General FAQs about BJU Press
- How do BJU Press textbooks compare with other publishers'?
- Why is the Teacher's Edition considered essential?
- What is the difference between a conventional Teacher's Edition and a Home School Teacher's Edition?
- What is the difference between a Teacher's Edition and a Worktext Teacher's Edition?
- What is the difference between a TestBank and a TestPack?
- Kindergarten: What will my child be able to do at the end of K5?
- Handwriting: What is PreCursive handwriting?
- Reading: What skills does our Reading program teach?
- Reading: What types of comprehension does our Reading program emphasize?
- Math: What are the supplementary worksheets for?
- Heritage Studies: Where are the answers to the student review questions in seventh-grade World Studies?
How do BJU Press textbooks compare with other publishers?
- BJU Press textbooks are written from a well-rounded, proven philosophy of education.
- Our materials are thoroughly biblically-integrated—not reprinted secular texts with verses thrown in.
- We believe the best way to educate a child is to help him understand what he's learning, not simply memorize it.
- To get a more complete answer, along with results from the 2001-03 study about BJU Press' achievement test scores, visit our site dealing with achievement tests and BJU Press' philosophy of education.
Why is the Teacher's Edition considered essential?
- It shows how to use the program correctly.
- It is the foundational piece of the program, from which all the activities and lesson plans originate.
- It coordinates the other pieces of the program.
- It provides a wealth of background information, resource materials, additional activities, and suggestions on how to teach the material.
What is the difference between a conventional Teacher's Edition and a Home School Teacher's Edition?
- The former is designed for use in a conventional classroom, using more than one student in the discussions and activities.
- The latter is adapted to the home school situation; the activities incorporate materials easily found in most homes and are designed for one student to do.
What is the difference between a Teacher's Edition and a Worktext Teacher's Edition?
- The former is the focal point of the entire package (see question 1 above).
- The latter is a companion to the consumable student worktext; it contains the student worktext pages with answer overprints.
What is the difference between a TestBank and a TestPack?
- The former is not a set of tests; it is a large collection of test questions, from which the teacher may compose a test that reflects her presentation and the student's testing style. Answers appear beside each question. Many of the TestBanks are also available in software form.
- The latter is a set of consumable, ready-made tests. Answer keys are available separately.
Kindergarten: What will my child be able to do at the end of K5?
- tell a story by following a sequence of pictures
- recognize the letters of the alphabet, both uppercase and lowercase
- distinguish auditorily each of the basic sounds that have been introduced
- identify rhyming words
- control his handwriting well enough to track lines within boundaries
- concentrate during a listening story and answer questions following the story
- take his turn when all your children are doing an activity or having a discussion
- wait quietly for you to answer his question or help him, if those are the stipulated guidelines
- repeat and follow simple instructions
- formulate a short sentence in his mind, dictate it, and read it once it is written down
- do simple enrichment or reinforcement activities independently without disturbing your other children
- with guidance, use letter/sound association to read silently a short sentence that contains words with single consonants, short vowels, and a few common sight words
- answer a comprehension question about such a sentence after reading it silently
- read such a sentence orally with guidance
Handwriting: What is PreCursive handwriting?
- PreCursive differs from the ball-and-stick letter form, which requires better fine motor skills than many beginning students have.
- The form is similar to D'Nealian.
- It uses a natural slant rather than straight lines and circles.
- Later transition to cursive is much easier and more natural.
Reading: What skills does our Reading program teach?
- Comprehension
- Independent word recognition
- Phonetic analysis
- Phonograms (applying knowledge of individual sounds to words)
- Structural analysis
- Sight words
- Context clues
- Dictionary analysis
Reading: What types of comprehension does our Reading program emphasize?
- Literal: locate and recall information from reading
- Appreciative: emotional reaction to what is read
- Interpretative: drawing inferences about what the author meant
- Critical: evaluating the rightness or wrongness of what the author said
Math: What are the supplementary worksheets for?
- Spread Your Wings provides reteaching material for the student who is having difficulty with the student text lesson.
- Spring Into Action provides additional practice and review beyond the text for those who want it.
- Stretch Your Mind is designed for students needing challenge to become resourceful and explore alternate strategies to solve problems.
Heritage Studies: Where are the answers to the student review questions in seventh-grade World Studies 1st Edition?
They appear in the teacher's edition. The answers for chapters 1-15 appear in their respective chapters; the answers for chapters 16-31 have been inserted just before chapter 1.
