Deeper Roots sent me a junior high Bible curriculum to review. Since the authors are from my hometown and are also New Tribes missionaries, I was excited to review their materials. I received a student workbook and teacher’s guide (the homeschool edition!). I was not disappointed. Discovering Who I Am in Christ by Jan L. Harris, & Howard & Bonnie Lisech is a 200 page Bible Study workbook written for 7th, 8th, and 9th grade boys and girls. There are three more workbooks in the series for this age group by the same authors: Discovering our Amazing God, Discovering Christ-Like Habits, and Discovering Christ-Like Character. There are materials available for older and younger students too! They also have short-term missions resources that I would love to see!
Discovering Who I am in Christ is an unique Bible Study workbook. A lesson has six days worth of work and should take about a week to finish. The lesson begins with a memory challenge. Each day there are passages to read, questions to answer, and fun assignments to complete. In the second lesson there is an interview assingment, a drawing assignment, and a writing assignment. At the end of each lesson, there is a review of all the previous lessons and a final test. But I haven’t told you about my two favorite parts of this Bible curriculum. I love the Reflections questions where students are given the opportunity to meditate on what they are learning. They can write down their reflections on the Reflections pages, which are really journaling pages. Another part I loved was the Unreached People Pages! Found at the beginning of every lesson, these beautifully illustrated pages are packed with information about people groups around the world who are waiting to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the very first time. There is even a prayer focus for personal or family devotions. I remember years ago using Operation World in my Quiet Times to pray for unreached people groups, so this brought back fond memories. The illustrations in this workbook are gorgeous! They add so much to the book!
Here are the lessons covered in this book: Sinner or Saint?, A New Creation, Adopted!, Precious in His Sight, Citizens of Heaven, A Sheep in His Pasture, A Royal Priest, A Branch Full of Fruit, Free at Last, and Who am I?: A Summary. The unreached people profiles in this book were: Banjar People, Phuta People, Guizhou Yi People, Bhadrawahih People, Bedouin Arab People, Malu People, Nukak (Macu) People, Balinese People, Higlanders of PNG, and Neighborhood People.
The Teacher’s Guide is an important part of this class and includes very precise lesson plans. All the answers are given for each lesson and teaching tips, illustrations, and teaching plans are given. Science is added in lesson two and six, art is added in lesson four, and social studies is added in lesson five and seven. This curriculum is written for classroom use and is complete with tests. It would work wonderfully in a coop situation or another formal classroom setting. A homeschool mom using this at home with her children would need to make adjustments and make the curriculum less formal. But the material is worth adapting…it is lovely to look at, and, more importantly, will give your junior high student a feast on God’s Word!
You can purchase Discovering Who I am in Christ and other workbooks at Deeper Roots’s website for $19.95. The Teacher’s guides are available for $28.95.
If you are looking for a non-denominational, Christ-centered Bible curriculum, check this out! From beginning to the end, I appreciate the tone of this curriculum. Jesus is exalted, His Word is honored, and students are encouraged to love and obey Him with all their hearts! Great Work, Deeper Roots! I’m impressed!
Blessings to everyone!
Meredith