Review: Teen Prasso Bible Study
and Homework Manual (which says Student Journal on the cover).
“Prasso” is a Greek word that means to repeatedly, continually, and habitually practice.
We were really happy to review for review the Teen Prasso Bible Study. My 9th grader is using this all summer, 5 days a week for 12 weeks, and will receive a 1/2 credit in Bible for completing it. But, of course, more important than the high school credit is the learning and training he is receiving through the study.
Each book is paper back and has a nice plastic ring binding. The Teacher’s book has 124 pages and is the typical 8 1/2 x 11 inch size. The Student book is square, about 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches and has 187 pages. The Teen Prasso lessons are written by Eddie Zdanio and are based on the Prasso Ministries materials by Laura Baker.
The Bible study is written to be used with a group of teens–perfect for a youth group, Sunday school, small group, dicipleship group for new teen believers, etc. We just used it at home, though, and I went through the teaching lessons with just my son and me.
If you have never taught or led a group of teens before in a study like this, don’t worry. This book has everything you need! It starts out by explaining the 3 essential features: the daily student journal, the weekly teaching lesson, and the weekly small group discussion. A chart on p. 4 tells you what each lesson is about (subjects such as God’s love, lies, pressure, forgiveness, and pride).
In the daily Student Journal , there are 6 20-minute lessons a week for the kids to do on their own. They read a little bit of introduction, read and write out verses of Scripture, and answer questions. Sometimes they are directed to places to find more information such as at leestrobel.com or answersingenesis.org. The actual lessons they are being taught are spot on–lessons about who God is (all powerful Creator, omnicienct, all-loving, and forgiving). The kids learn how to give their life to Christ and how to live for him. They are given tough, deep, and personal questions to consider–like “Are you a lost sheep?” and “If God truly loves, then did He love Job when all of this took place?” I also like the lay-out of the student book: the font is fun and there are drawings interspersed.
Next, in the Teacher’s Manual, you find the Instructions for Group Discussion Leaders. They explain what the leader’s role is (I should only be talking 20% of the time) and how to prepare each week. There is a script to follow that is following an exciting story about 2 young men (teens) who are hiking in the Rockies. Interspersed with the story is a lesson teaching about the concept (God, love, etc.) After that part is over with the group (takes about 20-30 minutes), you lead the kids in a group discussion, which could take as long as you have time for! The questions are found in the Student Journal (about 7-12 each week); some are starred and those are the ones you focus on if you are running out of time.
One great page in the Teacher’s Manual was called “How to deal with a diverse group.” It gives tips on how to react and guide different types of teens within a discussion group (the class clown, debater, interrupter, and 7 others).
Overall, I’m very happy with this study. My son didn’t feel it was very deep, probably because he has done lots of Bible studies before. He thought it would be great for a new believer or one who hasn’t been discipled yet. Still, I know that God is teaching him through it, and I enjoy doing the discussions with him each week. He’ll be finishing it up this summer!
