Learning Cross-References for the Qualifying Test

I remember the first time our family participated in the Summer Study, I had no idea how to teach cross-references to my kids.  Since that first year, I have tried many different methods and have learned a lot in the process.  Below are my current thoughts and ideas about cross-reference study and how to help Primary-aged participants learn them in order to take the qualifying test.  I think these same principles and methods work well for participants of all ages.

Before I jump in, I want to say that when I refer to "the cross-references", I am talking about the official list that was posted to the dashboard in early July.  There can be questions on the Qualifying Test that are about cross-references found in the DJ that are not on this list.  However, those questions will be based on the information found directly in the DJ, or potentially about the content of the passage.  Questions that are about cross-references from the list can include information that is not found in the Discovery Journal (this is considered context).  Please refer to the NBBC Qualifying Test Study Document on your dashboard for more details about what context can include.

What to Learn

One thing that I think is very important is that my kids learn what the cross-reference text says.  We focus on the specific content and don't worry too much about making connections.  Why?  Because they cannot make connections if they don't know what the passages say.

The other reason to focus on content is because the test questions are often drawn from the content.  While there may be questions that ask which cross-reference fits best with a specific verse from the study passage, I find that if my kids know what the references say, they have the information they need to answer the question.

We will talk about the connections between cross-references and the study passage when we are studying the Discovery Journal, but it is not the focus.  I find that the Discovery Journal is set up in such a way that seeing the common themes between cross-references is fairly easy.  To reinforce those themes, I simply ask review questions from the Discovery Journal.

How to Learn

Once the list has been published, I print out a document with the text for each cross-reference.  Every day we read about 10-15 of the cross-references and we cycle through them.  Some days I use the audio Bible feature on Bible Gateway or VerseLocker so that the kids can listen and read along.  Sometimes we read through them together, but mostly the kids read them independently.  They always love having highlighters and colored pens to mark things.

Studying Cross-References in Context

A few days a week I try to set aside some time to read cross-references together from our Bibles and to do a little context study.  We read a little bit before and after each passage and I point out things that are interesting or important.  We will ask questions if we are curious about something, and then we will look up the answer.  We add a few of our findings to the cross-reference print out so that it is there every time the kids read through it.  This is also a good time to make sure that my kids understand what each cross-reference is saying, and for me to define any words that they do not know.

As I said above, you should refer to the official NBBC Qualifying Test Study Document on the dashboard for an explanation of what is considered context.  Here are the things I look for, roughly in order of importance:

1. Quotes

2. Parallels

3. Prophecies (given or fulfilled)

4. Before and after

5. Themes and keywords

6. Allusions

7. People, places, customs, etc.

With my Primary kids, I try not to overwhelm them with context.  We look at what seems interesting and important, and then I drill the things that I think are the most important.  They won't remember everything, and that is okay.  If context is overwhelming and getting in the way of learning the content or learning other things, then I ditch the context since it isn't the most important part of cross-reference study.

Review and Recall

For review and recall we use Quizlet sets.  I use the reference and the summary statement for these and I always take advantage of adding pictures to make it a little more interesting.  Another way to do this is by making a set of "real" flash cards.

Once we have been reading and reviewing the cross-references for a couple of weeks, we begin to practice recall.  Our favorite ways to practice recall are Kahoot and Bingo.  For Kahoot, I write my own questions based on the content and any context we have studied together.  I try to have some difficult questions that make my kids stop and think because, realistically, the test could have hard questions on it.  For Bingo, I call out the summary or ask a question about the content of the passage, and the kids find the correct reference on their board.  I really like to find fun or obscure things in each passage to ask questions like "Which cross-reference mentions a bird, a house, and babies?" Do you know which one???

Finally, I try to write as many questions about the cross-references as I can.  I will pull these out and ask them during our study time, over dinner, or when we are waiting for an appointment.  If I ask during a review time, I will often take out some dry erase boards and the kids will write their answers down.  Otherwise, we just call out the answers.  As a side note, this is a great way to review other material as well.  Short spurts of review and recall go a long way in learning the material.

Preparing for the Qualifying Test

The Qualifying Test will have a lot of cross-reference questions.  According to the NBBC Qualifying Test Study Document found on the dashboard, approximately 30% of the test will be about cross-references.  The math is pretty easy since the test is only 100 questions: 30 questions will be about cross-references!  That is a lot of questions, especially considering the Primary cross-reference list only has about 40 cross-references in all.  If qualifying for the NBBC is your child's goal, then it is paramount that he/she learns the cross-references from the list.

If this is my child's first year taking the qualifying test, or if there are other reasons that make learning the cross-reference difficult, then I will reduce the number of cross-references to focus on.  Typically I would choose these based on how important I think they are (prophecies, quotes, and parallels from the study passage would be considered top priority).  We may still read through the other cross-references, but the review and recall would focus on the reduced list.

In Conclusion

These are my thoughts and opinions about studying cross-references with Primary-aged participants.  Of course, there are many other approaches, so it is up to you to prayerfully consider what will work for your child and your family.  If I were to give one encouragement concerning cross-references it would be this: Don't be intimidated by them!  They are actually a very neat way to study Scripture, and once you get the hang of it, studying them makes a lot of sense.  Your child, also, is probably capable of learning more than you realize. Sometimes it just takes consistent exposure to the material for them to begin to remember and recall what specific passages say.

Cross-references can be hard, but they don't have to be scary.