High School Biology from The Good and the Beautiful is a lab course designed for Christian students studying independently. The course consists of six workbooks, the High School Biology Tests & Quizzes book, and several free, online components: The Wonders of Life textbook, lesson videos, lab videos, and the High School Biology Answer Key. In addition to online access, students will need colored pencils, a microscope with at least 400x magnification, and supplies for the labs.
Titles of the six units are:
- The Wonders of Life
- The Wonders of Botany
- The Wonders of Marine Biology
- The Wonders of the Animal Kingdom, Part 1
- The Wonders of the Animal Kingdom, Part 2
- The Wonders of the Human Body
The units should be used in order since they build upon one another, and lessons are numbered sequentially through the six units. Like most high-school biology courses, this course begins with the cellular level and works up to larger organisms. The first unit lays the groundwork by covering topics such as the characteristics of life, classifications, and chemistry in relation to life science.
Workbooks
The six workbooks vary in length from 56 to 78 pages and have layflat bindings, which make it easier for students to write in them. Course instructions are at the beginning of the Unit 1 Workbook, and the step-by-step lessons have checkboxes for students to mark as they complete each part. Workbooks occasionally include material to read, but most reading is from the online textbook. As students read the textbook and occasionally watch a video, they are to write notes in their workbooks, filling in graphic organizers provided for that purpose. Students are told that they can use their notes during tests, so writing accurate and complete notes will be of great benefit to them when they take tests.
Notetaking pages have students fill in blanks for words or phrases, complete graphic organizers, write definitions, label diagrams, and answer questions in various formats (matching columns, true/false, single word, etc.). Lab instructions are included in the workbooks, along with formatted lab report pages. As with other courses from The Good and the Beautiful, pages are formatted with lots of variety in design. While I find the variety appealing, in this case, it might make it more challenging for students to study their notes.
Parents are told that they don’t need to check workbook notes and answers, but I think it would be useful to do so, at least through the first unit, to ensure that students fill them in with correct information. The instructions from page XI of the Unit 1 Workbook, which I have copied below, make it sound like answers are always obvious in the textbook, but I did not find that to be the case.
You do not need to check over all answers in the daily workbook note-taking guides, but you may choose to periodically check to ensure your student is completing the workbook notes thoroughly and neatly, as they will be referring back to the workbook during quizzes and tests, unless you opt for them not to use notes. All answers to workbook questions come directly from the daily Wonders book readings. If the student has read the book, they should be able to fill out the notes. There are no trick questions. You will give points for complete and neat notes for each unit workbook, but you do not need to check the answers. If you do wish to see the answers, they are included in your downloadable High School Biology Answer Key.
The Wonders of Life Textbook
The textbook provides most of the instructional material. It is available only online in a proprietary format--you can’t download or copy it. Every lesson is accessed with a different code, which is found at the beginning of each workbook lesson. The textbook features plentiful photos and illustrations within a graphically pleasing layout and covers content similar to that of most high school biology textbooks.
The course stresses care for the environment, and there are specific lessons on conservation and ecology. Regarding touchy subjects, Lesson 111 on human reproduction is tastefully handled within a biblical context, but it still includes the following caution in the workbook: “Let your parent or teacher know that you have reached the lesson about human reproduction. Ask your parent or teacher if they would like to discuss the lesson with you and leave time to do so if desired.” Lesson 93 on “Theories of Origins and Adaptations” has a similar suggestion to consult a parent or teacher at the beginning of the workbook lesson. That lesson presents various views, including evolution, but it clearly leans toward creationism and spends time delineating young-earth and old-earth perspectives.
The course occasionally adds non-denominational Christian commentary. As stated on page X of the Unit 1 Workbook:
The Good and the Beautiful curriculum is written from a nondenominational Christian viewpoint and takes a neutral stance on matters of doctrine that vary among denominations, including such matters as the specifics of the origins of life and age of the earth. This allows all families to use this course and add in their specific beliefs.
Vocabulary words are highlighted in the textbook. Interesting details are sometimes presented in sidebar boxes titled “Did You Know?” Occasionally, word origins, vocabulary terms, and medical terminology are also presented in small call-out boxes. And once in a while, a question for students to ponder is posed on one page, with the answer supplied on the next. Aside from that, all questions and assignments are found in the workbooks.
Videos
Twenty-two videos are included within the course, and each one might apply to several lessons. Videos run about 15 minutes, and they feature beautiful film footage with an onscreen narrator. While videos address the topics covered in the online textbook and workbooks, they use entirely different presentations. The video transcript is available on the same screen as the video screen, but students really need to watch the videos to see what the speaker is discussing to get the full benefit. The workbook usually includes a chart for students to fill in before, during, and after they watch each video.
Labs
The course has 11 labs, and each lab is demonstrated on a video. In some situations, viewing the video might suffice rather than doing the lab work, but most students should complete all lab activities. Watching the lab videos is optional. Step-by-step, illustrated lab instructions are in the workbooks, along with a lab report page.
As mentioned at the beginning, students need a microscope. Lesson 4 directs students to watch the video “Choosing and Using a Microscope,” and parents might want to watch this before beginning the course.
While labs require a few specialized items, the large majority are household items and others that are easily accessible.
At least one lesson prior to each lab, a reminder appears in the workbook lesson to gather any needed supplies. Some labs that require unusual items provide reminders further in advance.
Quizzes and Tests
High School Biology Tests & Quizzes has a mid-unit quiz and a final test for each unit, plus a final exam. Quizzes might have fewer than 10 questions, presented in various formats, such as multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, label-an-illustration, and full-sentence. All tests consist primarily of multiple-choice questions with only a few exceptions; unit tests have 18 to 48 questions, while the final exam has 104. The High School Biology Tests & Quizzes book includes a record-keeping page for recording scores.
The PDF High School Biology Answer Key has answers to quiz and test questions, as well as the information students should have recorded in their workbooks.
Summary
High School Biology from The Good and The Beautiful is an academically challenging lab course that makes good use of digital components both to reduce the cost of the course and employ multimedia teaching techniques. Many homeschoolers will also appreciate that it allows students to work independently at their own pace.