By: Kendall Hunt RPD with contributions from the writing team of ByDesign Biology
The Kendall Hunt Religious Publishing Division (RPD) is proud of our years of experience in crafting customized curricular materials tailored for your specific educational situation. Custom publishing is the answer when standard curricula just don’t fit the needs and mission of your traditional or nontraditional classroom, and we have the resources and expertise to create a curriculum as specific and detailed as your educational setting demands.
This means that when it comes to adaptability, our curriculum options always deliver. Our newest product, ByDesign Biology for high school students, is just one more example of such a program. Here is a look at what makes ByDesign Biology so adaptable—and why it can work for your students.
Faith based, yet nonsectarian
Although ByDesign Science was developed in collaboration with the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) North American Division (NAD) Office of Education, it is by no means designed exclusively for use in Adventist schools. As with ByDesign Science for the elementary level, the high school biology textbook’s philosophy and worldview align perfectly with the beliefs of many Christian educators in traditional and nontraditional classrooms. This broad focus was intentional, according to Larry Blackmer, former vice president of the SDA NAD Office of Education and executive editor of ByDesign Biology.
“We were very careful within the textbook to not be sectarian in any way,” he said. “It doesn’t talk about doctrines [or] leaders of any church. We believe that this fills that gap in the general Christian market to have a rigorous Creation-based textbook that explains evolution.”
In creating a nonsectarian curriculum, SDA and Kendall Hunt RPD experts followed the standard set when developing its predecessor for elementary students, ByDesign Science, which has already garnered positive reviews for its applicability to multiple faith contexts.
“I appreciate the fact that ByDesign Science is faith-based so there are no contradictions to our beliefs,” said Sara of the Heart and Soul Homeschooling blog. “We are not part of [the Seventh-day Adventist] denomination, but I found that the lessons represented Christian principles.”
“ByDesign Science presents information from a Christian perspective,” said Leah of the As We Walk Along the Road blog. “But the curriculum also makes sure to point out that there are other worldviews and that our worldview will determine how we interpret the study of the world around us.”
The goal of ByDesign Biology has been to create an even more broadly applicable curriculum while still adhering to the Adventist principles that inspired Blackmer and his colleagues to pursue a faith-based biology program. We have no doubt that ByDesign Biology will be the perfectly flexible fit for traditional and nontraditional faith-based science classrooms!
Traditional and nontraditional classrooms, and more
ByDesign Biology, like all Kendall Hunt RPD curriculum options, is also easily adaptable to the traditional or nontraditional classroom format. The in-depth Teacher Edition and online teacher resources, such as an assessment generator, test bank, and PowerPoint presentations reflecting key concepts, are designed for easy use by educators and parents alike. These online resources are accessible anytime, so students and educators can learn wherever they are, whenever they wish. Students can complete many of the lessons and some of the labs independently, with teacher guidance as needed, and many of the labs can be completed with materials to which students have easy access at home.
This all-inclusive curriculum style is, again, a conscious effort to replicate the success of the all-inclusive ByDesign Science curriculum, for which nontraditional educators expressed great appreciation.
“Everything is right there to make this curriculum easy to pick up and use without much planning and prep on your part or on your student's,” Leah said.
ByDesign Biology is an adaptable, flexible curriculum option for various faith-based classrooms. In a world that seems more uncertain than ever, adaptability is essential to keep students learning, even if their educational setting encounters an abrupt shift. With ByDesign Biology, parents and educators can rest assured that they’ve chosen a curriculum that will see them through the changes and prepare their high school students for science success!
