See the actual curriculum.

The story

One day a man asked Jesus a question: who counts as my neighbor? So Jesus told him a story. A man was walking the road from Jerusalem to Jericho when robbers attacked him and left him hurt on the ground. A priest came down the road — and passed by on the other side. A Levite did the same. Then a Samaritan came down the road — and in that day, Jews and Samaritans did not like each other at all. But when the Samaritan saw the hurt man, he felt sorry for him, cleaned his wounds, and paid for his care. “Go,” Jesus said, “and do the same.”

The story Jesus told — Luke 10:25–37

One question — with the rationale

Q. Of the three travelers, who acted as a true neighbor — and what in the story shows it?

We grade whether the student understood the story and gave evidence — never whether their heart is in the right place. Understanding and evidence are the standard; the conscience is the child’s and God’s.

The story

On the night of November 2, 1948, confident that Thomas Dewey would beat President Harry Truman, the Chicago Daily Tribune went to press early with a giant headline: DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN. By morning Truman had won. The photo of a grinning Truman holding up that wrong headline became one of journalism’s most famous images — a permanent reminder that a story printed too soon can be printed wrong. A wise reader treats every breaking story as unfinished, and lets the second voice come forward before making up their mind.

Cycle anchor — Proverbs 18:17

The method — the seven steps

What happened? · Who is reporting it? · What do we know and not know yet? · What biblical principles apply? · Where might reasonable Christians disagree? · What do I think, and what’s my evidence? · How should we respond?

“You are assessed on how you reason, source, and treat people you disagree with — never on the position you land on.”

The reading

At the center of the Christian faith stands a Person, and everything depends on who He is. The New Testament makes two claims about Jesus that seem impossible to hold at once — and insists on both. Fully God: John identifies Jesus as God Himself (John 1:1–14), and Jesus does what God alone can do. Fully man: He grew tired, wept, and was tempted in every way we are, yet never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). Only because Jesus is both can His death actually pay for sin and His life actually be counted as ours.

Key passages — John 1:1–14; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 4:15

One assessment — with the rationale

Prompt. Who is Jesus, and why does it matter that He is fully God and fully man? Use evidence from the passages, and address the strongest objection you can think of.

We grade the argument — claim, evidence, and reasoning — and the fairness with which a student handles the strongest opposing view. Never whether the student personally believes it.