Apologia Biology Science SuperSet Review

In our homeschool we are quite familiar with Apologia Biology. This year will be our third year with this wonderful study. I have fond memories of our eldest two children starting high school with Exploring Creation with Biology! However, there are several new tools that I want to share with you today – in this Apologia Biology Science SuperSet!

Exploring Creation with Biology sure meets the needs of a brand new high school student – with tips for the homeschool teacher and student along the way.

~Don’t miss the giveaway at the end! We received this Apologia Biology student notebook, MP3 audio and instructional DVD in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are our own and we love the benefits and blessings we are continuing to see from this high school level study. Please see our disclosure policy.

Why the Apologia Biology SuperSet?

A Creation-Based Biology Course. This course is Christ centered and God glorifying! Isn’t this the ultimate goal of all our studies? An appreciation and deeper knowledge of God!

“Are you ready to be impressed? If not, you’d better get ready. Why? Because in this course, you are going to get a broad overview of God’s creation. As you begin to learn its secrets, you will become more and more impressed with its majesty and complexity. The sheer grandeur of it all should leave you in awe of God’s mighty power. If you learn nothing else in this course, learn to appreciate the wonder of God’s creation!” ~Apologia Biology text

And don’t miss the review of the Video Instruction DVD that accompanies this course!

Everything you need is in the course – each module has the information to study, the questions to complete, experiments to perform and the test to take. This also includes the solutions to module questions and tests. There are even suggestions for how to grade the course – percentages to grade for tests and lab experiments.

Most of what you need for the experiments you can find at home or the grocery store. There is a suggested laboratory equipment set available. And you can purchase equipment for the experiments from Apologia.

What Does Apologia Biology Include?

Apologia Biology 2nd Edition  – As I mentioned in my previous reviews of Apologia high school science, all of the Apologia high school courses help the student learn to study. The courses promote independent learning.

Included in Biology Text:

• 16 modules (each module should take about two weeks to complete with one hour each school day devoted to studying biology.)
• Own Your Own Questions in each module help reinforce concepts in the student’s mind.
• Study Guide at the end of each module for review and test preparation
• Bold print text for memorization
• Quality images throughout (good for my visual learner)
• A special website to accompany the course
• Glossary
• Appendices
• Experiments – designed to be completed as the student is reading the text

List of Laboratory Equipment Needed

Modules:

1. Biology: The Study of Life
2. Kingdom Monera
3. Kingdom Protista
4. Kingdom Fungi
5. The Chemistry of Life
6. The Cell
7. Cellular Reproduction and DNA
8. Mendelian Genetics
9. Evolution: Part Scientific Theory, Part Unconfirmed Hypothesis
10. Ecology
11. The Invertebrates of Kingdom Animalia
12. Phylum Arthropoda
13. Phylum Chordata
14. Kingdom Plantae: Anatomy and Classification
15. Kingdom Plantae: Physiology and Reproduction
16. Reptiles, Birds and Mammals

More Biology Resources Available

OK, here comes the part where I say, Wow! I sure wish we’d had these resources the first time around! Wow, indeed! Don’t miss these…

New this year! Instructional DVD – hosted by Sherri Seligson, includes (take this slow and read each one carefully and you will see why I say wow!) This is huge for visual and auditory learners. Well, all learners:

• Instructional videos from each module <–
• Animated diagrams of difficult concepts <–
• Over 20 hours of biology instruction <–
• Video presentation of every experiment from the textbook <–

My son, who completed Apologia Biology over two years ago even likes to join in. He is an auditory learner and is a big fan of all Apologia science!

“On-location footage takes your student all over the United States and to exotic locales such as the Caribbean and Iceland.”

How to use it: Place in your DVD drive of your Windows or Mac computer and use a program, such as QuickTime to view.

Student Notebook – I LOVE this thing!  This is the ‘even more’ of instructions and helps. First available in 2015, this is such wonderful tool for note taking, study practice for tests and for keeping record of experiments. In my opinion, this is an important key for success. A dedicated, preprinted notebook, detailing what the student needs to do. A schedule to follow and encouragement for note taking and independent research.

“A new feature, found only in this notebook, is a section called “Designing an Experiment” that leads students through the process of doing science. This is an optional section, but it is highly recommended for students who plan to study the sciences in college. Students can start this section at any point in the course. Encourage them to investigate something that is puzzling or interesting to them.” ~ Biology Student Notebook

A peek inside the Biology Student Notebook.

This notebook is what helps encourage independent study and take responsibility. The suggested study is golden – yet flexible for homeschool families!

MP3 Audio CD: Now this is super handy for all that car school time each week. Or for my 8th grader to simply have some quiet listening time to herself in this busy household.

What Age is Apologia Biology Designed For?

The Exploring Creation with Chemistry course is designed for high school level students. We decided with our older children to begin Biology in 8th grade so that we could take our time and ‘practice’ the rigor of a high school level course. This was after some wonderful advice and many thanks to seasoned homeschool mom, Barb-Harmony Art Mom. My 8th grader completed Exploring Creation with General Science last year when she was in 7th grade. See the course sequencing on the Apologia website for more details.

What is required?

• Text
• Laboratory items
• Lab journal (suggested)

How We Use Apologia Biology in Our Homeschool

My eighth grader reads the assignment and does independent research. She uses the student notebook heavily (as she is a very ‘hands on’ learner) and answers the ‘On Your Own’ questions as she is reading each module. After completing a module, she completes the accompanying test. We usually plan these for a Friday afternoon. Experiments we plan for a Friday (one of our ‘Extras’ Days or on Science Saturday with Dad!)

“Science is a way of knowing the world that God has given us, and it is a fascinating and rewarding study!” ~ Biology Student Notebook

Where Can You Find Apologia Biology?

Find each of the titles at the Apologia website. There you can browse all the titles, experiment materials, lab list, FAQs and more.

Looking for More Apologia Resources?

You might like my reviews of:

• High School Exploring Creation with Chemistry
• High School Exploring Creation with Marine Biology
• General Science and Student Notebook
• Constitutional Literacy
• Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day
• Land Animals of the Sixth Day

Now For Super Set the Giveaway!

Apologia is generously offering one (1) Biology Science SuperSet to a Curriculum Choice reader. The prize pack includes the hard cover Student Textbook, solutions manual, MP3 Audio CD, the Student Notebook and Video Instruction DVD! How awesome is that? <—-

Simply follow the instructions in the rafflecopter widget below…
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Homeschooling for fifteen years now, Tricia faces a daily dose of chaos with five children from elementary to high school. She is author of art curriculum for all ages and helpful homeschool habits at Hodgepodge. She and her husband, Steve, are owners of Curriculum Choice.