Your Passage Study
The capstone project for How to Read the Bible — a free Civic & Life Skills course. Pass it and you earn a certificate anyone can verify.
- Free
- 9 steps
- Pass mark 70%
- Graded within minutes
- Beginner-friendly
The project unlocks once you complete the lessons. The workbook is free to download now so you can see exactly what is expected.
What you will submit
One Google Doc, shared so that anyone with the link can view, with headed sections for Parts 1 to 7 and a list of the translations and sources used.
What to do, step by step
- Choose ONE passage of 8 to 30 verses that forms a complete unit (a story, a paragraph of a letter, a psalm, a parable or a short prophetic speech). Do not choose the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25 to 37), which is worked in Lesson 10. You may choose a passage you find puzzling or troubling. You will be graded on careful, fair reading, not on what you believe; a learner of another faith or none may write the study as a careful reader.
- Part 1. The passage and its kind (about 150 words): give the reference, the book and the kind of writing (law, story, poetry, wisdom, prophecy, Gospel, letter or apocalyptic), and say how that kind of writing should be read.
- Part 2. Context (200 to 300 words): the literary context (what comes just before and after, and how the passage fits the book) and the historical and cultural context (who wrote or spoke, to whom, when and in what situation), marking any contested dates or authorship as contested. Name at least one source you used, such as a study Bible introduction, a Bible dictionary or a commentary.
- Part 3. Translation comparison: a table of at least one key verse in at least three named translations, including at least one formal and one dynamic translation, and a Nigerian-language Bible if you read one. Then write 100 to 200 words on what the differences show and how you decided between them.
- Part 4. Observation: at least eight observations of what the text actually says (who, what, where, when, repeated words, contrasts, connecting words and anything surprising), each with its verse number, plus at least three questions you asked.
- Part 5. Interpretation (300 to 450 words): what the passage meant to its first hearers or readers, using your context and at least two cross-references. Consult at least one commentary only after your own observation, and say where you agree or disagree with it.
- Part 6. Honest questions (150 to 300 words): name at least one difficulty, disagreement or hard question the passage raises, state it fairly and at full strength, and set out how at least two different traditions or readers respond before giving your own reasoned view and saying what remains open.
- Part 7. Application (150 to 250 words): state the passage's lasting principle in one sentence, say where today's situation (yours, your group's or Nigeria's) is like and unlike the first readers', and give one specific action.
- Put everything in one Google Doc with a heading for each part and a list of the translations and sources used. Set sharing to 'Anyone with the link can view' and submit the link.
Files to work with
Project workbook (fill in, then submit)The whole brief, an evidence checklist, the grading rubric as a self-check and the link-sharing steps in one file. Opens in Word, Google Docs or WPS.Word · 7 KBHow it is graded
| Criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| Context: literary, historical and cultural context is accurate and sourced, with contested points marked as contested | 20% |
| Translation comparison: at least three translations compared and the differences explained sensibly | 12% |
| Observation: careful, specific observations tied to verses, with real questions, kept separate from interpretation | 18% |
| Interpretation: grounded in the text, its genre, context and cross-references, with commentaries used after observation and engaged critically | 20% |
| Honest questions: the difficulty is stated at full strength and different traditions are described fairly, as their holders would recognise them | 15% |
| Application: a clear principle, an honest comparison of then and now, and one specific action | 10% |
| Clarity: well organised, with accurate quotations and references and sources listed | 5% |
You need 70% overall to pass. A failed submission comes back with feedback and can be revised and resubmitted.
Before you submit: make your link public
If your work lives in Google Drive or Google Docs, open Share → General access and change “Restricted” to “Anyone with the link” (Viewer). Then paste the link into a private browser window: if it opens without sign-in, you are ready. A private link cannot be graded — it is the single most common reason a good project fails.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to finish How to Read the Bible before submitting the project?
Yes. The submission screen opens once every lesson in How to Read the Bible is marked complete. The lessons are where the methods, the Nigerian context and the worked examples the project depends on are taught.
How is the project graded?
An examiner scores each rubric criterion from 0 to 100 and weights them as shown on this page; you need 70% overall to pass. Most submissions are graded within minutes and you get written feedback on what was strong and what to improve.
Can I resubmit if I fail?
Yes. A failed project comes back with feedback; revise the weak parts and resubmit. A passed project is final — the certificate is issued and cannot be re-rolled.
What do I actually submit?
A write-up of what you did (under 5,000 characters) plus a public link to your work — a Google Drive folder, Google Doc, spreadsheet, GitHub repository or video. The link must open without sign-in; a private link cannot be graded. The free project workbook on this page walks you through all 9 steps.
Is the certificate real?
Yes. Passing this project issues a certificate with a unique verification code. Anyone — an employer, a client, a school — can open the verification page and see that the certificate is genuine and which project earned it.
More Civic & Life Skills projects
- Community Voter Registration Field Report
PVC & Voter Registration Class
- Map one recurring problem and choose one intervention
Systems Thinking for Nigerian Life and Business
- Your numbers file — a real situation, worked all the way through
Practical Mathematics for Nigerian Life and Business
- Build a costed study-abroad case file for one real programme
Study Abroad from Nigeria
Ready to earn this certificate?
How to Read the Bible is free and self-paced. Finish the lessons, complete this project, and the certificate is yours to share.
Start learning free