Note from Ami: Jason has been using this with Elijah, so I asked him to write the review for this product, God's Great Covenant New Testament One Bundle. The bundle includes the student book, the teacher guide, and the audio files, and it retails for $56.95 from Classical Academic Press.
Overview of the Product
God's Great Covenant New Testament 1 starts out with a brief but concise history of the Bible and the known world from the beginning to the birth of John. Then there's a short chronological timeline from 6 B. C. to 30 A.D. giving a brief synopsis of different events in Jesus' life and ministry. You get a good idea of the religious, political, and social life at the time.
The book is divided into four units:
- Jesus, the Son of Man, Has Come… To Live Among His People
- Jesus, God's Servant, Has Come . . . To Proclaim Good News
- Jesus, the Messiah, Has Come . . . To Teach About God's Kingdom
- Jesus, the Son of God, Has Come . . . To Conquer Sin and Death
The book begins and each unit ends with a story called "Simons World." This tells the story of a little Jewish boy named Simon who lives in Galilee. His path takes him in, out, and around the path that Jesus takes. It lets you see what it might have been like for the average Jewish person who never had direct contact with Jesus, but was there when everything was happening.
Each unit has nine chapters. Most chapters start out with four things:
- Theme
- Scripture: References to the particular passages the chapter is covering
- Memory passage: Usually 1-3 verses to try to memorize
- Key Facts: A table contrasting different aspects of the chapter or giving meaning to some words or phrases that will be used in the chapter
There is then a short description of the passages in story form. This is where the audio files really come in handy. The narrator is easy to follow along with, and the audio is clear and crisp.
The story ends usually with a section describing a particular prophesy that was fulfilled.
After the story, the student completes worksheet which include 4-6 sections: Key Facts, Story Facts, What's the Reason?, Important Truth, and Think About It. The worksheet activities are varied: fill in the blank, multiple choice, draw a line from one side to the other, crossword puzzles, word scrambles, draw a picture, etc.
My Thoughts
- The introduction section of the book is amazing. Don't miss it.
- I guided my son through each lesson and sat with him–reading to him, listening to the audio files, and helping him, as needed, with the activities. I found this entire study to be well written with questions that sparked good conversations with my son. The lessons are rich — even I am learning new things.
- Since my son and I completed the lessons together, I did not find the Teacher's Edition to be necessary. However, we enjoyed the audio files, and I heartily recommend them.
- We've tried other Bible study products and none have compared to this. I was disappointed when I found out that New Testament Two wasn't ready yet, but there are two other books in this series published by Classical Academic Press: God's Great Covenant Old Testament 1 and God's Great Covenant Old Testament 2.
- If you are like me, and you want the book to open and stay flat, you can take the book to a copy center (such as Staples) and have a spiral binding put it.
Read what other crew members are saying about God's Great Covenant New Testament 1 Bundle on the TOS blog.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of God's Great Covenant New Testament 1 Bundle in exchange for an honest review.
What grades would this be good for?