We had the opportunity to review the Teen Prasso Teacher’s Manual and the Teen Prasso Homework Manual published by Prasso Ministries.
As a Christian, including Bible study in our school should really be very easy. Well, it was when all of my children were younger. We could read through some passages together and have simple conversations about what was shared. Now that I have a teenager and my younger two are not so far away from the teen years, finding a Bible study that allows my children to grow deeper in their faith is a concern. We are still able to read through Bible passages and share our thoughts with each other, but I want just a little bit more for them. I think they do too.
Prasso Ministries began in 1992 to address the needs of hurting women and has grown into a ministry that includes discipleship programs for men as well as teenagers. Prasso means to “to practice.” By “practicing the Bible in their daily lives,” it is the hope students of the discipleship program will “find hope and victory.”
Teen Prasso includes a spiral-bound workbook and a teacher’s manual. The program includes 12 weeks of study for students and 13 weeks of lessons for the teacher. The last lesson in the teacher’s manual continues the study that was started during week twelve with the students.
The teacher’s manual is very detailed in how to proceed through the program. I like curriculum that tells you exactly what to do, especially if you are not confident in teaching a particular study. Teacher/parents/leaders are encouraged to allow the student to work through the material alone (if done independently) or as a group as much as possible. The teacher is there as an assist and a moderator. Each week includes a “Message Goal”, so you know the direction of the lesson.
Students are encouraged to study through their workbook daily. The daily lessons are written to teach them more of God’s word, which is the key of the program. Students have to take the time to think through the lessons as well as their responses. There are not many opportunities for “yes” or “no” responses. There is a lot of writing, but that is only so the student will consider their responses before sharing. If you have a child who does not enjoy writing, you could easily turn the time into an oral response exercise.
The 13-week program would probably work better in a group, because of the conversations that can be shared with the participants. It is also possible to use as an independent study, which is what I had River do.
The student workbook is a smaller compact size (12x9x5”), almost like a sketch book with illustrations that will appeal to a teen. This is a minor feature, but River did like that. I allowed him to take the workbook and complete the daily lessons on his own.
At the beginning of the week, I sat with River and read through the lesson in the teacher’s manual. Each lesson includes a story with challenges that today’s teen may experience. We had some good discussions on how he would manage through the scenarios that were presented. I think the study became more personal to him, because the stories included young people like him. The topics covered over the weeks are:
Homework manual table of contents
Lesson 1: God Your Heavenly Father
Lesson 2: God’s Love
Lesson 3: Why Doesn’t 1+2 Add Up in My Life?
Lesson 4: It’s All-Out War
Lesson 5: The Enemy’s Lies . . . And Where They Lead
Lesson 6: Pressure!
Lesson 7: Anger
Lesson 8: Forgiveness
Lesson 9: Two Brothers – Pride and Selfishness
Lesson 10: Refocus
Lesson 11: Prasso, Putting It All Into Practice
Lesson 12: The Journey
As I stated before, it may be nice to complete the study in a group environment, but as a parent, I really liked being able to learn more about how River would think through the situations that were presented. It gave me an opportunity to hear his thoughts and also share my ideas on the situations. I hope the time we spent was good for him and that he was not hindered in his responses by what he thought I may think.
Prasso Ministries gives your teen an opportunity to learn more about his faith. You may learn more about the program.
PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
The Teen Prasso Teacher’s Manual is available for $35 and the Teen Prasso Homework Manual is available for $15. It would be beneficial to have both books to properly work through the program.
Social media
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