Secular High School Biology Curriculum: Best Homeschool Options
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I knew that I wanted my 10th-grade daughter to use a secular homeschool high school biology curriculum, but I had no idea it would be so hard to find the right product. I shouldn’t have been surprised, though. There don’t seem to be as many secular high school-level homeschool curriculum options available as there were in earlier grade levels.
I was looking for a homeschool high school biology curriculum that was:
- Secular
- Not taught exclusively online or through a co-op
- Reasonably affordable
Thankfully, I did find a few high school biology curriculum options that are appropriate for a homeschool.
My family is religious, but I prefer to use secular curriculum. We are ELCA Lutherans and can never seem to find a religious curriculum that aligns with our specific beliefs. Secular families know how hard it can be to find homeschool science courses!
We decided not to use any outside teachers (online or through our co-op) this year because we hope to be able to travel at some point. Originally, we planned to spend 3-4 months overseas this school year. The current global situation is making that very unlikely, but we want to be free to jump on a plane whenever we feel safe.
I am fortunate to be able to have a pretty loose homeschool budget. I generally don’t worry too much about how much a curriculum costs, but I am naturally thrifty. I am willing to spend money on truly amazing resources, but like to keep things as affordable as possible.
Here are 4 secular high school homeschool biology curriculum options and an amazing lab supplement. Hopefully one will be right for your family!
Secular High School Biology Curriculum: Best Homeschool Options
1. Miller & Levine Biology
I know many homeschoolers are not fans of textbooks, but I think it is important for a high school student to figure out how they can learn from a textbook. This is crucial for high schoolers who plan to go to college.
- MILLER LEVINE BIOLOGY 2014 STUDENT EDITION GRADE 10 Student Edition
- Hardcover Book
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The Miller & Levine textbook contains 6 units:
- The Nature of Life
- Ecology
- Cells
- Genetics
- Evolution
- From Microorganisms to Plants
Each unit is broken down into a few chapters. Each chapter has a ‘Chapter Mystery’ to keep kids engaged and thinking as they read through the chapter. By the end of each chapter, they should be able to solve the mystery.
There is also a unit project at the end of each unit.
Biology Study Workbook
Study workbooks can be a great way to help students truly master the material in the textbook. Hannah’s 9th grade science course included a study workbook, and it was really helpful for a couple of reasons:
- Kept her focused on the material as she read the textbook
- Showed me what material she needed a little help learning
- It taught her how to quickly find information in a textbook (a useful skill when she goes off to college!)
Each chapter is divided into 3 – 5 sections. Each section has 3 – 4 pages of diagrams, short-answer questions, and multiple-choice questions.
There are two levels of Miller & Levine Biology student workbooks – A and B. Each level contains student work for all of the chapters, so I opted for just one workbook.
A teacher’s guide with an answer key is available for the student workbook A. If you choose not to use the teacher’s guide, you will need to read the chapters and check the work.
I do not like or recommend the Miller and Levine Biology lab manual. Some of the labs are not at all practical for home study. For example, there is an experiment that calls for a live termite. There is no way I am intentionally bringing termites into my home! Some of the lab materials were hard or impossible to source.
2. Real Science Odyssey Biology 2
Real Science Odyssey Biology 2 is another secular biology curriculum. It is published by Pandia Press, which only offers secular homeschool curriculum. Biology 2 is intended for middle or high school students, 6th – 10th grade.
The curriculum includes:
The Real Science Odyssey Biology 2 student textbook contains 32 lessons, approximately one each school week, with time for review or projects. Each lesson follows a consistent format. First, students read about the topic in the textbook.
They learn important science vocabulary words during the reading. Then they complete the labs and research activities that are found in the student workbook. Finally, they complete quizzes and unit tests to make sure they understood the material.
The teacher guide provides full lesson plans, schedule and pacing suggestions, and teaching tips. It also contains a supply list. The supply list contains standard household items, but also scientific supplies such as a microscope and dissection supplies.
I like that the labs include the skills typical in a high school biology curriculum, not just ‘kitchen science’.
