While the worldview of all curricula matters to me when determining what our homeschool will use, none matters more than choosing Bible curriculum for my children. We have tried several options in the high school years from various publishers with great success, but we have hit the target for my middle child with BJU Press Homeschool Bible Doctrines Curriculum.
Because my older children had different theological interests, I intentionally used different texts for them. I had every intention of only using BJU Bible Doctrines with my current 10th grader, however, my 12th grader saw it and wanted to study it as well this year.
So I added her on for part of the year! It has been an excellent study for both of them.
Because my 10th grader is using this the entire year, this post will explain how I use this curriculum with her.
My 12th grader was only able to use this curriculum for one semester, so I gave her a 1/2 credit on her transcript. She is taking an Apologetics course for the spring semester.
Direct link: BJU Press Homeschool Bible Doctrines Subject Kit
If you use BJU Press Homeschool, I would love to hear about it in the comments below!
This is not a paid post, however, I did receive the Bible Doctrines course in exchange for an honest review. This post does contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.
✔ If you hop over to my Homeschool Curriculum Helps page, you will find many years’ worth of curriculum choices, including more Bible curriculum, math choices, literature & composition, science, and more. From Preschool through 12th grade!
What We Needed in a High School Bible Curriculum
My 10th grader – the middle of my five children – is a bright girl and knows much about the Bible itself and Biblical accounts. She has grown up in a Christian home with lots of Awana, Bible reading, prayer, and discipleship.
When thinking and praying over what would benefit her most in her Spiritual walk this school year, I determined she needed a course focused on Biblical Doctrine. She had not formally studied theology in such a way, and I though it would be interesting to her! This type of course would also allow her to think more deeply about the things of God in a guided way.
The first unit introduces students to the motivation for studying doctrine: to know and love God. Doctrine defines what is true and what is appropriate for relationships.
Doctrine provides a place of stability, avoiding skepticism and being blown about by false teaching. Doctrine should be life-changing.
~ ‘To the Teacher’ Bible Doctrines p. xiv [emphasis mine]
As her mama, I was most excited about more often folding her into our theological conversations that take place in our home. She needed more explicit teaching in how to use Scripture to understand Scripture, and how to come to doctrinal conclusions based on what the Bible says.
I felt like she was ready in the 10th grade to start tackling a few of these more advanced ways of thinking. After all, she will continue to grow and understand these methods her whole Christian Life as she learns, matures, and experiences a life walking faithfully with the Lord. Now is a great time to guide her as she starts this next season of Christian life.
And my prayer for her and all of my children is that they will faithfully walk with the Lord in His will all of their days. Amen.
Why I Chose BJU Press Homeschool Bible Doctrines
Prior to this point in my homeschool life, I had only used BJU Press Homeschool for math and science in middle school and high school. Even though I had not used a Bible course from BJU, I was confident in their doctrinal stance, as evidenced by their Statement of Faith and their great desire to promote a Biblical Worldview that aligns with that of our family.
Also, I had the opportunity to attend the Foundations Summit last February, and witnessed first hand the genuine desire to point students to Christ through solid Christian teaching in grades K-12. BJU Press’ desire to honor God in all things was abundantly clear and so refreshing.
In short, I trusted BJU Press Homeschool materials to adequately and rightly teach the Bible and the doctrines that we believe as evangelical Christians.
About BJU Press Homeschool Bible Doctrines Curriculum
Our homeschool is using Bible Doctrines, 1st Edition with the copyright of 2022. BJU Press updates their courses regularly, so it is important to know the edition to which I am referring. I am sure there will be updates in the future!
The textbook set includes:
– Student Textbook
– Teacher’s Manual, Parts 1 and 2 (includes reduced-size student pages)
– Bible Doctrines Assessments (tests)
– Bible Doctrines Assessment Key
– Bible Doctrines Activities Book
– Bible Doctrines Activities Answer Key
We use these components of the set, plus I added on the Distance Learning Option (DLO) so we could have access to the lectures. You can read more about that below.
Teacher Preparation for BJU Press Homeschool Bible Doctrines
If you are going to teach your child a high school level course, there is an ample amount of teacher preparation involved in any subject. While the homeschool world is full of children that are “self-learners” who read the material and can understand it without a teacher, my children are just not wired that way.
