How to Effectively Develop “English Bible Course”

                                                                                                                     Wensheng Xiong   

Characteristics of Teenagers: Adolescence is a time of significant change, both mentally and physically, and teens often struggle to adapt to these changes. If we manage them like children or impose adult responsibilities on them, it may backfire. Teenagers are in a rebellious phase; driven by self-interest, they seek to establish their own independence, often challenging parental and other authority figures. This phase, however, is an opportune moment to introduce Christian values, helping them understand the true nature of sin. Additionally, teenagers value friendships more than any other age group, typically building relationships before establishing trust. If we only lecture them, it may be difficult to make a lasting impact. Understanding these aspects of adolescence is crucial in effectively conveying biblical truths to them.

In his over 20 years of teaching English, Principal Nick, founder of Spilus, has interacted with many immigrant families who report that their children face various challenges after arriving in the United States. The two primary issues these families commonly encounter are as follows:

First, the language barrier: Many Chinese immigrant adults and students feel hesitant to speak upon first arriving in the U.S., and this language barrier becomes the main obstacle preventing them from fully participating in American community and school life. Achieving, or at least approaching, a native level of English proficiency is an essential goal for immigrant families.

Second, cultural differences: The deeply rooted Confucian traditions within the Chinese community often contrast sharply with the American and Western culture, which is primarily shaped by Christian values. Understanding American culture, Western culture, and learning about Christian principles is a necessary path for Chinese immigrants to integrate effectively into community life. The Christian emphasis on love, human connection, and mutual support enables Chinese immigrants to build meaningful relationships, experience a sense of warmth and acceptance, and learn the principles of “loving one’s neighbor” and “loving others as oneself,” which fosters a smoother transition into American society.

In addition to helping new immigrants rapidly improve their English and overcome language barriers, we also aim to introduce them to the Bible and instill Christian values. This is why Spilus is committed to sowing seeds of faith through its mission. Spilus has decided to establish "English Bible Courses" tailored to Chinese students across various grade levels. These courses will use a bilingual approach for younger students, shifting to an English focus for older students. This is not mere preaching; rather, it integrates language education with Christian culture and values in a thoughtful and engaging way. Through this curriculum, students can strengthen their English reading skills while gradually gaining an understanding of Christian culture and values. Over the next 5–10 years, we will invest significant time, effort, and resources to develop this “English Bible Course.” Our goal is to make this curriculum available not only for Spilus and IvyGoal but also to share it with English training centers, churches, and mission organizations in the U.S., China, and beyond to support Chinese youth Bible study programs globally.

In this new era of online education, Spilus, as a nonprofit organization, faces a new mission: to help new immigrants improve their English skills, understand Western and Christian cultures, and reduce cultural conflicts often encountered by immigrant students. This includes helping them integrate into school communities and bridge generational gaps within families, ultimately promoting their seamless integration into American community life.

Through extensive research, we have found no existing curriculum of this kind anywhere globally. Therefore, to support immigrant students in learning both English and the Bible, Spilus requires its own curriculum. This is why we are dedicating ourselves to developing this English Bible Study Curriculum. At Spilus, we are committed to creating a supportive learning environment for Chinese immigrants, fostering growth in both language and faith. With this repositioning, the mission of Spilus as a nonprofit organization is now defined as: Caring for and serving immigrant students and their families, while promoting Christian values.

Over the next 5–10 years, Spilus, as a nonprofit organization, aims to develop a comprehensive "English Bible Course" specifically tailored for Chinese immigrant students, covering all grades from elementary through high school (grades 1–12). This curriculum will incorporate age-appropriate vocabulary for each grade level, using natural repetition to make English vocabulary accessible and memorable. Through simple, repeated words, the course will help students internalize vocabulary without memorization drills, allowing them to naturally build their vocabulary and reading skills through reading, exercises, and writing activities. The curriculum will make biblical truths easily understood, yet remain true to the core teachings of the Bible.

For Chinese immigrant students in grades 1–6, the curriculum will be presented in a bilingual format, with English words kept at a level that ensures comprehension. For older students in grades 7–12, the material will be in English only, with vocabulary aligned to the reading level of each grade, enabling students to read with ease and build reading proficiency efficiently. We are committed to designing Bible study content that is detailed, story-driven, and simplified for easier learning. Vocabulary will be repeated strategically to reinforce retention. This extensive and detailed development will involve significant research and refinement to meet these standards.

In today's world, the atmosphere of tranquility and reverence for God is fading away. Young people no longer prioritize religious rituals. The storytelling approach to teaching is not just about making dull subjects interesting; it is, in fact, a wise and practical method of instruction. Jesus' sermons serve as the best example of this, as He "taught the people using parables—stories."

Requiring new immigrant Chinese students to read the Bible is a significant challenge, as they often struggle to comprehend it and find it difficult to engage with the text. The original English of the Bible presents considerable challenges for most ELD (English Language Development) language class students, as it can be dry and hard to understand. Therefore, the Bible study materials need to be engaging and narrative-driven, with vocabulary appropriate for each grade level, gradually introducing them to the content. The curriculum should cater to different age groups and English proficiency levels, providing tiered Bible content that meets their needs.

