A Full-Year Middle School Life Science Curriculum for the Only Science Teacher
Biology Complete – Middle School is a grades 6–8 life science course with 70+ ready resources for the only science teacher in a school, the person expected to cover life, physical and earth science with no department to lean on. It opens with how scientists ask questions and handle evidence, moves into cells and levels of organization, and continues through further life science units.
See the life science course →Biology Complete – Middle School is a no-prep life science curriculum for grades 6–8 with 70+ resources, from $149.90. It starts with scientific thinking, described as NGSS-style practices: questions, hypotheses, simple investigations, data, diagrams, models and evidence. It then covers characteristics of living things, cell theory, plant and animal cells and levels of organization, plus further life science units. It gives a lone middle school science teacher a ready life science sequence.
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
One science teacher, three sciences, and life science gets squeezed
Being the only science teacher in a middle school usually means you are not just the biology person. You are also chemistry, physics, earth science, the science fair coordinator and the person who knows where the goggles are. Each of those needs its own sequence, and you are the only one writing them. Life science looks easy to improvise because students find animals and bodies interesting, but the foundations are abstract. Cell theory, the difference between plant and animal cells, and the path from cell to tissue to organ to organism all need clear diagrams and careful order. Without a colleague, nobody checks that you taught what makes something alive before asking students to compare cells. The practices are the other gap. A solo teacher with limited prep and limited equipment often slides into reading and vocabulary, so students never write a hypothesis or interpret data. You need a course that teaches life science content through questions, models and evidence, and that you can pick up on a Monday without rebuilding it the night before.
Why it fits
What it takes off a solo science teacher's plate
These pieces matter most when you are planning every science strand by yourself.
- Scientific thinking lessons on questions, hypotheses and evidence come first, so practices are not an afterthought.
- Cell theory and plant versus animal cells are taught with diagrams and models you do not need to draw.
- Levels of organization give students a clear path from cell to organism before body systems.
- Data analysis tasks let students reason like scientists even on days without hands-on materials.
- Answer keys help when you are grading life, physical and earth science work in the same week.
Getting started
A first two weeks with life science
One way to start, assuming life science is only one of several courses you prepare.
- Decide where life science sitsIf you teach several sciences, choose which grade or semester gets life science. Writing that down is the vertical plan a science department would normally hold.
- Teach questions and hypotheses firstUse the scientific thinking material to practice turning an observation into a testable question. Students reuse that skill in every science you teach them.
- Ask what counts as livingWork through characteristics of living things with real and tricky examples. Arguments about whether a seed or a virus is alive make the criteria stick.
- Introduce cells with modelsMove to cell theory and plant versus animal cells using the provided diagrams. If you have microscopes, add a look at real cells; if not, the diagrams still carry it.
- Build the levels of organizationClose with cells, tissues, organs, systems and organisms. A simple class chart becomes a reference for every later life science unit.
Which version
Choosing the version, and covering the other sciences
The base version, $149.90, includes all 70+ resources. The $189.90 version adds Teach-Life-Balance, a digital course with a planner, guides and templates for managing teaching time; it adds no science content. If you are also responsible for physical science, Chemistry Complete and Physics Complete – Middle School follow the same structure. Buying two or more Complete Curricula with code TEACHMORE15 takes 15% off, which fits a teacher who is the whole science department. The STEM Complete Curriculum Bundle Grades 6–10 is a separate option.
Honest limits
What you supply and check yourself
No lab kits, microscopes, specimens or other equipment are included. Investigations are simple, but you decide what is safe and available in your room. Earth science is not part of this course. It is written for U.S. middle school classrooms; checking it against your state science standards is your job. If another teacher in your school wants to use it, send Teach Lessons a short message first. If it does not fit, you can exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value. There are no cash refunds.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is it NGSS-aligned?
No. It is not endorsed or certified by NGSS or any state, and we do not guarantee alignment with any standards. The scientific thinking strand is described as following NGSS-style practices such as asking questions, analyzing data and using models. It is written for U.S. middle school classrooms, so check it against your own state science standards.
I have no real lab. Does it still work?
Much of the course runs on data, diagrams and models, which need no equipment. Simple investigations are included, but you choose what fits your room. If you have microscopes, add them to the cells unit; if you do not, the diagrams carry the content.
Does it cover physical and earth science too?
No, this is life science only. Chemistry and physics are separate Complete Curricula for grades 6–8 with the same structure. Earth science topics are not part of this product.
Can I use it with sixth, seventh and eighth graders?
Yes. It is written for grades 6–8 and the worksheets are differentiated for mixed-ability classrooms. Some solo teachers use it in one grade as a full course, others pull units into a general science rotation.
Is there help with the science fair?
There is no science fair kit, but the scientific thinking lessons on hypotheses, simple investigations and evidence teach the exact skills students need for a project. Use them early in the year if a fair is coming.
What can a sub teach?
The material is described as flexible for substitute teaching. A cell diagram or data analysis worksheet with an answer key is safe and simple for a sub. Avoid leaving investigations for days when no science teacher is present.
One less science to plan from scratch
The product page lists what is included in the 70+ resources.
See the life science course →