FSM 258 (FN 367) 	DO
INTRODUCTION TO THE WORD CURRICULUM!
	September, 1994, by Family Services, Zurich, Switzerland.

	REQUIRED READING FOR PARENTS, TEACHERS, TEACHER TRAINEES, CHILDCARE SHEPHERDS AND HELPERS, AND HOME SHEPHERDS.

CONTENTS
	Section One: Memory Work	2
	Don't Put the Doorknob Too High	2
	Chapters or Individual Verses?	2
	Children's Memory Work--Maria	3
	What About References?	6
	Some Hints for Reviewing	7
	The Importance of Memorising--Dad	7
	Section Two: Word Study Outline	8
	Using the Word Curriculum	9
	The Importance of Good Lighting	9
	Reading Full MO Letters with Kids	9
	ML/DB Reading Lists	11
	Comments on Word study for 9-11-year-olds	11

Compiled by Dora, Sara & WS Staff

	Praise the Lord! At last, a complete Word programme to follow to help you feed your children a well-balanced diet from the many pubs & Word studies available! The Word Curriculum Student Record Booklet (Kidz 79 DO) covers five age groups, from babies to OCs. All you have to do is follow the age classifications to complete these studies in their daily Word classes!--A real boost to teachers & parents!--Simple, practical records of each child's spiritual diet! Hallelujah!
	In this FSM, we will comment on The Word Curriculum Student Record Booklet. As with any curriculum outline, we do not intend for you to be restricted to teaching only what is listed in The Word Curriculum. You will no doubt want to & need to teach classes, Letters & Bible studies which are not listed for the age group you are working with. As their parent or teacher, please feel free to prayerfully add to this curriculum based on your children's needs & maturity, & do not be limited by what is listed here.
	We pray that once you see all the wealth of God's Word we have available to feed our children, you'll be inspired to base as much of their training & schooling as possible on the Word & Family publications.
	Keep your Word Curriculum growing & improving! As new & exciting Family materials are published, add them to the Student Record Booklet so your Word Curriculum does not become outdated. For each section, there is a place to list new pubs suitable for the age group. (Please see the JETT & Teen Word Study Outline [Hope 54] for a guideline for JETT and teen Word studies.)

SECTION ONE: MEMORY WORK
	The Memory Work section is a progressive list of suggested memory projects for each age group. Our younger children should be able to start this memory work programme pretty much at its beginning, & will, D.V., be able to follow it through as they get older. However, children who may be starting this Word Curriculum at 5 & 6 years old or older will probably not have been following exactly the same memory work programme as is outlined here. For these children, we suggest the teachers begin their class memory projects by referring to the appropriate age group section, but also refer back to the previous age group sections & work on filling in the gaps little by little, so that all the memory projects will eventually be covered.
	An exception to this might be for the "Feed My Lambs" verses. If the 5-&-6-year-olds have not already memorised all the "Feed My Lambs" verses, please do not feel you need to go back & teach them all these simplified verses. The "Feed My Lambs" verses were chosen & simplified to put the verses on a level where very young children could understand & pronounce & easily learn the verses. If the 5-&-6-year-olds are ready to go ahead with the Memory Book songs (Songs of Life Tapes) & the full Memory Book verses, please do so. The full versions of the "Feed My Lambs" verses will eventually be covered when the Memory Book verses are learned. (Note: The "Grandpa Quotes for Younger & Older Children," listed in the 1-4-year-olds sections, would be very good for the 5-&-6, 7-&-8-year-olds to learn if they have not already.)

Don't Put the Doorknob Too High
	We have supplied lists of what we feel are some of the most important & helpful verses & chapters to memorise, & indicated at which age we suggest they be memorised. However, while we want to encourage the children to memorise as much as possible, some children do have more of an aptitude for this than others, & we do not expect every child to memorise every verse at exactly the age suggested. Each child is unique, & what one child may easily understand & memorise at age 5, for example, another child may not be ready for until he's 7 or 8. So please be Spirit-led! Prayerfully do your best to encourage, inspire & help the children memorise, but do not take these lists of verses, chapters & quotes, & the suggested ages, as "the letter of the law," as doing so may make the burden too heavy for some of your children.

