Middle School Life Science Curriculum for Private and Independent Schools
Biology Complete – Middle School gives private and independent schools a grades 6–8 life science course with 70+ resources, starting with characteristics of living things, cell theory, plant and animal cells and levels of organization, then moving into further life science units. Scientific thinking runs through it: hypotheses, simple investigations, data, diagrams and models. It is a digital download from $149.90 that a science teacher can review today.
See the life science course →Biology Complete – Middle School, from $149.90, is a no-prep life science curriculum for grades 6–8. It teaches characteristics of living things, cell theory, plant versus animal cells and levels of organization, plus further life science units, with scientific thinking practices described as NGSS-style: questions, hypotheses, simple investigations, data analysis, diagrams and models. Private schools should compare it with their own science requirements, since no approval or endorsement is claimed.
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 small school's science program
In many small private schools, one science teacher covers life, physical and earth science for three grades, sometimes in a classroom that doubles as a lab once a week. Life science tends to become a set of favorite activities: a leaf collection, a microscope day, a frog unit someone ran in 2015. What is missing is the thread connecting them. Students may label a cell diagram without understanding cell theory, or know the words tissue and organ without grasping levels of organization. Parents at independent schools often pay close attention to science because it feeds into high school placement. They ask whether their child is doing real investigations or filling in vocabulary sheets. Meanwhile, the budget may cover only a few microscopes and some basic glassware. You need a life science course that teaches students to ask questions, form hypotheses and interpret data, that uses diagrams and models when equipment is short, and that builds from characteristics of living things toward more complex systems. Writing that sequence while also covering physical science and running the science fair is too much for one person.
Why it fits
What it brings to a private school science room
The curriculum gives life science a clear sequence and puts scientific thinking at its center.
- Cell theory and plant versus animal cells give microscope days a real conceptual frame.
- Levels of organization lessons connect cells to tissues, organs and organisms in a clear order.
- Hypothesis and simple investigation tasks show families that students do actual science, not just vocabulary.
- Data analysis, diagrams and models let you teach well even with limited lab equipment.
- Differentiated worksheets help when science-strong and struggling students share a small class.
- Same structure as the other science curricula, useful if you teach all three sciences.
Getting started
Your first two weeks with it
One practical way to set up life science at a small independent school:
- Check your equipment against the unitsList the microscopes, slides and supplies you have. Mark which investigations you can run hands-on and where diagrams and models will carry the lesson. Plan accordingly.
- Start with living versus non-livingThe characteristics of living things lesson is a strong opener. Students argue from evidence about borderline cases and practice scientific reasoning early. Return to it often.
- Teach a hypothesis lessonBefore any investigation, use the scientific thinking materials on questions and hypotheses. Every later lab then follows the same routine. Students learn one way to plan.
- Pair cells with a microscope dayTeach plant versus animal cells, then look at real samples if you can. If not, use the diagrams and models provided. Discuss what the models leave out.
- Outline life science for each gradeWrite down which units each grade covers. Share it with your head of school so the science program is documented. Update it after the year ends.
Which version
Choosing a version, and combining sciences
The $149.90 version with 70+ resources is the full life science course. The $189.90 version adds Teach-Life-Balance, a digital course with a planner, guides and templates to help with workload. A teacher covering several sciences may find it useful, but it contains no science content. If you are the only science teacher and also teach chemistry or physical science, buying Chemistry Complete or Physics Complete with this curriculum and using TEACHMORE15 gives 15% off, and all follow the same structure.
Honest limits
What it does not do
No lab kits, microscopes, specimens or supplies are included; you provide whatever equipment hands-on work requires. The NGSS-style practices are a description of the approach, not a claim of alignment. Your school sets its own science requirements and any accreditation expectations, so compare the units with those yourself. If colleagues will 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 is no cash refund.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is it NGSS-aligned or approved for accredited schools?
The product describes its scientific thinking practices as NGSS-style, but Teach Lessons does not claim alignment with NGSS or any state standards, and no accreditor has endorsed it. It is written for U.S. middle school life science classrooms. Compare it with your school's requirements and confirm with your administration.
Do I need a lab to use it?
No. Many lessons rely on data analysis, diagrams and models, and investigations are described as simple. A microscope helps for cell lessons, but where equipment is limited you can teach the same concepts through diagrams and data. Plan the remaining lessons around the materials you have.
Is it suitable for a faith-based school?
It is a general U.S. middle school life science course. Faith-based schools should review the units, which the product page lists, and decide how they want to present them within their own program. Read each unit first and decide how you want to frame it for your students and families.
What other science products exist?
Chemistry Complete – Middle School and Physics Complete – Middle School follow the same structure. The STEM Complete Curriculum Bundle for grades 6–10 at $149.00 may also appear on the product page as an optional addition. Teaching all three gives one consistent approach across the sciences.
Can it help with science fair projects?
It teaches the steps a science fair project relies on: asking a question, forming a hypothesis, planning a simple investigation and analyzing data. It does not include a science fair guide, so you would apply those lessons to your own fair format. Students can adapt them.
Can our school purchase it for several teachers?
Use within your own school is possible after a short message to Teach Lessons. Send any school purchasing questions at the same time, before buying. Explain how many science teachers will use it, and Teach Lessons can tell you what the licence covers. Files arrive instantly by email after purchase.
Build life science around real scientific thinking
See the full list of units on the product page and choose the version that fits your science program.
See the life science course →