Special Studies
Special studies are an essential part of your student’s biology education, and all students of any age should be doing them consistently. A special study is a seasonal study of one object or a group of objects — a plant or animal, generally, but sometimes things such as stars, shells, or rocks are included. Usually, two such studies are attempted each term (though that is not a hard and fast rule,) and they can either run concurrently or back to back during the same term. Daily observation of these objects should be the rule, including the entry of notes and drawings in a student’s nature notebook.
In the early years, time was allowed in the morning schedule to read about the topics to be studied. However, by the time a student reaches Form 3 (grades 7-8), they are expected to continue this work independently in the afternoon.
It’s important to remember that we must plan for special studies, or they will not get done. I have a rotation on my website that provides an organized plan that might help you choose which topics to study. By following it, your student will cover a vast array of plant and animal families throughout their school career, making a significant dent in their biology studies and leaving the rest of high school biology to learn about many other topics.
Do not worry if your student has never done a special study before — just start now. If this is new to them, I would recommend beginning with the Form 2 or Form 3 level of the rotation. To see the SMH Special Studies Rotation and learn more about preparing the objects lessons to go with them, visit the link https://qrs.ly/33co420.
Traditional Biology Subjects
I have included the traditional American school standards by providing Anatomy (in two parts), Ecology, and Origins. To accomplish the list of standards, students must also complete a special studies rotation to cover the plant and animal components through high school.
“Extra Options”
I created two biology documents with options people can use as alternatives or additions to the traditional topics listed above: Human Body and Microbiology, Biochemistry, & Forensics. Neither of these two documents include daily lesson plans as you will find in my other Science Study Guides. Instead, they have several book options for each subject and supplementary materials, such as sources for experiments and current events, and a list of optional related free reads.
For example, some people might not want to use Bill Bryson’s book The Body (even with the exclusions I have made,) and may prefer to use another out-of-print option, maybe something from a Christian perspective, such as Fearfully and Wonderfully Made by Philip Yancey. Others may choose to focus on a more specific topic, such as genetics, neuroscience, medical ethics, or nutrition, rather than spending their time on ecology or origins.
Also, while I have almost exclusively used secular books for the rest of the curriculum (because I always choose the best living book that I can find in print), I have used distinctly Christian books for ecology and origins. Therefore, families who choose not to include Christian content will need to use one of these alternatives.
Lastly, you may prefer to follow your student’s interest in the study of bacteriology, virology, biochemistry, or forensics. All of which are highly relevant and super interesting.
Make a Plan for your Family
One option is to follow my plan as written:
Grade 7: F3-4 Biology (prerequisite to HS Biology)
Grade 8: F3-4 Botany (or swap with F3-4 Biology)
Grade 9: HS Biology: Anatomy, Part 1
Grade 10: HS Biology: Anatomy, Part 2
Grade 11: HS Biology: Ecology
Grade 12: HS Biology: Origins
Alternative Options:
- Swap out HS Anatomy with one of the HS Biology: Human Body (extra options).
- Swap out Ecology and/or Origins with one of the HS Biology: Microbiology, Biochemistry, & Forensics (extra options).
What if your student did not complete F3-4 Biology in Form 3?
Do it in grade 9 and shift everything back one year. (Or more if you are starting later than that.) For example:
Grade 9: F3-4 Biology (prerequisite to HS Biology)
Grade 10: HS Biology: Anatomy, Part 1
Grade 11: HS Biology: Anatomy, Part 2
Grade 12: HS Biology: Ecology
Again, swap out Anatomy and Ecology where you see fit.