Guest Hollow’s High School Biology course uses a free online textbook and workbook, but you still need to borrow or buy several other books and lab resources. The course is based upon the free, online CK-12 Biology textbook (available through a Creative Commons license). Secular homeschoolers can use the text as is and follow most of the course schedule, but Guest Hollow has edited the textbook to make it suitable for those who prefer to teach a creationist perspective. To that end, they removed references to evolution. They also eliminated the text’s coverage of human anatomy since Guest Hollow has published a separate human anatomy course. Beyond removing content, they have added or enhanced several of the textbook’s features: links to videos, additional content (including some that is Christian and some that is humorous), definitions of vocabulary words at the beginning of each chapter, new pictures and illustrations, and Latin and Greek word root “alerts.”
Workbook assignments are shown at the beginning of each chapter of the Guest Hollow textbook, several videos are inserted within the chapters, and reading assignments at the end of chapters include links to books available online. The original CK-12 textbook includes occasional videos, but fewer than the Guest Hollow version, and it lacks the correlated reading assignments.
The Guest Hollow Biology textbook includes end-of-chapter questions but no answer key. There are plenty of questions in the workbook, so this might be irrelevant. Still, you can access answers to questions in the original textbook in the free CK-12 Biology Teacher’s Guide even though some questions and answers won’t match up.
CK-12 Biology also has a free online workbook that Guest Hollow has edited to align with their version of the textbook. The edited 294-page workbook has questions in various formats, critical reading (reading material followed by questions), and writing assignments, such as “Describe the main functions of each of the four classes of organic compounds. Look under the section of your textbook titled ‘The Significance of Carbon’ for the answers” (Lesson 2.1). The Guest Hollow version adds extra help, such as the guidance for where to look for the answer in the sample writing assignment I just quoted, and it has added full-color illustrations. An answer key is at the back of the book.
The original CK-12 Biology also has a free teacher’s manual. While Guest Hollow says you don’t need it, you can access it if you want to. Similarly, there are tests for the original textbook, Guest Hollow did not create their own. Free quizzes created by parents are available in the biology curriculum users group, and you can draw test questions from the tests for the original textbook.
The course follows a typical biology course outline. It begins with introductory matter and a few weeks on chemistry (e.g., biochemical reactions). Then it proceeds from the cellular level up through the various kingdoms (e.g., protista, fungi, plantae, and animalia). Several weeks are spent on genetics, DNA, RNA, chromosomes, genes, mutations, and human inheritance, culminating with a week on cloning.
The content is rigorous but should be manageable for average students.
The Schedule
The schedule is a critical component of Guest Hollow’s course because it ties together the textbook and workbook with labs and a wealth of other resources. The free online schedule shows what is to be done each day of the week, and it includes links directly to lesson material, lab activities, online reading, etc. when they are available free online. You also have the option to purchase two printable versions of the schedule as a PDF and an editable Microsoft Word® doc. The PDF version is easily printed, and the editable schedule allows you to add and subtract from the schedule since you certainly won’t be doing everything listed on it.
The most essential activities are first on the schedule for each week, followed by lab options. Other options follow under the headings “Apologetics and Creation Science” and “Other Resources.” Creationist resources under the first section are optional even though scheduled. Other creationist options show up under Other Resources, along with secular options like the Biology Coloring Workbook, BrainPOP videos, printable activities, TED-Ed videos, and activities and games from McHenry’s book on cells.
