BJU Press Blog

Meredith

How Is God Involved in Math?

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Going to the doctor isn’t my favorite thing, but in preparing for a recent missions trip to Africa, I had to get a vaccination. As the nurse assisted me, she asked about my job, and I gave my usual reply about BJU Press being a Christian textbook publisher for grades K–12. To define Christian, I explained that one of our primary values is biblical worldview—teaching what God’s Word has to say about different subjects.

But when I mentioned biblical worldview, the nurse stopped me with this question: “How can you have biblical worldview in math? It either is or it isn’t.”

What she meant was “How can math problems have more than one answer?” We all know 2 + 2 always equals 4. (English is the subject with all the exceptions—not math.) Thrilled that the nurse was engaged in our conversation, I quickly thought through how to explain the impact of the gospel and the value of BJU Press curriculum. Two ideas about God’s involvement with math immediately came to my mind.

How are God and math connected? picture

Two Ways God Is Involved in Math

  1. Our God created order. He allows us to explain His order with equations that always have the same answer. It delights Him when we seek to solve problems, and He graciously allows us to find the solutions.
  2. Our God created us to serve. Knowing how to solve an equation should be applied to doing good for others. Math is one of the tools we can use. For example, here she was serving me by giving me an inoculation before a missions trip to Africa. Her ability to measure the correct amount of vaccine based on my weight and height (think mental math equation) ensured that I would be fine.

These thoughts off the top of my head are not the only ways that God impacts our study and use of mathematics. But what I really hope the nurse took away from our short conversation is that math is a tool—not the master.

Sadly, our secular culture has reversed math’s role by valuing it over God. Many mathematicians, statisticians, and scientists use numbers to dictate outcomes that fit their own agendas. They choose to ignore God’s truth and instead idolize what the numbers say.

For example, consider the Donohue-Levitt hypothesis, which argues that legalized abortion in the 1970s was an important factor behind the lower crime rate in the 1990s. The numbers point to a seemingly good correlation because less crime is good for society. But the foundation of this hypothesis is the assumption that abortion is morally right. That assumption leaves God out of the picture.

Our Sovereign Master rules over all and that includes math. He desires us to use our study of math to glorify Him and serve others.

Learn more about BJU Press math curriculum.

Making Math Enjoyable with Themes

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Memorizing math facts may come easy to many people, but some (myself included) have a harder time visualizing a numerical problem and solving it mentally. It’s not that we can’t do it but rather that numbers have little value when they’re separated from a real-life situation.

It’s the application of math that helps us understand the importance of knowing how to solve an equation. But sometimes learning best takes place when there’s an example of how someone else has used math in daily life whether that’s through household chores or an occupation. This type of example does two things. It shows how math can be used, and it also gives motivation to use it.

BJU Press elementary math introduces themes in every grade to help kids understand math and see how it applies to our everyday lives. Each grade has a unique theme that makes math more enjoyable but also relatable. Lower-elementary kids are introduced to special characters. Rhymes, songs, and stories about these characters are included in different lessons throughout the entire course.

MathK5

In Math K5, Cheddar the mouse lives on Kindergarten Lane in Mathville. He uses math to help Farmer Brown keep an eye on what’s happening on the farm. In one lesson, your child works with Mrs. Brown to count the number of cabbages in the garden row. Another day on the farm, shapes are found on Farmer Brown’s outfit (like buttons that are circles).

Math6

Once students reach the upper-elementary grades, themes provide your child motivation for using math. For example, Math 6 includes a search-and-rescue theme with read-aloud stories about search-and-rescue events for each chapter. Chapter 7 opens with the true account of Balto and other dogs that delivered a special serum to people who were sick in Nome, Alaska. The concepts learned in this chapter are multiplying fractions and decimals—an important skill for measuring out medicine just like Dr. Curtis Welch did when he treated the people of Nome.

See more examples of these themes in BJU Press math curriculum.

How Do You Plan Your Homeschool Year?

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Planning Your Homeschool

One of my earliest homeschool memories is that Mom had a plan. She might not have printed it out for me to read, but it was clear that our day followed an organized schedule. Some homeschool days we stayed at home; other days I took my textbooks with me while we ran errands. Some were longer; others shorter, like the Fridays I attended art class with other homeschool kids.

Having a plan meant Mom could leave the room to take a long distance call and expect me to do what was next on the schedule. It also was a way to make sure that I reached the academic goals that she and my dad had set for me. But the plan was also flexible enough to allow for events that interrupted our day, like days at the park or doctor appointments.

As you prepare for the new homeschool year, what thought have you put into planning a daily, weekly, or monthly schedule? Here are some tips and helpful suggestions to plan your homeschool.

Now please don’t fall into the trap of “over-planning.” Some people might argue there’s no such thing, but I have learned that there’s a balance that must be learned, and it looks different for every family. You might be a minute-by-minute-schedule person, but that kind of planning overwhelms me. The real key is to keep Isaiah 46:8–10 in mind. God is in control of all (including the “interruptions” to our plans) and always works out His good pleasure. There’s comfort in that truth.

What does your homeschool schedule look like?

Dates to Remember in June

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To me, June is the official start of summer. The weather has finally warmed up in most regions of the country, and our days are still getting longer as the northern hemisphere tilts toward the sun. And when I was a kid, June also meant that my workbooks and academic projects were put aside for swimming lessons and family visits.

