TOS Review ~ God's Great Covenant

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Finding the right Bible study course for your family can be challenging. There are many products out there, and I have often found that most of them are watered-down, devotional type studies with little meat and lots of busy work.

So when a product comes along for review that exceeds every expectation I might have for it, it literally leaves me chomping at the bits to tell you about it.

This is one of those products.

God’s GREAT Covenant, New Testament One: A Bible Course for Children is written for 4th grade and up. It is published by Classical Academic Press, a company that has yet to disappoint me with their incredible quality and thorough teaching of whatever subject matter they present. The study in an in depth look at the 4 gospels and life of Christ.

I received the God’s GREAT Covenant New Testament One Bundle, which includes all products for this course — Student Book, Teacher’s Edition, and Audio Book Download.

This course begins with a thorough introduction of the historical, political, chronological, geographical, and religious history of the times during the life of Jesus. This introduction, found in the Student Book, is not to be missed. It is basically a 20+-page history lesson on the times of Jesus, including biblical maps. I knew as soon as I began reading this introduction that I was going to love this curriculum. There is no fluff here. This is a meaty study that will teach everyone in your family new things, not just your children.

The Student Book contains 4 units, divided into 36 chapters. The completion of one chapter per week makes this a full one-year curriculum. Each unit begins and ends with a narration from “Simon”, a fictional child living in a village in the Lower Galilean hills. Ben enjoyed reading about “Simon’s World” because it gave him an idea of what it would have been like to be a child growing up in the time of Jesus.

Each of the 4 units teaches the gospels by emphasizing a different name of Jesus:

Unit 1: Jesus, the Son of Man, Has Come . . . To Live Among His People —Jesus, the Son of Man, is like us in every way, yet so very different.

Unit 2: Jesus, God’s Servant, Has Come . . . To Proclaim the Good News — Jesus, God’s Servant, serves the people with humility, yet speaks and acts with divine authority and power.

Unit 3: Jesus, the Messiah, Has Come . . . To Teach About God’s Kingdom — Jesus, the Messiah, reveals Himself as God’s Annointed One and prepares His disciples for their role in His kingdom.

Unit 4: Jesus, the Son of God, Has Come . . . To Conquer Sin and Death — Jesus, the Son of God, paid the penalty of sin and purchased eternal life for His people.

Each unit begins and ends with narration from “Simon”. Also at the end of each unit is a “Memory Passage Worksheet” where each memory verse of the unit is reviewed, and a “Devotional Guide” which gives your student an opportunity for personal reflection and life application of the previously studied chapters.

Each chapter is divided into 3 sections:

1. Memory Page — presenting a theme, scripture, memory passage, and key facts, followed by information showing how an Old Testament prophecy was fulfilled.

2. Story Time — the Bible lesson

3. Worksheets — a combination of question/answer, matching, true/false questions, and puzzles to help reinforce what was learned, and ending with a “think about it” question, giving your student an opportunity for reflection and critical thinking.

I love that the Student Book is filled with things like charts that help kids see the comparisons between the gospels, what Jesus said about prayer, and ministry principles. The many biblical maps and narrations in “Simon’s World” really bring this region of the world to life. The book flows well and is enticing to the reader. The graphics are simple, yet appealing. The cover is just beautiful.

The Teacher’s Edition is also a great resource. It contains a full copy of the Student Book, as well as plenty of room for notes, along with additional information about the historical, geographical, cultural, and theological concepts introduced, making it easy to expand this into a study for the entire family.

Ben and I have both really enjoyed the audio downloads. The voice is clear and quite enjoyable to listen to. I like that I can download them to Ben’s iPod so he can listen any time.

We have thoroughly enjoyed this course thus far. It is, bar none, the best Bible curriculum for children I have ever used, or seen for that matter. I am amazed at how much I am learning myself. It it engaging, interesting, thought-provoking, and easy to use. We will definitely continue using this series. I do believe it might be my favorite review of this year! I honestly cannot imagine anyone not loving this set.

Take a peak at a sample lesson.

Take a peak at the Teacher’s Edition.

Purchase God’s GREAT Covenant, New Testament I $26.95 for the Student Book or $56.95 for the Bundle

Check out other Bible study courses from Classical Academic Press.

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Read what other members of the TOS Homeschool Crew thought about this course.

Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Crew, I received this product, at no cost to me, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are those of myself and/or my son.

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TOS Review ~ God’s Great Covenant