How to Write a Lesson from the Noah Plan Overviews

Greetings! Today's post will hopefully encourage you as you write 4R lessons for your child. I'm picking History from the 6th grade overviews for you because that's what I have been working on this school year. :)

I don't know when I'll have completed lessons to share with you from the 6th grade overviews. My hope has been to have them available by this coming school year though I'm a mother of several children and life has been... happening. I'm still striving toward this goal; I can't guarantee a release date at this time.

So, for those who need to and would like to get the ball rolling themselves, I'll share with you how I approach it.

This is what the Noah Plan's Sixth Grade Overview looks like (in part) for the school year:

I didn't get the very left of the page in the photo, but each box represents a week. And at the top you see the left column is for Quarter 1 and the right column is for Quarter 2. You see that it's scheduled out for you while giving you the liberty to share the information laid on your heart to teach your children.


Step 1:
Let's take a look at Quarter 2, Weeks 7 and 8. In this portion, we continue learning about Ancient History and we're focusing on Rome. This is what we have to go from as a guide:

Don't let that stress you out! 

I know that doesn't seem like much help, "In this week you cover this topic." On the back side of my overview printout is a list of History and Geography resources which help me to teach on such and such a topic. *I don't own all of the books (the budget only goes so far); I did order the books that I thought would benefit me the most to help me teach.

Step 2:
Open the books and find where the information is on Ancient Rome.

Step 3:
Read through the information and decided what I want to share the most with my students (there's lots of fascinating history to read!). Their ages and comprehension levels determine what and how much I share with them. For my High School students, I assign reading time for them from books that give them more information. This way I can keep my other children engaged.

Step 4a:
I sit and ponder and pray about what to pull from for the Leading Idea (theme) and the Bible Principle(s) that I want to impart to them.

In this instance, I'm choosing to use the Overview to help me with the leading idea and this is how I'm choosing to word it:

Leading Idea: "Ancient Rome's tyrannical government prepared the hearts of people to long for a Savior."

Step 4b:
Now that I have my leading idea, I'm going to use the Bible verse mentioned in Teaching and Learning America's Christian History  by Rosalie J. Slater when reading on the topic about the timing of Messiah's birth, "But When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law." Galatians 4:4

Step 5:
Now is when I can go in and type up excerpts that I want to share from the books that I've read. I can also include the Leading Idea and Bible Principle(s) to help keep my children and the lesson on topic.


Step 6:
Since I prefer a cohesive look throughout the notebooks, I design 4R notebook pages for my children. I will include a word study for them for their research and reason and relate questions.

Some questions for this particular example could be:

• How did Yahweh provide for the Gospel (Good News) to move westward?
• Yahweh's timing of Yeshua's ministry on earth is Providential. How do you know that Galatians 4:4 is talking about the timing of his birth corresponding with the maturing of Rome's government? Explain.
• How could a government of tyranny prepare people to receive the Gospel message?
• How can the oppression of modern day governments prepare people to receive the Gospel message in our time in history?
• Galatians 4:4 mentions that Messiah was "made under the law". The Apostle Paul talks about several different laws. Revisit your notebook work from Quarter 1, Week 6. Which law is is that Messiah was made under?

These are thoughts that came to mind for me as I considered what to have my children search out and learn. You can probably come up with several others.

Here are pictures of some notebook work by a student of mine in our homeschool co-op this year:

 

Step 7: (Optional)
Depending on the budget and how creative I'm feeling at the time, I may come up with a hands-on project of some sort.  

Feeling Better?

I hope this step-by-step with photos encourages you and helps you to feel able to do this... because you can do it! It's not so intimidating now, right? :-) 

The Pay Off:

While it took some time out of my day to read, ponder, ask questions that I personally had from my own research, and to get it all ready for my kids, I learned so much! Which is a good thing! Our Heavenly Father wants us to seek Him and search His Word and using the 4R method helps us do this.

Why is it important for the parent/teacher to bother with all of this? Remember that the student cannot be greater than the teacher! 

Luke 6:40, "A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher." 

*Disciple means "taught one"... a student...

So, as I go to the Scriptures in every subject, I learn from my teacher, my Lord and Savior, Yeshua. And I become transformed being trained by His teachings... and become more like His character. Conversely, my children do because they not only have me as their teacher who is continually growing and changing, they are going to the Scriptures themselves and learning from Yeshua as well. 

Do you see how this form of Classical Biblical-Hebraic education is richer than a parroting Greek Classical Model?

This is why I can't let this go in our homeschool! There is a tight grip on my heart to press through toward the prize!

In the end of this age, my children are not going to be examined for what out of context sentence they can parrot back to someone. Rather, they will have their hearts examined and how they chose to be self-governed under Messiah and lived their lives. And so will I... Teaching and learning with the Hebraic form of education helps me to understand not only what happened, but also the cause to effect which in turn helps me to think governmentally.

It's the principles we want to learn and commit to our hearts. 

It's the principles we want to put into practice and live out... because we love and revere Him. 

My prayer for you is that as you carefully consider how to go about educating your children, that you will stay the course and teach them diligently with Bible Principles. And in doing so, that you will grow and mature in the faith in Yeshua as well. 

Blessings from our Messiah be upon you!