Biology Course Plan

I am currently in the process of posting my favorite resources for a 9th or 10th grade Biology course. You may notice there are some topics missing that you would typically see in this course (photosynthesis, ecology). If you would like to use these units, you can find them in my Environmental Science course (posting soon).

Semester 1

Unit 1 - Intro to Biology

Unit 2 - All About Cells

Unit 3 - Marathon Runner

Unit 4 - The Cell Cycle & DNA

Semester 2

Unit 5 - Mitosis & Meiosis (coming soon)

Unit 6 - Intro to Genetics (Coming Soon)

Unit 7 - Modern Genetics (Coming Soon)

Unit 8 - Microbes & Disease (Coming Soon)

Unit 9 - Natural Selection (Coming Soon)

Semester 1

Unit 1 - Intro to Biology

Week 1 Activities - Back to School

Start the school year on the right note with these fun activities!

Syllabus Review - create your own

Biology Chat Stations - TPT (not my product - well worth the investment, I have used this for many years!)

Materials list included in product description

Back to School Survey - FREE (make a copy)

Name Writing Data Collection Challenge - TPT

Virtual Locker - FREE

Interpreting Graphs - FREE

Week 2 Activities - Intro to Science Processes

Scientific Method Stories - FREE

Scientific Method Experimental Design - FREE

Oreos Inquiry Lab - FREE

Materials: Regular and Double Stuf Oreos, scales, paper towels, plastic knives, rulers, weigh boats (optional)

Week 3 Activities - Characteristics of Life

Shorter week (Labor falls during this week for me, so fewer activities are included)

Characteristics of Life Activity - FREE

Characteristics of Life Doodle Diagram - FREE TPT

The Martian and the Car - FREE

Optional - choose some Characteristics of Life videos on Youtube to show

Week 4 Activities - Intro to Microscopes, Prokaryotes vs. Eukaryotes

Virtual Microscope Lab - FREE --> Great for distance learning or if you don't have microscopes

Hands-On Intro to Microscopes Lab - FREE

Virtual Pond Water Dip - FREE

Cool Plankton Video - YouTube

If you or a student are able to bring in some pond water, students can explore the pond water under the microscope and try to find some of the creatures they saw in the virtual pond dip.

Choose a prokaryotes vs. eukaryotes video from YouTube.

Prokaryotes vs. eukaryotes worksheet/practice of your choice.

Unit 2 - All About Cells

Week 5 Activities - Cell Theory & Levels of Organization

My favorite cell theory video - YouTube

Exploring Cell Theory Lab - FREE

Cell Theory Pop-Up Timeline - TPT

Levels of Organization Worksheet - FREE

Coffee to Carbon Card Sort - FREE

Week 6 Activities - Cells

Cell Vocab One Pager - FREE

Travel Through an Animal Cell Game - FREE

Cells Alive Simulation - FREE

Cell Organelle Worksheet (can be used with Cells Alive simulation) - FREE

Eukaryopolis Video - YouTube

What Do Specialized Cells Do? Simulation - FREE

Create a 3D Cell Diagram

Week 7 Activities - Cell Transport

Amoeba Sisters Cell Transport Video - FREE (and they have a great worksheet to go with this)

Membrane Transport Interactive - FREE

Cell Membrane Bubble Lab - FREE

Materials: Detergent, Corn Syrup, Straws, String, Trays

Week 8 Activities - Cell Transport

Tonicity Video - YouTube

Naked Egg Demo or Lab - FREE

Materials: De-shelled eggs (use vinegar, soak a few days ahead of time), salt water container, corn syrup, food colored water

Cell Membrane Coloring - FREE

Gummy Bear Diffusion Lab - FREE

Materials: Gummy Bears, salt, sugar, water, petri dishes, scales, rulers with cm

Week 9 Activities - Review and Cells Test

Little Lost Girl Defective Organelles Case Study - FREE

Cell Organelle Campaign

Cells Exhibition Stations (review activity/test prep) - TPT

Teacher generated test

Unit 3 - Marathon Runner

Homeostasis and Cellular Respiration

Note: This unit will be linked in it's entirety from Next Gen Science. Here I will lay out the pacing that I used, as well as modifications and additional resources (including quizzes, a structured study guide, and an assessment) that I created to use during this unit. This was a very engaging, lab heavy unit that is great for creating hands-on learning opportunities.

Week 10 Activities - Marathon Runner

Marathon Runner Record Clip to kick off unit - YouTube

Intro pages 3-5 (initial model, marathon runner texts, medical tent data)

Big question sticky note poster

Gas Exchange Explore 1: Cellular Respiration in Yeast

Gas Exchange Explain 1: Input-Output Model for CR, Text, Summary Task

Gas Exchange Explore 2: Blood Oxygen Three-Level Guide

Elaborate (reading) - Make a poster for 1 of the 3 options in teams

Lab Quiz 1 - Cellular Respiration in Yeast - FREE

Week 11 Activities - Marathon Runner

Start Muscles and Energy unit

Muscles & Energy Engage - Experiencing Muscle Fatigue Lab