Introduction

Welcome! The outline below is an evolving main menu for our high school, NGSS-aligned  biology curriculum. Click here to jump to our main menu.

If you’re a current user of our AP or College-level biology, you’ll find much that’s familiar. That’s because many of our AP and College-level tutorials were originally written for use with my 9th grade students. At the same time, wherever necessary, I’ve redesigned tutorials to work for 9th graders. That’s particularly true in units related to biochemistry, cellular respiration, photosynthesis, and molecular genetics.

High School Main Menu

Tutorials in blue are ready for review. Student Learning Guides are red. 

Please take a look and let me know what you think.

Biology: Core Concepts (HS) | Biology Core Concepts Student Learning Guide (HS)

• Properties of Living Things 
• Structure Determines Function
• Levels of Biological Organization
• Understanding Controlled Experiments
• Advanced tutorial (check with your teacher): Biology’s 4 big ideas 

Life’s Chemical Building Blocks

• Basic Chemistry: atoms, molecules, chemical bonding | Basic Chemistry Student Learning Guide
• The Chemistry and Properties of Water: includes acids and bases) | Structure of Water Student Learning Guide (SLG)
• The Molecules of Life (Biochemistry) | Molecules of Life Student Learning Guide

Cells and Membranes

• Cell Structure and Function | Cell Structure and Function Student Learning Guide
• Cell Membranes | Cell Membranes SLG

Energy at the Cellular Level

• Enzymes, Energy, and Cellular Respiration | Enzyme, Energy, Cellular Respiration SLG
• Photosynthesis| Photosynthesis Student Learning Guide 

Cell Division

• Mitosis and the Cell Cycle | Mitosis and the Cell Cycle Student Learning Guide

DNA and Molecular Genetics

• DNA Structure and Replication | DNA Structure and Replication Student Learning Guide
• RNA, Transcription, and Translation | RNA, Transcription and Translation Student Learning Guide
• Mutation | Mutation Student Learning Guide
• Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering | Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Student Learning Guide

Heredity

• Meiosis (importance of meiosis, phases, nondisjunction, and chromosomal variation) | Meiosis Student Learning Guide
• Genetics (Genes, Autosomal inheritance, blood type, sex linked genes) | Genetics Student Learning Guide)

Evolution

• Thinking Like Darwin: Adaptation, Natural Selection, and Sexual Selection | Thinking Like Darwin Student Learning Guide
• Population Genetics | Population Genetics Student Learning Guide
• Evidence for Evolution | Evidence for Evolution Student Learning Guide
• Species and Speciation | Species and Speciation Student Learning Guide
• Classification and Phylogenetic Trees | Classification and Phylogenetic Trees Student Learning Guide

Ecology

• Ecosystems (carbon cycle, food chains, food webs, trophic levels) | Ecosystems Student Learning Guide
• Ecological Communities
  • Niches and Habitats
  • Species Interactions
  • Keystone Species and Trophic Cascades
  • Ecological Succession
• Population ecology
  • Population Growth
  • Carrying Capacity
• Ecosystem Disruption | Ecosystem Disruption Student Learning Guide

Additional Topics

• The Greenhouse Effect and Climate Disruption | Greenhouse Effect and Climate Disruption Student Learning Guide. 
• Social Behavior and Group Interactions
• Feedback and Homeostasis
• Viruses | Viruses Student Learning Guide
• Vaccines
• Human Population Growth