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God’s Great Covenant: Old Testament

 

Learning to love God’s Word and loving to learn it are the goals of this course! Together, we will become both scholars and (hopefully) lovers of God’s word, This course will set a basis for beginning biblical scholarship as well as for personal (and communal!) spiritual formation. The academic goals of the course are to build biblical literacy, memory and fluency, and to form a foundational understanding of God’s Covenant with humankind as it plays out through the Creation narrative and the historical books of the Old Testament. The spiritual formation goals are the same but reach more deeply into how to DELIGHT in God’s word. This will be cultivated through individual classwork and activities shared together.

Students will gain an overview of Old Testament scriptures and work to revive the oral tradition of scripture-telling in our current historical context. We will use “God’s Great Covenant: Old Testament 1” as our course text and will utilize additional multi-media resources to make lessons come alive and texts take on new meaning for students. For many students, this may be the first “formal” study of biblical texts in a context with peers, and as such, provides a wonderful opportunity to develop skills in biblical/spiritual dialogue.

We will seek to identify and delight in how the Bible is a collection of writings that contain God’s Truth expressed in poetry, historical record, and other beautiful literary art forms. A scripture journal will be kept weekly (which is both personalized and interactive) and the skills of oral recitation and retelling of biblical texts will be practiced regularly.

Music has been specially designed by the instructor to aid in memorizing scripture with beauty and ease. For pre-published previews of music samples, you are invited to visit www.elizabethkaufman.org and specifically www.elizabethkaufman.org/ggc .

Please note: Are you wondering if this course would take away from your family Bible instruction? While the course could certainly stand on its own as an independent Bible course for the school year, it is never our intention to replace parents in the biblical instruction of their children. Please feel free to reach out to the instructor to better understand how this course might be used to guide and enrich your family Bible instruction.

 

Syllabus

Mrs. Kaufman’s Syllabus

For each skill instructors have determined whether it is a prerequisite skill or a skill to be developed throughout the course. For lower school, instructors indicate where parent support is expected.

  • With Parent Support: Skills that most lower school students will need help with.
  • Developing: Skills that the instructor will help develop and emphasize throughout the year.
  • Mastered: Prerequisite skills that the instructor is expecting students to possess.

Reading:

  • Be able to read material with attention to detail and identify areas which require clarification or further explanation from the instructor.
  • Be able to mark a text to indicate important terms, definitions, or concepts.
  • Be able to read with a goal to understanding an author’s argument even if the student disagrees with the conclusion reached or reasons given.

Writing

  • Be able to use proper capitalization and punctuation.
  • Be able to spell at grade level and employ course vocabulary cumulatively throughout the course.
  • Be able to form a paragraph which includes a topic sentence, transition sentences, and clear linear thinking.
  • Be able to write a five-paragraph essay with direction from the instructor.
  • Be able to manage assignments, submissions, and notifications on Canvas.
  • Know what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.

Class Discussion

  • Be able to engage respectfully and wisely with other students and the instructor.
  • Be prepared to generate thoughtful questions to enhance the class discussion and identify areas needing clarification.
  • Be prepared to answer questions when called on during class.
  • Be prepared to volunteer comments and ideas during class.
  • Be able to follow directions on note-taking and other exercises during class.

Required Course Materials:

  • God’s Great Covenant: Old Testament 1, (Student Edition), by Claire Larson. Classical Academic Press.
  • The World of the Old Testament: A Curious Kid’s Guide to the Bible’s Most Ancient Stories, by Marc Olson. Beaming Books. October 1, 2019
  • A Bible: Instructor recommends NIV Kids’ Visual Study Bible. Zonderkidz. June 6, 2017; Although “kids’” is in the title, this is a standard NIV translation, not modified or paraphrased. Hardcover and leather covers are both available. One benefit of this publication is the single-column format that makes the text more readable and accessible for narrative purposes.
  • Scripture Journal (recommendations forthcoming, not lined pages)

*Required texts are not included in the purchase of the course.


