Curriculum FAQs
How can I adapt the curriculum to teach multiple grades in one classroom?
Ideally, children are best taught within limited age ranges. It’s impractical to think that a classroom of PreK-6th graders can fully benefit from any particular age-graded study. But for some churches, combining ages is a necessity. However, we would still highly recommend grouping preschool, and maybe even kindergarten, separately from elementary age children. If possible, early elementary (1st-3rd) should be separate from old elementary (4th-6th). Our curriculum scope and sequence offers help by providing the narrow “targeted” age for each study along with a wider age-range.
Many churches have successfully implemented our scope and sequence in their multi-age classrooms. We also provide additional help for teachers in how to teach in these more challenging settings. See https://truth78.org/blogs/blog/tips-for-teaching-in-multi-age-classrooms
What are some disadvantages of using a curriculum that is designed to teach all ages the same basic Bible content?
First of all, let’s acknowledge the appeal of using a unified study. It’s definitely easier in some ways – everyone is “on the same page” as you go through the Bible (usually chronologically),giving you a sense of fulfilling the commitment to teach the whole counsel of Godand promising an easier means of home discipleship as parents can discuss the same content with their children of different ages.
Unfortunately, this approach doesn’t take into account the educational needs of children at various ages. Consider again how children are taught various subjects and skills in a school setting. They learn the alphabet before they learn to read and write. They learn numbers before addition and subtraction. In other words, certain concepts require prior knowledge. This is no different with biblical truths. Children can grasp “God is sovereign” in a basic way, but to truly understand deeper concepts like His providence over all things, they need key foundational truths that have been introduced and explained over time.
A unified curriculum often introduces young children to concepts and biblical narratives beyond their ability to understand, missing the opportunity to first ground them in a more simple but necessary biblical “alphabet.” For example, teaching preschoolers about the particular Levitical sacrifices is not foundational at this age and presents concepts that are way beyond their ability to grasp.
Another concern is that unified curricula are typically built on a chronological approach that relies heavily on the narratives of Scripture. While narratives are important, children need more than stories – they need a systematic theology crucial for understanding and living out the Christian life. They need to be taught doctrines concerning the Bible, the triune God, man, salvation, the church, heaven, etc. Take, for example, the New Testament epistles. They are loaded with deep and rich doctrinal truths on which the Christian life is grounded and through which believers grow and mature. These portions of Scripture are often minimized when the focus is mainly on narratives.
So yes, while we understand the appeal of a unified curriculum, we believe that it does not serve the needs of children best, and falls short of providing them with the necessary breadth and depth of the whole counsel of God.
How is Truth78 curriculum different from unified curriculum where students throughout all age groups are taught the same basic Bible content?
Truth78 curriculum is age-graded, meaning the material – both in regard to content and method of presentation – is tailored to align with what children can more readily understand and how they best learn at specific ages.
Because Christian discipleship involves instructing the mind, engaging the heart, and influencing the will, it’s extremely important that our teaching takes into account the whole child and their developmental stages (i.e. fine motor, speech/language, cognitive/intellectual, and emotional/social development).
We believe that the breadth and depth of biblical content presented at various ages needs to be carefully considered. Think of how children are taught to read and write. There is a progression of concepts and skills: letters, simple words and phrases, sentences, etc. Our curriculum is designed to teach children in this type of precept-upon-percept manner. By doing this, over time, we are giving children the essential building blocks needed to understand the whole counsel of God.
Our scope and sequence, from nursery onward, has a very intentional flow that introduces children to specific biblical concepts with increasing breadth and depth as they age. For example, our sixth grade curriculum teaches the important doctrine of God’s providence – His sovereign rule over all things. This can be a very challenging doctrine to explore and embrace. However, our earlier curricula have carefully laid the biblical foundations for this doctrine by teaching and explaining the attributes of God, His good and perfect promises, His plan of redemption as seen in the Person and work of Christ, seeing His hand throughout all the narratives of Scripture, etc.
How are the student materials used?
This varies from level to level. See more details on this page.