Chapters or Individual Verses?
	Dad & Mama prefer that we emphasise the learning of individual verses for the children, rather than chapters. This would include not only the basic foundation verses like those in "The Memory Book," but also verses which will specifically help them with their life & walk with the Lord, such as those on thankfulness, honesty, kindness, etc. To help you keep track of any other special memory topics you might add to your Word Curriculum, there is a space at the end of each age group entitled, "Other Memory Work."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Children's Memory Work --Some Answers from Mama Compiled May/94
--By Maria
Maria #222 	DO 2934

	1. Question: What are the most important projects for the children to do for memory work?
	2. Answer from Mama: "I suggest that for memory work for our kids, we put the Memory Book song tapes (Songs of Life Collection) first & say, `This is the first requirement, memorise these.'--Maybe not for the little tiniest kids, but at an age where they can sing along & get the whole thing.
	3. "Kids can learn longer verses--and a lot more verses--if we start them with the Memory Book Song Tapes & just let them listen to those at naptime & memory time, & teach them to sing along with them. Instead of taking half-an-hour to teach your 6-year-olds two or three verses, by sitting there drilling them over & over, just use the Tapes instead & sing along with them! Dance & raise your hands & jump around, & they'll learn the verses quickly! It's good exercise, too! They can understand the words, & if they can't, you can put any words they don't understand on the whiteboard or the blackboard & explain them. You should also make sure they're not singing words like `cross-eyed bear' when it's `cross I'd bear.' (Fam: Or `the rat of God biteth on him,' instead of `the wrath of God abideth on him!') The teachers should explain & make sure that the kids know the words & what's being said, & understand what the verse means & how to apply it."
	4. (Note: In the "Word Curriculum", the verses from the first five Songs of Life Tapes (Memory Book Song Tapes) are listed as the 5-&-6-year-olds' main memory project. Children younger than 5 years old can concentrate on the "Feed My Lambs" verses & "Baby & Toddler Verses & Quotes" as their main memory projects. If children under 5 listen to these Tapes often, then when they turn 5 it will be much easier & quicker for them to memorise the verses, since they will already be very familiar with them. They might even have a lot of the verses completely memorised already.)

