The editors and artists at Regular Baptist Press still agree with Robert Ketcham’s philosophy: Making solidly Biblical, Baptist curriculum is a holy cause, and our material is ideally suited for churches who desire Sunday School curriculum of the very highest type. That’s why we are proud to launch our revision of the primary and junior materials and to introduce our all-new middler curriculum.
Five editors are working full-time on the curriculum revisions; they are assisted by two part-time editors. Our editorial team has 93 years of combined experience in writing and editing children’s curriculum and nearly 150 years in teaching Sunday School classes. In addition to this, a team of RBP graphic designers are giving the material a fresh look. New artwork and illustrations have been commissioned for every age level.
Helping Teachers Prepare
Successful teaching depends on a well-prepared teacher, so we have refreshed the teacher’s manuals, providing an easier-to-follow layout. We have also upgraded our teaching visuals and student books. Newer, more age-appropriate teaching methods and options appeal to teachers and students alike. All teaching pictures, patterns, and verse visuals are designed to keep the teacher’s prep time at a minimum. In addition, each teaching packet has a resource CD with patterns, clip art, teaching picture art, song sheets, and more. Meanwhile, we’re supplementing all this “high-tech” support with something decidedly old-school. Our customers keep asking for new flannelgraph, and we’re responding with a newly designed series.
In accordance with our customers’ requests, all departments are now on a two-year cycle. We have revised the sequence of our lessons so that each level builds on the one below it. For example, we present the Creator God Who loves us in the 2s and 3s lessons. Then we introduce the idea of sin and a Savior in the pre-primary lessons. Building on that learning, the primary lessons tell the salvation story and clearly present the gospel. In addition, primary lessons—as well as middler and junior—include baptism by immersion. Then the middler lessons take the students through the entire Bible in two years—spending five quarters in the Old Testament and three in the New. And, finally, the junior lessons cover eight aspects of discipleship, emphasizing how each student should understand and act on Bible truth. The Bible lesson comprises the majority of the class time, while the new activities, visuals, and student books help learners understand and apply God’s Word to their lives.
Successful teaching depends on flexibility, so we’ve designed the lesson art on the resource CD to allow you to do (nearly) anything you want. For example, do you want to use your teaching picture to create a puzzle? You can. Want to enlarge a flannelgraph figure to use on a bulletin board? You can. Want to shrink the poster to send as a postcard to an absent student? You can. Want to display a background on a wall to create a scene? You can. Want the flannelgraph figure in a PowerPoint presentation? Can do. Bring a laptop or a computer and TV to class, allow students to push the buttons, and you’ve got a visual not only for your lesson but also for the students to use as they retell the story to you. Plus, you may copy your resource CD for use by other teachers in your church!
Student books are different now, with new art and (depending on age level) new attendance charts. The activities and questions in the student books guide students to discover how the lesson theme applies to them personally. The activities themselves are refreshing, creative, and challenging for the particular age group.
At the end of class, you have the option of sending reinforcements home with your students. Our newly designed take-home papers appeal to students because of their age-appropriate application stories and diverse activities. Parents will appreciate the ideas for parent/child interaction which are based on the lessons their children are learning in Sunday School.
The goal of both the revisions and the new department is to focus everything in a lesson on one theme so that the students will not leave Sunday School without knowing how the lesson applies directly to their lives. The students will be intentionally challenged to live out the Bible truth they learned that day.
The New Middler Department
Finally, third- and fourth-grade students have their own curriculum! During the middler years, students will take a “big look” at the Bible. They’ll learn how the books of the Old Testament fit together, how the books of the New Testament fit together, and then how the entire Bible fits together. They’ll learn the theme and the importance of each book of the Bible.
Each class session begins with two introductory activity options. The teacher may choose the option of a simpler activity for busy class sessions or a more involved hands-on activity that is sure to capture the students’ attention. Simple or more elaborate—these creative activities engage the students and introduce the theme that is the focus of the day’s lesson.
Next comes the Bible lesson, with new art (e.g., all-new flannelgraph, teaching pictures, posters) and opportunities for students of various learning styles to interact with the Biblical truth they are seeing, hearing, touching, or “doing.” The lessons are designed to create purposeful interaction between the teacher and the students. Teachers will enjoy the simpler, clearer layout and a routine format, while students will enjoy the updated art and the Bible application for issues they face in the third and fourth grades.
The class session ends with a focus on personal application. The art has been intriguing, the activities fun and engaging, the lesson interesting, but what comes next? What does it all mean to the students’ personal lives? The student book pages wrap up the class session by providing the answer. Through activities and questions, the students learn how to apply the lesson theme to their own lives. Then the take-home papers reinforce the lesson and application and help parents guide their children in applying Bible truth.
Andrea Farlow has helped coordinate the middler department curriculum. When asked to summarize this material in one sentence, she responded, “The new and added middler department curriculum will benefit both teachers and children in their knowledge and application of Scripture through the emphasis of activities, memory verses, and Bible lessons revolving around one particular theme.” When asked what she likes best about this curriculum, she had three answers: the different options available to teachers, the focus on one theme, and the emphasis on personal application.
Check It Out
We believe our Growing Faith curriculum is the most comprehensive educational plan for children to study God’s Word. And we’re excited to have you check it out. For your convenience, you can order online, shoot us an e-mail, phone our customer service reps, or talk to your local regional manager by phone or face-to-face.
Online: www.rbpGrowingFaith.org
Customer Service: 1.800.727.4440
Jonita Barram is an assistant editor of the Baptist Bulletin.
