numbered - there are 32 cards in each pack. If the cards also relate to Bible history they have another color and another number. Each card has a picture (usually in full color) representing what it is about. For example, the card for Creation has a reproduction of the Creation of the sun and moon from the Sistine Chapel Ceiling by Michelangelo. Many of the other pictures on the other cards are famous paintings as well. Each card has a
Diana Waring is once again publishing her History Revealed! program and we are thrilled! Diana Waring embodies the concept that learning should be alive for students, enjoyable, and memorable in both approach and content. Her foundational perspective is that Gods redemptive presence is visible throughout all ages and all history. The goal of History Revealed! is for students to discover history from a Biblical worldview, and to explore history through a curriculum that honors your God-given design. This means learning and expressing what youve learned in a way that best fits you and who you are.
It is designed to guide students through a study of world history from a Biblical perspective. The curriculum does this by providing numerous learning opportunities which include: reading, discussing, researching, music, art, architecture, science projects, cooking, journalism, drama, mapping, graphic design, vocabulary and more. Designed as a multi-learning style program, the units in these courses are based on a four-week cycle through the four basic learning styles, and each course includes 9 units. All the activities and projects during each of these weeks utilize one of the four different learning styles feeler, thinker, sensor, and intuitor making this curriculum easy to use with any child, teenager or even adult who wants to study history from a Biblical perspective. Extensive lists of books (including descriptions) help students discover and explore history. This series gives evidence that history the way the Bible tells it is correct, and is divided into 3 periods: Creation to Christ, Resurrection to Revolution, and Napoleon to the Korean War. From students to teachers, high school to college-bound, professors to 10-year olds, the praise and acclaim for this series is very widespread; crossing not only state lines but also international borders.
The Teacher Guides feature suggested monthly schedules, activity explanations, teacher helps, weekly assessment suggestions, and topic suggestions for research and reading. Small-format student pages are provided in their entirety, to help keep you and your student on the same page. Icons help to mark teaching tips, discussion questions, and opportunities to engage students spiritually. Each icon is accompanied by a shaded box with instruction and/or information. An Appendix contains maps with the answers to workbook mapping activities. All other materials which were previously found in the appendix are in the student pages and small format in the teacher edition.
The Student Manuals contain introductory articles for each unit to provide an overview of that period of history, lots of options for hands-on projects and topics for further research, book lists organized by age group, discussion questions, and self-evaluation questions at the end of each phase in every lesson.
People who have had the opportunity to hear Diana Waring speak live at a homeschooling convention have experienced an amazing thing - theyve told me so. Its impossible to not be drawn in by the enthusiasm, the incredible depth of knowledge, love for the subject, and the dynamic style which characterizes Dianas seminars and workshops. That same experience can be at your very finger-tips with the What in the World? CDs. Diana presents the history of the world in 3 different volumes. These 4-disc sets describe people and events based upon archeology and research. Through listening to her recordings you will hear and envision Gods influence throughout the periods of history. These CDs correspond to the curriculum and tracks are rearranged to align with Usshers chronology. Although central to Dianas curriculum, the CDs can also be used as a supplement to other history programs or for the history buff who just wants to informally learn a little more.
Test Kits cover the material taught in Phase 1 of each unit. Each test includes matching, essay and short answer questions.
New for 2016 are Essentials Packs. These include: Student Manual, Teacher Guide, What in the World CD Set, and Test Kit plus three NEW components: Rubric Set, Quick Start Guide, and Basic Lesson Plan. Designed to give you a jump start in the prepping, planning, and grading aspects of these courses, these new components are attractive and easy to use. The Quick Start Guide provides an overview of History Revealeds four phases: Introduction, Exploration, Hands-on, and Expression as well as an introduction to package components. The Basic Lesson Plan has two options 3-Day (1.5 2 hour sessions) and 5-Day (30-60 minutes sessions) providing a daily plan for each. The Rubrics Set is the crowning gem. One of the hardest aspects of a nontraditional learning approach is knowing how to establish grades. This set provides guidelines for students (to know what to focus on) as well as parents/teachers. With rubrics for research projects, linguistic presentations, cultural/science projects, art projects, music presentations (and more), youll feel comfortable and capable of giving a fair and encouraging grade for all aspects of these courses. Diana Warings multi-sensory and biblical worldview approach to world history has been loved and appreciated for years. These Essential Packs have added a whole new layer of user-friendliness.
