Our family has come across some high school-level biology courses that have prepared our sons well for college. However, we wanted to share a video-based option that helps families in tackling this often challenging subject. We’re excited to share a high school biology course that not only provides quality, self-paced instruction (with labs and dissections!), but also includes automatic grading of quizzes and exams — and is taught from a Christian worldview. That course? Experience Biology.
NOTE: Lesson plans for this course are provided in our High School Lessons: Truth Trek One program, which provides plans for a full year of study in biology, American history, American literature/composition, foreign language, math, and electives (Bible, health, and government).
If you find yourself lacking adequate time to provide one-on-one instruction in biology or if you’re intimidated by the idea of coaching your student through labs and dissections, or if you just don’t feel comfortable with teaching high school-level lab sciences in general, Experience Biology from Journey Homeschool Academy provides an entire year of video instruction covering the following biology concepts (along with historical and biblical connections as appropriate):
- Cytology
- Cellular metabolism
- Life cycle of the cell
- Genetics
- Bacteria & viruses
- Kingdom protista
- Kingdom fungi
- Kingdom plantae
- Kingdom animalia, including worms, cnidarians & echinoderms, phylum mollusca, phylum arthropoda, and phylum chordata
- Human anatomy
- Introduction to ecology
Each lesson includes…
- two to three instructional videos introducing biology concepts, along with a corresponding reading assignment from a science textbook (The Riot and the Dance)
- a quiz (which is automatically graded)
- a few research questions
- and a hands-on laboratory assignment along with lab videos (including dissections of seven animals).
Before starting the course, students are taught valuable study techniques and note-taking skills that may be used for any subject.
The course also provides a Student Guidebook which includes diagrams to label and outlines to use as they learn to take notes throughout the year. (Parents are provided with a Student Guidebook Answer Key.)
Instructional lab videos walk students through using a microscope to examine microscopic organisms, conducting lab experiments, dissecting several specimens including an earthworm, a sea star, a sea anemone, a clam, a crayfish, a dogfish shark, and a pig. Students who are squeamish under such circumstances have the option of watching the dissection and recording their own observations in the Student Lab Guide. The Lab Guide includes step-by-step instructions for lab activities and assists students in keeping a laboratory notebook and writing formal lab reports.
With Experience Biology, parents don’t need to explain concepts or lead dissections, although the course does lend itself to family discussion. Concepts are explained thoroughly by the online instructors, and sample lab reports and answer keys are provided for all assignments. The course provides flexibility and encourages independence as students work at their own pace within the comfort of their home. And the program helps students think critically about how the Bible and science address evolutionary theory, which they’ll encounter throughout their lives.
All Level B (middle school) and Level C (high school) courses are a one-year subscription which starts when the course is activated in the parent’s dashboard. So… if you purchase now, you can wait until the fall to actually begin the course.
Try a free lesson… and more!
Test drive a free lesson! Click here to preview Lesson 1: What Is Biology? and Lesson 12: Bacteria and Viruses (along with a download of a student packet which includes the lesson’s outlines, quiz, research questions, and lab instructions).
In addition to Experience Biology, Journey Homeschool Academy offers high-school level courses in chemistry, physics, physical science, astronomy, and New Testament studies. Preview lessons from each of these courses below:
- Experience Chemistry,
- Experience Physics
- Experience Astronomy
- Physical Science Explored PLUS
- Equipped! New Testament
Also be sure to check out the following middle school and elementary courses. You can preview all the courses by clicking here.
One-year courses for middle school:
Lifetime courses for Elementary (activation begins immediately with no expiration date)
Also sign up to be notified of the free 8-week courses this summer, Backyard Bugs and Summer Stargazing for Families!
Money Back Guarantee!
All Level B (middle school) and Level C (high school) courses are a one-year subscription which starts when the course is activated in the parent’s dashboard. So… if you purchase now, you can wait until the fall to actually activate the course for your student.
Journey Homeschool Academy offers a Fabulous Fit promise. They offer a 100% money-back, happiness guarantee within 30 days of the start of the course OR 6 months from purchase date (whichever comes first).