	5. Question: What about memorising a lot of different chapters? Should we encourage large-scale chapter memorisation as a way to get them to learn a large quantity of Word?
	6. Answer from Mama: "I think the quality of the verses they memorise is more important than the quantity. I realise that in "Techi's Life Story" Sara suggested memorising chapters, & even mentioned that they had memorised Genesis 1. But now, in further considering & praying about it, & knowing how very busy our children are, & how many more meaningful verses there are for the children to memorise, I don't think they need to memorise all those verses about which day God created the fish & which day He created the trees & the grass & the sun & the moon & the stars. If they need it for a class on Creation, they can just get their Bible out & refer to it & show it to whomever they're teaching the class to.
	7. "I feel that if there wasn't anything more important for them to memorise, then yes, we could let them memorise that. It's a good story & an important story, & it's probably interesting to kids. But when there are so many other more important verses for them to memorise, not only for witnessing purposes, but for their own spiritual edification, encouragement, instruction & comfort, why should they be spending all that time memorising verses word for word about the first week of Creation? I just don't think that it's all that relevant or important that our kids memorise those verses, if they know the story in general & the point of the story. Dad has done some terrific classes on Genesis for the children, but he doesn't demand that the kids memorise those chapters word for word. Later, if they need to recall the details, they can just remember which chapter it is & look it up!
	8. "Memorising those kinds of things can sort of pit one child against the other, competing to see who's the smartest person.--And I'm afraid it can easily go to the heads of some of our dear kids who are better at memory work than others, those who can quote all these long story chapters on & on & on. Maybe some of our parents want to use it to show the public how gifted their children are in memorising the Bible, so they can proudly put their little kids up on the stage & say, `Look what we've accomplished!' But I don't know if it's important enough to make our kids go through all that gruelling work just to show'm off, or to have them show off one against the other, in competition.
	9. "I think there are so many other more important things to memorise than those long story chapters like Genesis 1. And just because chapters may be easier to learn than individual verses is not a good enough reason to have our kids learning so many chapters when they should be learning more meaningful & useful verses! Maybe they can't learn as many independent verses as they can if they learn groups of verses in chapters, but the point is not how many verses you learn, the point is which verses you learn! Whether it's easier to learn chapters or verses is not the point. We're not just trying to do things that are easier. We're trying to do things that are going to help our people, build their faith & their foundation & strengthen them, encourage them, instruct them, warn them!--Not just tell'm a story! Whether they memorise any stories from the Bible or not, it's important that they learn the instructional verses, verses on Salvation, the Holy Spirit, healing, witnessing, protection, comfort, pride, jealousy, etc. Memorising those verses is going to do them a lot more good & give them the encouragement, edification, warning, conviction & power they need!
	10. "I don't mind people learning chapters. I think it's good to learn some chapters.--Like Dad has talked about in "Hiding the Word in Your Heart" (ML#1062, DB3). It's wonderful to be able to review a whole chapter for your encouragement & edification in times of trial.--Especially some of the real key chapters like Psalm 23, Psalm 27, Psalm 91, John 15, 1Corinthians 13, etc. I would recommend for any of our kids or adults who have not learned those chapters, that they just learn them from our Scripture songs, if those particular chapters have already been recorded. I know that the songs don't usually include all the verses, but you don't always have to worry about learning all the verses & everything perfectly in those chapters. Just learn the main verses from the chapters which are on the song Tapes. It's the quickest, easiest, fastest way, & the way you're going to retain it the best. For example, you don't have to learn every verse from Psalm 91. Just learn the ones that are in the two songs & you'll do fine! (Psalm 91 songs from the "Fear Not" Tape: "It Shall Not Come Nigh Thee" & "Therefore Will I Deliver Him".)
	11. (Note: After receiving this answer from Mama, the list of chapters to memorise which had originally been considered for this "Word Curriculum" was greatly reduced.--And an entirely new additional category for chapters was created!--The Familiarisation Chapters & Passages! [See page 5 of "The Word Curriculum Student Record Booklet."] A lot of these are key chapters that many of us have committed to memory. But rather than putting the doorknob too high by insisting that our kids memorise all these chapters, we have not listed them as "Memory Chapters" but instead as "Familiarisation Chapters & Passages." That is, these chapters should at least be taught & explained to the kids so that they are familiar with them. And if a child or JETT or teen [or adult for that matter] has already successfully memorised the individual verses & chapters from the memory work section, & they desire to commit more Scripture to memory, then some of these tried-and-proven entries in the "Familiarisation Chapters & Passages" list could be considered.)

	12. Question: Should the children memorise the quotes from The Memory Book? Perhaps it is better for them to concentrate just on the Bible verses?
	13. Answer from Mama: "Personally, I think the quotes would be quite easy for the children to learn because they are written in simple language, & because they talk about things that are on the children's level. The quotes also use terms that the children can understand more easily than the terminology of the Bible. For example, one quote on the Holy Spirit says, `The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is an overflowing Baptism of Love!--Love for the lost, love enough to witness, love enough to win others to the Lord!' That explains specifically what the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is; whereas it would be more difficult to explain to the children exactly what it is by using only Bible verses. The instructions or the counsel in the quotes is so simple that a small child can understand it; whereas the Bible verses are much more complicated, not only because the language of the Bible is different than the language they hear all around them daily, but also because it is more adult.
	14. "Now, of course, when we are witnessing, it's preferable to use the Bible verses, because that's what other people will recognise as the Word of God, but witnessing is a different story. I think the quotes are much more useful for the children's personal instruction. And also, knowing it is straight from Grandpa, whom they can see in the Grandpa stories, makes it probably more special & more relatable to them.
	15. "I believe we've got a winning combination with both the Bible verses & the MO quotes, & I think it will be advantageous for the children to memorise the quotes. We adults who have been in the Family for years who are so familiar with the Letters & we know them so well, have gone far beyond needing to memorise those simple little quotes. We understand the principles & we don't need a "handle" any more; we've grasped the entire concept. We can put things in our own words now. We can paraphrase it or say it however we wish & still get the point across effectively & accurately. We are so full of the Word, but for the children it is an entirely different story, & who knows how far they're going to get with their study of the Letters? There is so little time that these key quotes can almost be like an emergency shortcut to learning major spiritual lessons. So I believe that it is very important to give them this little basic foundation with these key quotes that are so simple I don't think they'll ever forget them." (End of Mama's answers on memory work.)

