Middle School Life Science Curriculum for Long-Term Subs and Leave Cover
For a long-term sub in grades 6–8 life science, this curriculum supplies 70+ no-prep resources on cells, structure and function, and the characteristics of living things, built around scientific thinking: hypotheses, simple investigations, data, diagrams and models. You can keep students doing actual science for the length of a leave, even when the lab cart is locked and nobody has left you the key.
See the life science units →Biology Complete – Middle School is a digital grades 6–8 life science curriculum with 70+ resources, from $149.90. A long-term substitute can teach the characteristics of living things, cell theory, plant and animal cells and levels of organization, along with further life science units. Scientific thinking runs through it: forming hypotheses, interpreting simple investigations, analyzing data and using models. No lab kits are included.
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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Teach-Life-Balance: The Complete Time-Saving Course for Teachers (incl. Planner, Guides & Templates)
The real problem
What gets hard when you cover life science for months
Science subs often face a locked lab. Many schools will not let a substitute run dissections, use microscopes or handle chemicals without the regular teacher's sign-off, so the hands-on part of life science can disappear for the whole leave. Students notice, and they get restless with textbook reading. At the same time, the course still has to move. Cell theory, the differences between plant and animal cells, and how cells form tissues, organs and organ systems are foundational, and later units depend on them. If the leave covers that stretch, the returning teacher will expect students to have it. There is also the scientific practice side. Teachers are increasingly expected to teach students to ask questions, interpret data and explain cause and effect with evidence, not just memorize vocabulary. That is hard to do without activities designed for it. A sub without a biology background may also struggle to explain a diagram of a cell or correct a misconception confidently. You need lessons where the thinking work is built in and the content explanations are clear enough to teach from directly.
Why it fits
How it fits a life science leave
The curriculum leans on data, diagrams and models, which is what a sub can actually use when the lab is off limits.
- Plant vs animal cell lessons use diagrams and models, so students compare structures without microscopes.
- Levels of organization lessons connect cells to organ systems in a clear, teachable sequence.
- Data analysis activities let students interpret investigations they cannot run themselves.
- Hypothesis and cause-and-effect tasks keep scientific thinking at the center of each lesson.
- Answer keys support a sub without a biology background in correcting work accurately.
- Further life science units beyond cells give you material for a semester or longer.
Getting started
Your opening weeks in life science
A suggested sequence for the start of the leave. Shift it based on what the class covered before you arrived.
- Ask what makes something aliveOpen with the characteristics of living things. Students argue about borderline examples, you hear their misconceptions, and the class has a common starting point regardless of where the absent teacher stopped.
- Clarify what lab work is allowedTalk to the department in your first days about microscopes and lab materials. Plan around the answer, using the curriculum's diagram and data lessons for anything you cannot run.
- Teach cells through diagramsUse the plant and animal cell lessons with labeled diagrams and models. Have students explain how a structure relates to its function, not just name it.
- Introduce a data routinePick an activity where students interpret results from a simple investigation. Repeating the same routine each week builds the skill even without a lab. Graphs from the lessons work well for this.
- Assess with an explanation taskAt the end of week two, ask students to explain one idea, such as levels of organization, using a diagram and evidence. It gives a solid grade without a lab report.
Which version
Which life science version makes sense
Most subs will be well served by the $149.90 version with all 70+ resources. The $189.90 version adds the Teach-Life-Balance course with planners and templates for your own workload; it contains no extra science. If the position also includes physical science or chemistry sections, as some middle school science jobs do, Physics Complete or Chemistry Complete – Middle School can be added, and TEACHMORE15 takes 15% off two or more curricula. The STEM Complete Curriculum Bundle Grades 6–10 is another option in the store.
Honest limits
Limits you should know about
The curriculum does not supply microscopes, specimens, lab kits or video, so any hands-on work depends on your school's equipment and its rules for subs. Its practices are described as NGSS-style, which is not the same as NGSS alignment; check it against your state science standards. Team or department use requires a short message to Teach Lessons first. If the curriculum is not what you need, you can exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is it aligned to NGSS?
No official alignment is claimed. The curriculum describes its scientific thinking work as NGSS-style practices, but it is not endorsed, certified or adopted by NGSS or any state. It is written for U.S. middle school life science. Check it against your state's science standards before building your leave around it.
I can't use the lab as a sub. Is this still useful?
Yes. Much of the scientific thinking work uses data, diagrams and models rather than equipment, so students can interpret investigations, compare cell structures and explain cause and effect without a lab. If your school does allow some lab work, the curriculum's hypothesis and investigation lessons fit around it.
I'm not a biology teacher. Can I teach cells?
The lessons explain the content clearly and include answer keys, so you can teach cell theory and cell structures from them. Preview each lesson the day before. Diagrams help a lot, because students and teacher can point at the same structure while discussing its function.
What does it cover beyond cells?
The product covers scientific thinking, cells, structure and function, characteristics of living things and levels of organization, plus further life science units. The product page lists everything included, so check there to see whether the units match the stretch of the year your leave covers.
Can I use it for review days and shortened periods?
Yes. The curriculum is described as flexible for full units, short lessons, review or substitute teaching. Shorter activities such as a diagram labeling task or a data question work well on assembly days or before a test. They also give you a ready option when a fire drill or schedule change eats into a period you had planned for a longer cell lesson.
How do I get it?
Purchase gives you instant access through an emailed download link, and the files are also in your account under Orders. You can print or project lessons straight away, which matters when you are told about the leave only a few days ahead. Print the cell diagrams first; they are useful in almost every early lesson.
Keep students doing real life science
See the product page for the full contents of the grades 6–8 life science curriculum.
See the life science units →