My children need ample amounts of back-and-forth conversation about a subject, so I need to have some working knowledge of the material.
With that said, here is how I prepare for BJU Press Homeschool Bible Doctrines each week:
- We use the pacing provided in the Distance Learning Option (DLO), which is usually one section of the chapter over 2 days. I loosely base our week’s lessons off of that, adding in our family’s schedule for the week.
There is also a Lesson Planning Guide in the Teacher’s Manual that is very helpful. - I pre-read (sometimes I only have time to skim) the section we will go over together. I make sure I understand the big picture concept of the week. The Section Objectives are laid out very clearly.
Also, there is a ‘Preparation’ tab in the Teacher’s Edition that lists the ‘Big Idea’ for the section that is very helpful. - Even though the teaching of the material is through the DLO lecture, I skim through the section to see if there is anything specific I want to highlight. I find those areas and make a note in the book so I don’t miss it.
I am not going to re-sale these books, so I write my notes right on the pages. I know I am going to use these again next year, and yet again with my fourth child. - Some sections have a Handout that dives further into a topic. I determine if that is a topic I want to discuss. If it is, I make a copy for my daughter to discuss when we have class.
Handouts include topics such as: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Doctrines (this one was excellent!), The Assurance of Salvation, Approaches to Canon and Canonization, and Scripture and Tradition: Their Rightful Places, and Answering the Problem of Evil. - I look over the assignments for the Prayer Journal and the Scripture memorization. Those are listed on the DLO Student instructions. If we were not using the DLO, I would have pre-assigned those per chapter at the beginning of the year.
- If I have time, I read carefully through the Teacher’s Notes in the ‘Instruct’ section. Like all BJU Teacher materials, the instructions are invaluable to help you understand the material. The notes not only help you understand the flow of the subject, but it makes doctrinal points in succinct, efficient ways.
The ‘Instruct’ portion of the Teacher’s Edition is by far my favorite part of this course. It equips me to teach my children confidently. The study of systematic theology and hermeneutics has been a wonderful study for me as well! I have enjoyed every minute of it.
What We Do Each Week in BJU Press Homeschool Bible Doctrines
Before I begin with our Weekly Plans, I will note that we are only doing half of BJU Press Homeschool Bible Doctrines this year, Units 1 through 5. The material is important, and I want us to have plenty of time for conversations about what she has learned and not be rushed to cram it all in.
We will complete the 2nd half of the material over her 11th grade year.
Unlike math or Latin, I do not have class for Bible Doctrines each day we have school. Subjects like this tend to have more of a rhythm in our homeschool week without having a prescribed daily formula.
Even though it changes a bit as our schedule dictates, our Bible Doctrines weekly flow looks mostly like this as we walk through a chapter:
1.) Independent work of Section 1 (video, reading in text, answering questions, memorizing Scripture)
2.) Class together to discuss work
3.) Independent work of Section 2 ( video, reading in text, answering questions, Prayer Journal, memorizing Scripture)
4.) Class together to discuss work
5.) Independent work of Section 3 (if there is a Section 3; sometimes there are only 2)
6.) Class together to discuss work
7.) Class to review the chapter and discuss the Chapter Test
8.) Take Chapter Test
More Specific Weekly Details
Here are a few more details on how our week goes with BJU Press Homeschool Bible Doctrines. While every week certainly does not go as written below, I try to keep to this type of rhythm. It helps her to retain information and make connections when we have class consistently.
1.) My daughter starts the first section of a new chapter by watching the assigned portion of the lecture.
She completes the Guided Notes as she watches the video. The Guided Notes are the best part of any of the video series for BJU. They are invaluable for my children, even those that do not struggle with being distracted.
2.) She reads the assigned portion in the Student Edition, which is usually only 2-3 pages.
3.) She completes the chapter comprehension questions that are assigned in the DLO Lesson Guide for that section.
4.) She begins to memorize the assigned Scripture passage for the section.
5.) My daughter and I have class together to discuss the section.
In class, we go over the blanks from the Guided Notes, she reads me her answers from the Comprehension Questions that were assigned, and we talk about the verse that was assigned for memorization.
I talk about any other points in the Teacher’s Edition that I thought were important, if not already discussed. We also go over the Handout, if I chose to complete it and there is time in our day.
