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First time disappointed with Bible Study Guide For All Ages...And a new question.


wehave8
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This is the first time I am using 2 different levels of the Student Pages for BSGFAA, and I am disappointed in them or just confused with how people use them. We use to all be on the same page when we were in the Primary Pages. Now we have 1 in Primary and 2 in Intermediate. I have to go over the pages separately with each group. It is totally taking away from the "family-friendly" Bible study we once had. Needless to say the added time it now takes! The only thing the same is the section of Scripture we are in. There are some other similarities, but not close enough to combine the teaching. It is open and go, but not "joint-open and go" if know what I mean.

 

If you use 2 different levels, how do you do it?

 

Pam

 

 

eta: new ? in title.

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I am listening in as well. We started with 2 levels this year, but I hated it. They did coincide some (beginner and intermediate). I would read the Scripture, read the first 2-3 beginner questions, catch up on the intermediate ones and then do one at a time from there. It took forever. I was stressed out going back and forth. My dd complained bc she no longer had the coloring page of th beginner pages. I dropped it, ordered another set of beginner pages and we are back to loving BSGFAA! Next year I will combine them both in the intermediate pages. For me, I like Bible to be a family affair and two guides were too stressful for me...

 

ETA: for my youngest, I copy the old pages in the guide for her and she colors those as we read.

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I am listening in as well. We started with 2 levels this year, but I hated it. They did coincide some (beginner and intermediate). I would read the Scripture, read the first 2-3 beginner questions, catch up on the intermediate ones and then do one at a time from there. It took forever. I was stressed out going back and forth. My dd complained bc she no longer had the coloring page of th beginner pages. I dropped it, ordered another set of beginner pages and we are back to loving BSGFAA! Next year I will combine them both in the intermediate pages. For me, I like Bible to be a family affair and two guides were too stressful for me...

 

ETA: for my youngest, I copy the old pages in the guide for her and she colors those as we read.

 

 

ByGrace3...Thank you for responding with your experience. I thought maybe no one would understand what I was talking about! WhenI call the company they always tell me I am trying to make it harder than it is. I always loved BSGFAA before there were ever any Student Pages. I like them, but not using different levels, and I thought that was the whole idea of the program.

 

Another question....Now that I've always used the Beginner Time Line, I went to do a new pack of Student Pages and see they don't line up together. I called them and they said they completely re-did the Beginner Time Line, but t hey will not tell me the differences so I can decide if it is worth re-purchasing. :( (My BTL only goes to 28. The new one has more cards.)

 

Pam

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ByGrace3...Thank you for responding with your experience. I thought maybe no one would understand what I was talking about! WhenI call the company they always tell me I am trying to make it harder than it is. I always loved BSGFAA before there were ever any Student Pages. I like them, but not using different levels, and I thought that was the whole idea of the program.

 

Another question....Now that I've always used the Beginner Time Line, I went to do a new pack of Student Pages and see they don't line up together. I called them and they said they completely re-did the Beginner Time Line, but t hey will not tell me the differences so I can decide if it is worth re-purchasing. :( (My BTL only goes to 28. The new one has more cards.)

 

Pam

 

 

The beginner timeline doesn't line up with anything. They just schedule it to be memorized. I will check how many timeline cards I have. I think 32?

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The beginner timeline doesn't line up with anything. They just schedule it to be memorized. I will check how many timeline cards I have. I think 32?

 

 

Sorry, what I meant by 'lining up' was the new Student Pages I got say, "Review BTL to # 30," and my BTL only goes to 28!

 

Hope that clarifies. :)

 

Pam

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We are having the same problem. Bible time is taking forever! I think I will put my oldest back in the beginner pages to keep everyone together.

My timeline goes to 34 cards I think.

 

 

Going back to both doing the same was the best idea! I am so glad I did it! And yes, the new beginner timeline is 34 cards. :)

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I have one kid in the intermediate (reader) pages and one in the beginner (non-reader) pages.

 

Here is how I do it:

1) Do the review on the front of their pages. Sometimes they are the same questions sometimes not, but whoever's page I'm reading from gets the first chance to answer.

2) All do the corresponding Bible Summary Card. We don't have the Beginner timeline, but have these instead.

3) Read the text from the Bible while both listen. My beginner colors.

4) Flip over to the back and begin working on the cartoon side. I read for my beginner while my intermediate girl works on her own. I quickly check my intermediate girl's answers.

5) We do the application section on both pages together. This is where we have our really good discussions.

6) I let my beginner girl leave while I do flashback and map or timeline with my intermediate girl.

 

The only part we don't do together is the cartoon side, but I've taught my intermediate girl how to use the verse citations in each box and look it up in her Bible if she gets stuck. I think this is good practice for her. It doesn't bother me to have them doing this separately since we do everything else together.

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We never completed the pages. I just picked things off of some pages to look at, and we used the pictures as inspiration to draw something. I switched back over to Stick Figuring Through the Bible, but I could have kept using BSGFAA as long as I used it as a resource that I picked and choose from.

 

I get bogged down with too many activities. All I can handle sometimes is reading and drawing.

 

Except for one book, I have the OLD stick figure pages, not the new giant headed pages. They are better to use as drawing inspiration. I don't think they are for sale anywhere anymore though. :-( My love of BSGFAA stops where all the new and improved resources have replaced the simpler older resources.

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I get bogged down with too many activities. All I can handle sometimes is reading and drawing.

 

Except for one book, I have the OLD stick figure pages, not the new giant headed pages. They are better to use as drawing inspiration. I don't think they are for sale anywhere anymore though. :-( My love of BSGFAA stops where all the new and improved resources have replaced the simpler older resources.