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

What about References?
	Please also bear in mind Mama's counsel from her Letter "Memory Work Made Simple" (ML#2195, Vol.17 & DB3), when doing memory work with children. We shouldn't make the children's memorising of references of such importance that it slows down the memorising of the actual verses, or discourages those who can't memorise references quickly.
	Mama said, "I would rather people would learn the verses & forget the references than to spend countless hours trying to memorise the references! In fact, in the long run, they probably take more time trying to memorise the reference than they even do the verse!
	"So I would say that if having to learn the references is going to discourage you from learning the verses, then it's better to forget the references, unless maybe you want to remember the Book that it's in. The people that are real whizzes & have no problem memorising, they could learn the whole reference. And the people that can't spend so much time, they could learn the chapter. Then it's fairly easy to find the verse if you should need to.
	"In a way it's hard for me to break away from our old established policy of requiring everyone to learn references, it's even difficult for me to suggest it! ... I know that that's the ideal way & I know I should do it that way & I know I'd rather do it that way. So I fight suggesting this, but I know this is the most practical way & the best way that we're going to learn more verses faster! (AMEN! GBY!--D.)" (ML#2195:30,35,49.)
	In "The Memorisation Revolution" (ML#2647, DB8), the usefulness of memorising some references was brought out:
	"Many of us have found that it is very helpful & useful to memorise the references along with the rest of the verse when possible. Of course, the main thing is to know what it is, even if you don't know where it is!" (Par.38.)
	Knowing some references can be helpful in certain situations; for example, the references for Salvation & Holy Spirit verses can be very important to know when witnessing, so you can show people what the Bible says in answer to their questions. References are also handy to use in reviewing, as a sort of "handle" on the verses.
	If you do games, activities, lessons, etc., that help the kids learn the references, that's fine, if it's fun & enjoyable. Use associations, pictures & other fun & challenging ways to help the kids remember the references. You can tag the references on the beginning & end of verses when you say them, & the kids will get used to hearing the reference associated with the verse, even if you are not making it an essential part of their verse learning.
	For MCs, you could go back over the Songs of Life (Memory Book songs) Tapes with them & help them memorise the references, since they will already be familiar with those verses. Memorising references, or at least the Book & chapter, is made easier if you look up the verse in the Bible, & read the verses or the chapter around the memory verse. This makes it easier to remember which chapter the verse is in.
	By the time the children are OCs or JETTs, you could start putting more emphasis on learning references. But as much as possible, try to avoid making the memorising of references a matter of competition in your classes. Use a variety of ways to review. For example, if you're having a review quiz or game, rather than always asking questions like, "What is Luke 14:33?" you could ask, "Who can tell me a discipleship verse that contains the word `forsaketh'?" Then, for those who have memorised the reference, & as a way of familiarising the others with the references, you could then ask, "Does anyone know the reference?"
If you are using some of the Memory Verse Review Games in Activity Book 4, such as "Word Walk" (pg.Q84), "Faith & Healing" (pg.R48), "Promises of Power" (pg.Q80), etc., you might like to write in a key word or phrase in the appropriate box to help the player remember the verse, so the game is not totally dependent on the children knowing the references.

