Starting Middle School Life Science Mid-Year: Curriculum for January Hires
Biology Complete – Middle School is for science teachers hired in January to take over grades 6–8 life science without inherited plans. It provides 70+ resources, from characteristics of living things and cell theory to plant and animal cells and levels of organization, with practice in hypotheses, data and models. You can teach from it in semester 2 while you check the lab cabinet.
See Biology Complete – MS →Biology Complete – Middle School is a no-prep life science curriculum for grades 6–8 with 70+ resources, starting at $149.90. A teacher who starts in January can use it immediately: characteristics of living things, cell theory, plant vs animal cells, levels of organization and further life science units, taught with NGSS-style practices such as forming hypotheses, analyzing data and using diagrams and models.
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
What makes a mid-year life science start hard
Science rooms carry more uncertainty than most for a new hire. There may be a microscope cabinet, but you do not know how many work, and the prepared slides may be missing or broken. There may be a box of something that was supposed to become an investigation in December. Before you plan anything hands-on, you have to find out what is there and whether it is safe. Meanwhile, students arrive with uneven backgrounds. If the fall stopped somewhere in cells, some can label an organelle diagram and others cannot explain what makes something alive. Science also has a habit problem. Students who spent months copying notes from a sub's slides may never have formed a hypothesis or read a data table. Those skills take practice and do not come back by themselves. You also need to know whether your district expects a specific sequence, such as cells before ecosystems, and how far behind the class is. Your first weeks have to restart scientific thinking without depending on equipment you have not checked.
Why it fits
Why it works before the lab is sorted out
Much of the scientific practice is taught with data, diagrams and models, which helps when the lab is still an unknown.
- Characteristics of living things lessons give every student a fair starting point in week one.
- Plant vs animal cell diagrams teach structure and function before microscopes are tested.
- Hypothesis and data tasks rebuild science habits that a fall of note-copying skipped.
- Levels of organization lessons connect cells to tissues and organs in a sequence students can follow.
- Cause and effect and evidence tasks make students explain their thinking, not just label parts.
- Simple investigation planning lets you add hands-on work once you know what equipment works.
Getting started
Your first two weeks in a new science room
A possible start for semester 2. It is a planning suggestion; the product does not include a calendar.
- Start with what makes something aliveOpen with the characteristics of living things. Students sort examples and defend their choices, which shows you quickly who can reason with evidence. Keep it discussion-based.
- Inspect the equipment during seatworkWhile students work on a cell theory worksheet, check microscopes, slides and supplies. Note what needs replacing before you plan any investigation. Keep a written list.
- Teach cells with diagrams and modelsUse the plant vs animal cell materials with diagrams first. If the microscopes work, add a viewing later as a confirmation rather than the starting point.
- Have students read a data tableUse a data analysis task from the scientific thinking materials. It shows who can interpret a graph and is a good first grade because it is quick to check.
- Plan one small investigationOnce you know the equipment, have students write a testable question and a simple plan. Even if you do not carry it out yet, it trains the habit.
Which version
Which version, and whether to add more science
The $149.90 version contains all 70+ resources and is enough for a life science semester. Paying $189.90 adds Teach-Life-Balance, a digital planner-and-templates course with guides for teachers. It adds no science content, but it can help if the new job is taking all your time. If you also teach physical science or chemistry sections, the matching middle school curricula use the same structure and TEACHMORE15 gives 15% off two or more. Combine them only when your schedule actually includes those courses.
Honest limits
What it does not include
No lab kits, specimens, microscopes or consumables are included. Any hands-on work depends on your school's equipment, and you follow your school's lab safety rules. The scientific practices are described as NGSS-style, but that is not a claim of alignment. Compare each unit with the science standards your state uses. If other science teachers in your building want to use it, send Teach Lessons a short message first. Within 7 days, a curriculum that does not suit you can be exchanged for equal store credit. There is no cash refund.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is it NGSS-aligned?
It is not certified, endorsed or guaranteed to align with NGSS or any state standards. The scientific thinking materials are described as NGSS-style practices: hypotheses, investigations, data, diagrams, models and evidence. It is written for U.S. middle school life science. Check the units against your state standards and your district's scope and sequence.
I do not know if the microscopes work. Can I still teach cells?
Yes. The cell lessons use diagrams and models, so students can learn structure and function before you test the equipment. When the microscopes are checked, a viewing becomes a way to confirm what students have already learned. The curriculum does not supply equipment. Report broken equipment to your department early.
What topics does it cover beyond cells?
The product covers scientific thinking and cells, structure and function, which includes characteristics of living things, cell theory, plant vs animal cells and levels of organization, plus further life science units. The product page lists everything that is included, so check it against your course outline before buying.
Does it work for students who struggle with reading?
The worksheets are differentiated, and a lot of the work is with diagrams, models and data rather than long texts. That gives struggling readers a way into the science. You still adjust support for individual students and follow any accommodation plans. Check those plans in your first week.
Is there a broader science package?
Teach Lessons sells the STEM Complete Curriculum Bundle for grades 6–10 ($149.00) as a separate product, along with the physical science and chemistry curricula. For a teacher who only teaches life science, Biology Complete is the one to buy. Decide on extras later in the semester, after you know your schedule for next year.
How soon do I get the files?
Right away. After purchase, you receive a download link by email and the files are stored in your customer account under Orders. They work for printing or a digital classroom, so the first lesson can be ready the same evening. Nothing arrives by mail, and there is no shipping wait.
Get life science moving again
Look at the full list of contents on the product page and pick the version that fits your semester.
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