Middle School Life Science Curriculum for Charter School Teachers
Science teachers starting life science at a charter middle school, often with no lab budget and no inherited plans, can teach from Biology Complete – Middle School. It brings 70+ resources for grades 6–8, from characteristics of living things and cell theory to levels of organization, plus practice in hypotheses, data and models. Everything downloads right after purchase.
See the life science course →Biology Complete – Middle School is a ready-to-teach life science curriculum for grades 6–8 with 70+ resources, from $149.90. It covers characteristics of living things, cell theory, plant vs animal cells and levels of organization, along with further life science units, and builds scientific thinking through hypotheses, simple investigations, data analysis, diagrams and models in an NGSS-style approach. It is not certified for NGSS or any state, so check it against your own requirements.
The curriculum
Biology Complete – Middle School, Grades 6–8
Start with the full curriculum. The other resources below are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
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The real problem
Life science in a charter without a lab or a department
Plenty of charter schools open in buildings that were never meant to be schools: converted offices, church annexes, former retail space. The science room may have no sinks, no gas, no microscopes and a supply budget that covers paper towels. Yet life science is supposed to be hands-on, and students and families expect experiments. The new science hire, sometimes a career changer with a biology degree but little classroom time, is left to work out how to teach cells without slides and stains, and how to teach investigation without equipment. On top of that, the school may expect you to show students doing science, not just reading about it, because practices like asking questions, planning investigations and analyzing data are what science standards emphasize. Building a year that does this means designing simple investigations that work with household materials, finding diagrams of plant and animal cells students can label and compare, and writing data sets students can graph and interpret. It also means sequencing from living things to cells to body systems so the ideas stack. Without a science department to share materials, all of that lands on one person in a few weeks.
Why it fits
How the curriculum works with a lean science room
It leans on data, diagrams and models for investigation, which suits rooms without much equipment.
- Plant vs animal cell lessons use diagrams and models, so cell structure is teachable without microscopes.
- Students write questions and hypotheses and plan simple investigations, practicing science with few supplies.
- Data analysis tasks let students interpret results even when the class cannot run every experiment.
- Cell theory to levels of organization gives a clear order from single cells to whole organisms.
- Cause and effect and evidence come up repeatedly, giving lab reports and claims a consistent structure.
- Answer keys support teachers who know biology well but are still new to running a classroom.
Getting started
Your first two weeks of life science
One way to begin while you figure out what equipment the school actually has. Change the order to fit your schedule.
- Inventory the room, then the unitsList what you have, from hand lenses to a projector, then go through the downloaded units and mark which investigations need anything beyond that. Plan those for later or adapt them.
- Ask what makes something aliveOpen with the characteristics of living things lesson. Students sort examples into living and nonliving and defend their choices, a quick way to hear how they reason.
- Practice writing a hypothesisIn week one, run a short activity on testable questions and hypotheses. Keep the topic simple so the focus stays on the practice, not the content.
- Compare plant and animal cellsIn week two, use the cell theory and cell diagram materials. Students label and compare structures, then build or draw a model that explains what each part does.
- Analyze a first data setFinish with a data analysis task: graph results and write a claim backed by evidence. It sets the routine for every investigation that follows during the year.
Which version
Which life science version makes sense
The standard curriculum, 70+ resources for $149.90, is the full grades 6–8 course. The $189.90 version adds Teach-Life-Balance, a digital course with a planner, guides and templates to help teachers manage workload. It is a reasonable choice for a first-year science teacher still building routines, and less necessary for an experienced one. If your charter assigns you one integrated science course, combining this with Chemistry Complete or Physics Complete – Middle School may fit, and TEACHMORE15 takes 15% off two or more curricula.
Honest limits
What you still need to provide
No lab kits, microscopes, specimens or supplies are included. Investigations rely on what your school owns, and some may need adapting or replacing with data-based versions. The NGSS-style practices are a description of the approach, not a certification, so compare the course with your state's science standards yourself. Sharing it with another science teacher at your school starts with a short message to Teach Lessons. If it turns out the curriculum is not right for your room, you can exchange it for store credit within 7 days. Refunds are not paid in cash.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is this curriculum NGSS-certified or approved by a charter authorizer?
No. It is not certified, approved, adopted or endorsed by NGSS, any state or any charter authorizer, and alignment is not guaranteed. Its scientific thinking strand is described as NGSS-style practices: questions and hypotheses, simple investigations, data, diagrams and models. Compare the units with your state's life science standards and add material where your requirements go further.
Can I teach it with no microscopes or lab equipment?
Much of it, yes. Cell structure is taught with diagrams and models, and investigations are designed to be simple, with data analysis tasks that let students work with results. Anything requiring equipment depends on what your school owns, since no kits or supplies come with the curriculum.
What topics come after cells?
The product describes cells, structure and function, including characteristics of living things, cell theory, plant vs animal cells and levels of organization, followed by further life science units. The product page lists what is included, so check it there to see exactly how the rest of the year is covered.
Is there a broader STEM option?
The STEM Complete Curriculum Bundle for grades 6–10 ($149.00) is a separate product that may interest a teacher covering several science areas. Chemistry Complete and Physics Complete – Middle School are other Complete Curricula with the same structure as this one. None is required for teaching life science.
I am a career changer. Will this help me run a class?
It is fully structured, with slides, differentiated worksheets, activities and answer keys, and it is described as no-prep. That gives you lesson content and a sequence, so you can focus on routines and classroom management. You still need to read ahead and plan pacing, and your school's mentoring or coaching remains important.
Our sixth and seventh grade science teachers both teach cells. Can we share?
Two teachers covering cells at different grades can coordinate well with one sequence, so students meet plant vs animal cells once and then build on them. Use within your school is possible after a short message to Teach Lessons, sent before your colleague starts. Ask about school purchasing then, too. Public posting or passing files to other campuses is not allowed.
Teach real life science with the room you have
The product page lists what is included for grades 6–8. Choose a version and download it today.
See the life science course →