raganfamily Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 I am looking for a good 9th grade Biology that is not Apologia. After viewing previous posts I saw recommendations for Khan, Miller/Levine, Campbell and Exploring Life...., Biology 101 and I think that was it. Needless to say I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. :confused: We started the year out with Biology: A Self-Teach Guide, but it seems dry and maybe should be used as a reference tool. My daughter is not a strong reader and nothing seems to be sticking. I like the idea of online labs, videos and some text. I am not strong in Science and do not feel confident in developing a plan with the self-teach guide and the free online videos that are available in. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughing lioness Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 You might like the Bio 101 because it is so visual (I have a review and give-away of it here). There is a study guide. It's not a full credit worth but you could easily do the labs from Apologia (or somewhere else) to ramp it up. In fact, most of the Apologia (and I'm sure other textbook) labs are available as YouTubes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 We are using Miller Levine Biology this year and absolutely love it! It does not have video labs though. We purchased the textbook new from Pearson and got the 5 year online access with that. The, book, TM, lab manual and tests are all available online. It also provides reviews, videos, animations and more that are made specifically to go with the text to help understanding. The online teacher tools have a steep learning curve. It is just not a user friendly interface. However, the materials are top notch and well worth it. There are at least a few of us using it that will answer questions if you need help. I'm not sure if M/L is what you are looking for because it is designed to have teacher involvement and the labs are not video based and do require some effort for a homeschooler, although I didn't have to spend much money for them (bought supplies at HST). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raganfamily Posted November 16, 2011 Author Share Posted November 16, 2011 We are using Miller Levine Biology this year and absolutely love it! It does not have video labs though. We purchased the textbook new from Pearson and got the 5 year online access with that. The, book, TM, lab manual and tests are all available online. It also provides reviews, videos, animations and more that are made specifically to go with the text to help understanding. Did you buy the new version with the parrot or use the dragonfly text. Or is there really any difference? From what I have read on other posts it is best to purchase directly from Pearson. Does that sound right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 I bought the Parrot version. When you buy new from Pearson, you can get the online resources included with it for free. This includes everything you need, TM, lab manual, worksheets, tests, as well as lots of supplemental materials. I usually buy used, but couldn't get the dragonfly book, TM & lab manual for a better price so I decided to try the new version with SuccessNet. This has to count as one of my all time best decisions! I hate the online interface, but love the resources. Ds who is not a life science kind of guy has enjoyed the class and is getting As on the tests (I use the unit tests provided rather than chapter tests which are also available). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margo out of lurking Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Bob Jones biology? Or are you looking for something secular? I'm not familiar enough with the other curriculum suggested here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkateLeft Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 We used Miller-Levine last year, with the Kolbe high school biology syllabus. My daughter was able to work almost completely independently. I just graded tests and labs. She also used the biology Labpaq. It worked beautifully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 We use this. Dd really enjoys it and it isn't too expensive. She works alone most of the time, I just have to gather equipment for the labs. It's recommended for 10th, but we're using it for 9th without a problem. [quote name=Biology: A Search for Order in Complexity, Second Edition ] Grade: 10th - 12th Text, 420 pages Science, especially biology, is one of the key flashpoints between Christianity and secularism. Mainstream science would have us believe that a purely naturalistic system of science based on evolution is an objective fact. Anything other than this is, according to mainstream science, simply unscientific propaganda. Christians, however, must beg to differ. We recognize that the universe was created by God and is sustained by Him. Our understanding of science is based on this belief. The study of science must, however, be more than just a critique evolution; it should focus on God's creation. By studying God's creation, students see God's awesome power, the beauty of His handiwork and the design reflected in every creature. As a biology textbook, Biology: A Search for Order in Complexity unashamedly teaches high school students about God’s creation. Yet, it is not, as some might say, simply “Christian propaganda.