NOTE: While our primary text will be God’s Great Covenant: New Testament 1, the instructor will adapt and augment the curriculum as she sees best for the learning objectives of the course. As such, students should also be prepared to regularly print PDF files supplied by the instructor.

 

Elizabeth Kaufman is an educator, musician, and homeschooling mother of four. She teaches at Scholé Academy online in the Canterbury House of Studies. She is passionate about guiding children and families into biblical literacy and learning how to form a life that is increasingly guided by the study of scripture and the observations and rhythms of the church calendar.

Elizabeth holds a M.Ed. and earned her BA in Spanish from Hope College with minors in Music (piano performance) and Elementary Ed.. A missional mindset led her to work in various countries, teaching art and music in an American School in the Dominican Republic, grades 2 and 3 in a British school in Tanzania, and Spanish at a Montessori school in Michigan. Elizabeth went on to choose motherhood and homeschooling as a full-time pursuit and has loved teaching her four sons for the past nine years while living mostly in East Africa.

Throughout this time, she has grown increasingly committed to Classical Christian education and has developed a love for “living” literature and biblical scholarship. She has also combined her love of music and scripture to compose several collections of songs for young students and families to learn scripture together and to sing through liturgical seasons. Elizabeth believes that every course of study is an invitation to witness God’s redemptive work in the world and to be formed and transformed by it.

Elizabeth lives in Kenya where her husband teaches biblically-based church discipleship and her sons enjoy living and learning “in the bush.” When not teaching or composing, you can find Elizabeth researching the Bible through books and podcasts, trail running, hosting meals for friends and travelers, watching her sons ride motorbikes, or pursuing drawing and watercolor as an amateur artist. One day she hopes to learn a thing or two about gardening. You can listen to her music for learning scripture at www.musictomemorize.org.  Email [email protected]

 

 

 

 

Red checkmarkComputer: You will need a stable, reliable computer, running with a processor with a speed of 1 GHz or better on one of the following operating systems: Mac OS X with Mac OS 10.7 or later; Windows 8, 7, Vista (with SP1 or later), or XP (with SP3 or later). We do not recommend using an iPad or other tablet for joining classes. An inexpensive laptop or netbook would be much better solutions, as they enable you to plug an Ethernet cable directly into your computer. Please note that Chromebooks are allowed but not preferred, as they do not support certain features of the Zoom video conference software such as breakout sessions and annotation, which may be used by our teachers for class activities.

Red checkmarkHigh-Speed Internet Connection: You will also need access to high-speed Internet, preferably accessible via Ethernet cable right into your computer. Using Wi-Fi may work, but will not guarantee you the optimal use of your bandwidth. The faster your Internet, the better. We recommend using a connection with a download/upload speed of 5/1 Mbps or better. You can test your Internet connection here.

Red checkmarkWebcam: You may use an external webcam or one that is built in to the computer. Webcam Recommendations: Good (PC only) | Best (Mac and PC)

Red checkmarkHeadset: We recommend using a headset rather than a built-in microphone and speakers. Using a headset reduces the level of background noise heard by the entire class. Headset Recommendations: USB | 3.5mm

Red checkmarkZoom: We use a web conferencing software called Zoom for our classes, which enables students and teachers to gather from around the globe face to face in real time. Zoom is free to download and easy to use. unnamed-e1455142229376 To download Zoom:

  1. Visit zoom.us/download.
  2. Click to download the first option listed, Zoom Client for Meetings.
  3. Open and run the installer on your computer.
  4. In August, students will be provided with instructions and a link for joining their particular class.

 

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First, read the available course descriptions, noting prerequisites, target grades, and course objectives. If you think your student is prepared for the course, go ahead and register. After registration, a placement assessment may be provided to students, depending on the course and the student’s previous enrollment with Scholé Academy. Registration is finalized when the student’s placement assessment has been returned by the course instructor with placement confirmation.

 

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