Some Hints for Reviewing
	* Review is very important to help the learner retain the verses memorised--and students may need to re-memorise chapters & verses now & then.
	* Put all the children's memory verses & quotes on a tape that can be played as a review at naptime, bedtime, etc. JETTs & teens can help make these review tapes for the younger children (and the children can add a new verse on daily).
	* Use "Memory Review Made Easy!" from the Basic Training Handbook (pg.389), where the first few words from each Memory Book verse are printed out.
	* If the references have been memorised, then the Memory Book Sets can be used as a review system.
	* See Activity Book 4, "Word Fun" (pg.P1), for games for memory review.
	* Make & use homemade verse flash cards.
	* Make a chart for keeping track of their review work. On the chart, list the chapters & verse projects they have memorised. Then, daily, work your way down the list with the children, reviewing what's listed, & when the children have reviewed a certain memory item, put a sticker or star on the chart beside where it's listed. As they memorise something new, add it to the list, so it will faithfully get reviewed as well. Maybe you have some other fun ideas for making charts!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

SECTION TWO: WORD STUDY OUTLINE
	In the Word Study Outline, each age group is divided into three parts: A. The Bible; B. Grandpa Letters & related materials (Life with Grandpa, KTKs, etc.); & C. Other. Within these main sections, the same reading material is sometimes listed in several different age groups. For example, for ages 1 & 2 we suggest reading through a children's Bible story book, & the same is also mentioned for ages 3 & 4, & 5 & 6. For the older age group, the Bible story book should be of a more advanced level & presented in a more advanced way. The entire subject doesn't have to be covered in each age group. Each year that you study a certain topic, you can add on to it a little more & go more in depth, depending on the age level.
	Under "Bible," both New Testament & Old Testament topics are listed, starting with the Life of Jesus for younger children, & progressing to more advanced studies for the older age groups. Under "Grandpa Letters," the TKs & other children's material related to the Letters are listed, as well as Word theme studies from our many pubs. Some TK books & Life with Grandpa books are listed in several age groups.
	Listing the suggested Word to read by age groups is not meant to present a hard-&-fast "menu" for the children of each age group. This is for the convenience of the teachers in planning the children's Word diet, as well as to make it possible to keep an accurate record of what each child has read. If, for example, you are planning for your group of 4, 5 & 6-year-olds, we suggest you refer both to the 3-&-4-year-olds section, & the 5-&-6-year-olds section to plan your Word studies.
	We have minimised listing duplicates year after year, so that the children are not required to read the same things every year. However, some pubs are suitable reading for several age groups, & parents & teachers are encouraged to refer to the previous age listing & reread, or have the children reread, what is suitable, needful & enjoyable.
	Since the material is listed in two-year sets, you should aim to spread it out comfortably over two years. We realise that many of you teachers may be changing groups from one year to the next, or different children will come into your group during the year. Because of this, it is impossible to do a hard-&-fast listing of what each age group must read. We are simply suggesting what is suitable reading material for each age group. Then, you can plan how to cover as much of it as possible according to the individual needs of your group.
	The pubs & study topics in the Word Study Outlines in the Word Curriculum are not listed in any particular order. Please feel free to arrange your Word studies in the order you prefer, whatever you feel is best for your students.

Using the Word Curriculum
	Not all projects listed in the Word Curriculum have to be worked on unitedly in class with a teacher or a parent, but some of these make excellent quiet-time reading projects, especially for the older children. Some of the items listed for the 7-11-year-olds (such as selected Daily Mights, Treasures, Good Thots, etc.) can also be used for reading at bedtime or naptime to the younger children, after they're tucked into bed & don't need to look at pictures. (This is feeding for the little ones as they drift off to sleep, & at the same time is feeding for the one who is reading to them.)
	For younger children we would suggest that you read most KTKs, LWGs, LOGs, Bible Stories, MO Letters, etc., unitedly the first time they appear in the Word Curriculum. Then later the students can read them by themselves since they have already read them with the teacher's guidance.

