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Ladies,

I am so excited that we are to the time of year when we begin sharing "sneak peeks" from our upcoming new guide! It is thrilling for us to officially be in the high school years with our guides now! It is our prayer that we will be able to write the guides in such a way that students who go through all 4 high school HOD guides will have everything needed for graduation and college entrance (with the exception of Physical Education).

The target age range for our new World History guide will be ages 14-16, extending up through 12th grade with adjustments in the 3R's and science as needed. It is important to note that only those 14 year olds who have first come up through the HOD World Geography guide should attempt the World History guide. All other 14 year olds would be better served by beginning with either the HOD World Geography guide or Missions to Modern Marvels guide. Our own 14 year old is currently using and enjoying the World Geography guide this year for his freshman year of high school.

After having our oldest son go through high school without the benefit of having HOD guides written for his level, I cannot tell you what a blessing it has been for me to have the HOD World Geography guide written for my next child in line (who is using it as a freshman this year)! I am a less frazzled and more sane momma/teacher with my HOD guide in hand than I was with my older son (who had to endure my less than polished sketchy, chicken scratch type plans).

With our oldest son graduating from high school this year, my husband and I will have a college freshman, a sophomore in high school, and two younger sons at our house this coming school year. Since our own high school sophomore will be in need of the new World History guide, I am eagerly anticipating this guide as much (or more) than many of you!

For our first "sneak peek", I wanted to begin by reiterating the thoughts I shared last year about high school science. Sharing a bit about our overall science plan for high school will help better explain our selection for science for the World History guide. Our continuing overall plan at this time is to recommend the following sequence for science in high school:

Freshman: Integrated Physics and Chemistry
Sophomore: Biology including anatomy in the course (with Health as an additional semester course credit sophomore year)
Junior: Chemistry
Senior: Possibly Physics or another more specific science not already covered

While you can certainly follow a different science path if desired, this particular sequence does have its advantages. Since many states and colleges require some sort of physical science on the high school transcript (along with biology and chemistry), it is wise to consider how to gain the needed physical science credit (whether the student takes physics or not). Keeping in mind that not all future careers require students to take physics, taking an Integrated Physics and Chemistry course as a freshman fulfills the physical science requirement and frees the student from having to take physics (unless desired) later.

This science path also allows students the option, during their senior year, of taking a field-related science (i.e. marine biology, advanced chemistry, anatomy, advanced biology, etc.) instead of physics. So, we like the options that the particular science sequence we've listed above offers, as it allows for science decisions to be made as the child progresses through high school and gains a better idea of what he/she may be doing in the future. For those who are unsure of their future career path, the science sequence we've listed above will provide the student with a solid science path that will be excellent preparation for any field.

Our plan at this time is to offer each of the sciences scheduled in the HOD guides as a full credit with a lab component (so that each science can be listed as a lab science on the transcript).

As far as specific curriculum selections for science go, for the upcoming World History guide, we will schedule School of Tomorrow (formerly ACE) Biology. While this may seem like a surprising selection, we actually chose this particular text because it is written (and colorfully illustrated) in quite a narrative, living way. Biology is such a terminology-rich subject area that biology texts can often quickly become paragraph upon paragraph of terms defined and supported with facts following facts. This often results in very dense reading with less than stellar retention. The writing in School of Tomorrow Biology has quite a few facets that mesh well with Charlotte Mason's definition of a living book. While I would never go so far as to say that the School of Tomorrow Biology is a true living book, I would say that it comes closer to attaining that feel than any other biology text that we previewed. Our oldest son, who is used to a very CM living books education, used and thoroughly enjoyed School of Tomorrow's Biology for his sophomore year.

The School of Tomorrow Biology course contains 12 readable paces (or booklets), each with 30 pages of biology related topics. The font-size of the pages makes reading easier on the eyes and the text is illustrated with colorful diagrams, drawings, and photographs. The paces are written in a God-honoring way that truly brings the wonder of God's creation to life! I really appreciate the fact that anatomy is included as a part of this biology course. This is not true of many biology courses, and often students must take a separate anatomy course to receive this type of coverage.