†It presents basic biology in an understandable, user-friendly manner. It has numerous color illustrations and helpful diagrams. At the same time, however, it addresses the creation vs. evolution debate, showing the weaknesses of the evolutionists’ arguments. This book has 29 chapters, divided into 10 units. In addition to the book itself, the course also includes a teacher’s manual and test packet. A supplemental student lab manual and teacher’s guide for the lab manual are also available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomsintheGarden Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 We use this. Dd really enjoys it and it isn't too expensive. She works alone most of the time, I just have to gather equipment for the labs. It's recommended for 10th, but we're using it for 9th without a problem. lionfamily, Thanks for the link! Would you mind answering a few questions about it? - Does the text have color pictures? How about the lab book? - How detailed is the teaching? Is it as wordy as Apologia (if that's possible :))? - Does the TM have explanations to help, or just answers? - How much time does it take each week? - How many labs are there? - What kind of lab supplies do you need? Did you spend a lot of time/money on them? Thanks so much! We have Apologia, and it is ok, but a bit too wordy. GardenMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 We use the Holt package from RR. It has worksheets, labs, video labs, etc. It takes a few hours a week. The text contains colored photos. There is a Teacher Manual that is more than an answer key. There are a couple of labs per chapter, but some are optional. If you already have science-stuff (microscope, petri dishes, stuff like that), then the experiments are pretty inexpensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 lionfamily, Thanks for the link! Would you mind answering a few questions about it? - Does the text have color pictures? How about the lab book? The text does, but I haven't seen any in the lab yet. There could be some... life has been hectic. - How detailed is the teaching? Is it as wordy as Apologia (if that's possible :))? My daughter does most of it on her own. In some cases she's said they go too in depth (she compared it to Saxon math), but in general she likes it. The tm reminds me of the tm for SotW. There's reading recs, videos recs &tc. It is not scripted, but it does have conversation questions and the like. - Does the TM have explanations to help, or just answers? See above. - How much time does it take each week? We have not had normal weeks lately. Dd does science three days a week. The labs can extend over days (germinating seeds in different temps for example), but she is getting just about a chapter a week done doing around one hour of reading two days a week (the third day is lab day). - How many labs are there? Enough that you can comfortably pick and choose which to do. There's at least one, most of the time two labs per chapter. - What kind of lab supplies do you need? Did you spend a lot of time/money on them? So far it's been things we have (sugar cube, markers, seeds, &tc). There are more complicated labs requiring chemicals :p We just skip those. Like I said before, some labs take days, some can take an hour. Thanks so much! We have Apologia, and it is ok, but a bit too wordy. GardenMom This could be too wordy as well. I've never seen Apologia so I can't compare the two. I have found, having moved from a secular science to this that dd is much happier reading the text and excited about what she's learning. It's definitely comprehensive. If you check out the description I posted, they want to teach all of the theories well enough that the student will not be surprised later (college). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raganfamily Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 Thank you for all the posts. I am still trying to decide. I believe I have narrowed it down to Miller/Levine, Campbell's Exploring Life or Concepts & Connections. Someone told me about Principles, Theories and Precepts of Biology. However, I have searched the threads and have not found much info on it. Somewhere I saw a post for Quarks and Quirks blog on HS Biology, and that looked good too. If anyone else has anything to add that would be wonderful. This is my first year dealing with HS curriculum. I greatly appreciate the support! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angel marie Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 we use campbell exploring life and love mostly everything about it, but i am strong in science and my son doesn't have any issues with reading etc... just attitude at times! i did tons of research on biology last year and if you don't want much involvment in it, i won't choose campbell or miller levine. you are going to have to help her at time understanding things even if there are great online resources especially if your teen has trouble with reading. campbell concepts and connections is more of a honors biology than the campbell exploring life. miller levine has language that is more simplified than campbell exploring life miller levine was too chatty for me and i felt like it was more of a junior high science book that a senior one. i'm sure others will disagree, but that is how i felt. the labs are a whole other thing and there are pros and cons for real labs and virtual. you need to pick what is important to you and if you can really to them at home. doing them in person is the best, but it may be hard for you to get the supplies needed or you may have difficulty doing them. also, some say that if your teen isn't going into a healthy related field there is really no need for them to do them in person. virtual is good enough. have you seen shephard biology? a MD homeschool dad wrote the book and it has all the labs taped for the student to go along with. you can by the kit with everything you need except the microscope from him too. it includes dissections...the works. look at his site. greg landry also does biology with "shephard biology" and has 2 day lab intensives across the country that does all the labs for the year for a typical highschool biology course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 We did not like Miller/Levine. It was very rigorous, far more than what I was looking for. I was happy with Holt Biology. I used the lesson plans from Oak Meadow and bought the textbook used on amazon for about $10. If you opt to use OM, don't bother with their lab kit. I recommend doing something else for labs because the ones that OM chose are either paper labs or craft projects. I will say that all the biology textbooks hit biochemistry pretty hard at the beginning. It will go a lot easier if your dd has already done chemistry. I will make sure that my youngest does chemistry before biology. