After homeschooling 5 kids through high school and sending them off to college and having only 3 now left at home–you would think I would have my curricula for every subject pretty much set in stone.

Especially in the area of teaching the Faith–which is the most important subject in our home school and which I have put a LOT of effort into gathering the best materials I could find.

Well: we are using a NEW religious ed program this year because I found an absolutely fantastic program from an extremely reliable Catholic publisher!

I was so pleased after really digging into Sophia Institute’s Spirit of Truth new religious education program for elementary and middle school–specifically made into a home school edition–that I decided to replace all my old curriculum.

Our home is chock full of religious books and the best in Bible story books and Bibles and Bible commentaries, but I am always looking for a good quality curriculum that is:

• Thorough and loyal to Church teaching
• Easy to use (right, moms?)
• Attractively put together (so the kids want to use the materials–beauty goes a long way!)
• And will add meaning to my children’s education.

Spirit of Truth surpassed my criteria for excellent religious education, and I found the more I read, I more I liked it.

What makes this so strong, I think, is that it is built from a program for parishes for Faith Formation…with modifications based upon teacher input to suit the needs of Catholic schools…and now has been modified into a home school version–with input from families who actually home school!

Ken found a copy in the office of the school and parish versions (again, very attractive with classic artwork and engaging layout) for comparison.

I spent my days of review in the home school version, but every so often when I would compare, I found the school/parish versions very similar.

Caroline, our youngest being a 7th grader this year, I dug into the workbook and teacher’s manual for 7th grade. I call it the teacher’s manual because it has the answers to the workbook, but it is so much more than just the answer key. It has the weekly outline of what will be learned, vocabulary, activities, and a very nice section on Catholic family life with ideas of what you can do in your family to teach the Catholic faith. There are so many things I like about Spirit and Truth that I am going to list them one at a time.

  
1 — Spirit of Truth contains Sacred Scripture readings and reflection questions that guide the student on how to read Scripture and think about it. This is guided meditation! Meaning that every time a child does this, it is a personal encounter with Our Lord!

2 — Sacred art throughout the workbook makes the books interesting and beautiful to look at. Moreover, the art is not just for decoration. In the activity section, the students are asked to look at a picture and identify the event and what it means and to think about that meaning. This is an opportunity for the faith to be brought into the child’s imagination! (I bet they will become great at comprehending stained glass windows, too!). You can find my children’s book about Sacred Art here if you would like to supplement for younger grades!

3 — The teacher’s manual is so well organized that I could give it to my child without any planning or explanation and my child could follow it! (Think: older kids who become ever more responsible for their own scholarly duties.) The weekly lesson plan and time management is right there. In addition, there is an online website with all the information anyone would need to understand what each section of the text is teaching. This online guide for is for parents, but students can use it as well. It is organized into a power point-like format, so it is easy to read and follow. If the student or parent has any questions regarding the text, Sophia will also answer your questions through an online chat accessible at the website.

4 — The interactive aspects of this program are so well done!! There is a page on Sophia’s website where all the video clips, downloads, prayers, and even Saint Cards associated with Spirit and Truth lessons can be accessed! It is so easy, and it is all in one place! I was thrilled to see all the opportunities these books offer and how easy they are to use.

5 — In addition to all the extra bells and whistles, I am impressed with the seriousness of the text, the emphasis on prayer, reading Scripture, the history and architecture of the Church, and how well the Catechism is incorporated into the chapters! The pricing on this program is also very good. The workbook is consumable, but the teacher’s manual only needs to be purchased once.

I am thrilled to have found this program and cannot wait to start using it with Caroline this year.  All my other kids are now beyond 8th grade…

PS One of the things that is so important is not to get lost in the “trees” of our Faith so that we don’t see the “forest” into which it all fits as a beautiful and loving plan to make us all into saints. For those beyond 8th grade, we found this great 10-lesson program “Catholicism 101” from Jeff Cavins. Ken started it last summer in audio CD format during drives to conferences (it’s good for us adults, too), but the whole set is also available in DVD which he wants to use as a family to watch together in the evenings–opening up lots of discussion. Great for your high schoolers!