BJU Press Grade 6 Exploring Science is a lab-based curriculum using a biblical framework to study a variety of subjects related to physical science, life science, and earth science. This course follows 6th grade standards while emphasizing a biblical perspective as students wrestle with scientific questions. The Homeschool Kit includes the Teacher Editions Part 1 & 2 with Teacher Edition Companion Guide, Student Edition, Activities and Lab Manual, Activities and Lab Manual Answer Key, Assessments, and Assessments Answer Key.
The softcover Student Edition is in full color with plenty of engaging illustrations and info graphs that break up the text. Before Reading, During Reading, and After Reading questions help students understand what they are learning. Important vocabulary terms are in bold throughout the text. Mini labs in each chapter provide short, hands-on activities. Chapters might include case studies (investigating specific areas of science), connections (how science relates to other areas), science careers, ethics (a biblical model of ethical decision-making), or worldview investigations (thinking through controversial issues). Each section and chapter also include review questions. Answers to all questions in the Student Edition are in the Teacher Edition.
Teacher Editions Parts 1 & 2 include comprehensive instruction for teaching each lesson and how to correlate each lesson with the textbook and Activities book. Teacher editions also have a reduced copy of the student page with teacher notes wrapped around the student pages. Every chapter begins with an overview for each lesson in the chapter (objectives, resources used, and assessments). Each lesson has a four-step teaching cycle (engage, instruct, apply, and assess). Appendixes include reading tables, graphs, scientific diagrams, metric prefixes, mini lab equipment and materials list. BJU Press Trove is a digital resource for classroom teachers and is not available to homeschoolers. Homeschool Hub, however, is specifically for homeschool parents to access free digital resources to support the lessons.
The Teacher Edition Companion is designed to help simplify the lessons for homeschoolers. The front of the guide gives a quick overview of each chapter and lesson. Then in a one-page format for each lesson, there are page numbers along with a visual representation of the pages covered, key questions, objectives, biblical worldview shaping, required materials, and assignment options. This helps parents tailor the lessons to their child’s needs. While the Teacher Edition has more extensive teacher help, the companion guide gives you a big picture view of every lesson. The guide is not sold separately and is only included through the purchase of a teacher guide.
The Activities and Lab Manual is divided into two parts. Part one (green color-coded pages) has a plethora of engaging activities to reinforce learning in each chapter. Students may fill in a web diagram, draw pictures, summarize information, answer questions, and much more. Part two (blue color-coded pages) includes all the labs. Labs might contain inquiry- based labs where students direct the investigation of a topic or STEM labs that allow students to model what real-world engineers do by attempting to solve challenging problems. The Activities Answer Key & Teacher Lab Manual includes Part One student pages with answers. It also has teacher notes for directing the labs in Part Two and reduced copies of the student lab pages with answers.
The Assessments include a quiz for each section and a test for each chapter. Quizzes and tests might include multiple choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blank, matching, or short answer questions. The Assessments Answer Key is three-hole punched and includes a copy of the Assessments with answers in red. ~ Gina