Additional resources that complement the program include: True Tales CDs, Digging Deeper CDs and an Elementary Activity Book. True Tales are 3-CD sets which allow you to experience a guided tour of Ancient, Medieval, and Modern History as Diana Waring skillfully tells fascinating stories of people and places of long ago.
The Digging Deeper CDs present facts from history and specifically church history. For younger students, there is an Elementary Activity Book. A fun activity book, for grades K-4, parallels units for older students, making the study of history easily accomplished with multiple children at different grade levels. Bursting with pictures to color, maps and mazes, crafts, science experiments, recipes, crossword puzzles, word scrambles, coded messages, somewhat silly songs to sing, goofy games, and many more fun things, parents and children alike will greatly appreciate history set at a simpler level. All instructions for activities are included right in the book. Much of the teaching for this book is found in the audio set, What in the World?, which the author suggests you use to gain an overview in your study. When and what to listen to is listed in the Teacher Guide and Student book, but you could probably figure this part out for yourself and eliminate the need for the additional purchase.
We offer packages of all resources for each time period in several different bundles as well as book packs of recommended literature.
This is the first of the three studies and covers the time period from Creation to Christ. Diana shows the hand of God as it influenced events from earliest man to the empires of Greece and Rome.
What Cindy Wiggers has done for the geography of the world and U.S. through her other Trail Guides, she brings to this unique and exciting study of the lands of the Bible and invites you to come and explore the geography, culture, and history of the land and people. Using the three-part approach from the other Trail Guides, this one incorporates "Geography Trails," mapping activities and projects, as well as a literature unit based on the Bronze Bow. "Geography Trails" are daily drill questions included at different ability levels that give the students an opportunity to use their Bibles and atlases to identify landmarks and places in the Bible and to get a closer look at the and "feel" for the lands of the Bible, as well as providing practice in finding their way around their Bibles and atlases. For each week of "Geography Trails", there is an equivalent "Points of Interest" page, where students will fill in landmarks, cities, and label reproducible blank outline maps, as well as multiple suggested activities for each region which may include making a 3-D map, creating crossword puzzles, research specific topics, make models, and much, much more. Students will also maintain a geography notebook, where they will add any maps they create, reports, drawings, activities, Bible timelines, and anything else they've worked on during the study. The remaining portion of the study consists of the Bronze Bow study. For every four chapters read in the book, there is an accompanying page of discussion questions, mapping activities to locate and label locations described in the book, questions and activities based on the characters in the book, vocabulary, compiling lists, and researching topics relevant to the book. The appendix contains reproducible forms, templates and maps including a grid, timeline page, lined report pages, several outline maps of the region, as well as recipes, a list of animals mentioned in the Bible with verse references, and answers to the daily quiz questions. For a really in-depth, complete and well-rounded study of the Bible lands, you can't beat this for map practice, activity suggestions, and enjoyment. Cindy Wiggers and Dianna Wiebe have put together another winner in the Trail Guide series. Required resources for this study include a Bible, an age-appropriate Bible atlas (two recommended ones are listed below), a set of Bible Activity Maps and The Bronze Bow. Recommended (but not required) resources have also been listed. Items with no prices are items that are unavailable or ones that we are not able to carry. - Jess
When several very talented authors create a curriculum that combines the educational philosophies of Ruth Beechick and Charlotte Mason, you know its worth taking a look. Designed to incorporate Dr. Beechicks educational principles in their entirety, this curriculum attempts to guide students in building their thinking skills through the knowledge they gain, not as a separate process. The Trail Guide to Learning program is a very comprehensive unit study curriculum that incorporates reading, writing, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, science, art and more into a study of history and geography. Math is the only core subject not covered. Currently, three complete levels are available: Paths of Exploration (for grades 3-5), Paths of Settlement (for grades 4-6) and Paths of Progress (for grades 5-7). These first three levels focus on American history and are designed for the elementary grades (although they are adaptable for students at the top or bottom of each intended grade range so you could use Paths of Exploration with a 2nd grader or 6th grader). These make up the first segment of a planned complete curriculum series that will cover U.S. History (elementary), World History (jr. high), and Modern U.S./World History/Government/Economics (high school). While this review will undoubtedly be modified as this ambitious curriculum continues to be published, most of this review will focus on Paths of Exploration (POE), Paths of Settlement (POS) and Paths of Progress (POP).
