Christian School Bible Class| top of page |

Often, Christian School Bible classes have little impact on the daily lives of students. BibleTelling turns a Christian school Bible class into an interesting and productive class, where everyone learns the Bible, including the teacher. Instead of students listening to someone teach about the Bible, the class is designed to accommodate various learning styles, and the students learn to tell the stories of the Bible.

• At the end of the first year, they have learned and told 36 Bible stories to parents and younger students. They also know the overall structure of the Old Testament.
  
• In the second year, they learn to tell 36 stories from the Life of Christ, making a total of 72 stories for both years.
  
• In the third year, they learn to tell an additional 36 stories from the Old Testament, stories that focus on faith and character. This makes a total of 108 stories for the three years.
  
• In the fourth year, they learn to tell 36 stories from the Book of Acts, making a total of 144 stories for all four years.
  
• Four years of BibleTelling gives students a better grasp of Scripture than most Bible College graduates have.

***** In addition, the Bible class teacher has greatly increased his/her knowledge of Scripture!

Typical Five-Day Bible Class Schedule

BibleTelling can fit into any weekly schedule. The following is an example of a five-day Bible class.

• Monday – the class learns the story of the week
  using the “seven-step plan”
  
• Tuesday – the class discusses the story and selects activities according to their personal interest and talents.
  
• Wednesday –the groups prepare and practice the activity they chose.
  
• Thursday – the activities are presented or performed for the class
  
• Friday – each student goes to younger classes and tells the story
  
• Homework is given for the next story – Search the Scripture.

Seven-step Plan for Learning a Bible Story without Memorizing
Students are usually cooperative in going through this process because they realize they need to learn the story. On Friday, they are going to stand in front of a younger class and tell the story.

1. The new Bible story is presented using the CD.
   Most teachers do not tell the story themselves because they do not have the time to learn the story in advance. Many choose to learn the story with the class.
   
2. Students learn the storyboard for the story.
   A storyboard is a series of mental pictures and hand gestures that help a person learn the overall structure of the story. The storyboards are provided in the book. Eventually students create their own.
   
3. Several students rehearse the storyboard with the help of the class.
   Storyboards are usually divided into three sections. Three different students volunteer to illustrate one section each.
   
4. Each student practices the storyboard with a partner.
   They should practice the storyboard together, instead of taking turns.
   
5. Students listen to the Bible story a second time.
   Because of the storyboard, the class can “see” the story as well as hear it.
   
6. Each student tells the story to a partner.
   
   • As soon as students have heard the story the second time, they immediately turn to their partners and tell the story.
   • They should tell the story in their own words the best they can.
   • This is called “stumbling through the story.” The telling of the story will improve as the week goes by.
   • Students should not embellish the story any more than it has been embellished on the CD.
   
7. Students draw the storyboard.
   A page is provided in the book for the students to draw the storyboard. They can use stick figures, words, outline, or elaborate drawings. This activity can be assigned as homework.

Class Discussion

Christian School Bible classes are made up of students with a variety of backgrounds, learning differences, and various levels of Bible knowledge. Still, it is important to engage everyone in the discussion. Therefore the following rule is recommended for the most effective Biblical learning:
No other part of the Bible can be discussed except the story of the week and previous stories.
We recommend the following three discussion questions.

• “What does this story teach us about God?”
  As the class goes from story to story, the students will grow in their knowledge of God and how He relates to people. This understanding of God will grow naturally as they see His story unfold.
• “What does this story teach us about people?”
  Bible stories offer a great study in human nature. An alternate question would be “What does this story teach us about the people of God?”
• “What is your favorite part of the story, and why?” This is an important question because it allows students the opportunity to express their interest in the story, and it stimulates lively discussion.

Story Activities

When teaching BibleTelling, Christian School Bible teachers want their students to learn the stories, but they also want the stories to become personally meaningful. This is only accomplished when the teacher allows for various learning preferences, and students are able to communicate the story in their most enjoyable way of expression. This moves the Biblical story down from the head and firmly implants it into the heart.

Each BibleTelling lesson provides activities ideas that encourage students to personalize the stories. Each student, or group of students, choose from the following multidimensional learning activities:

As students go through BibleTelling, they tend to follow a pattern. They start by using one of the easiest activities provided in the book. Quickly they will move to the more difficult ones that look interesting to them. Finally they will ignore the list completely and develop their own ideas.

Cost of Materials

Schools have several price options when buying BibleTelling materials. Each book contains nine stories and is one quarter of the course. There are four books per year (36 stories total).

• The retail price for each book is $19.95 w/the CD,
  and $14.95 per book w/o the CD.
  The website special is $14.95 including CD.
• A case lot (36 books) price is $9.97 per book w/o CD.
  The website special is $9.97 including CD, but not placed inside the books.
  Introductory offer – you may “mix/match” the books in your case.

Here are some of the comments from teachers and students:

• teacher – “I told my class we were having a short week the following week. I suggested we just have a study hall. They said, ‘No, we want to learn the next story!’ I have never had a group of students enjoy Bible class so much.”
• student – “I like it because we actually have to learn the material instead of just passing a test”
• teacher – “My students are volunteering eight weeks in advance to tell these stories for our Awana Clubs.”
• student – “Since we tell the Bible stories to younger students, they start associating the stories with us. Now we have to watch how we live, because we know they are watching us.”
• teacher – “The kids work hard in this class, yet they enjoy it. It is the best Bible course we have ever used.”

Home School Bible Class | top of page |

BibleTelling makes a Home School Bible class totally interactive, and it can include the entire family. It also has a great impact on the daily lives of each family member.

