High School Biology Units for Arkansas Classrooms, Grades 9–12
High School Biology Units for Arkansas Classrooms, Grades 9–12
Yes, there is a set of ready high school biology units you can use in an Arkansas classroom this year: the High School Biology Units Bundle covers photosynthesis, evolution, primate behavior, chromatography, ecosystem management and climate change for Grades 9–12. It is written for any U.S. classroom, not for Arkansas, so you check it against your course framework. Here is how it fits a phone-free room, a homeschool year and a tight prep schedule.
See the biology unitsFor a Grades 9–12 biology course in Arkansas, the High School Biology Units Bundle ($89.99) gives you six ready units: Photosynthesis and Plant Metabolism, Evolution and the Origin of Life, Primate Social Behavior, Chromatography in Metabolic Physiology, Ecosystem Management, and Climate Change and the Anthropogenic Greenhouse Effect. It is a set of units for major topics, not a full-year course, and it is not written to Arkansas standards.
The resources
High School Biology Units Bundle, Grades 9–12
6 resources in one download: $89.99 instead of $149.94 bought separately.
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
High School Biology Units Bundle | Photosynthesis, Evolution, Ecology, Climate Change & Lab Methods | 6 Units | Grades 9–12
Environmental Science Units Bundle | Climate Change, Climate Data, Ecosystems, Resources & Climate Ethics | 5 Units | Grades 8–12
High School Nutrition Science Curriculum | Diet, Macronutrients, Metabolism & Health | 10 Units | Grades 9–12
High School Chemistry Units Bundle | Equilibrium, Redox Titration, Molecular Forces, Corrosion & Nanochemistry | 7 Units | Grades 10–12
The real problem
What makes biology prep hard in Arkansas right now
Since Act 122 passed in 2025, Arkansas schools run a bell-to-bell phone rule. For a biology teacher that changes small things: students no longer snap a photo of the board diagram, look up a term mid-lab or record data on their phones. Everything they need has to be on paper or on the school device in front of them, which puts weight on handouts that carry the reading, the diagram and the questions together. The second problem is scope. Most biology teachers have one or two topics where their own materials are thin. Writing a photosynthesis sequence from scratch, with a reading, practice tasks and a key, takes several evenings. Homeschool families face their own version of the gap. Arkansas asks parents to file a notice of intent with the resident district by August 15 and requires no standardized tests, so nobody hands them a course outline. A teen who plans to sit the optional state-funded PSAT in grade 10 or ACT in grade 11 still needs solid science before then. One thing to settle before you buy: the current name and revision year of the Arkansas science standards, and which biology course your district counts toward graduation. Check both with your district office or the state education department (DESE).
Why it fits
Where the six units fit an Arkansas biology year
Each unit stands alone, so you can slot it where your district pacing guide has a gap. Here is how the parts line up with common needs.
- Photosynthesis and Plant Metabolism gives you a full energy unit for the stretch right after cells.
- Evolution and the Origin of Life handles the evolution topic with worksheets, activities and an answer key.
- Ecosystem Management and the climate change unit pair well for a spring ecology block.
- Chromatography in Metabolic Physiology adds a lab-methods unit; chromatography paper and solvents come from your own stock.
- Primate Social Behavior works as a short behavior unit or as ready material for a substitute day.
- Printed worksheets and answer keys keep lessons moving in a phone-free room without extra screens.
Getting started
A semester plan using the bundle
This is one suggested order for a fall or spring semester. Move units around to match your district pacing.
- Check your course framework firstPull up the current Arkansas science standards and your district pacing guide. Mark which of the six unit topics appear in your biology course and where. Anything that does not match becomes an extension or gets skipped.
- Start with energy in plantsTeach Photosynthesis and Plant Metabolism after your cell unit. Print the week's worksheets so students have the reading and diagrams on paper, which matters in a classroom without phones.
- Run the lab-methods unit nextUse Chromatography in Metabolic Physiology as a bridge between plant metabolism and lab skills. Plan the materials list early, since the bundle does not include any supplies or equipment.
- Teach evolution as its own blockGive Evolution and the Origin of Life two to three weeks, as a suggestion, and follow it with Primate Social Behavior if your students are ready for an extension on behavior.
- Close with ecology and climateEnd the semester with Ecosystem Management and the climate change unit. Both suit project-style tasks and give you review material for the weeks before a final exam.
What to buy
Which purchase makes sense
For most Arkansas biology teachers the High School Biology Units Bundle at $89.99 is the right buy; the six units bought one by one come to $149.94. If you teach environmental science instead, look at the Environmental Science Units Bundle ($69.99, or $124.95 for its parts). It also contains the ecosystem management and climate change units, so buying both bundles means paying twice for two units. Health or family and consumer sciences teachers will get more from the High School Nutrition Science Curriculum ($119.99). If you also teach upper-level chemistry, the High School Chemistry Units Bundle costs $89.99.
Honest limits
What the bundle does not do
The bundle is not written for Arkansas. It has no Arkansas standards codes, no state-specific examples and no prep for any Arkansas exam, so check every unit against your district's biology framework yourself. It is six units, not a full year; genetics and cell biology come from your other materials. Lab supplies are not included. If several teachers in your building want to use it, send Teach Lessons a short message before buying. If the units turn out not to fit, you can exchange them for store credit of equal value within 7 days; there is no cash refund.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is this bundle aligned with the Arkansas science standards?
No. It is not aligned to, approved by or endorsed by the state of Arkansas or any district. The units follow common high school biology topics, so you will likely find overlap, but you need to compare each unit with the current Arkansas science standards and your district's course description yourself before you count it toward anything.
Can Arkansas homeschool families use it for high school biology?
Yes. Arkansas homeschoolers file a notice of intent with their resident district by August 15, and the sources we checked list no required subjects and no mandatory testing, so parents choose the materials. Keep proof that your notice was submitted, and check current law with the state or a homeschool legal resource, since rules can change.
Can I pay for it with an Education Freedom Account?
Check the program's current rules and vendor list first. Curriculum was listed as a preapproved reimbursable expense in the 2025–26 school year, but Teach Lessons does not claim to be an approved vendor of the Arkansas EFA program, and rules for 2026–27 may differ. Confirm with the program before you buy.
How do students work with it under the phone rule?
Every unit comes as worksheets, activities, slides and answer keys you can print or show on a classroom screen. Students do not need their own phones or accounts. Under the bell-to-bell rule from Act 122, printing the reading and the task together is the simplest way to keep a lesson moving.
Does it include evolution?
Yes. Evolution and the Origin of Life is one of the six units, written as a science unit for Grades 9–12. Read through it before teaching so you know how it presents the topic and where it sits in relation to your district's biology course.
How do I get the files after paying?
The download link arrives by email right after purchase, and the files also stay in your customer account under Orders. You can print what you need for this week and keep the rest for later units. Nothing is shipped, so you can start planning the same day.
Ready for your next biology unit
Open the bundle page to see all six units and decide where the first one goes in your semester.
See the biology units