Each level is organized into six topical six-week units. In POE, the units are: Columbus, Jamestown, Pilgrims, Daniel Boone, Lewis & Clark, and Trails West. The units are fairly discrete, and do not blend into each other. Each topic is covered exhaustively, however, with relevant cross-curricular content. Units are divided into six lessons, which are further split into five parts, so each level features 180 daily lessons in all. The authors make a point that although the lessons are broken down into daily chunks, there is enough review built in (particularly on Fridays) so you can be somewhat flexible with scheduling. Specific teaching instructions are provided for students in Grades 3-5, with a different animal track symbol designating each grade level suggestion. These assignments can be easily found in each lesson, or you can view the Lessons At A Glance in one of the Appendices to see a whole lesson broken down by skill area and assignments, with handy checklists for completion. As students progress through the course, they will add their student pages, artwork, and other projects into their Student Notebook (Notebooking Pages for Paths of Exploration are no longer available in pdf format. You can purchase the actual printed pages - 3-hole punched, blackline format, with activity pages included for all six units), a permanent record of the year. Reading material and additional activities are found in the required resources. that you will need for each unit. Please note that student pages are now a separate purchase for POE but are included in digital format for POS and POP until those are revised.
Lessons are written for ease of use for both teacher and student. Although the directions are written to the student, notes in the margins are intended for the teacher. No answers are given in the lesson content, which makes it easier to share the book. Each lesson begins not with specific knowledge-based objectives, but with several "Steps for Thinking" which are the larger ideas behind the topics students will learn in the lesson. In Lesson 1 in the Columbus unit, these include: "1. Journeys are made for a reason. 2. Knowing the reason for a journey helps you understand the decisions people make along the way. 3. Planning ahead and making preparations are essential for a successful journey." These are the ideas that should come up in discussing lesson content later on.
As you might expect from a curriculum co-authored by Debbie Strayer (author of Learning Language Arts Through Literature), language arts is heavily emphasized in every lesson. Each daily lesson segment begins with copywork and dictation, with assignments given at the three grade levels. Reading follows, with the student reading selected sections or pages aloud to the teacher. Then the teacher reads several pages from a more advanced book used in that lesson and reads the discussion questions, or the student narrates a provided assignment. Word Study, which encompasses vocabulary and spelling, is next, and typically is tied into the reading or the copywork. Again, several different grade-level specific assignments are provided. For example, in Unit 2 (Jamestown), Lesson 1, students look at words with apostrophes that they find in their reading book, A Lion to Guard Us. Theyll examine words with apostrophes, and learn the difference between an apostrophe that signals a contraction and an apostrophe that shows belonging. They also make a word list of names of people and places in their notebook and look at words that make the j sound with the dge combination. Throughout their reading, students will also make vocabulary cards for words that they might not have come across before. The guide stresses that these are not flash cards for memorization, but making the cards will help children remember the word and its meaning. That may sound like a lot, but remember that lessons are weekly, not daily.
Geography, history and science are well-integrated integrated into each lesson. History is naturally absorbed from the books the students read (and listen to). A related geography lesson is provided just about every day, which ties in beautifully with the units topic. For example, in the Columbus unit, students learn about compasses, directional terms, globes, maps, culture and worldview, the oceans, the continents, navigation, ships, map skills, using a map key, and more. Students will also locate the places they are reading about on maps, and become aware of where they are and why this is important to the events studied. In POS, students will also study the states as they work through the curriculum. POP emphasizes scientists and inventors, so students will soak up biographical details as well as science concepts.
Because history and geography often go hand-in-hand, and because the curriculum is published by Geography Matters, I had expected the geography lessons to be top-notch. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how well the science topics are related to the unit topics. Science can occasionally seem like an afterthought in unit studies, with vague assignments for the student to simply "research a topic." Here the topics are relevant and the content is good. Looking again at the Columbus unit in POE, students will learn about science topics that directly affected Columbus expedition, including oceans, air and ocean currents, the sun, stars, constellations, the solar system, weather and how it relates to climate, the moon, the early history of astronomy, spices, and the senses. There are several outside resources that you will use again and again for science material, including The Handbook of Nature Study and the North American Wildlife Guide. Although much of the science work is researching and reading, hands-on experiments from The Handbook of Nature Study are also used. It is worth noting that science is not covered every day like geography, but makes an appearance about 2-3 times per week.
