Exciting Homeschool Science Curriculum That Makes Teaching Science Easy
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If you’re looking for thorough, easy-to-understand, biblical homeschool science curriculum for elementary, middle, and high school, check out Science Shepherd.
Homeschool science curriculum options are plentiful for the lower grades but dwindle quickly by the time high school rolls around. The choices decline even more for families who want a thorough, easy-to-understand science curriculum featuring a Christian worldview.
If that describes what you’re seeking for your teen, let me introduce you to Science Shepherd.
(Psst…They offer science for elementary and middle school, too.)
Science Shepherd Homeschool Science Curriculum
Science Shepherd curriculum was developed for homeschoolers by a homeschool dad who also happens to be a medical doctor with a Bachelor of Science degree. We got the chance to review the high school biology text. Dr. Hardin achieved his goal of creating an excellent upper-level, student-directed science course that even science-phobic homeschool parents can teach with confidence.
Dr. Hardin achieved his goal of creating an excellent upper-level science course that even science-phobic homeschool parents can teach with confidence.The author of Science Shepherd Biology designed it so students can use it independently. Its clear, easy-to-understand language and short sections make it easy to read. That makes it perfect for students who are overwhelmed by a sea of text.
The parent guide is equally perfect for parents who get overwhelmed by upper-level science courses – or those who want to keep up with what their teens are learning without doing the course alongside them. I love it! The parent guide is like the Cliff’s Notes companion to the science text.
Science Shepherd Biology Parent Guide
The parent guide starts with my favorite part of any teacher’s manual – a suggested schedule for the entire course. The suggested schedule follows a 36-week school year, 5-day school week with nearly every week including a study/catch-up day.
Following the schedule is the answer key for all the study questions for each chapter. Next, are the test answer keys. Then, comes one of the most exciting features I’ve seen in a homeschool curriculum parent guide – the part that makes it the Cliff’s Notes companion to the course.
It’s the Parent Companion, and it includes:
- An overview of each chapter
- A breakdown of each chapter by section with the main points for each
- A topic question and answer for each part to help you gauge your student’s understanding of the material (These questions are not in the student text. They’re solely for helping you check your student’s comprehension.)
- The Christian perspective behind the concepts students are learning
Biology – Homeschool Science Curriculum for High School
For students, the Science Shepherd Biology course includes hardback textbook, lab manual, and test booklet. You can also choose a digital version which includes some nifty features like the ability to highlight text and add notes.
Textbook
The textbook features:
- Reader-friendly font size (It may show my age that I noticed that. Whatever the case, I appreciated it, and I know that my dyslexic kids would have when they took biology.)
- Full-color photos and illustrations
- Numerous charts and diagrams to support text lessons
- Bold print terms and vocabulary with a glossary at the end of each chapter
A huge plus to me is that photos, graphics, and short sections (each featuring bold print headings) break up most pages in the textbook. Each of my kids found books that had pages crammed with text overwhelming and hard to digest.
Lots of images, illustrations, and white space make Science Shepherd Biology user-friendly while still covering each topic comprehensively.
Lab Manual
The lab manual is more than just a place for students to record experiments. It starts with a materials list so that you don’t have to flounder around to pull together supplies last-minute.
Next is a section explaining to students how to accurately record experiments and keep a notebook of their findings. Then, there are instructions on how to make good lab drawings. I never really thought to explain that to my kids. But the lab manual underscores the importance of illustrated descriptions and ensures that even not-so-artsy students know how to render an easily-understood, labeled drawings. Finally, the text explains the scientific method and its importance.
Each experiment in the lab manual lists the materials needed, gives a helpful introduction, and clearly explains the procedure step by step. There are illustrations to help students fully understand the lesson and experiment, along with critical thinking questions to ensure comprehension.
Video Course
If you’ve got a student who learns well with a lecture-style approach, check out Science Shepherd’s optional video courses. The video biology course features textbook author Dr. Hardin teaching through the material. There are several components of the video courses that I think you’ll really appreciate.
First, it’s not a video of Dr. Hardin reading the textbook. The lecture follows along very closely with the textbook but is not read verbatim. He teaches the course. I found it interesting that Dr. Hardin does something I always did when I taught my kids – he defines potentially unfamiliar words as he goes.
Second, the course is laid out to follow the suggested weekly lesson plans exactly. That makes planning super simple. I love super simple!
Third, the study questions are included in the video course as interactive quizzes. That’s a fantastic way for your kids to check their comprehension before taking the chapter quizzes.
Finally, the labs are included in the video courses, too – but your teens still have to complete them. They are presented as slides explaining the process and the conclusion. I like that because, you know, sometimes it’s nice to make sure the experiment went the way it was supposed to. {ahem}
Science Shepherd is an excellent homeschool science curriculum resource for Christian homeschooling families. Visit the Science Shepherd website to view sample video courses or download samples of the biology textbook and other courses and materials.
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Kris Bales is a newly-retired homeschool mom and the quirky, Christ-following, painfully honest founder (and former owner) of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. She has a pretty serious addiction to sweet tea and Words with Friends. Kris and her husband of over 30 years are parents to three amazing homeschool grads. They share their home with three dogs, two cats, a ball python, a bearded dragon, and seven birds.
My non-science kids LOVE Science Shepherd!!
Thank you for this review. We are a long way off from needing high school materials but it’s nice to know there is another option.
Thanks for this! I love what I see with this course but I’ve been hesitant because my student is easily overwhelmed. Sounds like SS could be a good fit.