Kim Essenburg serves with Christian Reformed World Missions by teaching English 10 at Christian Academy in Japan. Kim shares about how assessment helps students apply a Biblical perspective to what they study.

What student learning results are you excited about?

Kim: At the end of a recent short story unit, I had students apply a Biblical perspective to 1 of the short stories we studied. Here are 3 excerpts from student essays:

1. “The Guest” by Albert Camus: In contrast to what Camus and Daru experienced, there is inherent meaning and moral guidelines in life given by God—a conclusion based on a Biblical principle. Truth, which is God’s teaching, is apparent everywhere…(New International Version, Romans 1.20). In fact, the truth of the only God is accessible…(Acts 17.20). We must learn what God’s truth is and apply it to our lives because as Daru understood, human wisdom is faulty…. Humans must establish God’s truth as their anchor and base their decisions on his truth, which may not yield the obviously “good” consequences in this life, but are right because they are part of God’s perfect will.
   
   
2. “The Bucket Rider” by Franz Kafka: We…have…hope that Nihilism doesn’t know of: all our suffering is going to end. Revelation describes the coming of heaven in chapter 21, verse 3b and 4: “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tea from there eyes. There will be no more death or morning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” What a comforting thought!
   
   
3. “How Much Land Does a Man Need?” by Leo Tolstoy: The Bible is clear about what fostering such desires does to people. Jesus said in Luke 12.15 that people have the wrong idea about what it is to truly live when they look for fulfillment in things…. And Paul commands the rich to put their hopes in God, rather than in their wealth “so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (I Tim. 6.17-19). But what could be greater than having substantial wealth? Hebrews sheds some light on this question: “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’” (Hebrews 13.5).

What was the assessment prompt?

Kim: My students wrote a 500-word persuasive essay on the following: Identify the theme of a short story, analyze how the author uses literary conventions to communicate the theme, and evaluate the theme from a Biblical perspective.

• The main part of this essay will be about the theme.
  
• For your thesis and preview of points, state the theme and the main literary conventions the author uses to communicate the theme (setting, characterization, plot, imagery, symbol, irony, diction…).
  
• In the body paragraphs, use support from the story, including at least 3 quotations.
  
• For your conclusion, write a Biblical perspective paragraph. Pick 1 Biblical principle related to the theme and cite at least 3 Bible passages and 1 example from your own life/observation to support the Biblical principle.

What are you learning about helping students apply a Biblical perspective to what they study in class?

Kim: Assessment helps. The more Biblical perspective assessments I give, the better my students get at applying a Biblical perspective. The more practice I give them, the better they get. Repeatedly giving Biblical perspective assessments really does help my students apply a Biblical perspective!