- Preschool: Coloring Books are useful for reviewing the story, checking the child's understanding, and facilitating application.
- Early Elementary: Workbooks are helpful for reviewing, applying, and leading the child in further understanding the lesson. They also serve as a tool to occupy other children while you have a conversation with an individual child.
- Upper Elementary: During the teaching time of How Majestic is Your Name and My Purpose Will Stand, the students should take notes on the first page to record the basic content. After the lesson, the small group leader may briefly review the note-taking page. After the application discussion, students may complete the second page. These pages are designed to further their understanding of the content, provoke further thought and discussion, and apply the concepts. They also serve as a tool to occupy the students while you have a conversation with an individual.
- Youth: Student journals have in-class and at-home portions. The In-Class portion reinforces the truths taught and facilitates application. The At-Home portion helps the students apply what they've learned to their daily life and develop spiritual disciplines. This tool provides a direct connection between church and home.
Why do the number of lessons in the curriculum vary?
- Sunday School curricula have 40 lessons. This system follows the pattern of the typical United States school year: September to May.
- Preschool curricula have 52-64 lessons. Together they cover two calendar years or three 40-week school years. Churches may choose to combine or omit some lessons to complete the curricula in two 40-week school years.
- Nursery lessons are intended to be repeated to cover 0-3+ years of age.
- Midweek curricula have 26-28 lessons, patterned after a typical September to May U.S. school year with breaks for holidays. Some churches with year-round Sunday school teach Midweek curricula over two summers to fill in the time not covered by the 40-lesson Sunday School curricula.
- Multi-age/Intergenerational curricula have 13 lessons. They can be used in the summer or as a Midweek curriculum by spreading one lesson over two weeks, or by using two 13-week curricula to cover a 26-week period.
- Backyard Bible Club/Vacation Bible School curricula contain five lessons and are typically used for one week.
What options are there for year-round?
Our Preschool studies include enough lessons for a full year.
You may supplement the 40 week Sunday school studies with 13 week options:
- One of our multi-age titles
- The Fighter Verses quarterly studies (Set 1 or Set 2)
- One of our midweek titles (to use over 2 summers)
If you have questions about youth options, please contact us.
What is distinctive about the Midweek Bible curricula?
The Midweek Bible curricula include more activities and games. They are also of a more practical nature, dealing with specific discipling issues, such as how to use the Bible and how to fight the fight of faith. Midweek Bible curricula can also be used as a club program with buttons that can be earned.
How can I use these curricula in a home or Christian school setting?
The curricula can be adapted for use in a home or Christian school by studying each lesson more in-depth. The lesson could be taught during one class period. Another class period could be devoted to discussion of the lesson and personal application. The following class period(s) could be focused on some of the following activities:
- Memory Verse: Learning the verse and reviewing previous verses.
- Journaling: Students could be assigned to write about a topic related to the lesson. Journal assignments could focus more on personal application or response to the lesson.
- Parent Resource Pages: As a parent-child activity in class.
- Sharing Time: Students could be given the opportunity to share with the class how they have applied what they have learned.
- Prayer Time: An intense time of prayer related to the topic of study.
- Review: Previous lessons and concepts can be reviewed.
- Test: Quiz students on the material covered to date.
- Ministry: Students could be encouraged to use what has been learned in ministry to others (e.g., write a note of encouragement to someone using one of the names of God).
Do you have a missions curriculum?
Currently, we do not have a specific missions curriculum, though many curricula include lessons with a missions focus. You can also find some suggestions for helping your children become world Christians in Noël Piper’s article, Home Grown World Christians.
Can we make a copy of...?
- Teacher's Guides/Leader's Editions (print) are to be purchased for each Teacher and Small Group Leader. Individual lessons for a one-time substitute teacher are included with the Classroom and Teacher Kits.
If you are part of the Curriculum Subscription or Yearly Digital Access, those files can be emailed or printed for however many teachers/leaders you have working in those classes. - Curriculum Resources (supporting resources that are included with the Kits, Subscription, or Yearly Digital Access) may be copied and shared among the leaders in your classroom.