6.) We complete the previous steps for each Section in the chapter. There are usually 2 to 3 Sections per chapter.
7.) At the end of the chapter, we have class again to review the concepts that were taught. The DLO includes a nice review lecture for each chapter, so we go over the Guided Notes from the lecture review, and then the answers to the assigned questions.
I also go over exactly what is going to be on the Quiz or Test. Yes, I teach exactly to the test for BJU in general (not just Bible Doctrines) because those are the concepts that are most important for students to know and understand.
I address testing at the bottom of this post, if you have questions about that.
7.) She takes the Chapter Test.
And then we repeat the same process with the next chapter!
BJU Press Homeschool Bible Doctrines Quizzes and Tests
I know quizzes and tests are controversial in the homeschool world, however, our homeschool does use them in upper elementary through high school. The reason we use tests is a topic for another blog post, but the short version is it holds my children accountable and helps them retain information more deeply.
You can certainly use BJU Press Homeschool Bible Doctrines and not test at all. The discussions, questions, and material itself are so rich, that the course is very worthy of doing even if you choose not to test.
It is, after all, your homeschool and you make the rules!
If you are using the DLO, there is a test for each chapter that your child can either take online or you can print and take on paper. Answers are provided in the DLO for parents, of course.
The paper tests that are included in the Subject Kit only include a test for each Unit, which covers from 2 to 4 chapters each. That is too much of a time frame for my daughter to cover, so she takes the chapter tests.
I personally like the way the paper Unit Tests are laid out better than the download tests from DLO. The paper tests are more meaty and the questions are not just True/False as is most of the DLO Chapter Tests. The paper tests also include several essay-style questions, which are favorable when assessing if my daughter understands different concepts.
When we do the second portion of Bible Doctrines next school year, I will make sure I work in a Chapter Test (but count it as a quiz) and also have her take the paper Unit Tests. I have not yet worked out the details, but I will probably have her complete the DLO Chapter Tests as open book and the Unit Tests as closed book.
I still need to think on this a bit, but I know I will change it for next year.
A Few Last Notes About BJU Press Homeschool Bible Doctrines
→ I admittedly went into this course being unsure of what to expect. I knew I would like it as a homeschool curriculum, but I did not realize I was going to love it. And I do! It has greatly exceeded my expectations!
The thoughtfulness and the intentionality of the material covered, comprehension questions, Scripture memorization, and Bible projects have been such a blessing to our school year. We hear a certain phrase or concept from Bible Doctrines in our Pastor’s sermon, and my daughter cuts her eyes over at me to make sure I heard it, too!
It has been fun to see my daughter take these teachings and truths and internalize them. She is at a stage of maturity now where she can do that, and it is a joy to witness.
→ Please note that this course contains a tremendous amount of material. Is it doable in one school year? Yes. It, however, was not doable for our family in one school year due to the other subjects my daughter is studying. Math, Latin, Ancient Rome, Composition, and Biology make for a rigorous school year.
In order for this particular child to do well in all her subjects, I needed to slow this one down a bit. As we head into the final months of our school year, this is absolutely the correct choice for her.
You can click here to read about all of her school subjects: 10th Grade Homeschool Curriculum Choices for 2024-2025
→ There is a Distance Learning Option if you want to outsource the lectures and teaching. There are very few (less than a handful) of companies that I would feel comfortable with including Bible lectures, however, BJU has proven to be a safe choice.
I appreciate that I can always assume their teaching is accurate to the Bible and our family’s Christian beliefs.
You can use just the lectures from the DLO, or you can use all of the other parts as well, including the tests, pacing guide, and grading system.
→ The lesson plans are pre-filled in the Homeschool Hub. If you do not enjoy lesson planning, you can load the subject into your child’s profile on the Homeschool Hub, determine which days it should populate, and then just go by that schedule.
While I do not use the Homeschool Hub exclusively for lesson planning, it is part of my strategy.
There is also a Homeschool Hub app now if you would rather go mobile for planning or need a quick look during the school day without opening your laptop.
Different options are helpful!
If you have questions about BJU Press Homeschool Bible Doctrines, please leave them in the comments! I will be happy to try and answer them if I am able.
Also, if you have experience with this curriculum, I hope you will leave a comment as well.
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