The Importance of Good Lighting
	When students have reading time, either in class or on their own, please be sure they have good lighting, comfortable seating & good posture. If students read during rest time, it is essential that they either have good, safe, individual reading lamps by their beds, or are provided with a quiet, well-lit area where they can read. Children should not be given material to read, or even pictures to look at, in dim lighting.
	Dad has often talked about the importance of good lighting, such as in "Dad's Day," where he describes good reading light as "a good bright light, which should not be reflecting on your paper so that it glares straight into your eyes, but at an angle over one shoulder or the other, ... nice good light which does not glare right into your eyes." (ML#1362:70)
	Please be very mindful of the lighting in the children's reading areas. Their eyes are extremely important, & it is the teachers', parents' & childcare helpers' responsibility to be sure their eyes are well cared for by providing them with well-lit areas for reading. Please also be sure to have children's eyes checked, if needed, especially if the children are having any difficulty with reading.
	"Eyes are almost your most priceless possession outside of your own soul & the Word of God. You must read the Word of God, but it's not going to do you much good if you can't read it comfortably!
	"It is extremely important to have good eyesight, & if you don't have good eyesight, to have good glasses to correct them to make for easy & enjoyable reading of all of our publications, your spiritual food & inspiration & instruction &/or just sometimes plain amusement. Amen?" (ML#1362:60,69)

Reading Full MO Letters with Kids
	As much as possible, and when it is age appropriate for the students, we suggest that teachers read from the full MO Letters in the Volumes with MCs, OCs & JETTs, rather than only the Daily Bread condos.
	The Daily Bread condos contain mostly the "meat" of the Letter, but not much of the surrounding anecdotes & comments. Although it may be more convenient to just read from the Daily Breads, we feel the children will be missing a wonderful opportunity to get to know Grandpa & to fully understand what he is talking about, if the condos are all they read. The way Grandpa gave the Letters in the first place, in their full version, while they are longer to read, are also probably more likely to hold the children's attention, since they are not just straight "meat," but also are served with potatoes & gravy, vegetables, & sometimes with a yummy dessert! Longer Letters will need to be read in several sittings, & you will probably need to consider cutting them down somewhat, skipping over some paragraphs which are too long or technical for the kids.
	By these comments, we are not suggesting a hard & fast rule that you should never read Daily Breads with the kids, but we want to encourage you to use the full Letters whenever possible.
	Kids will also appreciate variety in their Word studies--some days Endtime study, some days Good Thots, some days new GNs, some days older Letters from the Volumes, some days DBs, etc. Make it more interesting for the children by asking them what they think they need to read about. Are there problems in the classroom that they need to resolve? Ask them what they think the problems are. Then ask them if they know anything that they could read that would help them. Sometimes let them choose whether they want to read a MO Letter or a Life with Grandpa or a Daily Bread, etc., depending on their age & whether they can make that decision. Give them an interesting selection of fun MO Letter titles with little summaries about the Letters to whet their appetite. Be mindful to ask the children what lessons they get out of the stories or anecdotes that they read.
	Be sure to have breaks in your Word classes when necessary.--Have the children stand up & stretch, or move around the room, or sing a song! (Remember how important "recess" was when you were in grade school?)
Please be Spirit-led about how you present the Letters to the kids. Pray for the children to have a hunger for the Word, & help them to develop this hunger by making their Word time enjoyable & feeding for all. Keep your teaching alive! Keep the Word alive! Sometimes you might read just the DB version; sometimes you might supplement the DB version with selected anecdotes or segments from the full Letter, or with a TK; sometimes you might read the full Letter; or sometimes you might use the artwork (where age appropriate) from the full Letter to help hold your students' attention while reading the DB. If a photocopier is available, you might want to copy some of the art & have the kids colour the pictures to make quote posters related to the Letter, or perhaps to glue into their Word notebook along with key quotes.