Therefore, Spilus's bilingual Chinese-English Bible teaching materials must meet the following requirements:（1）、They must incorporate the religious stories from the Bible.（2）、The English language difficulty of the Bible stories should be lowered to an ELD second-grade level, allowing Chinese immigrant students with English proficiency above second grade to learn progressively. Most ELD students should be able to engage with the material.（3）、The difficulty of the materials should progress according to the grade-level vocabulary, with appropriately challenging words that are consistently repeated throughout the series of stories.（4）、The materials should follow the format developed by our expert team over 15 years at IvyGoal, incorporating various exercises for listening, speaking, reading, and writing, including vocabulary, reading, writing, and role-playing.（5）、There should be a sense of participation and experience for students in various classroom roles, fostering mutual encouragement in their learning.

1. Selection of Bible Stories:

The chosen stories must align with biblical truths while considering the cultural differences between Christianity and Chinese traditions, selecting narratives that are more easily accepted by Chinese immigrants. Different grade levels will focus on different thematic content in the stories.

For lower grades, the materials will use bilingual Chinese-English content, focusing on themes of reverence, obedience, and gratitude, which can help address cultural conflicts and family issues.

For middle grades, the bilingual materials will emphasize keeping God's commandments, love, and forgiveness.

For higher grades, the focus will be primarily on English, with supplementary Chinese. The stories will center on the significance of the cross, the gospel of the kingdom, the way, the truth, life, and eternal hope.

2. Vocabulary Adaptation to Appropriate Grade Levels:

The stories will be made engaging and simplified, with vocabulary adjusted to appropriate grade levels.

The introduction of new vocabulary will be limited to around ten words, and these words will be repeatedly integrated into the lessons and various exercises to help students memorize them effectively.

3. Engaging and Pleasant Stories

Invite experienced American education experts to accurately and clearly read the course materials (professional American English narration), providing enjoyable stories for Chinese students to enhance their listening skills.

4. Efficient After-Class Exercises

After listening to and reading the articles, we will adopt the format created by IvyGoal for appropriate English materials, incorporating various forms of exercises for listening, speaking, reading, and writing, including:

    Vocabulary Exercises: For lower grades, the focus will be on mastering the Chinese meanings of English words through multiple-choice questions, helping students repeatedly familiarize themselves with the vocabulary.

    Reading Comprehension Exercises: By completing reading comprehension questions, students will understand the key points of the articles and grasp the essential biblical theological concepts emphasized in the passages. The exercises will reinforce students' understanding of the main themes and cultural values presented in the biblical materials.       Reading comprehension questions will aim to identify the cultural understanding challenges faced by Chinese immigrant students, encouraging them to think critically about the biblical stories and compare them with traditional Chinese culture, leading to insights and an understanding of biblical truths. Additionally, these questions will subtly impart correct Christian values.

    Word Application Writing Exercises: These exercises will enhance students' vocabulary usage and writing skills while helping them remember the words through writing. Following IvyGoal's natural memory approach, each lesson will require students to use the learned vocabulary to form sentences or short paragraphs, making it difficult to forget the words and facilitating natural memorization.

    Character Role-Play Based on Biblical Stories: Students will engage in dialogues through various character roles, enhancing their sense of participation and experience while deepening their memory and motivating each other to learn.

    Consistent Vocabulary Repetition: Throughout the course and exercises, the vocabulary learned will be naturally repeated 20-30 times over three to six months. Students will not need to memorize words deliberately; instead, they will achieve natural retention through continuous learning and application of the vocabulary.

5. Utilizing Multimedia Canvas Courseware

Teachers will use multimedia canvas software for instruction, enabling students to learn the course material, complete exercises, and engage in writing activities. This approach helps students manage their learning and practice time effectively, enhancing engagement, enjoyment, and ease of learning and retention.

6. Continuous Improvement of Courseware through Teaching Practice

Through the free English Bible courses, ESL courses, and Christian culture classes organized by Spilus, we will establish a testing ground for teaching. This will allow us to accumulate teaching experience and gather course feedback, continuously improving and refining Spilus' "English Bible Course."

7. Preparing for a Larger Application Market

We will establish extensive connections with educational institutions, mission organizations, and churches in both China and the United States to promote the "English Bible Course." By understanding their needs and incorporating their suggestions, we will continuously enhance and develop our courseware.

8. Providing Courses for Seminary Students

In collaboration with seminaries, we will design a course framework to provide developmental outcomes for seminary education. This will include offering free English Bible courses and ESL courses for seminary students, enriching the curriculum (with a primary focus on teaching in Chinese at the seminaries).

The Bible courseware we develop is not a traditional English Bible textbook. Our English Bible education needs to address the cultural conflicts faced by new immigrants from China and the United States. We will select different Bible stories tailored to various age groups and educational backgrounds, using a bilingual approach for lower grades. Our goal is not to create overly difficult material but to focus on the narrative quality, readability, and engagement of the stories. This will require significant time spent on selection and simplification.

When crafting various exercises, it is essential to understand the key theological ideas emphasized in each Bible passage. We will highlight these themes in reading exercises to reinforce students' understanding. This approach will help students gradually absorb biblical concepts while simultaneously improving their English reading skills. To achieve this, we need to conduct extensive follow-up research and data analysis on new immigrant students and families, understanding their beliefs, preferences, and cultural practices. We will provide age-appropriate Bible stories in a step-by-step manner according to their English proficiency levels.