Scheduled Books
Several books, videos, and activities are scheduled along with the textbook and workbook, although you might not use all of them. The first four are creationist books. Notice that many of the books are available free online. The scheduled books and videos are:
- The New Answers Book 1 by Ken Ham and Bodie Hodge (free online)
- The New Answers Book 2 by Ken Ham and Bodie Hodge (free online)
- Evolution Exposed: Biology by Roger Patterson (free online)
- The Lie: Evolution by Ken Ham (free online)
- Biology Coloring Workbook by The Princeton Review
- A World in a Drop of Water: Exploring with a Microscope by Alvin Silverstein and Virginia Silverstein (free online)
- All in a Drop: How Antony van Leeuwenhoek Discovered an Invisible World by Lori Alexander
- Enzymes in Action by Melvin Berger (free online)
- The Cartoon Guide to Genetics by Larry Gonick and Mark Wheelis (free online)
- Bacteria: Staph, Strep, Clostridium, and Other Bacteria by Judy Wearing (free online)
- Archaea: Salt-Lovers, Methane-Makers, Thermophiles, and Other Archaeans by David M. Barker (free online)
- Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas by Cheryl Bardoe (free online)
- Cells: An Introduction to the Anatomy and Physiology of Animal Cells, 2nd edition by Ellen McHenry
- Life: Season 1 video series
- Planet Earth video series
Other Optional Resources
The recommended booklist adds many more optional, unscheduled books and videos you might consider. A few examples of these are:
- The Genesis of Germs by Alan L. Gillen (Christian)
- Evolution vs. God video (free online)
- Biology 101 video series
- The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton (free online)
- Fantastic Voyage by Isaac Asimov
- Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson (free online)
- How Carrots Won the Trojan War: Curious (but True) Stories of Common Vegetables by Rebecca Rupp
- Bitten: True Medical Stories of Bites and Stings by Pamela Nagami, M.D.
- Gifted Hands by Ben Carson, M.D.
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
- Wicked Plants by Amy Stewart
Labs
The lab options give homeschoolers plenty of room to adapt to their own budgets, goals, and schedules. Some weeks have no labs, and others offer several options.
The Lab and Activities Supply List provides two main options, the first is based on the free online book, Illustrated Guide to Home Biology Experiments: All Lab, No Lecture, and the second is based on a collection of lab activities under the heading Guest Hollow Labs. For the lessons related to cells, there are several activities from Ellen McHenry’s Cells (one of the required books). Note that Week 4 uses only activities from Cells.
Those who want to create a serious lab with equipment and supplies might prefer the first option, the Illustrated Guide to Home Biology Experiments: All Lab, No Lecture. To do many of labs in this book, you probably need to purchase the kit that is available for about $250.
Guest Hollow labs are usually less sophisticated than the first option. They are an assortment of online labs that can be done with minimal equipment, kits you can purchase (e.g., Chemistry of Food Experiment Kit, Soil Testing Kit, The Magic School Bus: The World of Germs Science Kit, and Advanced Dissection Kit), and a few that require unusual items. For instance, Week 14’s lab for making a gel electrophoresis apparatus requires stainless steel wire, alligator clip leads, agarose powder, and a graduated cylinder, along with baking soda, food dyes, and other household items.
Parents can choose which lab option to use or pick and choose from both. Microscope activities are included in both options, but they can be skipped if you don’t have access to a microscope.
The course includes four PDF pages of lab writeup templates/graphic organizers for students to record and analyze lab work. Still, some parents might prefer that students use a plain notebook or write up reports on a computer.
Choices
Students will not have time to read all of the required and optional books and watch all the videos, so I would hold off getting optional books and videos until you get a feel for how much your teen can manage. Keep in mind that the weeks with lighter schedules and those with no labs might be used for additional reading or viewing videos.
The flexibility of this course makes it workable for a wide range of students, and the incorporation of videos, intriguing books, and lots of lab activities should keep it interesting. Its adaptability to present either a creationist or evolutionary point of view is an important feature, although it will work best for those choosing the creationist approach and using the Guest Hollow version of CK-12 Biology. Although it isn’t part of the course design, students would benefit from reading sections on creation and evolution from both textbooks and evaluating the evidence and interpretations.
Parents need to supervise labs and check work, but students should be able to work through the lesson material and videos on their own. However, the course could also be used for a group class.
Summary
The original CK-12 Biology textbook presents solid coverage of biology from an evolutionary point of view. Guest Hollow’s adaptation of the textbook transforms it into an excellent course for creationists, and their added videos, books, and lab options make it outstanding.
