Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
We recently received the new 4th edition of the 4th Grade – Building Life Castles curriculum from the Positive Action Bible Curriculum series by Positive Action for Christ.
We received a hard copy of both the teacher’s manual, and the student workbook.
The teacher’s manual comes with a three-ring binder, and is printed on really nice, high-quality paper-which I definitely appreciate (I might be a bit of a paper snob.)
The full-color student workbook comes already bound, which is great because kids tend to be a little harder on things, and papers can get pulled out of a binder pretty easily (ask me how I know!)
The curriculum is designed for fourth grade students, and contains 35 lessons. Each lesson is broken down into three easily manageable sections, and sometimes there is a bonus Building Your Life Castle section as well.
The curriculum covers topics such as The Trinity, Jesus’ life and death, and the Apostle Paul, as well as learning how to follow Jesus’ example, and apply it in our everyday lives.
The teacher’s guide walks the parent through the lesson step by step including discussion questions and answers, vocabulary words and definitions, prompts for the student to complete work in their manual, illustration points, explanations, and a target truth that encompasses the main topic of the lesson.
In the student manual there are vocabulary words, as well as fill-in-the-blank activities, maps, crosswords, and more.
This curriculum is intended for fourth grade students, and I would say it is appropriate for that age group.
In our home, I chose to use this with my extra special fifth grader, and I would say it was a little too difficult for him. He really struggled with any of the fill-in-the-blank questions especially as they were not worded exactly like the scripture, and that was a big challenge for him.
He did complete all of the activities within the first several lessons, but going forward, we will probably skip some of the ones he struggles with.
It is definitely more important for him to be able to focus on the main messages, than to concentrate on whether or not he completed all of the sections. The last thing I want is for Bible curriculum to be frustrating for him, which is not the point at all.
I really don’t believe that an average fourth grader would have any problems completing the activities, and one of the beauties of homeschool is that The Boy and I can just adjust this Bible curriculum to fit with what we need.
One of the things I appreciate most about this curriculum, is how well laid out this is for me as the teacher-it really is open and go. I also really like the age-appropriate answers to some of the tough questions about say, The Trinity for example, or eternity. We ended up having some really good thought-provoking discussions about these topics (even my six year old was asking questions), which was great.
Students also get a lot of practice looking up scriptures for themselves, which I like. Too many times, Bible curriculums or devotionals just provide the scriptures within their texts. But here, The Boy really got the chance to learn where the books of the Bible are, and how to find chapter and verse.
I did give The Boy the option to switch back to the Bible devotional we had been using, or continue with this one, and he liked it enough to want to continue. So we will!
He likes that he gets to use his Bible more, and also he likes the pictures, and he likes learning about how Jesus grew up.
Would you like to learn more about the Positive Action Bible Curriculum? Visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog to read more reviews!
Slow Down, Enjoy, and Create 
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