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Please rank these Life Science/Biology programs from least rigorous to most rigorous!


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I will be teaching a group of younger teen girls next year (ages 12-15).  I doubt that any of them will have a STEM career, and most will probably not attend college, although CC or tech school is a slight possibility. NONE of them enjoys reading, and ALL of them have reading difficulties, so I need a science program that is accessible for them, meaning NOT rigorous.  It MUST be Christian rather than secular, and I definitely DO want a lab component, although I am sure they will be squeamish about dissecting. 

 

I found several helpful threads, including a "Biology.....Not rigorous, please" thread from 2010 and a "Homeschool High School Biology" thread from about a year ago (sorry, I can't link them--sometimes the WTM boards will let me post links and sometimes not, and today it's "not") those were very helpful for gleaning suggestions, but I'd like to know how these fit on the rigor continuum:

 

CLP Biology: A Search for Order and Complexity, 2nd edition

ACE Biology with DVDs

BJU Life Science (7th)

Apologia Exploring Creation with Biology, 2nd edition

Biology 101: Biology According to the Days of Creation DVDs

NOEO Biology II (Any idea when level III will be ready???)

Guest Hollow - Otter's Christian Homeschool Biology (edited CK-12 text)

Science Shepherd Life Science

Alpha Omega Biology LifePacs

Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum Biology

 

Are there any other Christian Biology/Life Science programs I should consider?  And if so, where do they fit on the continuum?

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Maybe it would be easier if you suggested *2* levels of texts, did your own thing in class and with the labs, and then assigned them to read from the text of their choice and fill in the study guide you create?  Sort of your own version of DIVE...

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CLP Biology: A Search for Order and Complexity, 2nd edition

ACE Biology with DVDs

BJU Life Science (7th)

Apologia Exploring Creation with Biology, 2nd edition

Biology 101: Biology According to the Days of Creation DVDs

NOEO Biology II (Any idea when level III will be ready???)

Guest Hollow - Otter's Christian Homeschool Biology (edited CK-12 text)

Science Shepherd Life Science

Alpha Omega Biology LifePacs

Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum Biology

 

I have a BA in biology and biochemistry and a Masters in Physical Therapy, so I will try to answer your question. I think your question about ranking these programs is a little difficult.  Are you looking for the older teens (the 15 year olds) to earn a science credit for high school?  If so, I would not use a textbook that is written for middle school, like the BJU Life Science text or the Science Shepard text.  While I think these texts are excellent, I wonder how colleges would feel about texts targeted at middle schools being used for high school? 

 

I have only used Apologia Biology, and I think it is middle of the road as far as rigor.  ACE Biology and Biology 101 look pretty light too me.  Paradigm, just from looking at their scope and sequence, looks pretty thorough in the topics they cover, but I am not sure about the depth (but it sounds like you do not need an in depth course).  I also think CLP Biology looks at least middle of the road in that they cover a great many concepts, but again, I am not certain about the depth.  I did think the text looked like there would be a great deal of reading, and I am not certain this is something you would want.

 

I need to look more at Guest Hollow's biology course, but I like the looks of it :).

 

I have not looked at the other two options.

 

I think the main thing you will want to consider is the reading level of the text.  I would also consider the scope of the text and make sure you are covering the basics. 

 

I hope this was a least a little helpful to you :).

 

 

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Science Shepherd has a nice high school biology text.  It is not as "chatty" as Apologia and not a fast paced as BJU.  We like it. 

 

Another idea might be the PAC or AOP's LifePacs because they are divided into units rather than one major text.  Some find It easier to tackle one booklet at a time rather than a whole text.  The review sections are "fill in the blank" which is something else some dc prefer.  I have not used either of these program for Biology so I cannot comment about the rigor or the material.

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You might be able to use Gravitas Press' Focus on Middle School Biology:

 

http://store.gravitaspublications.com/middle-school-grades-5-8.html

 

Although it's not supposed to be Christian, the author certainly threw in enough hints in the geology text that I'd venture to say that it might work for you. The Focus books are text-light while covering the essential points. There's a lab manual that includes a lab for each week that's easily doable at home. Some of them are pretty lame, imho (and judging from the astronomy and geology books) but they resemble what I remember doing in junior high.

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Science Sheppard's high school biology text is considered AP level and heavily jumps into biochemistry. There is nothing that would fall into the category of "light" unless you really hacked away at it and put forth quite a bit of reworking. I agree, fantastic text, but I do not think it meets the OP's intended use.

 

The Paradigm courses I have seen would fit this description, though. They cover the topics, but in much more of a user friendly fashion, though I have not seen biology.

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I think I would probably go with either Guest Hollow (I looked at it yeasterday and I think it looks fun!  I might even do it with dd next year) or PAC.  To me, CLP looks a little boring.  And I would not use a 7th grade (BJU Life science) text for those who need a high school credit.  The only one have not looked at is AOP.  This is just MHO :001_smile: .

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