Another component that really helps bring this course to life is the corresponding DVDs that are available for each pace (or booklet). These DVDs include professionally done film footage for each segment in the pace. This footage can be of animals in motion, plants in their environment, photographs, charts, diagrams, or labs being performed. The footage is not of lectures performed in front of a class, which makes these DVDs much different from other DVD based programs. Another benefit is that the "text" of the DVD closely mirrors the text from the paces, meaning that the student is free to just watch the DVDs without feeling the need to take notes. This also means that for families who cannot afford to purchase the DVD option, the course can still be completed without the DVDs. However, I do think from our own experience that the DVDs greatly enhance the student's enjoyment of the course! Headings and subheadings from the Table of Contents for the 12 paces are as follows:

Biology Pace 1: Birds
Feathers (Types, Structure, Special Purposes, Growth)
Major Body Structures (Wings, Feet, Legs, Beaks)
Major Body Systems (Digestive, Reproductive, Respiratory, Circulatory, Skeletal, Nervous Systems)
Bird Groups (Flightless, Preying, Game, Water, and Songbirds)

Biology Pace 2: Mammals
Characteristics of Mammals (Hair, Limbs and Movement, Major Body Systems, Migration, Hibernation)
Types of Mammals (Monotremes, Marsupials, Placentals)
Importance of Mammals (Human Use of Mammals and Natural Order)

Biology Pace 3: Fish, Amphibians, and Reptiles
Fish (Lampreys, Hagfish, Sharks, Rays, Skates, and Bony Fish)
Amphibians (Caecilians, Salamanders, Toads and Frogs)
Reptiles (Snakes and Lizards, Tortoises and Turtles, Crocodiles and Alligators, Tuatara, and Dinosaurs)

Biology Pace 4: Sponges, Coelenterates, Mollusks, and Echinoderms
Sponges (Characteristics, Body Structures, Reproduction)
Coelenterates (Characteristics, Body Structures, Body Functions, Types)
Mollusks (Characteristics, Body Structures, Body Systems, Types)
Echinoderms

Biology Pace 5: Worms and Arthropods
Segmented Worms (Earthworms, Marine Worms, Leeches)
Flatworms (Planarians, Tapeworms, Flukes)
Roundworms
Arthropods (Spiders, Other Arachnids, Crabs, Lobsters, and Shrimp, Centipedes and Millipedes, and Insects)

Biology Pace 6: Plants
The Plant Kingdom (Characteristics, Importance, Classification)
Vascular Plants (Seed Plants, Spore-forming Plants)
Vascular Plant Structures (Leaves, Stems, Roots, Flowers, Seeds and Fruit)
Nonvascular Plants (Mosses and Liverworts)

Biology Pace 7: Microorganisms
Kingdom Protista (Algae, Protozoans, Fungus-like Protists)
Kingdom Fungi
Kingdom Monera (Microscope, Cytology, Bacteria, Viruses)

Biology Pace 8: Man - Skin, Skeleton, and Muscles
Integumentary System (Skin Layers, Skin functions, Lymphatic System, Hair and Nails)
Skeletal System (Bone Functions, Bone Types, Bone Structure, Cartilage, Bone Growth, Joints and Ligaments)
Muscular System (Muscle Structure and Muscle Action)

Biology Pace 9: Man - Nerves, Circulation, and Respiration
Nervous System (Central Nervous System, Peripheral Nervous System, Somatic and Autonomic Nervous Systems, Sensory Organs, and Drugs)
Circulatory System (Heart, Blood Vessels, and Blood)
Respiratory System

Biology Pace 10: Man - Nutrition and Growth
Digestive System (Digestion, Alimentary Canal, Nutrients, Vitamins and Minerals and Food Groups)
Excretory System (Sweat Glands and Kidneys)
Endocrine System (Pituitary Gland, Thyroid and Parathyroid Glands, Gonads, islets of Langerhans, and Adrenal Glands)

Biology Pace 11: Man - Reproduction, Genetics, and Embryology
Reproduction (God's Design, Man's Corruptions, Results of Man's Corruptions, Cure for Man's Corruptions)
Genetics (Heredity, Applied Genetics, Mutations, Genetics and Evolution, Genetics and Environment)
Embryology (Embryonic Growth and Experimental Embryology)

Biology Pace 12: Ecology and Conservation
Environment and Habitat (Creation - A Perfect Environment, The Flood, Biomes, Ecological Succession)
Ecology (Abiotic Factors, Biotic Factors, Limiting Factors)
Modern Environmental Problems (Depletion of Nonrenewable Resources, Pollution, and Endangered Species)

