Making the grade on Bible study assignments
How to meet expectations: Seven suggestions for weekly reading assignments in Introduction to Biblical Literature.
"The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. . . . Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them." -- Psalm 119:130, 140 (NIV)
- Neatness counts. Clear organization makes your work easier to read and evaluate.
- Present your answers clearly, using question numbers, appropriate spacing, and readable formatting.
- Hard-to-read or crowded work can make it difficult for the grader to identify your answers and determine whether you have completed every part of the assignment.
- Although appearance is not graded separately, clear organization helps the grader evaluate your work accurately.
- Answer the questions. Your insights and explanations are important. Sometimes, however, students write at length without actually answering the questions asked.
- Stick with what the text says. Avoid unsupported assumptions. For example, the Bible says Adam ate fruit; it does not identify the fruit as an apple. This detail may seem minor, but other unsupported assumptions can significantly affect interpretation.
- Proofread! Avoid careless errors and mistakes caused by overlooking details. For example, when the assignment instructions give a man's name as Abel, do not write Able. Such errors may give the impression that you did not actually do the reading!
- Staple the pages. If you don't staple your pages together, they may get separated and lost.
- Look to improve. If you earned fewer than 50 points and want to improve your score:
- Ask me how you can improve.
- Ask a classmate who earned full credit how they approached the assignment.
- Keep your graded papers. Despite our best efforts, recording errors sometimes occur. Your returned papers provide documentation if a grade needs to be corrected.
Note: These instructions are based on material written by my colleague Dr. Marty Michelson.
"Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path." -- Psalm 119:105 (NIV)
Text of Bible memory passages
Get started on the four Bible memory passages for Introduction to Biblical Literature. [More]
-- Howard Culbertson, hculbert@snu.edu
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