The later sections of each daily lesson may be devoted to writing, art, drawing or another project. Writing activities are the most frequent of the three, and include a lot of variety in the assignments. Students may write fiction based on a place or event they have learned about, use a graphic organizer to identify the parts of a story, make lists, write about something learned that day in their own words, create poetry, make a book review card, write a friendly letter, and much more. Many of the art activities combine drawing with one of the topics covered in the lesson. Art or drawing is included about twice a week, with some activities contributed by homeschool art pros Sharon Jeffus and Barry Stebbing. The Lewis & Clark unit in particular uses Sharons book Lewis & Clark Hands On heavily and often combines art and writing activities. Although art is covered consistently, dont worry too much about investing in a pile of art materials from what I can tell, youll primarily be using the basics (drawing paper, construction paper, colored pencils or crayons, glue, modeling clay and possibly some paint).
The final portion of each days lesson is devoted to independent reading. Student and teacher will work together to find a book that interests them, and the student will read for 20-30 minutes (depending on their age) and record their reading time in their Reading Log. The reading material is completely left up to you and your student(s), which offers them the chance to read other books outside of the historically-based ones theyll primarily be exposed to.
Part 5 of each lesson is less structured, and is designed for completing any work that has not been finished, or for exploring some additional activities. Instead of assignments in each subject area, a bulleted list of activities is included, followed by several enrichment activities. In the unit on Daniel Boone, Part 5 of Lesson 4 suggests that you: review the Steps for Thinking, trace the Appalachian trail on an outline map, review the spelling words from the lesson, complete a week-long observation of your neighborhood, walk a hiking trail in a nearby park, and do a Daniel Boone crossword puzzle. Enrichment activities include researching General George Rogers Clark and making a list of facts about him, and finding a story or video about Daniel Boone and comparing it with the facts learned during the Daniel Boone unit.
There are a few things to note about this curriculum. First of all, it is written from a religiously neutral viewpoint, so it is an option for those of you ordering through charter schools. There is however a strong emphasis on good character, and many units spend some time studying the best qualities of historical figures. If you want to incorporate Bible study into the curriculum, you can either supplement your own program, or purchase the optional Bible study supplement, Light for the Trail directly from Geography Matters. Also, as noted previously, math is not included, so you will need a separate math program. Testing is not built into the program (the student notebook takes the place of assessments), but Geography Matters does offer an optional Assessment CD if this is important to you. Lastly, there are a number of resources that are required for use with the curriculum. These are listed below. Many titles have been chosen to accompany specific units of the program, while others are used all year long. - Jess
These homeschool history staples have been around for quite a few years now and remain popular as a flexible, "unit study"-like program that covers history chronologically and in-depth, using excellent supplemental resources. For most historical periods covered, there is a Famous Men book and a Greenleaf Guide. (For Old Testament and Ancient Egypt, readings are found in other sources, including the Bible and supplemental resources.) Famous Men books are reprinted from the original editions (1904) and include the original preface as well as a new preface. These volumes feature stories and black-and-white illustrations on the featured men. The content of Famous Men of Rome and Famous Men of Greece are very similar to the originals, while Famous Men of the Middle Ages includes new chapters by Rob Shearer.
The corresponding Greenleaf Guide holds reading assignments from Famous Men and the supplemental resources. vocabulary lists, pronunciation guides, comprehension questions for the Famous Men stories, a chronological overview of that period of history, a graphic timeline, key dates for the time period, suggested hands-on activities and more. Think of the guide as the lesson plans/teacher resources, and the Famous Men and study package books as the texts for each study. Emphasis is on people and hands-on activities as you study history chronologically in depth. Instead of breezing through all of world history in a year and getting only a smattering of information, use these guides and study packages to really learn about the time periods; with special emphasis on people and cultures. The studies are also Biblically-based and use Biblical standards to evaluate historical figures and events.
We have created complete and supplemental packages for each time period in the Greenleaf series. Items in the supplemental packages are specifically recommended in the Greenleaf Guides, so you will need to have the accompanying books to get the most out of each guide. Each study package has enough material to last a school year (or less if used daily. Please note that items are also available separately.
over 4 years ago
Very good for Bible study as well. I am learning much -and I have taken OT/NT classes in college.
Very clear, easy to use, for grade 4 through adult. Below grade 4 - I would say depends on the student, background.
over 5 years ago
over 5 years ago