 

I was thinking the same things.

I am considering going back to just using the big blue manual I have.

We use to use the added references from the Teacher's Manual for Friday night sword drills and devotions.

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I just use the manual. I tried a few years ago to use the new student pages and gave up. We read the passage and do the general questions on one day and then I try to draw the story on our huge marker board the next day and even my 3 and 5 yos are learning to draw people this way. We leave the drawing on the board until the next time and everyone has fun making fun of my drawings and suggesting improvements :) It's been a very unifying experience - LOL! Even my college students are enjoying following along as they watch the board change.

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Thanks for that information!

 

Pam

 

I was SOOOO disappointed when I saw the visuals in the later volumes! Not only are they sloppier, but there are 4 pages squeezed onto one page.

 

Also beware that BSGFAA does NOT cover the entire Bible. There are scriptures that are never covered in the curriculum and the publisher does not know what they are.

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I was SOOOO disappointed when I saw the visuals in the later volumes! Not only are they sloppier, but there are 4 pages squeezed onto one page.

 

Also beware that BSGFAA does NOT cover the entire Bible. There are scriptures that are never covered in the curriculum and the publisher does not know what they are.

 

My volume 2 guide is not like this. It has one lesson per page just like volume 1.

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Really? For the stick figure pictures? Is there more than one edition of the TMs?

 

I think we're talking about the same thing. I'm talking about the three ring binder TM that has the visual aid section in the back with the stick figures drawn out to tell the Bible story. I don't know if there is more than one edition or not, but the Unit 2 TM looks just like the Unit 1 TM except with different Bible stories being covered..

 

ETA: The most recent copyright in the front of mine is 2009.

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I read the passage, then ask review questions of everyone, sing memory songs, then help beginner kid while intermediate kid works on his own. The intermediate pages were easy enough for him to do independently. If they weren't, I'd have considered moving him back to beginner.

 

I put the TM away and didn't refer to it. It didn't help me at all. Just using the student pages was simpler for me. I also didn't do the extras. My non-reader wasn't ready for a timeline.

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I think we're talking about the same thing. I'm talking about the three ring binder TM that has the visual aid section in the back with the stick figures drawn out to tell the Bible story. I don't know if there is more than one edition or not, but the Unit 2 TM looks just like the Unit 1 TM except with different Bible stories being covered..

 

ETA: The most recent copyright in the front of mine is 2009.

 

Is there a sample anywhere? I think my copyright is older. I'm not home. I'll have to check later.

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I found a sample of the current TMs. The visuals are just like the OLD student pages and are NOTHING like the stick figures in the TMs I have.

 

I think I'm going to need to buy new TMs. I bought mine used. I wish I'd known about this a long time ago. :banghead:

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I found a sample of the current TMs. The visuals are just like the OLD student pages and are NOTHING like the stick figures in the TMs I have.

 

I think I'm going to need to buy new TMs. I bought mine used. I wish I'd known about this a long time ago. :banghead:

 

My manual doesn't have what I call stick figures. It looks like the student pages. It is pretty basic but not stick figures. I've been pondering whether to stick with the manual or going to the student pages. Not sure what to do since I just have one I'd be using it with right now. And their new 1st/2nd pages are completely different and have their own teachers manuals and everything. Not sure how I feel about that either.

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My manual doesn't have what I call stick figures. It looks like the student pages. It is pretty basic but not stick figures. I've been pondering whether to stick with the manual or going to the student pages. Not sure what to do since I just have one I'd be using it with right now. And their new 1st/2nd pages are completely different and have their own teachers manuals and everything. Not sure how I feel about that either.

 

Skip the Primary Pages altogether. Stay in the Beginner Pages until child is ready for Intermediate Pages.

They REALLY should have kept things they way they were!

 

Pam

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Ugh! I thought I saw some MORE changes. So there are now TMs for the student pages that are different from the main TMs? :toetap05:

 

I'm not going to buy the new main TMs after all. I can't keep up with all the changes when they don't even bother to label and explain the editions. I've invested so much time and money in the program that I keep trying to make it work, but this is a never ending drain for me. :willy_nilly:

 

I don't know why I keep wandering back to BSGFAA when Grapevine Stick Figuring Through the Bible works just fine. :confused: I'm a glutton for punishment I guess. :banghead:

 

I am walking away. :auto: Well... at least until the next thread about BSGFAA starts. :lol:

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  • 2 weeks later...

So, what exactly would I "need" to buy to start this program? I would like to use it with my younger three daughters who will be 10, 7 & 4 in the fall. Do you need student pages or just the manuals? Thanks for clarifying!

 

 

I would buy the intermediate student pages for the older 2 and beginner for the younger. The Bible Summary cards and CD are not required but the cards are awesome and while we only use the cd for a few memory songs, I found it well worth it.

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If you are doing the student pages, with the exception Of the new Primary level student pages, the student pages are self explanatory. When people talk about the blue three ring binder notebook, they are talking about a different method of doing the lessons. (We use it in our Wednesday night class at church.) It is great if you have a wide range of ages, or if you have kids that would be doing two different kinds of student pages, but you want to do them as a group.

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I just use the student pages by themselves (I have beginner and intermediate). I have the TM for volume 1, and I found it easier to do without it. The student pages are self-explanatory, and the passage for the day lines up with each other. My intermediate student works somewhat independently while I help the beginner student(s), then we have discussion and review together, with me looking at both pages. I didn't get any extras, though if you don't know the songs, the song CD would be helpful. I taught 2 year old class for years at church, so I knew most of the songs already (I have the books of the Bible and the 12 apostles and all of those things memorized now because I taught the 2 year old class :D).

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