For Teachers/Parents – How to Teach This Class (13 min video)

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READ THIS FIRST: HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

This text can be used in two ways. It can be read as a stand-alone book, or it can be used as a textbook alongside the Devotional Biology video curriculum taught by Dr. Kurt Wise (available for purchase at CompassClassroom.com).

This is a Unique Course

It is important for teachers familiar with traditional Biology textbooks to realize this book is different.

It was written to look first at Christian theology as found in the Bible. It then applies that theology to what we see in living organisms. Finally, it examines what that means to how we live our lives. Each chapter will start with a section on God and His attributes, move into the scientific material, then end with a discussion about our responsibility to the creation.

The book also follows a different structure in terms of when certain topics are covered as well as which major topics are covered.

Finally, this book introduces many concepts that are simply not found in traditional biology textbooks. Many of these concepts are enlightening, but some can be a bit complex to understand on a first reading.

It is ok if a student does not comprehend everything: the goal of this class is to expand the way students think about God and His creation. Both are exceedingly complex. It is not a bad thing to struggle to understand; this is often where learning occurs.

Using the Text with Devotional Biology Video Lectures

If you are going to use this book with the video series, there are two ways to approach the material. You are welcome to try both to see which works better with your particular student:

1) Some students do better by watching the video lesson first, then reading the associated text.

2) Others may want to read the text first, then watch the associated video.

Either way, it could be useful to repeat the video or the text if a concept is difficult to grasp. This will help long term retention, as well.

As you look over the Table of Contents, you will notice a small “play” symbol with a number after different sections, such as: “Creation and Revelation [ 1.1].”

This means Devotional Biology Video 1.1 “God Desires to be Known” is associated with the textbook section starting at “Creation and Revelation” and continuing until the [ 1.2] appears. You would thus stop reading when you reach the next symbol and number in the text, such as “Origin of Modern Science [ 1.2].” This section is associated with Video 1.2 “Christian Foundation of Science and Biology”

Please note that the video titles are not always the same as the chapter sections because some video segments cover multiple chapter sections. As you are taking the class, simply ensure you are matching the video numbers such as 1.1, 5.3, or 14.2 to the markers [ 1.1], [ 5.3], or [ 14.2].

Using the Advanced Discussion and Potential Test Questions

If you purchased the Devotional Biology Video Curriculum, look for a Teacher’s Guide that provides a Scope and Sequence for scheduling the class as well as separate Test Questions and Answers.

At the end of each chapter in this book, you will find Advanced Discussion Topics and Potential Test Questions. Both of these sections were originally written for teachers using the textbook in a classroom environment. If, however, you would like to work from these lists, they could be incorporated in part or in whole as a discussion between parent and child, or as student projects.

Questions?

If you have specific questions about this class, please email us at [email protected].