But the one thing I didn’t take a break from was reading! Every time we got in the car, I brought a book along. For you and your little bookworms, our JourneyForth books provide great summer reading material. We’re also going to be promoting reading the entire month of June. Keep an eye out for what’s coming!

Writers Born in June

  • Gwendolyn Brooks (born June 7, 1917) wrote the poem “We Real Cool” found in Fundamentals of Literature.
  • Ben Johnson (born June 11, 1572) wrote the poems “Song to Celia,” “Still to Be Near,” and “On My First Son” included in British Literature.
  • Anne Frank (born June 12, 1929) wrote a journal, now published as a book titled The Diary of a Young Girl, excerpts of which can be found in Excursions in Literature.
  • Joyce Carol Oates (born June 16, 1938) wrote the short story “Murder” included in American Literature.
  • Helen Keller (born June 27, 1880) wrote an essay called “The Most Important Day,” which is included in Explorations in Literature.

WP-Remembrance in Action: A Memorial Day Project; Rebecca, 5/2016; WP-Dates to Remember in June; Meredith; 5/2016

June 6

Known as D-day, June 6, 1944, was the day near the end of World War II when the Allied Forces began an attack to free Europe of Nazi occupation. General Dwight D. Eisenhower led this campaign—Operation Overlord—the largest amphibious operation in military history. It quickened the end of the war in Europe. View the Untold Stories of D-day from National Geographic to learn about the planning and scale of this invasion.

June 14

Show your patriotism on Flag Day. Today we remember when the Continental Congress passed a resolution to choose a flag that represented our nation. The US flag changed in layout and design as our nation grew, but today its form is defined. The Stars and Stripes is an important national symbol that reminds us about our freedom. Each of the fifty stars represent one of our fifty states, and there are thirteen red and white alternating stripes to symbolize the original thirteen colonies. See how the flag changed as states were added to the Union.

homemade Father's Day card with gift coupons

June 19

Don’t forget to tell Dad you love him on Father’s Day! A father’s love is the closest human comparison we have to our heavenly Father’s tender care for us. And despite the times our earthly fathers disappoint us, we can be sure that God in His wisdom always does what is good (Romans 8:28-32). The kids can offer to wash the car, clean the garage, or take Dad to his favorite game with this coupon template.

diagram of Earth rotating around the Sun

June 20

This year summer officially arrives on this date. Today is the summer solstice. That means the sun’s rays are shining straight down on 23½ degrees N latitude at noon. This latitude is also known as the Tropic of Cancer. The seasons are a direct result of the earth’s motion around the sun, and this day is defined by a distinct point in the earth’s orbit. It’s when the North Pole is tilted toward the sun, and that’s why we have warmer temperatures and longer days. Take advantage of the longest day of the year to go on a family hike. This blog post has some nature trail tips and a hiking trail journal for the kids.

How do you celebrate the beginning of summer? Let me know in a comment.

How to Plan for a Writing Project

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It’s that time again. You’re probably starting to do some homeschool planning for next year. The browser history on your phone might be full of pages from your favorite homeschool websites. You might even have notes either typed or handwritten comparing and contrasting the textbooks you might switch to. But deciding what curriculum to use is only one piece of the planning process for next year. There’s also planning the day-to-day schedule, extra activities, chores, household details . . .  You understand.

Planning a writing project may not be quite as involved as planning for the next homeschool year, but in both situations the results are affected by how well we prepare. Just as you use a homeschool planner to organize your day, your child can use graphic organizers to plan his writing project. Let’s take a look at some planning tips and graphic organizers that can help your child succeed with his writing projects.

Planning, the first step in the five-step writing process, helps make writing the first draft easier by creating a clear framework for the entire project. The writer (your child) is able to see the flow of thought he wants to communicate. A good way to start planning is by having him answer these questions.

  • What topic are you writing about?
  • Why are you writing?
  • Whom are you writing for?
  • How are you going to format your writing?

As he answers these questions, have him take time to brainstorm (and possibly research) ideas and information related to his topic. A practical way to group these details together and decide the order to arrange them in is with a graphic organizer. Some graphic organizers work better with different writing projects.

Plot Pyramid

A word web is one type of graphic organizer. It can be used to organize details about a topic, an event, or even a character in a story. After listing out details, your child can number them in the order in which he wants to write about them.

Creating a senses chart is another way your child can plan out a writing project. Just like it sounds, this chart relates to the five senses and is great for helping your child write a description. Have him draw five columns on a blank piece of paper and answer the following questions:

  • How does it look?
  • How does it sound?
  • How does it taste?
  • How does it smell?
  • How does it feel?

Have your child list sensory words in each column to describe the object. This list of words should include terms that help the reader mentally see, hear, taste, smell, or feel what is being read. (Sometimes only a few senses can be used to describe an object.)

A plot pyramid is a graphic organizer that establishes the beginning, middle, and end of a story. (Its counterpart for planning nonfiction writing would be a time-order chart.) Visually showing the arc that takes place in a creative story is important to help children see that the problem (usually a conflict between characters) and the solution are the transition points of their whole story.

You and I both know that taking time to plan brings benefits in multiple areas of life. Teaching your child to be a good, clear communicator for the glory of God begins with the planning stage.

Find more graphic organizers and writing resources in the BJU Press elementary English curriculum.