REAL Science Odyssey: Biology 1

Pages: 534

Grade level: 2nd - 5th

Course type: Consumable textbook

Print: Softcover with perforated pages

eBook: PDF file. Includes a PDF of the Student Pages.

Author: Blair H. Lee, M.S.

What is RSO Biology 1?

RSO Biology 1 is a year-long, secular homeschool biology curriculum.

The unifying concepts found in RSO Biology 1 are the cell theory, the theory of evolution, genetics, and the processes used to define and describe the concept of an organism.

RSO Biology 1 begins by explaining the characteristics that non-viral organisms share. Later in the course, anatomy and physiology are taught through the lens of these characteristics.

For example, in the chapter covering how all organisms respond to their environment, students explore how those with a nervous system—like people and tardigrades—and those without one—like plants and unicellular microbes—respond to their surroundings. Connections are made, such as when students build side-by-side models of a human nervous system and a tardigrade nervous system, and differences are explained.

Age-appropriate math and labs are woven throughout the course, providing students with many opportunities to apply the scientific method and reinforce their knowledge.

The course guides elementary-age learners as they Read, Explore, Absorb, and Learn life science:

Read – Fun, engaging readings introduce big ideas and key details for each chapter. The text is designed to be read aloud, fostering questions and discussion.
Explore – Carefully crafted, hands-on experiments demonstrate science concepts. Students observe and record the subtle patterns of nature throughout the course.
Absorb – REAL Science Odyssey engages visual, auditory, and tactile/kinesthetic learners to help every student understand and retain key concepts.
Learn – With RSO Biology Level 1, you don’t just learn about our amazing natural world—you get your hands dirty and learn how science is done!

What REAL Science Odyssey Is Not

This curriculum is not:

A random selection of labs. It’s a fully developed, incremental homeschool science curriculum. Children will learn real life science, in the real world, using the real scientific method.
Dry or boring. Children will get their hands dirty! They’ll play, sing, dig, and explore outdoors, bringing concepts from the page to life.
Influenced by religion. All REAL Science Odyssey courses are secular and based on valid, empirical science.

Who can use RSO Biology 1?

RSO Biology 1 is an elementary science curriculum designed for grades 2–5, though it’s flexible enough to be used with middle school students.

Elementary learners are at the perfect age to explore the connectedness of life. The facts they learn at this stage form the foundation for future scientific knowledge. The connections they make support higher-level understanding through a process called metacognition.

With this in mind, RSO Biology 1 was developed around biology’s unifying theme: evolution. The goal is to provide explanations for the similarities that connect all life while also teaching about the differences between groups of organisms—and within them.

You don’t need a science background to use this homeschool curriculum! All materials are written with the science novice in mind, so you can teach confidently without extra research or preparation.

Topics Covered in RSO Biology 1

Unit 1: The Study of Life

In this unit, students meet the narrator of the course, a funny, feisty tardigrade named Bear. Bear narrates with a sense of wonder right along with students as they learn about biology. Students also learn how scientists define what is living and what is not through the characteristics of life.

Unit 2: The Building Blocks of Life

Cells and genetic material are the focus of this unit. Genetics is covered on a very basic level with a focus on those aspects shared by all DNA and how differences in DNA can lead to different traits.

Unit 3: The Characteristics of Life

The focus in this unit is on how similarities and differences in anatomy and physiology allow different organisms to meet those characteristics. This is a fascinating area of biology, filled with lots of ah-ha information. For example, have you ever thought about how insects move? It turns out they have muscles connected to the hard outer shell of their exoskeleton that work just like a person’s muscles do. The next time you watch a bee in flight, think about how hard their muscles are working.

Science Skills Covered

RSO Biology 1 starts with the basics, and each unit builds on the last. Every unit reinforces aspects of the scientific method and critical thinking. Each unit explores a big idea or question in depth through reading, experiments, and conversation.

In addition to being a complete, homeschool science curriculum, RSO Biology Level 1 will guide your student in learning essential skills that will serve them throughout their education and life, such as:

Applying the Scientific method
Critical Thinking
Observation
Presenting scientific data
Reading and interpreting informational texts

Lab Experiments

No science curriculum would be complete without hands-on experiments. In addition to the fact-based and conceptual aspects, as with all REAL Science Odyssey courses, the labs and activities use a scaffolding approach to help students build their skills in critical thinking and the practices and procedures integral to science. The scientific method, basic lab report writing, and the use of observation to form conclusions are learning skills incorporated into the course. Scientific modeling is also included to help learners get a better understanding of more complicated systems. The intentional scaffolding and “learn by doing” approach lead to a more complete understanding of how scientists conduct science and of how science works.

Lab sheets guide your student through implementing the scientific method. Your student will gain experience:

Formulating hypotheses based on knowledge gained from the reading
Recording observations and results
Drawing conclusions based on those results
Reinforcing their knowledge by answering questions about the experiment.

Planning and Scheduling

Research shows that science is best learned in deep investigations of a single subject, rather than short hops from one field to another. All REAL Science Odyssey curricula align with this methodology. Each RSO curriculum is designed as a full-year homeschool science curriculum. It includes:

36 weeks of material, assuming you teach science two days per week.
Suggested weekly schedule for the entire year
Supply list break down for each week
Instructor pages that guide you in implementing each lesson and lab
Student pages are available if using the curriculum with more than one student

Important Copyright Information: 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@pandiapressbooks.com).

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