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjarnold Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 :bigear: This is wonderful info! Thanks, all, for sharing. Tiffany Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Umm Dardaa Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 :iagree: :bigear: This is wonderful info! Thanks, all, for sharing. Tiffany Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raganfamily Posted November 20, 2011 Author Share Posted November 20, 2011 I have sorted through all of the Biology info and have created a list of weblinks that will help us with Biology. I found Campbell's Concepts and Connections for $9 and plan to use it along with the CLEP guide as my spine. With all the resources out there I think my daughter will be able to get a solid HS Biology understanding. Thanks for all the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomsintheGarden Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Thank you so much, LionFamily! I appreciate your detailed answers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSheep Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 We're using the 1 year online subscription version of the Holt/McDougal biology book (2010 edition). It costs about $20 if I remember right. It's the same book as the print student text, you just read it online. One nice feature that might be good for someone who isn't a strong reader is that it has an audio component that reads the text to you while highlighting the sentence being read. Ds likes to just listen sometimes instead of reading it himself. There are online animations, videos, labs, and study resources to go with it, as well as online "practice" quizzes that I find work just fine as grading opportunities at my house. It's a typical "textbook" kind of book, so not terribly dynamic, but it's clearly written and gets the job done. I didn't get any of the worksheets or teacher materials, but my ds is really not a worksheet kind of guy, and I haven't found that I've missed having teacher materials. If there's a question I can't answer from reading the textbook I can look up more info online and we get by just fine. For labs I got a lab kit from eScience Labs and have been very happy with it. It comes with a lab manual on disk, and you can get an instructor manual if you phone them and explain that you're a homeschooler. They were very nice and friendly about it. The labs have clear instructions and nearly everything you need is included in the kit. The only things that haven't been in there are things like water, paper towels, a spoon, and that sort of thing. The labs are high school level and relevant to the material we've been studying, and they include all the background information you need written into the student materials. We've enjoyed them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joan in GE Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 miller levine has language that is more simplified than campbell exploring life miller levine was too chatty for me and i felt like it was more of a junior high science book that a senior one. i'm sure others will disagree, but that is how i felt. Yes, last year my 11th grade ds preferred Campbell to M/L. But this year, my 8th grade dd loves M/L (Macaw version). I'd say it depends on how science-oriented your family is, age of student, whether you want a "General Bio" vs "honors", "AP", what the student will pursue for studies, etc. M/L still has a lot more info than what I had in high school and more than the Biology:Self-study guides...so would be sufficient in later grades for people who don't need an honors level text...But older kids might not like the chatty language...Good to let the student pick if you can borrow from the library.. Joan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keep the Faith Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I bought the Parrot version. When you buy new from Pearson, you can get the online resources included with it for free. This includes everything you need, TM, lab manual, worksheets, tests, as well as lots of supplemental materials. I usually buy used, but couldn't get the dragonfly book, TM & lab manual for a better price so I decided to try the new version with SuccessNet. This has to count as one of my all time best decisions! I hate the online interface, but love the resources. Ds who is not a life science kind of guy has enjoyed the class and is getting As on the tests (I use the unit tests provided rather than chapter tests which are also available). Hi, this is my first post so I hope that this comes through correctly. Could you be more specific on what exactly you ordered? I have noticed on Pearson's website that there are 3 variations of the book. I have also read that homeschoolers are having issues getting the online content. Any information you can offer will be helpful. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I followed the instruction that Handmaiden gave in this thread. Here they are: 1. Open an Oasis account (ie, purchasing account with Pearson). 2. Fill out the homeschool affidavit (linked when you open the account) 3. Wait for the confirmation email that your account has been approved. (If you don't get a confirmation within 48 hours, email them...I kept waiting and never heard back. Turns out they never got my original affidavit and I had to resubmit it. It went through within 24 hours the second time.) 4. The confirmation email will have a user id, password, and discount code on shipping if you place the order within 30 days. 5. Place your order. Be sure to have the exact ISBN number for the version of the book you want. There are many many versions! (If you're not sure, check here and here.) I ordered the student textbook (on level) with biology.com 6-year student access. ISBN: 9780133690095 6. Add the teacher access pack ISBN: 0133689964 It will show up as $299.95. Do not panic. Click on the button "Special Terms." Scroll down and click the free option (I think it was option A, but please double check.) Update your cart. Verify that the teacher's pack is now at $0. 7. Check out as usual. I received the book and the online registration information. I never contacted Pearson customer service, but had no trouble setting it up. There was one point where I think I had to enter the local high school as my school because there was no homeschool option. However, this year, they added a mobile book browser. When I went to add that, so my ds could read the book on the iPad, using the local high school wouldn't work. I sent them an email and they added my homeschool to their list. It is now there to register both the book and the rest of the online materials under. I probably should have done that the first time, but was nervous about the responses some people had, had from them in the past. Absolutely no problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keep the Faith Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Momto2Ns - Thank you so much for your reply! I very much appreciate all of the posts on these forums. Everyone's information is so helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 It's good to hear that Pearson seems to be working on customer service a bit. Is there an expiration date for the online access? Ie could you register once and use for multiple kids? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I got the 6-year access. That will cover both of my kids. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wy_kid_wrangler04 Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I don't know if its been suggested yet or not but we are using Science Shepherd Biology. I am using their life science with my 5th grader next year as well :001_smile: Here is the actual website for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I used Science Shepherd biology last year with mty 9th grader. It was a good alternative to BJU and Apologia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet Home Alabama Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 I don't know if its been suggested yet or not but we are using Science Shepherd Biology. I am using their life science with my 5th grader next year as well :001_smile: Here is the actual website for it. Would you mind sharing what you like/dislike about SS Biology? Any details about content, scheduling, tests, time spent, labs, etc would be greatly appreciated. What biology texts did you research before deciding on SS? Thanks! Anyone else... would love to hear more about SS. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 I don't know if its been suggested yet or not but we are using Science Shepherd Biology. I am using their life science with my 5th grader next year as well :001_smile: Here is the actual website for it. Would love to hear experiences with Shepherd Science :) We're looking at this Science program :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 (edited) SS worked well for us last year. It is not as rigorous as BJU and not as "chatty" as Apologia. The illustrations are not as colorful or detailed as BJU. The text is clear and concise and dd retained a great deal. We started the year with BJU. But, the material moved so fast and there was so much of it, dd was having a hard time "digesting" the information and retaining it. We previewed Apoloiga as well, but dd did not like the "chattiness" of the text. We have friends IRL who are using apologia and love it; and friends who are using BJU and loving it. But, neither was a good fit for us. SS was middle of the road. Biochemistry was certainly presented heavily but explained well. I wish it covered more in the area of A/P. It was lighter IMHO than BJU. Apologia biology does not do A/P (someone correct me if I"m wrong) so that is no comparison. I intend to do health next year, so that will overview A/P and I can fill it in more at that time. The TM was well laid out and gave a nice lesson plan. Discussion questions and answers were easy to find and use. The tests were straight foward and not at all "picky". They required thought on many and not just repeating memorized facts. I plan to use the program again with my youngest in 9th grade. Edited January 20, 2012 by HollyDay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angel marie Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 i taught exploring life this year and love it. so did my son. let me know if you have any questions about this. i did alot of research on biology options last year and have alot of info on it if you have a specific question. i have the entire course for sale if needed. angel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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