ML/DB Reading Lists For 7 & 8, & 9-11-year-olds
	Accompanying the Word Study Outlines for the 7-&-8-year-olds & the 9-11-year-olds are lists entitled "Suggested ML/DB Reading Lists." These are suggested lists to help you add more "meat" to the children's Word diet. Teachers, Shepherds or parents reading with the MCs & OCs should feel free to adjust these suggested DBs to their students' maturity level & understanding. Be Spirit-led as you read them, sometimes adding from the full ML, or sometimes skipping parts of the DB if it seems beyond the comprehension level of your kids, or not so necessary for their understanding the main points of the Letter.
	It is important that those reading these Letters with the kids have a thorough understanding of the Letters themselves. This especially applies to the Letters on the Endtime, economics and current events. To help the children understand these Letters, it helps if they have a good understanding of current events mentioned, or at least that the teacher presenting these Letters has a good knowledge of the events and is able to explain these issues thoroughly to the children. If these Letters are presented so the children understand them, they can be very thrilling, faith building and educational. However if the teacher doesn't have a thorough understanding of the Letters or a good understanding of the current events discussed, and therefore is unable to answer the children's questions, the kids could become bored or disinterested in these otherwise thrilling Letters. If you're presenting a Letter and need more understanding of the topics covered, please take some time to counsel and discuss the Letter with others who may be able to help you get a better understanding of it. Or, perhaps someone in your Home who has a particularly good understanding of Letters on the Endtime, economics or current events could be the `special teacher' for Letters on these topics.
	On these lists, you will occasionally see a comment in parentheses after the title of the Letter, such as "Science study", "History study", etc. This is to remind you that the reading of MLs does not need to be limited to Word class, but can & should also be incorporated into your other school classes as much as possible.
	Since the DBs & Volumes contain other reading material that is not appropriate for children, MCs & OCs should not read from these Books on their own. The reading of the Letters on the ML/DB Reading Lists with MCs should be done in class or with a teacher, parent or Shepherd. When OCs read the Letters listed, it should be with a teacher or parent, or during closely supervised study hall.

COMMENTS ON WORD STUDY FOR 9-11-YEAR-OLDS
	In the Word Study Outline & the accompanying ML/DB Reading List for 9-11-year-olds, as many items as possible should be read together with a parent, teacher or Shepherd. In the ML/DB Reading List, where the word "parts" is next to a Letter title, a teacher or parent should choose appropriate sections of the Letter to read.
	While the ML/DB Reading List appears to be a lot of reading (over 300 Letters), please keep in mind that these are suggested Letters to be made available for their reading throughout a three-year time period. They are not required reading, but this list is provided as a guideline to help you feed the OCs more meat of the Word. However, it is possible to read all the Letters in the list over the three years by reading one of these Letters every four days. This still leaves plenty of time to read the other material listed in the Word Study Outline, new pubs, etc.
	If students this age read some of the DBs or MLs on their own, during supervised study hall or quiet time, it is very important to follow up with discussions or pow-wows on what they read. For this reason, it is probably best if Letters they read on their own are ones they are assigned to read, thus enabling the teacher or parent to keep abreast of what the students are reading. For example, at the beginning of the week, the teacher could assign certain Letters for the students to read on their own. Then, on the last day of the week, during Word class, they could have a pow-wow about the different Letters the children have read, so any questions that come up can be addressed. During the week, the teacher should read or review the same Letters the students are assigned for personal Word time, & note which points in the Letters should be brought up for discussion when pow-wowed.
	Parents or foster parents may also find it helpful to refer to the DB/ML list if they wish to choose Letters to read & discuss with their OCs when they have time together. Students may check off Letters they read with their parents (perhaps indicating on the checklist with a "P" that they read it with their parents, so their teacher would know which ones they have read).
	Students should be encouraged to ask any questions they have about what they read, either during class or during Personal Time.

* * * * *

	God bless you as you follow The Word Curriculum in providing your children with all the wealth of Word available!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

[Verses included in boxes throughout this FSM:]

	Don't neglect the beauties, the riches, the treasures & the power of the Word of God! `And these Words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, & shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, & when thou walkest by the way, & when thou liest down, & when thou risest up.' (Deu.6:6 & 7) Amen? `Feed My lambs!' (Jn.21:15) (ML#1142:43)

	Are you leading, guarding & guiding [your little lambs] with His Word in your hand today? Preparing them to go out into the World & stand with conviction, ready to give an answer to everyone who asks them? Tomorrow will be too late! With His Word & lambs in our hearts & hands we can win the World for Jesus! Hallelujah! (ML#1142:118)

	Thank God that we're putting our children's education & knowledge of the Word & their training first! (ML#1720:79)

	I'm still sold on the good old-fashioned, simple cheap, lightweight visuals of the flannelgraph! They used to have flannelgraph boards that were hinged & you folded them up with all of your figures & scenes inside of them. They weren't any heavier than a briefcase & everything was there. And the kids just loved sorting out the characters etc. They could participate. They felt like they were right there & the figures were theirs & they could make them move.

