Science is often known for its dense vocabulary and endless diagrams.

In my experience as a former public high school science teacher most of my students dreaded science, had no interest in it, and even questioned if they would ever use it in real life. 

Yes, there certainly are students who are fascinated by science and they are a joy to teach. However, again my experience has shown me that the everyday student often feels disconnected with the subject. 

Whatever your situation currently is, it may be time for you to consider what science in your classroom is going to look like this year! I’ve done the hard work for you providing an easy to read comparison between some of the top Christian science curriculums on the market today. 

We’ll be comparing the Biology course from Apologia, Bob Jones (BJU Press), and Designed By God Curriculum.

🧠 Academic Strength and Rigor

All three of these brands claim that their Biology course meets or exceeds college-prep expectations. BJU in particular is known for its highly technical writing and academic content. 

Apologia also uses comprehension checks throughout their chapters with mostly recall level questions. The content they teach is college-prep but some have found that their activities and assessments don’t reach higher-order thinking expected on college-entry exams. They do offer a workbook that is supposed to supplement their content. 

Designed By God includes NGSS aligned standards for each chapter and was created to mimic a similar scope and sequence found in public schools, give or take a few content areas.

In addition, Designed By God has chunked their chapters into smaller reading sections using “Stop and Think” boxes that use Bloom’s Taxonomy to ask text-dependent questions to boost comprehension. 

🧩 Built-In Activities & Compatibility with Different Learner Personalities

BJU does not offer in-text chunked questions but rather at the end of sections and chapters they have open ended questions that are designed for you to go back into the text to answer. Largely the activities that come with the textbook alone are these types of open ended questions. 

Apologia takes a similar method as BJU in that they offer open ended questions at the end of their chapter. Between the two companies, BJU offers significantly more questions. However, Apologia does have those chunked comprehension checks throughout their reading. 

Designed By God takes a different approach to their end of chapter activities by providing the student and instructor what they call an “Activity Menu.”

These are a collection of activities that each address a different learning personality such as creative, logical, writing, music, movement, or social. Teachers and students can choose the activities they desire to show mastery. In addition to this, they also provide “Stop and Think” text-dependent questions throughout their chapters. 

🙏 How Does God Fit Into Their Science Curriculum?

BJU is highly academic and technical. They teach from a Christian perspective, use Christian language at times - but don’t really emphasize connecting God to science. Rarely, if at all, do their questions address God concepts within science and scripture is not common. This is a science textbook. 

Apologia is a bit more conversational and they lead with some engaging stories. I found they talk about God more than the Bob Jones Biology textbook and use scripture a bit more as well. However, none of their questions address God concepts and instead focus solely on science. 

While BJU and Apologia are unquestionably Christian, Designed By God is written not only to fit God into science but to actually reveal how all of science points to God.

Each chapter is filled with multiple scriptures and dedicated sections are reserved for teaching about God’s role in science. Even more, their questions and activities assess both scientific and God concepts. This curriculum will immerse your students Biblically. 

Read this excerpt from Biology: Designed By God - Chapter 9 (Proteins):

“Many people try to work and earn their way into heaven, claiming they were a “good” person. However, just like you can see with the amino acids, we are unable to produce all that we need on our own. In order to be back in a right relationship with God, we have to seek out and receive what He has done through Jesus. Without partaking of Christ, you will find yourself trying to produce things that you are not designed to produce.”

⏱️ Ease of Use, Prep Time, and Flexibility

“Open and Go” is a phrase used to describe a curriculum that has low prep time and teachers can simply open… and go! 

BJU is NOT considered an “open and go” style curriculum. As a teacher you will have to spend a considerable amount of time preparing for the upcoming lessons. Students will have to navigate a “minefield” of dense science vocabulary while grasping technical concepts. 

A wonderful thing about Apologia is that it’s known for its “open and go” style, requiring little prep time for teachers. Its conversational style makes it an easier read than BJU but it lacks the visual engagement of BJU. 

Designed By God is also created as an “open and go” style textbook, allowing teachers to prep very easily and with minimal effort.

While it doesn’t compromise the rigor of vocabulary, it does introduce vocabulary words in an innovative way where it connects with a story or parable. Another stand-out feature from Designed By God is that they offer a huge level of flexibility for teachers who want to address learners with different mastery methods. This allows teachers to reach a variety of students or parents to easily adjust lessons for different ages. 

Price and Value

BJU offers their soft-cover textbook for $77.50 on their website. They also carry workbooks, e-books, and other items. 

Apologia lists their soft-cover textbook for $89 on their website. In addition they offer workbooks, e-books, video streams, live courses, and self-paced online courses. 

Designed By God lists their hard-cover textbook for $94.99 on their website. Check their website for regular sales and discounts they offer. 

 

⭐ So Which Curriculum Is the Best Fit?

If your goal is AP, strict academic rigor and technical scientific language, BJU is a strong choice.

If you want a conversational science text that is easy to open and teach, Apologia is a good match.

But if your desire is to:

• teach college-prep level biology

• while revealing God’s heart in every concept

• and helping students fall in love with learning again

then Biology: Designed By God was created exactly for your family and classroom.

You don’t have to choose between strong academics and powerful discipleship.

You can have both.

👉 Explore Biology: Designed By God here