It turns the Bible class into an interesting and productive class. Young people and children do not simply sit and listen to you teach about the Bible. Instead, they learn to tell the stories of the Bible themselves and participate in activities that bring the Bible into their frame of reference.

• At the end of the first year, they have learned and told 36 Bible stories. They also know the overall structure of the Old Testament.
• In the second year, they learn to tell 36 stories from the Life of Christ, making a total of 72 stories for both years.
• In the third year, they learn to tell an additional 36 stories from the Old Testament, stories that focus on faith and character. This makes a total of 108 stories for the three years.
• In the fourth year, they learn to tell 36 stories from the Book of Acts, making a total of 144 stories for all four years.
• Four years of BibleTelling gives students a better grasp of Scripture than most Bible College graduates have.

***** As a home school parent, you will also greatly increase your knowledge of Scripture!

Typical Five-Day Bible Class Schedule

• Monday – Your students learn the story using
  the “seven-step plan”
• Tuesday – The family discusses the story and then selects activities according to each person’s learning preference. Another option would be to select an activity that includes the younger children.
• Wednesday – This day is given over to preparing and practicing the activity. Special art projects can be given to younger students to enhance their involvement with the story.
• Thursday – The activities are presented or performed. This could be:
  – for a DVD camera
  – for a spouse not as involved in the
  teaching process
  – for neighbors or grandparents
• Friday and weekend – each of the older students tell the story to an assigned group – Sunday school, children’s club, retirement home, small group Bible study, etc.
  Homework is given for the next story – Search the Scripture.

Here are some of the comments from parents, pastors, and students:

• pastor – “Recently we had a young man come to our church to raise money for a missions trip. His presentation was full of wonderful stories and he told them so well. Most young people don’t know how to communicate that well, so I asked him about it. He told me he was taking BibleTelling in his home school course, and it has influenced his storytelling abilities. Our church was so impressed!”
• parent – “I like it because the students have to learn the stories and not just pass the test”
• student – “I teach a Sunday school class. Now I learn the story in my Bible class and I tell it to my Sunday school class.”

Seven-step Plan for Learning a Bible Story without Memorizing
Students become unusually cooperative in going through this process. They realize they need to learn the story because by Friday, they have to be ready to tell the story.

1. The new Bible story is presented using the CD.
   Most parents do not tell the story themselves because they do not have the time to learn the story in advance. Many choose to learn the story with their children.
2. Students learn the storyboard for the story.
   A storyboard is a series of mental pictures and hand gestures that help a person learn the overall structure of the story. The storyboards are provided in the book. Eventually students create their own.
3. Several children rehearse the storyboard with the help of the others.
   Storyboards are usually divided into three sections. Ask different members of your family to do each section.
4. Each student practices the storyboard with another family member.
   They should practice the storyboard together, instead of taking turns.
5. Students listen to the Bible story a second time.
   Because of the storyboard, your children can “see” the story as well as hear it
6. Each student tells the story to another family member.
   • As soon as they have heard the story a second time, students immediately turn to their partners and tell the story.
   • They should tell the story in their own words the best they can.
   • This is called “stumbling through the story.” The telling of the story will improve as the week goes by.
   • Students should not embellish the story any more than it has been embellished on the CD.
7. Students draw the Storyboard.
   A page is provided in the book for the students to draw the storyboard. They can use stick figures, words, outline, or elaborate drawing. This activity can be assigned as homework.

Class Discussion
Because of the various levels of Bible knowledge within the family, and to insure everyone can participate in the discussion, the following rule is recommended for the most effective Biblical learning:

No other part of the Bible can be discussed
except the story of the week and previous stories.

There are the three discussion questions asked in the book:

• “What do we learn about God from this story?”
  As the family goes from story to story, the children will grow in their knowledge of God and how He relates to people. This understanding of God will grow naturally as they see His story unfolds.
• “What do we learn about people from this story?”
  Bible stories offer a great study in human nature. An alternate question would be “What does this story teach us about the people of God?”
• “What is your favorite part of the story, and why?”
  This is an important question because it allows your children the opportunity to express their interest in the story, and it stimulates lively discussion.

Story Activities
When teaching BibleTelling, Christian parents want their children to learn the stories of God. Still a Christian mother or Christian father wants these stories to become personally meaningful to their children. This is only accomplished when people communicate the story in their most enjoyable way of expression. This moves the Biblical story down from the head and firmly implants it into the heart.

Each BibleTelling lesson provides activities ideas that encourage students to personalize the stories. Each child (or the family as a whole) will choose from the following:

As students go through BibleTelling, they tend to follow a pattern. They start by using one of the easiest activities provided in the book. Quickly they will move to the more difficult ones that look interesting to them. Finally they will ignore the list completely and develop their own ideas.

Cost of Materials

Home School parents have several price options when buying BibleTelling materials. Each book contains nine stories and is one quarter of the course. There are four books per year (36 stories total).

• The retail price for each book is $19.95 w/the CD, and $14.95 per book w/o the CD.
  The website special is $14.95 including CD.
• A case lot (36 books) price is $9.97 per book w/o CD.
  The website special is $9.97 including CD, but not placed inside the books.
  Introductory offer – you may “mix/match” the books in your case.
  This is ideal for a home school support group.

Comments from Parents Using the Program
— coming attraction —

Christian After-School Programs | top of page |

There are many churches and Christian organizations that offer a program for children after they are out of school for the day, and before their parents are able to pick them up. BibleTelling is excellent for an after-school Bible class. It teaches the stories to the young people and they tell the stories at home.

Follow the instructions found in the Christian School page under the Education section of this website.