Biblical archaeology is a subject I've always been fascinated with, and we've been fans of Drive Thru History® for years, so when we were given early access to the new Bible Unearthed course I was VERY excited to see what it was all about.
What is Bible Unearthed
Bible Unearthed is the newest course developed by Drive Thru History® Adventures. The course is divided into 12 episodes, each with its own accompanying written exposition, worksheet, answer key, related scripture, and very thorough "Dig Deeper" articles. Some sessions even have fun and educational activities that correlate with the video topic, such as copying ancient texts and surveying an area as an archaeologist would.
Below is an example of the written exposition that's included with each video.
Discover Biblical Archaeology with Bible Unearthed at LifeInTheNerddom.com
There is also a Course Guide provided that includes a sample schedule. While the schedule divides the course materials over an entire week, the course is extremely flexible and can be easily adjusted to suit the needs of your family.
Most people who are familiar with Drive Thru History® videos might consider the Bible Unearthed course to also be history, but it's actually more about archaeology. There isn't enough material in the course to make it a full history credit, but it would be a good one-semester elective on biblical archaeology for any high school student. Middle school students would also likely enjoy the course.
How the Online Course Works
Using the course is very easy. Simply login to your course account and click on "Resume Course."
You can also choose an episode from the course list.
Once at the episode you'd like to watch, you will find links to PDFs for the worksheet and answer key, as well as the written exposition with additional pictures and information not included in the video.
At the bottom of the exposition, you'll find related activities, Scripture readings, and links to the Dig Deeper articles.
It's all very easy to navigate and find what you need to complete the course.
What We Thought
We had very mixed feelings about this course. While I am very much a nerd and enjoy learning about all sorts of things, my children were a harder sell for this one. The material was way over the head of my youngest child, and my middle schooler said she was quite bored. I think maybe she was expecting the fast-paced, super energized style of the Drive Thru History videos, and this course most certainly isn't that.
Titus Kennedy, Ph.D, is the archaeologist featured in the course. He is extremely knowledgeable, but his presentations are more lecture in style and have a tendency to become a little dry for kids. Dave Stotts is there to provide a bit of comic relief from time to time, but the interactions sometimes feel scripted and forced and very unnatural. My daughter picked up on this rather quickly.
There is an amazing amount of information on archaeology in the course, and being a big fan of biblical archaeology myself (I even have an archaeological Bible that I read from!), I was very interested from the beginning. I loved the "extra" material that was presented in the Dig Deeper articles and would love to read more written by Dr. Kennedy.
Don't Just Take My Word For It
This is only one of eighty-four different reviews that are available for Drive Thru History® Adventures - Bible Unearthed. Be sure to visit the Homeschool Review Crew page to read more reviews by clicking the banner below!
