Vermont High School Biology Units: Photosynthesis to Climate Change
Vermont High School Biology Units: Photosynthesis to Climate Change
Vermont biology teachers who need ready units for major topics can use the High School Biology Units Bundle: photosynthesis, evolution and the origin of life, primate social behavior, chromatography, ecosystem management and climate change, for $89.99. That is six units, not a full year, and they are not written to NGSS or to any Vermont district's proficiencies.
View the biology unitsFor Vermont high school biology, the High School Biology Units Bundle ($89.99) adds six ready units: Photosynthesis and Plant Metabolism, Evolution and the Origin of Life, Primate Social Behavior, Chromatography in Metabolic Physiology, Ecosystem Management, and Climate Change and the Anthropogenic Greenhouse Effect. It does not cover cells, genetics or a full year, and it is not aligned to NGSS, so check it against your district's proficiencies.
The resources
High School Biology Units Bundle, Grades 9–12
6 resources in one download: $89.99 instead of $149.94 bought separately.
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
High School Biology Units Bundle | Photosynthesis, Evolution, Ecology, Climate Change & Lab Methods | 6 Units | Grades 9–12
Environmental Science Units Bundle | Climate Change, Climate Data, Ecosystems, Resources & Climate Ethics | 5 Units | Grades 8–12
High School Nutrition Science Curriculum | Diet, Macronutrients, Metabolism & Health | 10 Units | Grades 9–12
High School Chemistry Units Bundle | Equilibrium, Redox Titration, Molecular Forces, Corrosion & Nanochemistry | 7 Units | Grades 10–12
The real problem
Proficiencies are local, and 2031 is coming
Vermont's Education Quality Standards point districts to the Next Generation Science Standards for science, but graduation is still set locally. Under EQS rules 2120.7 and 2120.8, each secondary school board writes its own proficiency-based graduation requirements, so what counts as showing proficiency in life science can differ from one supervisory union to the next. Act 73 is set to create statewide graduation standards starting with the class of 2031, which means students entering high school in the next few years may be measured against something new; the details are worth following with your district. For a biology teacher, that leaves two practical problems. First, you need units that give students real tasks to show what they know, beyond copied notes, so you have evidence for your proficiency scales. Second, you may be doing it with little backup. Vermont districts have relied on provisional and emergency licenses when no licensed candidate applied, so a biology section can land with a teacher from another field or a colleague covering it in a small school. Ready units on core topics, with answer keys, save the evenings that would otherwise go into building them.
Why it fits
Where the six units fit a Vermont biology course
Each unit covers one major topic, so you can place it wherever your course plan and proficiencies need it.
- Photosynthesis and Plant Metabolism gives a full unit on how plants capture and use energy.
- Evolution and the Origin of Life covers a core life science topic many courses build toward.
- Ecosystem Management links biology to forestry and agriculture, program areas at Vermont's regional technical centers.
- Climate Change and the Anthropogenic Greenhouse Effect connects ecology to the human causes of warming.
- Chromatography in Metabolic Physiology suits a lab-methods block if your school has the equipment.
- Primate Social Behavior gives students a concrete topic for discussing behavior and evolution with evidence.
Getting started
One way to place the units in a year
A suggested order, assuming cells, genetics and other topics come from your own materials.
- Fall: energy in living thingsAfter your own cell unit, teach Photosynthesis and Plant Metabolism. Follow with Chromatography in Metabolic Physiology if you can run the lab with school equipment.
- Late fall: evolutionUse Evolution and the Origin of Life once students have some genetics background from your own lessons, so the mechanisms make sense to them and the vocabulary is familiar.
- Winter: behaviorPrimate Social Behavior works as a shorter unit after evolution, asking students to explain behavior with evidence and to compare species, which also revisits ideas from evolution.
- Spring: ecosystemsTeach Ecosystem Management when outdoor observation is easier. Students in forestry or agriculture programs at a regional technical center may bring examples from their own coursework.
- End of year: climateClose with Climate Change and the Anthropogenic Greenhouse Effect, and let students show proficiency through a final explanation or project you score against your district's scale.
What to buy
Biology bundle or a related science set
For a general biology course, the High School Biology Units Bundle at $89.99 is the direct fit; its six units are $149.94 bought separately. If your course leans toward environment and data, the Environmental Science Units Bundle ($69.99, parts $124.95) adds a climate data lab, resource extraction and climate ethics; two of its units, Ecosystem Management and the climate change unit, are also in the biology bundle. Health or anatomy-leaning courses may prefer the High School Nutrition Science Curriculum ($119.99, parts $249.90) with macronutrients, metabolism and disease. For a chemistry section, the High School Chemistry Units Bundle ($89.99, parts $174.93) has seven upper-level units.
Honest limits
Honest limits for Vermont teachers
These units are not written for Vermont, carry no NGSS performance expectation codes and are not linked to any district's proficiency scale, so check each one against your course and graduation proficiencies yourself. Six units are not a full-year biology course: cells, genetics and body systems come from your own materials. No lab equipment or chemicals are included. The licence covers one teacher's own teaching, so departments should message Teach Lessons before sharing. If the bundle does not suit, you can exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value, not cash.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is this NGSS-aligned or approved for Vermont?
No. The bundle is not aligned to NGSS, not approved by the Vermont Agency of Education and not endorsed by any district. Vermont points schools to NGSS for science, but proficiencies and graduation requirements are set locally, so compare each unit with NGSS and your district's proficiency-based requirements before using it for assessment.
Can I use the units as evidence for proficiency-based grading?
Student work from the units can serve as evidence if it fits your proficiency scales, but the units do not include Vermont proficiency rubrics. A practical approach is to pick one task per unit, score it with your own scale, and keep the rest as practice. That choice sits with you and your department.
Does it cover cells and genetics?
No. The six units are photosynthesis, evolution, primate behavior, chromatography, ecosystem management and climate change. Cells, genetics, body systems and other topics need to come from your existing materials. The bundle fills specific gaps in a course plan; it does not replace the plan itself or your own sequence.
Will the chromatography unit need special equipment?
Chromatography is a lab method, and the bundle includes no lab kits, chemicals or equipment. Check what your science department has before you schedule it. If you cannot run the lab, you can still teach the method and its uses from the unit's reading and worksheets.
What does Act 73 and the class of 2031 mean for this?
Act 73 is set to create statewide graduation standards starting with the class of 2031. How that will affect science proficiencies is something to follow with your district and the Agency of Education. This bundle is not built around those future standards, so treat it as content you check against whatever your district adopts as the details become clear.
Can several teachers in our department use it?
The standard licence covers one teacher's own teaching. For a department or school, send Teach Lessons a short message before buying so team use can be arranged. Until that is settled, please do not upload the files to a public site or to an open shared drive.
Fill the gaps in your biology course plan
Open the product page to see the six units in detail.
View the biology units