- Student Books (print) are to be purchased for each student or are printable from the Subscription or Yearly Digital Access. Copies of individual pages may be made for visitors.
- Growing in Faith Together (GIFT) and Parent Resource Pages included with Kits, Subscription, or Yearly Digital Access can be duplicated and distributed to parents. Or, if you prefer, bound copies can be purchased for each student for many of our Sunday School curricula.
How do I purchase both English and Spanish resources?
Please contact Customer Care to talk through curriculum titles that are available in both Spanish and English.
Can we translate your resources?
Please see our Translated Resources page for resources already translated into other languages. If you are interested in translating other resources for use in your ministry or in joining our translation team, please contact Customer Care to request permission to translate and receive more information about the process.
Why does Truth78 use the English Standard Version Bible translation?
First, the ESV is a literal and readable translation, which means that it maintains the original wording as closely as possible, while still being readable for those living in today’s culture. As an “essentially literal” translation, the ESV is based closely on the Greek and Hebrew texts of Scripture. Other Bible translations in the “essentially literal” category include the New American Standard Version, the New King James Version, and the King James Version (which, for centuries, was considered the standard Bible version of the English-speaking world).
Second, the ESV is a translation that can be used from childhood into adulthood. This eliminates the need for a child to switch from the version he memorized and read as a child to a new version as an adult.
For elementary-age classroom use, we recommend the ESV Children's Bible which uses the same ESV version as the Truth78 curriculum. For personal study or home use, we highly recommend the 2008 ESV Children’s Bible edition which features study resources written by Truth78 authors Sally Michael and Jill Nelson.
Finally, the ESV allows a church to use a single version for both older and younger people so the entire church can read and memorize the same version of Scripture together. The version an adult can enjoy using because it is literal is the same version a child can appreciate for its readability. Parents, teachers, students, and children can use the same version of Scripture at church.
How do I access digital resources?
Electronic resources are a great option for many of our customers. Once you’ve logged into your account, there are 3 types of digital resources you can access:
- Subscription: Use the “Curriculum Library” or “Family Library” buttons to access resources within the libraries you purchased.
- Yearly Digital Access: Use the “Access Curriculum” button to access the individual curriculum title(s) you purchased.
- Other electronic resources: Go to “View Electronic Purchases” for all other electronic resources, including Curriculum Resources that come with your kit(s). Save those files for easy access.
How long does it take for a teacher to prepare to teach Truth78 curricula?
This will vary depending on your style and familiarity with the curriculum. In general, however, the time may range from 30 minutes to two hours per lesson.
To simply read and understand the lesson and get visuals together, you could probably prepare in 30 minutes to an hour, but if you want to teach from an overflowing heart, spending time throughout the week is really beneficial.
One teacher outlined her lesson preparation in this way:
- A week before the lesson, I read through the entire lesson and workbook to get the big picture of what is going on in the lesson. (15 minutes)
- After reading through the lesson, I spend some time looking up the Scripture texts. I meditate on what this lesson is saying about God and what it means for me personally. Throughout the week, I think about the lesson and the texts, and try to internalize how it applies to my life at this time. In order to be authentic in my teaching, I want to be spiritually prepared by really understanding and loving the truth that is presented. (30-45 minutes looking up texts, etc.)
- Several days before the lesson I get all the visuals together and plan how I am going to incorporate the visuals in the teaching. I sometimes teach the lesson quickly to my spouse, using the visuals as I would in teaching the children. (30-45 minutes)
How much time is required to teach the lesson in a Sunday school class?
Classroom time could run between 45 and 90 minutes. There are two essential components of a class time:
- Teaching of the Word: Lesson presentation
- Application: What did I hear? What do I understand about what I have heard? How do I hear God calling me to respond?
All other activities should be structured to support these two components. Other activities may include transition time, worship, prayer, Scripture memorization, and other optional activities.
Additional questions?
Don't see your question here? Check our Customer Care page. Or contact our Customer Care Team at 877.400.1414 or info@Truth78.org.
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