We plan to use all 12 paces of the text and to use the accompanying activity books as a follow-up to the readings. These activity books utilize matching, underlining, multiple choice, true/false, categorizing, fill-in-the-blank, vocabulary, and short answer type questions. While these types of questions do not necessarily stretch the student into deeper more critical thinking; they do help students capture, organize, categorize, and ultimately better retain the dense and vocabulary rich subject matter that is part of a course in Biology. Often deeper more critical thinking can be drawn out after a student has gained more familiarity with a subject's content, making this a goal well-suited for more advanced coursework later in Biology. I will say that the labs on the DVDs do get students thinking more deeply about what they have read.

We plan for science to take approximately 60 min. or less each day in our World History guide (with potentially longer days for labs).

School of Tomorrow's Biology does include complete labs performed on DVD. Through excellent camera footage, students gain up-close views of dissections, microscopic views of other lab work, and you-are-there viewing sessions utilizing all sorts of lab equipment that make the biology labs interesting and memorable. Students complete lab sheets as they watch each lab being performed. Parents may desire to have their students complete a more traditional lab report that focuses on the scientific method (more similar to the "Science Lab Forms" contained in our previous HOD guides) in lieu of the lab sheets included in the School of Tomorrow program. Skill-wise, as far as math goes, a certain level of math proficiency is not required in order to complete the labs in this course. An additional bonus is that if you are unable to purchase the full set of DVDs for use with the course, a separate lab only DVD is available for purchase with the text only version of the course.

Lab Experiments:
Pace 1 Labs: Birds
Lab 1: Introduction to Biology Research
Lab 2: Incubation of a Chicken Egg
Pace 2 Labs: Mammals
Lab 1: Introduction to Dissection
Lab 2: Dissection of A Bullfrog (Part 1)
Pace 3: Fish, Amphibians, and Reptiles
Lab 1: Dissection of a Bullfrog (Part 2)
Lab 2: Dissection of a Bullfrog (Part 3)
Pace 4: Coelenterates, Mollusks, and Echinoderms
Lab 1: Perch Dissection
Lab 2: Starfish Dissection
Pace 5: Worms and Arthropods
Lab 1: Earthworm Dissection
Lab 2: Crayfish Dissection
Pace 6: Plants
Lab 1: Photoperiodism
Lab 2: Photosynthesis
Pace 7: Microorganisms
Lab 1: Use of Wet-Mount Microscope Slides
Lab 2: Use of Dry-Mount Microscope Slides
Pace 8: Skin, Skeleton, and Muscles
Lab 1: Fetal Pig Dissection (Part 1)
Lab 2 Fetal Pig Dissection (Part 2)
Pace 9: Nerves, Circulation, and Respiration
Lab 1: Blood Typing
Lab 2: Lung Demonstration
Pace 10: Nutrition and Growth
Lab 1: Effects of Enzymes in Digestion
Lab 2: Food Nutrient Analysis
Pace 11: Genetics and Embryology
Lab 1: Mitosis
Lab 2: Genetic Concepts
Lab 3: Genetic Engineering
Pace 12: Ecology and Conservation
Lab 1: Air Pollution Tests
Lab 2: Water Pollution Tests

The labs can simply be watched as a part of the coursework; however, if you desire your student to work along with some of the labs you can choose to have your student do that using the "Apologia Biology Dissection Kit" from hometrainingtools.com. This kit includes the following specimens: frog, perch, crayfish, and worm (all of which are dissected as a part of School of Tomorrow's Biology as well). Students can just follow along with the School of Tomorrow DVD labs and dissect along with the instructor for those labs. Specimens do expire (lasting about 9 months). They are not in formaldehyde, making the specimens have less of an odor. All specimens can be disposed of in the household garbage. We would not encourage you to do the starfish dissection, as it is easy to cut yourself on that particular lab. The fetal pig dissection could also be performed if desired along with the DVD lab; however that lab moves fairly quickly through the dissection, so you would have to be willing to pause a lot as you go. A fetal pig specimen can be ordered separately at hometrainingtools.com.

