Recently, a respected evangelist passed away. I'm sure you've heard of him - Billy Graham! I was sure he'd make it to 100, but he fell short by only a few months. Still, his life will always be treasured by me seeing as how I named my son partially after him using his last name, Graham! So, I cannot explain how thrilled I was to get a chance to review Heroes of History-Billy Graham from YWAM Publishing that came with an accompanying study guide download.
YWAM Publishing actually has several Heroes of History biographies with separate downloadable study guides that go along with each book. You can find all of the Heroes of History study guides here.
Discover all of the Heroes of History biographies titles and the entire collection. You can also find the Christian Heroes Then and Now series.
Sadly, we now know the number that finishes off this cover photo is February 21, 2018! He almost made it to 100.
What is the YWAM Publishing and their Heroes of History series?
I was already familiar with the Heroes of History series because I had previously reviewed the Heroes of History- Milton Hershey which was really interesting to learn details about the man who made chocolate special. If you want to take a peak, here's my Hershey review. I also have my eye on Heroes of History- Thomas Edison as well since my son has so many characteristics that are called The Edison Trait, and I would really love to go back in time to meet his mother. I'm also excited to discover that Benjamin Rush and John Newton are going to be released in May!
For this review, I received a 205-page, 17 chapter paperback book written in an easy-to-read font for anyone in approximately 4th grade and up with an accompanying 74-page digital study guide.
For this review, I received a 205-page, 17 chapter paperback book written in an easy-to-read font for anyone in approximately 4th grade and up with an accompanying 74-page digital study guide.
The paperback biography, Heroes of History Billy Graham America's Pastor by Janet and Geoff Benge, is really nice in and of itself, but to make the book come to life and instill a deeper understanding, there is also a curriculum guide that I downloaded in PDF format that was a 74-page digital download in Unit 1 followed by Unit 2 that consisted of five activity pages.
The biography is far from a boring book of statistics and facts. The book captures amazing highlights that explain his legacy. The book begins describing Billy Graham's life from a pivotal moment in time when he was about 12 years old. The way it is written grabs the reader from the very beginning with an emotional story that engages the reader to want to know more. The chapters continue through more important moments in Billy Graham's life, including meeting his wife and his first crusades, presidential encounters, civil rights tensions, and his final official address to America.
I was especially excited to discover that as I turned the pages of the book, he had a letter dated to President John F. Kennedy that was dated on my birthday (the year is before I was born, but the day is accurate):
The biography is far from a boring book of statistics and facts. The book captures amazing highlights that explain his legacy. The book begins describing Billy Graham's life from a pivotal moment in time when he was about 12 years old. The way it is written grabs the reader from the very beginning with an emotional story that engages the reader to want to know more. The chapters continue through more important moments in Billy Graham's life, including meeting his wife and his first crusades, presidential encounters, civil rights tensions, and his final official address to America.
I was especially excited to discover that as I turned the pages of the book, he had a letter dated to President John F. Kennedy that was dated on my birthday (the year is before I was born, but the day is accurate):
How Did We Use It?
The curriculum guide Unit 1 includes 8 sections:
The curriculum guide Unit 1 includes 8 sections:
When you use the entire guide, you will cover several subjects:
Over the years, since my son Graham is partially this man's namesake, I have been collecting books about Billy Graham, so I absolutely long to devour every bit of information I can about the man and the way he lived his life.
I love how the curriculum guide is set up in segments with in-depth explanations as to how you can modify it to fit your needs. I really like how it's more than just questions, though there is a segment on questions at the end of each chapter. It doesn't end there. It presents multiple activities to bring the biography to life and really gain an understanding for what the time period was like for Billy Graham growing up which helps to better understand who he became and the influence he has had on others.
The different sections of the curriculum guide include:
1) The Key Quotes
This section is set up for memory work, to search deeper into the meanings behind the quotes, or to create a display highlighting the quotes. There were three or four quotes from Billy Graham and then quotes from his wife, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., C. S. Lewis and Thomas Jefferson.
My daughter has one of these quotes printed out in word art and inserted into her heart-shaped locket. Another quote I loved was this one:
2) Display Corner
This section lists ideas of objects that have to do with Billy Graham or a part of his life. Students are encouraged to bring these items to class and set up in a display.