3. Oak Meadow Biology
Oak Meadow offers a distance learning school, but they also sell their curriculum for use by homeschool families. Their high school biology curriculum comes with everything you need to homeschool high school biology.
The biology package includes:
- Student Textbook
- Lab Manual
- Lab Supplies
The homeschool high school biology curriculum is divided into units.
- The Nature of Life
- Ecology
- Cells
- Genetics
- Evolution
- Diversity of Life
My only hesitation with Oak Meadow Biology is that the package does not come with a teacher guide. The package above is a bit expensive, but I can justify that expense because the labs and supplies are included. However, the curriculum becomes much more expensive when you add in the teacher guide.
4. CK12 Biology
CK12 Biology is a free high school biology curriculum. The textbook and all of the additional resources are available online, but the textbook follows a standard textbook format. Learning how to use a digital textbook is an important skill for high school students to develop.
For a free science curriculum, there are a ton of resources available:
- Student Textbook
- Teacher’s Edition
- Biology Workbook – Contains printable worksheets
- Biology Quizzes and Tests
The chapters are:
- What is Biology?
- The Science of Life
- Cellular Structure and Function
- Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration
- The Cell Cycle, Mitosis, and Meiosis
- Gregor Mendel and Genetics
- Molecular Genetics: From DNA to Proteins
- Human Genetics and Biotechnology
- Life: From the First Organism Onward
- The Theory of Evolution
- The Principles of Ecology
- Communities and Populations
- Microorganisms: Prokaryotes and Viruses
- Eukaryotes: Protists and Fungi
- Plant Evolution and Classification
- Plant Biology
- Introduction to Animals
- From Sponges to Invertebrate Chordates
- From Fish to Birds
- Mammals and Animal Behavior
- Introduction to Human Body: Bones, Muscles, and Skin
- The Nervous and Endocrine Systems
- The Circulatory, Respiratory, Digestive, and Excretory Systems
- The Immune System and Disease
- Reproduction and Human Development
Lab Supplement
The Kristin Moon Biology Lab Video Course is a fantastic way for students to complete the lab portion of their homeschool high school biology course. They were created by a scientist and homeschool mom to teach high schoolers real scientific concepts.
The videos are not a curriculum on their own, but are designed to supplement any homeschool high school biology curriculum.
The biology lab videos are self-paced, so students can work through them on a schedule that works best for them. Each lab guides the student through the process. They watch Dr. Moon complete the experiment while they do the same activities at home.
She guides them through every step of the experiment – setup through clean-up. A virtual lab is a helpful addition to a biology class in case students have trouble sourcing all of the supplies.
Every lesson includes a lab recording sheet, video review of the concepts for the lab, video demonstration of the lab, sample calculations (when necessary), and an answer sheet. By the end of the course, students will have a strong foundation for their biological sciences education.
Related: Fantastic High School Biology Labs for Homeschoolers
I chose to use the Miller & Levine high school biology textbook with the labs for my daughter. I did not find the labs useful for a homeschool high school biology course, so I switched up the plan for my son a few years later. He used the Miller & Levine textbook with the Kristin Moon Biology Lab Video Course as the lab component.
Miller & Levine High School Biology Plan
This is the homeschool high school biology plan I created to accompany the Miller & Levine biology textbook. I put together this plan for my son, but I thought other families might find it helpful. The lab listed below each chapter is the lab from the Kristin Moon Biology Lab Video Course.
All of the Crash Course videos can be found under the Biology section of their site.
Chapter 1: The Science of Biology
Lab – Microscope Basics
Chapter 2: The Chemistry of Life
Lab – Exploring the Properties of Water and Visualizing Aerobic and Anaerobic Cellular Respiration
Chapter 3: The Biosphere
Crash Course video – Ecology
Chapter 4: Ecosystems and Communities
Lab – Observing Microscopic Life in Pond Water
Chapter 5: Populations
Lab – How Do Scientists Estimate Population Size?