If you desire your student to gain physical experience with a microscope, you could consider adding either the "Apologia Biology Microscope Kit" or the "Microscope Starter Kit" from hometrainingtools.com. Both will require the use of a microscope, which you can also purchase from http://www.hometrainingtools.com. The labs in School of Tomorrow's Biology do include microscope work on DVD, meaning that you are not required to purchase a microscope unless you desire to do so. If your child is not destined for a biology related field, you could consider simply having your child watch the labs and record results without the aid of working along with the lab kits. This is how the labs will be scheduled within our guide.

As always, if preferred, you may choose an alternate science route than that offered within the HOD guide without affecting the flow of your day. At HOD, we desire to offer a different science path than is typically offered other places and to provide a more CM living type approach (while still covering our science bases) for those who want that type of approach. We also strive to honor our Creator through our chosen materials. We've seen the benefit of this type of science education with our own boys, and have boys with a fascination for science and a love for nature and living things. Our boys often use this passion to pursue experimenting and scientific thinking in their free time! We pray your students will love science this way as well.

Blessings,
Carrie

Woo hoo the sneak peaks are here!! I really appreciate the science sequence and that all the "required" things at least for our state are covered in the first 3 years and then you can target the senior year towards the students interest.

I really like the ACE Biology and I have heard good things about it. I also like that we don't have to do the dissections and can just watch the DVD. For my ds who is very sensitive to that type of thing he will watch the DVD labs for dissection and I imagine we will do live microscope work.

Thank you so much Carrie for all the work you put into each guide and the prayer and time that goes into each choice. I imagine this year it has been even more difficult to find time to research for the new guide so I just want to make sure you know how much I appreciate you allowing God to use you to bless so many families.

That looks like a wonderful science selection for Biology. I don't want to think about (yet) how much all those wonderful materials (with the microscope and everything) must cost, but then the things learned would be well worth it!

Yay! I'm so excited to get a sneak peek!!

I know I have many years to go before I get to this guide, but I feel so much peace in knowing that our course is set and I won't have to stress about homeschooling the high school years.

Thank you Carrie for all the hard work you put into each and every one of your guides!

Sneak Peek time! Exciting! I'm trying to get a glimpse of these at CBD. I'm wondering, because I've never looked at PACEs before, if these are consumable, or if they are going to be able to used by later children? Obviously the DVDs could be reused, but are the PACEs themselves and the activity books consumable? So far I like what I see. I'm an English nut, so science is not my thing. I've been very afraid of Apologia because it just looks overwhelming. Glad to see there is a good alternative.

Blessings.

Thank you Carrie for posting so much about the much anticipated future guide. And am so glad that you have stuck with living book type of curriculum for science. I have taught the apologia science for biology, chemistry and anatomy at the co-op my kids attend. I have no desire to use their curriculum for my own children. And I personally came from an extremely difficult and rigorous educational back ground for 7th through 12th grade. I got good grades but I never actually learned a thing! And as for so many of us, we are so grateful for the time you have given to put together these wonderful guides. I can't wait for my kids to get experience each level! Thank you again.

School4Princesses,
These are intended to be consumables. My oldest two did ACE Biology with the labs last year and I had them write in notebooks so I would be able to use these with my next two boys down the line. If they had to label a diagram I had them slip a page protector over it and then we'd erase after I graded it. We really liked this course. My very science minded daughter and my VERY not-so-science-minded son learned a lot and enjoyed it. My son is a tough customer where science is concerned, but he actually liked it.

Even though we have many years until we get to this guide, I am still super excited to see what you have planned . Thank you for being so careful and thorough in making your choices. And thank you for sharing the sneak peeks with us!

I'm really happy with your choice for Biology! I hopped over to Christian Books to look at some excerpts and I am hooked! The text was so well written, I found myself disappointed when I couldn't read more. I loved Biology in high school and college but it was all secular. I am very impressed by how the authors present creation and include Bible verses. I know I'm going to enjoy watching the DVDs along with my daughter in a couple years. I'll leave it up to my daughter, when the time comes, whether she would like to do some real dissections but I am very pleased with the option to watch the labs. I have a microscope so we will definitely put it to use! I always felt a little insecure teaching high school science but it looks like this Biology course will be quite painless. Thank you, Carrie, for all of the time you put into finding wonderful courses for our children!

