Exploring Creation with Biology-2nd edition

Six years ago I took my then 7th grade daughter to a nearby support group meeting that was hosting Dr. Jay Wile, founder of Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc. as its guest speaker. He gave an extremely encouraging talk regarding homeschooling during the teen years. For those fearing the future, Dr. Wile offered positive statistics regarding home educated students, wonderfully encouraging antidotes and an entire line textbook curriculum line covering Biology, Chemistry and Physics, Marine Biology and Anatomy and Physiology.

I asked for his recommendation regarding a science course for Courtney for the following year. He had mentioned during his talk to match a student’s math ability with their science course. When a student took Algebra 1 they should be ready for his high school course, Exploring Creation with Biology. He suggested we begin high school work and move from his General Science text right into Biology the following year. This, in his opinion, would allow Courtney time later in high school to re-visit her favorite science course at an advanced level.

Following his advice we purchased Exploring Creation with Biology-1st edition during the summer and a high school was born at our home. Six years later, three of my children have successfully completed Apologia’s Biology course with my son having the unique opportunity of being assisted by a PHD in Biology in a co-op setting. His teacher chose Apologia over all other texts on the market after reviewing the book.

Exploring Creation with Biology-2nd edition was actually released several years ago. Since we had a very new looking first edition I made my kids suffer as the “only ones without the new book”. The differences with the 2nd edition include color photographs in the text, updated information regarding cellular science, an improved tests and solutions manual including a semester test and final exam and assistance with awarding points for essay test answers.

Apologia Science Exploring Creation with Biology--2nd edition is a creation based high school biology text book. I once compared it with our local high school’s textbook at the library finding it of superior quality in regards to presentation of material. The text is written in a narrative style so the student can get the feel of having a master teacher within the pages of the book. Labs including the dreaded dissections are laid out in a step by step format with helpful explanations and diagrams included to enable maximum success. A high powered microscope is recommended and well worth the investment if being used by multiple children. Students will use the microscope during two thirds of the course as they study cells, plant life and single celled organisms. Even if dissections are not completed the explanations, diagrams and photographs will provide adequate exposure for the student to succeed on the tests.

Exploring Creation with Biology—2nd edition text and accompanying solutions and tests manual sell on the Apologia website for $85.00. The text book is available separately for $65.00 and the solutions manual separately for $20.00. For those desiring a high tech version of the course a CD Rom of the entire text is available for $65.00. In addition a multimedia companion CD is priced at $15.00 and a MP3 recording of the text for auditory learners is sold for $15.00. A complete microscope set, priced at $270.00 is available at http://www.apologia.com/ as well.

Exploring Creation with Biology-2nd edition is a very comprehensive and challenging course for high school. The key to success is constant memorization practice of vocabulary. All vocabulary is highlighted and defined within the text for easy identification. Students complete the course in 32 weeks completing one module every two weeks. The text contains 16 modules covering the topics of Kingdom Monera, Protista, Fungi, Chemistry of Life, The Cell, Cellular Reproduction, Mendelian Genetics, Evolution, Ecology, Invertebrates, Kingdom Plantae, and Reptiles Birds and Mammals. All tests are comprised of essay type questions and answers thus the need for memorizing and constant comprehension of the various topics.

Dr. Wile along with co-author Marilyn Durnell has provided homeschoolers with a phenomenal resource. Students not only fulfill a high school lab science requirement by completing this course, but they also grow tremendously in their ability to study independently and follow a schedule. Six years after first opening the pages of this amazing textbook I am still impressed.

High School Biology in Your Home

Not many things bring about as much dread in the hearts of young homeschool parents than the thought of being responsible for teaching high school level science courses. I remember clearly having those very same concerns, back in the day, when my oldest child was still in elementary school. As 7th grade approached I attended a homeschool conference and sat in on a convention workshop which laid most of my fears to rest. I discovered through the wisdom of the presenter that I truly would not be responsible for pouring scientific knowledge into my child, but rather a good curriculum should guide them with me as their mentor.

Understanding the concept of mentor rather than all knowing teacher is easy when you take a look at Highschool Biology In Your Home. In fact, according to author Bridget Ardoin, “That's the reason I wrote these curriculums designed for the homeschooling family. They are designed to be academically challenging for the student and parent-friendly for YOU!” Ardoin also carries High School Physical Science in the Home and High School Chemistry in the Home on her website, http://www.scienceforhighschool.com/.

Ardoin’s wealth of experience stems from a degree in microbiology obtained from Louisiana State University, being the mother of 5 and a homeschool parent for 12+ years and teaching high school level science courses in private schools and tutorially since the early 1990’s. Ardoin designed her high school level Biology course to teach students by guiding them through a process of research, dissection experimentation and discovery. It is not a typical textbook, but rather a student manual filled with questions ready to be answered. A dissecting manual is also included with microscope work or dissections to be completed on a weekly basis that support the topic being studied.

When I first looked at the text it reminded me of a blank textbook waiting for details to be filled in by the student. The student manual is divided into two semesters of work with 11 weeks of topics in the first semester and 13 weeks of topics in the second semester. An additional week is provided at the end of each semester for comprehensive study for a mid-term and final exam. Ardoin has provided a great deal of flexibility with her curriculum by only including 24 weeks of topics, allowing students the opportunity to focus on a particular topic for longer than one week if desired.

Evaluation of the weekly essay questions and experiments is easily completed by utilizing the teacher’s manual that includes an answer for all questions and samples of lab dissection descriptions and drawings for the necessary lab reports. Students are encouraged to work independently four days a week then meet with Mom or Dad for discussion on the fifth day. Keeping this sort of schedule is a great way for high school students to learn time management with their studies. Weekly or bi-weekly quizzes are included for additional evaluation along with one mid-term and a second semester final exam. Samples of the student and teacher manuals including quizzes can be viewed here http://www.scienceforhighschool.com/biosamples.shtml


High School Biology Science in Your Home retails at $79.99 for both the teacher and student manuals. Homeschool parents may choose to purchase all necessary lab supplies including prepared slides and dissecting pan and specimens for an additional $170.00. Once all supplies are in the home, biology study will come to life through research, discovery, experimenting and reporting.

All of my highschool aged students have completed their courses in Biology so our family was not able to test drive this unique curriculum per se. When my children were younger we spent several years making good use of Konos unit studies. I was pleased to note that an optional dissection activity in week three of High School Biology in Your Home was attributed to Konos and required the student to dissect a chicken leg thigh. My experience with Konos and my children is unprecedented. The messy, labor intensive, research based unit studies that consumed us during those early years provided wonderful memory anchors for information still retained 10+ years later. We didn’t just learn about the Revolutionary War, Russia or the Olympics, we lived those topics. In comparison, other traditional routes of education in the form of worksheets or standard textbook curricula left only a minor long-term impression on all of us and most of the information has long since been lost. High School Biology in the Home is like Konos science for high school aged kids. It will provide an experience for them, not just information. Through the research, hands-on dissections, discussion and finally testing, students will not just study biology, but live it.