State standards require studying Oklahoma history once in elementary (public schools chose 4th grade) and once in high school for ½ credit toward graduation (public schools chose 9th grade). I have taught from several different books, but I found that the secular books contained some objectionable world-view and the Christian texts often were weak on the details. While it is important to learn dates and details, it is also important to learn to see God’s hand working in man’s history. In this book I attempted to remedy these problems: According to Plan: Oklahoma history told from a providential view by Jo Anne Bennett. It is available on-line or from me.

Born in Oklahoma, Jo Anne Bennett has spent most of her life there. She holds a BA in education and an MA in history and has taught for years in public, private, and home school. She enjoys her Oklahoma history classes and especially delights in seeing her students develop a love of history. Now a grandmother of five, Jo Anne realizes the importance of having young people understand the role history plays in displaying God’s sovereignity.

[Corrections: Shakespeare said, “To err is human, to forgive divine.” Well, I am definitely human, and frequently in need of forgiveness. On that point, readers have discovered two errors in According to Plan which need to be corrected.

1. Page 15 – Cavanal Hill is not the highest point in Oklahoma, Black Mesa is.
(Discovered by a diligent teacher in 2024.) Cavanal Hill (officially Cavanal Mountain), located near Poteau, Oklahoma, is described by a sign at its base as the “‘World’s Highest Hill’ – Elevation: 1,999 feet”. The actual summit elevation is 2,385 feet above sea level. Black Mesa is the highest point in Oklahoma; it is 4,973 feet above sea level.

2. Page 91 – The USS Oklahoma is not the ship at the memorial in Pearl Harbor. The ship which is on the bottom of the harbor is the USS Arizona.
(My brother, a history buff, took great delight in indicating that error to me very soon in 2013! ) People who had visited there said that they saw the USS Oklahoma, and I just accepted that report rather than doing good research. In fact, an attempt was made to tow the wreckage back to the mainland for scrap metal, but it was so severely damaged that it fell apart and sank during a storm.]