	(Maria: Yes! I used to be a Sunday School teacher & I used flannelgraphs too.) I'd forgotten that, Honey! That's sweet! (Maria: I used to help the children learn Scripture verses with flannelgraphs too. Instead of flannelgraph figures of people, you'd have flannelgraph words which you would put up, one word at a time, & then you would learn the entire verse. Then you could scramble up the words & ask the children to come up & put them in order on the board. Or give out the words of the verse to various children & have each one come up with their word in the correct order. The child with the first word first, the child with the second etc.) Little kids are just fascinated by flannelgraphs! (Maria: Oh, yes!) (ML#2774:26 & 27)

	Our whole emphasis with our own children, with myself when I was a child & then with my children when they were small, was to memorise the Word, the Word, the Word! My parents had drilled the Word into me! (ML#1142:28)

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The Importance Of Memorising from Dad

	Our children must know the Scriptures so they can quote them when they're in trouble & when that's all they have is what they've already hidden in their hearts. That they can't take away from you. It's hidden in your hearts. They can't take it away. It's a bulwark, a defence against the voice of the Enemy. (ML#2063:5)

	Why should you memorise Scriptures? Well, the benefits are so many, you'll certainly be glad you did! The Scriptures that you hide in your heart & commit to memory will be a great blessing to you all your life, & encourage your faith & stick with you through thick & thin all the rest of your years, as you think about God's Word & the Lord & His care for you. (ML#2467:11)

	(Please refer also to The Memorisation Revolution, ML#2467 in DB8, & Hiding the Word in Your Heart, ML#2063 in DB3.)

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

	We have a Message from the Lord for our children & we know what the Word says & it is our duty to teach it to them. (ML#2533:18)

	Make [the Word] exciting! Get excited! Thrill'm! Chill'm! Love'm! Act'm out! Rock the boat in the storm! Jump in the water! (Off a chair!) Get swallowed by a whale! (Roll up in a rug or blanket!) Have it spit you out praising God! Run to Nenevah! Yell the warning! Have'm get on their knees & repent! You can skit the whole thing yourself! Or with a little help! Amen? They'll love it! ...
	They need fun and excitement! ... Kids need action! Give it to'm! Skits, animation, visuals, excitement, noise, action! They love it! I know it! That's me! God bless you! I love you! D. (ML#2415:9-11)

	The Word has always been the basic building block of our whole educational system!The good, wholesome, nourishing, upbuidling, uplifting, encouraging, inspiring, feeding truth of the Word of God! And the more you read those verses [Letters, TKs, MLKs, stories, poems] over & over to children, the more they begin to really absorb them. (ML#1142:42)

	I used to give them classes, sometimes all day, teaching them the Word, reading the Word, telling them stories, absolutely baptising them in the Word, immersing them in the Word! ... We gave them the Word day & night, & prayer & singing & praise & testimony, & we had a very happy little Heavenly home ... (ML#1142:34)

	In the `Prophecy for Davidito' (ML#619), which is a good message for all you mothers & all you fathers & all you teachers & children's workers, the Lord stressed over & over again, `Wilt thou be faithful with the Words of his father unto him? Wilt thou faithfully give him the Words of My bosom? Shalt thou faithfully feed him with the milk which comes from My bosom? You have no idea how great is this task, to teach this little one the Words of the King.'This is so true for all our children, because they're all going to be great leaders, all of them! (ML#1142:117)

	So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed My lambs. (Jn.21:15)

	Stand strong in the power of His Spirit wielding accurately the Sword of His Spirit which is the Word of God, mighty to the tearing down of strongholds. This is why the Children of God are so much stronger than the children of this World: You know the Word, and none can stand against It! (DM1: April 4)

	I will pour My Spirit upon thy seed, & My blessing upon thine offspring: And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses." (Isa.44:3b,4)

	All thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children!" (Isa.54:13)

	God will bless you as you soak your children in His Word! (ML#1142:44)
	[End of verses.]

	[End]

Copyright 1996 The Family