Whew! I'm relieved that you are keeping with CM-style science! To me it seemed like an impossible task but YOU DID IT! I was NOT looking forward to a traditional 'read and memorize' science plan for biology.
I, too, looked at some samples and was drawn to the storyline nature of the text. This is going to be a fun year for us!

Thank you for your hard work in finding this program and scheduling it for us! I will keep you lifted up in prayer as you finish this guide!

I am excited to start seeing the sneak peeks as Elaine will be using this guide next year! It will help her become excited as well.

Hi Carrie,
Thanks for the Sneak Peak! It is exciting to see what's coming next!
I had a few questions... In choosing a Biology curriculum last year for my ds, I looked at the School of Tomorrow. I loved the look of it, but wondered at the time if it was missing some of topics that I remembered studying in Biology, namely the anatomy/physicology of cells (proteins, DNA, RNA, Lysosomes, Meiosis, Meitosis, etc). I ended up having my ds use the Biology and Anatomy/Physiology from PAC Works (plus the Biology 101 DVDs) because it covered those topics, but in a way that my ds could understand. I am curious to hear why you chose the School of Tomorrow over the PAC Works, as I am sure you have good reason! I also wondered if you could tell me if the anatomy/physiology of cells is taught in the School of Tomorrow.
Thanks so much,
Katie

Katie,
I'm guessing that PACE 7: "Cytology" will cover Cellular Biology sufficiently...just thinking out loud because I haven't seen it. I'm also thinking cellular division...mitosis, meiosis...will be covered with PACE 11: Embryology.

Ladies,

I'm so glad that you are breathing a bit easier about Biology and high school level science. We thoroughly enjoyed using the School of Tomorrow Biology course with my oldest son when he was a sophomore!

In answer to a couple of questions asked in this thread, Pace 7 does cover the cytology of cells (including DNA, RNA, proteins, lysosomes, and much more, etc.) Pace 11 does cover cell meiosis and mitosis (and much more) under Reproduction. There is a lab for Pace 11 dealing specifically with mitosis.

I chose School of Tomorrow's Biology for several reasons. The coverage in the School of Tomorrow Biology is thorough. It does incorporate an extensive vocabulary and explains the vocabulary terms well. The textual materials do not make leaps in understanding but rather guide the student through the various concepts with enough description for the students to understand what is being discussed. The illustrations in the texts also really aid in understanding. The DVDs add a layer of both visual and auditory reinforcement, making the segments the students watch a wonderful help with comprehension. The combination of text, DVD, worktext, and well-done labs that students can watch and learn from are in my mind an unbeatable combination. The fact that the text is quite narrative and very God-honoring is a blessing beyond measure!

Being able to have options with how much your student performs lab-wise is another huge benefit. For those who want their students to actually perform dissections, doing them along with close-up shots of what you are looking for combined with a teacher that you can pause and rewind as needed is a huge benefit. For those families who prefer not to perform the dissections, watching them performed well instead is a terrific option that is already integrated into the School of Tomorrow plan. Providing families with choices as to whether to purchase dissection materials and/or a microscope is another way that the School of Tomorrow Biology can be customized based on family preference and be more affordable. High school labs can truly be the area where homeschool science seems to become daunting to perform at home! This science selection addresses all of these concerns.

I'll also share that the World History guide will include a semester credit in health. The health option we will be including in the new guide meshes well with the School of Tomorrow Biology, making the combination a wonderful mix.

I think you will be pleased with the coverage in the School of Tomorrow Biology. I know I was pleasantly surprised when I received my materials. On top of that, my son was able to work almost completely independently on his School of Tomorrow Biology and his day remained in balance with his other subjects (without science taking over his day)! This made me a happy momma! Of course, you can be as involved in your child's Biology coursework as desired; however, it is nice to have options as to how involved you need to be!

Blessings,
Carrie

Carrie,
Thanks so much for answering my questions! Although we enjoyed the Pac Works, I am really excited to do the School of Tomorrow Biology with my dd in a few years. The text looks so much more inviting, especially because of the color. And the added DVDs will be a huge plus.
I remember taking a course called "Man and the Biological World" in college. I was in awe of God and His creation throughout the whole course, and I anticipate that this Biology will be a similar experience for my kiddos.
Blessings,
Katie