Dayspring Christian Academy’s online course “The Pilgrim Story”

Dayspring Christian Academy

Education to restore a nation.

     Dayspring Christian Academy's online course The Pilgrim Story begins with a comprehensive course introduction including the objectives of the course, how to navigate the online classroom, and what to expect from the class. The author of the series was introduced and the method of using primary sources for teaching was explained. Following the principle approach, students keep a notebook of their coursework. (A 1" binder is recommended.) Instructions are even provided for layout of their binder's tabs leading to their chronological journal about the Pilgrims. This is a self paced interactive course. At first I planned to just use this for my son as I read that it was for grades 3-6, but the actual course introduction recommended it for grades 2-8. My 7th grade daughter joined him for the entire self paced interactive course. The timing is flexible; they even recommend extending it if you have your students do more of the activities.

     Access for the course provided is for six months, which is much longer than what is necessary to complete it. The flexibility was a big bonus for our family, as we were able to work these lessons into our plans as we had time instead of being locked into a firm lesson time.

     We were provided login information to their online classroom at http://dayspringchristian.com/. The login is the same for parent or child. I logged in before my children and accessed the forms that corresponded with each lesson. These included vocabulary words and definitions, quotations, fill in the blank worksheets, craft activities, and more.

     The kids logged in to watch the lessons which were videos viewed on a small advertisement-free pop-up window. (You must enable pop-ups for this.) This section was actually interactive and the kids were able to answer questions related to each lesson and receive immediate feedback if their answers were correct or incorrect. Joseph enjoyed this study and asked me often when it would be time for more of what he called his pilgrim lesson.

     Crafts, interactive activities, map making, and optional enrichment tasks are designed to meet the needs of many styles of learners. Bible verses are used as the basis for teaching history and included throughout the lessons.

     Although admittedly not to scale, Joseph enjoyed sailing his egg carton Mayflower replica on our wall map. "The ship is saved by God's providence."

     One topic introduced early in the course was the value of "original sources." My girls have also been learning of this in their speech class, so it was a bonus to see how this lesson applied to their other subjects as well. Diaries from some of the pilgrims were quoted extensively in the lessons. The authentic lessons in the actual words of the pilgrims who recorded them make these lessons powerful. The Geneva Bible was discussed including a clear lesson on why King James disapproved of it which led to the King James Version of the Bible.

     Five units with seventeen total lessons 30-45 minutes each cover the complete Pilgrim Story. Topics include life in England under King Henry and progress to their travel, conditions on the Mayflower, and how they survived (and died) in this new country.

     Each year the course teacher/developer travels to Plymouth, MA, for an educational tour. This course ends with a virtual field trip to Plymouth, MA which is a wonderful wrap up for those who can't make that trip personally.

The following information was provided by Dayspring Christian Academy:

The Pilgrim Story

The Pilgrims are the sixth link on the timeline of America’s Christian history. Their highly developed Christian character and their commitment to excellence in every area of life laid the foundation of a civil government based on biblical principles. Dayspring’s third-grade teacher, Mary Stauffer, is an expert on the Pilgrims. 

Lessons include: King Henry, Geneva Bible, Liberty of Conscience, Leaving Leiden, Conditions on the Mayflower, Building Christian Character, the Mayflower Compact, and much more. Students witness the providence of God in the lives of the Pilgrims and the founding of America. This interactive, self-paced course consists of five units totaling 17 lessons complete with assessments and ideas for further study.

Activities in the course include crafts, application, live action, map-making, and much more—all designed to get students involved in the learning process. Principle Approach students are taught to think and reason from biblical principles and apply them to every area of life, so reasoning questions are also included.

 “for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith” (Mayflower Compact).

     You can also find them on Facebook. 

     Even if this doesn't fit perfectly with your current lesson plans, consider including it now as a unit study before Thanksgiving. I recommend this $99.00 course to anyone living in or wanting to learn more about the beginning of our country.

    Disclaimer: We received access to this program at no cost to me for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own. See what other crew members shared in their reviews here.