Part Forty-two--Etiwanda Jones and the Quest for Quetzalcoatl, part 2

The story of this school year really began when I was about 11 years old. My family went to the Temple Square visitor center, which was the only one at the time, and I saw a multi-media presentation called, Christ in America. I was deeply moved by this presentation. It sparked my love for and belief in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. 

Elder Mark E. Petersen wrote an article published by the church called, Christ in America, which explains some of the presentation I saw. He tells some stories and traditions of the native and Latin American peoples who in pre-Columbian time were visited by a Great White God. He changed their lives and promised to someday return. 

This is the pamphlet, and this painting was recreated in 3D with the words of 

3 Nephi 11 and music in the visitor's center presentation. It was powerful to me.

Fast forward to my homeschool years. I didn't know anything about the Heartland model of the Book of Mormon, and I didn't claim to know where the Book of Mormon lands lay, but I wanted to have a year focused on the Book of Mormon and at least three of the major cultures that believed in the Great White God. 

 

A year or two previous to this school year Deena, Suzanne and I talked about our 3 daughters who would soon be graduating. We made an agreement to school together during those last three years, and we each chose a theme for a year. I chose Book of Mormon. Suzanne chose Jane Austen, and Deena chose WWII and the hero generation.

Jeanne, Suzanne Manutai and Deena Ortiz during our writing week in our home. 

We're wearing our Etiwanda Jones hats!

Etiwanda Jones  and the Quest for Quetzalcoatl

September 2007 - May 2008

RATIONALE—Etiwanda Jones and the Quest for Quetzalcoatl   2007-2008 

This year our children will to learn to love and “read the Book of Mormon and be convinced that Jesus is the Christ, …more fully come to Christ, be committed to him, centered in him and consumed in him.” (Pres. Ezra Taft Benson, Oct Conf. 1987)

OUR YEAR

Our children will be invited to join Etiwanda Jones and the Quest for Quetzalcoatl. Our archeological adventure will begin in our preparations to outfit ourselves like Etiwanda Jones for our expedition to the Lands of the Book of Mormon. We will search for Quetzalcoatl, the bearded white God, on three levels:

1.  “Excavate” three civilizations which all have the legend of the bearded, white god—Maya, Inca, and Aztec.  We will compare these legends with the scriptural truths we know about Christ.

2.  “Excavate” three major truths in the Book of Mormon—The Proper Role of Government—including “The Gadianton Robbers and Communism,” & “Priestcraft & Public Education,” “The Book of Mormon and Organic Evolution,” and “The Federal Reserve System and Book of Mormon Economics.” 

3.  “Excavate” truths pertaining to our lives by reading the Book of Mormon using the “Come Unto Christ” reading/marking plan, and by writing scripture notes in our personal set of golden ‘small plates,’ etc.

I think Deena, Suzanne and I wrote all the curriculum first 

and then shared it with a few other families who joined in.

My favorite part of our school year prep is usually the song. I was so excited to add explanations on the side to explain the truths contains in it. It is sung to the tune of John Williams' Indiana Jones theme. It's super lively!

Two other families joined us at Suzanne's home later while Karen drew the mind map. Karen began drawing the words and Etiwanda Jones, and the rest just flowed. It was fun to watch her draw it, and it was so fun to color it with some really vibrant colored pencils. 

YEAR OUTLINE

One small component & three main components:

(I drew picture mind maps for this year).

NEPHITEOLOGY

Voice From the Dust --  How we got the Book of Mormon, etc.

Blast From the Past  -- Archeology and Anthropology, Get ready for our expeditions.

MYSTERY OF THE MAYA

Jungles and jaguars and jacamars, oh my!  (Geography) 

The Daily Glyph   (History)  

Chicle de Chichen-Itzá   (Culture)

I’m Late, I’m Late, for a Radioactive Date!  (Evolution & the Book of Mormon)  

EMPIRE OF THE SUN

Land of the Four Quarters y el ombligo del mundo  (Geography)

Pachacuti’s Papas  (History)  

Sweat of the Sun, Tears of the Moon  (Culture)

Land of Promise  (The Proper Role of Government)

FROM THE HALLS OF MONTEZUMA

The Lake of Shinning Waters (Geography)

I left my heart in Tenochtitlan  (History)  

Sun Stone Days & Jaguar Knights  (Culture)  

Shiblons and Shiblums  (Economics)  

(I don't know where this mind map is. I remember teaching about it though)

OTHER ORGANIZERS:

Calendar Girl --  Time Management classes (along with each civilization’s calendar, etc. )

Cucarachas Chocolates!  - Food of the Week 

Quipu’s Currents --  Current events  (Inca counting strings for the wall. A separate colored string to knot for each subject found in the news:  Mexico, Central America, South America, Ecology: Rainforest/global warming, Proper Role of Government, Economics, Evolution)

Flood the Earth   --  A case of Books of Mormon (Spanish & English) to give away this year.

At the beginning of each Key Point and Inquiry page I added little pictures/symbols. 

Here are a few examples:

By the time we were finished writing the curriculum, we were so prepared and organized, and we felt we had something significant to share with our children.