Chapter 6: Humans in the Biosphere
Lab – Determining the Factors that Influence Enzyme Activity
Chapter 7: Cell Structure and Function
Activity – Create cell cakes
Lab – Modeling the Cell Membrane and Investigating Transport across a Semipermeable Membrane
Chapter 8: Photosynthesis
Lab – Observing Photosynthesis in a Live Plant and Why Do Leaves Turn Color in the Fall?
Chapter 9: Cellular Respiration and Fermentation
Lab – Exploring the Reason Cells Are So Small
Chapter 10: Cell Growth and Division
Lab – Observing Cell Division (Mitosis)
Crash Course video – Mitosis and Meiosis
Chapter 11: Introduction to Genetics
Activity – Jelly Bean Punnett Square
Lab – Punnet Square Analysis
Chapter 12: DNA
Lab – DNA Extraction
Activity – Candy DNA
Crash Course video – DNA Transcription & Translation and DNA Structure & Replication
Chapter 13: RNA and Protein Synthesis
Lab – Transcription, Translation, and the Effects of DNA Mutations
Chapter 14: Human Heredity
Lab – Genetic Trait Exploration
Crash Course video – Heredity
Chapter 15: Genetic Engineering
Activity – Selective Breeding in Dogs
Activity – Genigame
Chapter 16: Darwin’s Theory of Evolution
Lab – Understanding the Difference Between Probability and Real Life
Crash Course video – Population Genetics
Chapter 17: Evolution of Populations
Chapter 18: Classification
Lab – Using a Dichotomous Key
Activity – Dichotomous Key with candy
Crash Course video – Taxonomy
Chapter 19: History of Life
Chapter 20: Viruses and Prokaryotes
Lab – Bacterial Growth and Reproduction
Chapter 21: Protists and Fungi
Lab – Examining Fungi
Crash Course video – Fungi
Chapter 22: Introduction to Plants
Lab – Observing Plasmolysis in Live Plant Cells and Observing Stomata in Leaves
Chapter 23: Plant Structure and Function
Lab – Viewing Transpiration in a Live Plant
Chapter 24: Plant Reproduction and Response
Lab – Reproduction in Angiosperms (Flowering Plants)
Crash Course video – Plant Reproduction
Chapter 25: Introduction to Animals
Lab – Observing How Animals Sense and Respond to Their Environment and Investigating Natural Selection
Chapter 26: Animal Evolution and Diversity
Lab – Invertebrate Anatomy (Earthworm Dissection)
Chapter 27: Animal Systems I
Chapter 28: Animal Systems II
Lab: Vertebrate Anatomy (Frog Dissection)
Chapter 29: Animal Behavior
Crash Course video – Animal Behavior
Chapter 30: Digestive and Excretory Systems
Lab – Investigating the Macromolecules in Our Food
Crash Course – Digestive & Excretory Systems
Chapter 31: Nervous System
Crash Course video – Nervous System
Chapter 32: Skeletal, Muscular, and Integumentary Systems
Chapter 33: Circulatory and Respiratory Systems
Lab: The Genetics of Human Blood Types
Chapter 34: Endocrine and Reproductive Systems
Crash Course video – Reproductive System and Endocrine System
Chapter 35: Immune System and Disease
Crash Course video – Immune System
This homeschool high school biology curriculum covered all of the key topics that are expected in a high school science course, such as:
- The Scientific Method
- The Human Body (Check out my human anatomy plan if you want a more detailed course)
- Cell Biology
- Natural Environment Overview
I hope these curriculum options help you find the best secular resource to homeschool high school biology.
Keep reading . . .
- Secular Homeschool Curriculum Options for Every Grade
- Online Homeschool Chemistry Lab Videos Make Teaching Easy!
- Fantastic High School Biology Labs for Homeschoolers
- High School Anatomy Plan
- How to Create a High School Plan
- 7 Important Things to Know Before Homeschooling High School
- Simple Guide to Choosing High School Electives
- Things to Know About Dual Enrollment
- Homeschooling High School Resources, Curriculum, and Tips
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