Bible

About this course

Fifth grade stops surveying and starts studying particular books. The year opens with Job and the honest problem of suffering, moves to the Psalms (Psalm 1, 23, 46, 51, 91, 100, and 119, plus what a psalm of lament is and how to write one), then Proverbs on the fear of the Lord, pride, the tongue, friendship, work, and generosity. From there it takes Isaiah, including the vision in the temple and the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, and Daniel from the exile through the fiery furnace, the lions' den, and the seventy weeks. The New Testament half covers Matthew as the Gospel of the King, a full unit on the parables, John as the Gospel of the Son of God, Acts as the story of the unstoppable gospel, Romans laid out doctrine by doctrine from Romans 3:23 through Romans 12, a unit on Paul's shorter letters (the fruit of the Spirit, the armor of God, 1 Corinthians 13), Hebrews and the Hall of Faith, and two units on Revelation, from the letters to the seven churches through the new Jerusalem. A closing unit on Bible application ties the year together.

The course is 150 lessons across 15 units, at about 20 minutes each. Each unit is 10 lessons on one book or theme and ends with its own review lesson. A lesson is a page of teaching prose built around a key verse with the King James text quoted at length, and it closes with a Character Connection that names one trait, such as perseverance, self-control, or courage, and asks for something specific to do that week. Every lesson ends with a ten-question multiple-choice quiz that grades itself.

This year expects a student who reads comfortably and can follow an argument, not just a story. Romans in particular asks your student to hold onto abstract words such as justification, righteousness, and grace across several lessons. It also assumes the Bible narrative is already familiar, since it works inside books rather than retelling the storyline. On the questions Christians have long disagreed about, the course describes what the text says and stops there. The Millennium lesson, for instance, explains Revelation 20 and what it means that Christ reigns and Satan is bound without arguing for any one view of the end times, leaving that conversation to you and your family.

What the course covers

• Job, the problem of suffering, and the sovereignty of God
• The Psalms: praise, lament, confession, and Psalm 119
• Proverbs on wisdom, the tongue, friendship, work, and generosity
• Isaiah: the holiness of God and the Suffering Servant
• Daniel: faithfulness in exile and prophetic visions
• Matthew and the Sermon on the Mount
• The parables of Jesus
• John: the Word made flesh, Nicodemus, the woman at the well, Lazarus
• Acts and the spread of the early church
• Romans, Paul's letters, Hebrews, and Revelation

What your student will be able to do

• Study a single Bible book and state its theme and main argument
• Explain justification by faith in your own words using Romans
• Identify the type of a psalm and write an original psalm of praise or lament
• Draw a practical rule of conduct out of a proverb
• Trace Old Testament messianic prophecy to its fulfillment in the Gospels
• Connect a passage to one specific character choice for the coming week

Scope and sequence

All 15 units of Bible for Grade 5, in the order they are taught.

Inside the course

These photographs appear in the lessons themselves, not just on this page. Every one is freely licensed and credited to its photographer at the foot of this page.

Every lesson, by title

All 150 lesson titles are listed here — nothing is withheld until you download. Open a unit to read its contents.

One whole lesson, exactly as it comes

This is a real lesson taken from the middle of the course — the teaching text, the practice, the homework, and the first three quiz questions with their answers. It is not a marketing excerpt.

Unit 8: John: The Gospel of the Son of God · Lesson 2

The Wedding at Cana

20 minutesBible (KJV or children's Bible)PencilCrayons or colored pencils

What this lesson is for

• Students will learn about The Wedding at Cana
• Students will memorize the day's Bible verse
• Students will apply the lesson to daily life

This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

John 2:11

The Wedding at Cana

Imagine running out of food at your own wedding reception — but something even worse happened at a wedding in Cana: they ran out of wine. In Bible times, a host who ran out of wine at a wedding feast would face deep embarrassment for years. Mary, the mother of Jesus, knew exactly who to turn to.

Key Verse: "This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him." — John 2:11

Mary came to Jesus and said simply, "They have no wine" (John 2:3). Jesus replied, "Mine hour is not yet come" — meaning His full public ministry had a divine timetable. But Mary trusted Him completely. She turned to the servants and said, "Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it" (2:5). That is still some of the best advice ever given. Jesus pointed to six large stone water pots used for Jewish purification rituals, each holding 20 to 30 gallons. He told the servants to fill them to the brim with water — and then to draw some out and take it to the master of the feast. When the master tasted it, the water had become the finest wine. He called the bridegroom over and said, "thou hast kept the good wine until now" (2:10). Jesus had just created about 150 gallons of the best wine anyone had tasted. This miracle showed something important: Jesus brings abundance where there is lack, and He brings His best — not just enough to get by, but overflowing. John tells us why this matters: Jesus "manifested forth his glory" — He revealed who He truly is — and His disciples believed on Him.

When you face something that seems impossible or embarrassing, bring it to Jesus just as Mary did. Trust His timing, obey His word, and watch Him bring something far better than you expected.

Character Connection: Obedience — The servants obeyed without understanding the whole plan. Real faith obeys even when we can't see the outcome. Practice full obedience to God's Word this week, trusting His plan even when it seems unusual.

Jesus still turns ordinary things into extraordinary ones. He can take your ordinary life and fill it with His glory — but first, like those water pots, you have to be filled to the brim with what He asks.

Homework

Read John 2:11 again. Write or tell about what The Wedding at Cana teaches us. Practice your memory verse: John 2:11.

Note for the parent

Today's lesson covers The Wedding at Cana. Estimated time: 20 minutes. Encourage independent work but be available for questions.

The first three of this lesson's 10 questions

Where did Jesus perform His first miracle?

1. Jerusalem
2. Bethlehem
3. Cana of Galilee
4. Capernaum

Show the answer

Answer: Cana of Galilee

What problem did Mary bring to Jesus at the wedding?

1. There was not enough food
2. They had run out of wine
3. The guests had left early
4. The bridegroom was sick

Show the answer

Answer: They had run out of wine

What did Mary tell the servants to do?

1. Go buy more wine from the market
2. Tell the guests the feast was over
3. Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it
4. Bring water for Jesus to drink

Show the answer

Answer: Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it

Another 7 questions follow in the lesson itself, each one graded the moment it is answered.

What you will need

Drawn from the materials named across all 150 lessons of this course. Most families already own most of it.