DISCLOSURE: I RECEIVED THIS COMPLIMENTARY PRODUCT THROUGH THE HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW.
There’s no denying that our culture has lost it’s way and isn’t focused on pleasing God. For those of us who are Christians, this isn’t a surprise, but are we doing anything about it? One of the most proactive things you can do when faced with darkness is to fill up your spaces with light as much as possible. I LOVE talking about curriculum that equips and builds up our families in the light of the gospel. Last year we were introduced to Positive Action Bible Curriculum and tried out their 4th grade -Building Life Castles program, which we loved. Today we are talking about 5th Grade - Possessing the Land. Same program, with an Old Testament focus this time.
What We Received:
We received one Possessing the Land Student Manual and one Possessing the Land Teacher’s Manual that includes a binder, dividers, printable testing material and answer keys. There are also several resources online as well, like PDF answer slides, editable quizzes, MP3 piano accompaniment and printable illustrations for handouts, etc.
How It Works:
This curriculum is designed with 35 lessons to cover a complete school year. The Teacher’s Manual offers 3 suggested weekly schedules including a 3, 4 or 5 day option. Each lesson consists of a memory verse, 3 sessions (A, B & C) followed by a review and a quiz. At the end of the books is a separate section that covers 10 hymns, their lyrics, history and discussion questions regarding the hymns and scripture.
The sessions in each lesson include a variety of activities for the student including fill in the blank, short and long answer questions, crossword puzzles, map activities, etc. Each lesson not only covers a different topic and set of scriptures, but it does NOT have a set of form activities that are the same every lesson. There is a variety and it changes from lesson to lesson, except for the Character Trait activity that is found in the Teacher’s Manual. The content is designed for students’ comprehension and retention. The memory verse is part of that, but also the quizzes support that too. Since they are single sheets in the Teacher’s Manual, they are easily copied and reused as often as desired.
The Hymn section is a great element that can be used anytime, alone or within the curriculum. Whether the hymns are familiar or not to your family, they offer a unique opportunity to learn about scripture and it’s influence on music and vice versa. Even if these are familiar hymns, unless you have intentionally studied them, I expect you as a parent/teacher will learn some interesting information you didn’t know before. I certainly did!
What We Thought:
My 10 year old son who is going into 5th grade this fall is who I have used this program with. He enjoys it and always seems to be challenged just the right amount. Much of the required information is easily attainable with a regular element of questions that require him to consider himself. One of the most important elements I look for in Bible curriculum is the amount of pure scripture study verses how much opinion of the author is included. Thankfully, in everything we have used so far, Possessing the Land is primarily scripture and nothing beyond that. That gets high marks in my book.
With it being summer and various things happening more regularly, it hasn’t been possible to sit with this curriculum every day. The 3 day schedule was more our speed and worked out a lot better. When I get overloaded, I find it more challenging to sit down and focus on the kids schooling which causes me to lean on activities that aren’t parent-led as much.. While there is a workbook, this curriculum is really best utilized with a lot of parent direction. There is a lot of rich content that isn’t found in the student manual, but is dependent on the parent/teacher to include it. The Character Trait Activity at the end of the lessons is a really important element that you don’t want to skip over, but it does require the parent to direct it. I don’t find this to be a negative thing, but simply important information in order to properly and effectively use this program.
This fall in our homeschool we are studying ancient civilizations and the creation of the world. This requires a look at the Old Testament for sure. After looking over this program I have about decided to use it along side our other studies to reinforce the Old Testament work we’ll be doing elsewhere. While it is designed for 5th graders, much of the discussion and scripture study is suitable for all ages able to pay attention. Just as the Bible is rich with things for all ages to learn, Positive Action Bible Curriculum is doing a great job of putting students in contact with the Bible in an effective way!
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The Homeschool Review Crew also reviewed Wise Up, a study for middle schoolers on the book of Proverbs. If you’re interested in finding more out about that program or what other people thought of Possessing the Land, follow the link below.
