Pages: 246
Grade level: 6th – 10th grade
Course type: teacher guide
Author: Blair H. Lee, M.S.
RSO Biology Level 2 Teacher Guide gives you tools and support to implement the RSO Biology Level 2 homeschool science curriculum. Together, the Textbook, Workbook, and Teacher Guide form a year-long, secular, homeschool biology course for middle or high school. As your student works through the lessons and activities in the textbook and workbook, the Teacher Guide provides detailed guidance for you as the instructor.
Materials—A full list of all materials needed for your entire homeschool biology year, broken down by chapter and lab, plus an alphabetical list of all materials for the course.
Weekly Schedules—Week-by-week schedules for the entire year. Choose from two, three, or five sessions of biology per week.
Learning Goals—A list of important concepts and main ideas for each lesson the course, so you know what your student should understand by the end.
Extracurricular Resources—books, websites, and other resources complement and reinforce each week’s lesson. These are curated resources that give your student reliable information when they want to dive deeper into the subject, or need extra clarification.
Math Review—A review of the math concepts needed for the week’s lesson, so you aren’t caught off guard by questions! Math is a key tool in science, and we highly recommend that you encourage your student to hone their ability to use it.
Lesson Reviews—Notes that review the main points of each lesson, to help you teach more effectively. You can also use them as a jumping-off point for questions and discussions with your student.
Answer Keys— Answers to Show What You Know quizzes, lab sheets, and Famous Science Series are provided for each chapter. Answers to all assessments are found in the appendix.
Grading Rubrics—We provide grading schemes for various approaches to the course. Whether you do every single activity, or skip microscope labs or formal assessments, we demystify the weights and percentages you should apply to each activity.
The Teacher Guide takes the stress of planning and scheduling off your shoulders, allowing you to focus on your child’s learning and enjoy your homeschool journey.
RSO Biology Level 2 homeschool science curriculum consists of three products:
Each lesson follows the same general format:
Biology Level 2 allows flexibility within this format. You can choose how many times per week to teach biology. You may choose to skip some or all the microscope labs for middle school. You can allow notes with the exams or not, or simply use them to review. No two homeschools are alike, and we make it easy for you to adapt the course to your needs.
If you choose the eBook version of this course, you are purchasing a license to use the PDF for your own children. You may make copies for your own children, but you may not share (email, download, print and distribute, resell, etc.) this eBook or any portion of this eBook to others.
Licensing is available for group, school, and co-op use. Please contact Pandia Press for details on group licensing (info@pandiapress.com).
Many of the supplies for Biology Level 2 are likely already in your household. Others, you can find them at big-box retailers, grocery, or craft stores. A complete supply list is found in the Teacher Guide—you can review it before purchase by downloading the Try Before You Buy pages. Biology for middle and high school students does require some specialized equipment though, especially if you plan to include the microscope labs from the Workbook. These supplies can be found at online science supply companies. If you choose to include the microscope labs, you will also a need a good quality, student microscope.
Microscope– Choose either monocular or binocular, and either oil immersion or not. You don’t need to spend a fortune on a microscope, but avoid toy microscopes and those priced under $80 (new).
Microscope slides with covers
Dissecting pins
Dissecting tray or small pan
Forceps (for microscope specimens) or large tweezers
Lens wipes
Prepared slide of an allium (onion) root tip
Methylene blue dye
Oil for oil immersion slide (if applicable and if not included with microscope)
Prepared slide of a lilium (lily), anther meiosis
Legume inoculant (rhizobacteria)
Home Science Tools offers supply kits for all RSO courses.