3) Chapter Questions
There are six questions for each of the 17 chapters read. Of these six questions, there are vocabulary questions drawn from a referenced page in the text, a factual question, 2 questions to gauge the student's understanding level, and 2 open-ended questions.
4) Student Explorations
This section allows the student to get hands-on in their learning. There are suggestions for essays, creative writing, arts and crafts, audio/visual and hands-on projects.
5) Community Links
The Community Links section suggests ideas for going out into your community to learn more about Billy Graham's community involvement. For instance, it suggests a field trip to a church, speaking with a pastor or touring a radio station to get an idea of how Billy Graham may have used sound equipment to preach.
One thing that we took part in was watching the funeral of Billy Graham as well as a documentary of his life to follow which led to more research to look into his life, crusades, and time traveling behind the Iron Curtain, etc.
6) Social Studies
This is a unit study connection from the reading of the book as language arts to tying it in with social studies. It is broken up into 6 parts:
7) Related Themes to Explore
Like any good unit study covers a multitude of topics, this one is no exception. It gives suggestions for how to tie in the biography with history, government, current events, science and technology, geography, and religion.
8) Culminating Event
Finally, everything is finished and time to bring it all together to show off what you learned. This section gives ideas for elaborate or simple events that bring it all together on display.
The final pages of the first part of the study guide include Books and Resources and Answers to Chapter Questions
Unit 2 of the study guide has 5 activity pages to print and use including a Fact Sheet, a timeline and maps.
I love how the curriculum guide is set up in segments with in-depth explanations as to how you can modify it to fit your needs. I really like how it's more than just questions, though there is a segment on questions at the end of each chapter. It doesn't end there. It presents multiple activities to bring the biography to life and really gain an understanding for what the time period was like for Billy Graham growing up which helps to better understand who he became and the influence he has had on others.
The different sections of the curriculum guide include:
1) The Key Quotes
This section is set up for memory work, to search deeper into the meanings behind the quotes, or to create a display highlighting the quotes. There were three or four quotes from Billy Graham and then quotes from his wife, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., C. S. Lewis and Thomas Jefferson.
My daughter has one of these quotes printed out in word art and inserted into her heart-shaped locket. Another quote I loved was this one:
2) Display Corner
This section lists ideas of objects that have to do with Billy Graham or a part of his life. Students are encouraged to bring these items to class and set up in a display.
3) Chapter Questions
There are six questions for each of the 17 chapters read. Of these six questions, there are vocabulary questions drawn from a referenced page in the text, a factual question, 2 questions to gauge the student's understanding level, and 2 open-ended questions.
4) Student Explorations
This section allows the student to get hands-on in their learning. There are suggestions for essays, creative writing, arts and crafts, audio/visual and hands-on projects.
5) Community Links
The Community Links section suggests ideas for going out into your community to learn more about Billy Graham's community involvement. For instance, it suggests a field trip to a church, speaking with a pastor or touring a radio station to get an idea of how Billy Graham may have used sound equipment to preach.
One thing that we took part in was watching the funeral of Billy Graham as well as a documentary of his life to follow which led to more research to look into his life, crusades, and time traveling behind the Iron Curtain, etc.
6) Social Studies
This is a unit study connection from the reading of the book as language arts to tying it in with social studies. It is broken up into 6 parts:
- Places
- Journeys
- Terms/Vocabulary
- Geographical Characteristics
- Timeline
- Conceptual Questions
7) Related Themes to Explore
Like any good unit study covers a multitude of topics, this one is no exception. It gives suggestions for how to tie in the biography with history, government, current events, science and technology, geography, and religion.
8) Culminating Event
Finally, everything is finished and time to bring it all together to show off what you learned. This section gives ideas for elaborate or simple events that bring it all together on display.
The final pages of the first part of the study guide include Books and Resources and Answers to Chapter Questions
Unit 2 of the study guide has 5 activity pages to print and use including a Fact Sheet, a timeline and maps.
To start, I love YWAM. I remember being introduced to their mission and vision years ago when it first began, and I have always been a fan. Adding these biographies about heroes in the faith and including an in-depth study guide just seals the deal on an even better opinion of the vision of YWAM Publishing.
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