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Biology (HS Credit)

A complete high school Biology course scaffolded for accelerated 8th graders. Covers biochemistry, cell structure, cellular processes, genetics, DNA, evolution, classification, ecology, body systems, and biotechnology. Earns 1.0 high school science credit. TEKS §112.42 aligned.

14 Units

35-50 minutes per unit

What You Will Learn

High School Credit

Earns 1.0 HS science credit on transcript. Same TEKS as high school Biology, scaffolded for 13-14 year olds.

Molecular to Ecosystem

From biochemistry and DNA through ecology and conservation — the full scope of modern biology.

TEKS §112.42 Aligned

Covers Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Biology.

All Units

The Science of Life

Discover what makes something alive and how biologists investigate the natural world using the scientific method.

•Identify and explain the eight characteristics shared by all living things.
•Design a controlled experiment using variables, hypotheses, and data analysis.
•Distinguish between a scientific hypothesis, theory, and law.
+1 more objectives

Chemistry of Life

Explore the chemical building blocks that make life possible — water, carbon, macromolecules, and the enzymes that drive biological reactions.

•Explain the unique properties of water and why they are essential to life.
•Describe how carbon's bonding behavior makes it the backbone of biological molecules.
•Identify the four classes of macromolecules and their functions in living systems.
+1 more objectives

Cell Structure and Function

Investigate the organelles that power life at the microscopic scale and compare prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell organization.

•Identify the major organelles of eukaryotic cells and explain their functions.
•Compare and contrast prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
•Explain the structure and function of the cell membrane using the fluid mosaic model.
+1 more objectives

Cellular Processes: Energy and Transport

Trace how cells capture, transform, and use energy through photosynthesis and cellular respiration, and how molecules move across membranes.

•Summarize the overall equations and energy transformations in photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
•Explain the stages of cellular respiration and identify where each occurs in the cell.
•Compare and contrast passive transport, active transport, osmosis, and endocytosis.
+1 more objectives

Cell Division and the Cell Cycle

Understand how cells replicate through mitosis and meiosis, and how the cell cycle is regulated to prevent cancer.

•Describe the stages of the cell cycle, including interphase and mitosis.
•Explain the significance of mitosis for growth, repair, and asexual reproduction.
•Compare mitosis and meiosis in terms of process, purpose, and genetic outcome.
+1 more objectives

Mendelian Genetics

Discover how traits are inherited through generations using Mendel's laws, Punnett squares, and probability.

•Explain Mendel's laws of segregation and independent assortment.
•Use Punnett squares to predict the outcomes of monohybrid and dihybrid crosses.
•Distinguish between genotype and phenotype, dominance and recessiveness, and homozygosity and heterozygosity.
+1 more objectives

DNA and Gene Expression

Unravel the double helix — how DNA is structured, replicated, and read to produce the proteins that build and run every living cell.

•Describe the structure of DNA including the double helix, base pairing rules, and nucleotide components.
•Explain how DNA is replicated with high fidelity before cell division.
•Trace the flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA to protein (transcription and translation).
+1 more objectives

Genetic Technology and Biotechnology

Explore the tools scientists use to read, copy, and edit DNA — from PCR and gel electrophoresis to CRISPR and GMOs — and the ethical questions they raise.

•Explain how PCR amplifies DNA and why it is useful in forensics, medicine, and research.
•Describe how gel electrophoresis separates DNA fragments and how it is used to create DNA profiles.
•Explain how CRISPR-Cas9 edits genes and discuss the range of applications and ethical considerations.
+1 more objectives

Evolution and Natural Selection

Examine the evidence for evolution and the mechanisms — natural selection, mutation, genetic drift — that drive life's changing diversity over time.

•Describe multiple lines of evidence that support the theory of evolution, including fossil, anatomical, and molecular evidence.
•Explain how natural selection acts on variation within a population to produce evolutionary change.
•Distinguish between natural selection, genetic drift, and gene flow as mechanisms of evolution.
+1 more objectives

Classification and Phylogenetics

Explore how biologists organize the diversity of life using taxonomy and cladistics, and what phylogenetic trees reveal about evolutionary relationships.

•Explain the Linnaean hierarchy and use binomial nomenclature correctly.
•Distinguish between the three domains and six kingdoms, and describe the organisms in each.
•Interpret a phylogenetic tree (cladogram) to identify common ancestors and derived characters.
+1 more objectives

Ecology: Populations and Ecosystems

Investigate how energy flows through ecosystems, how matter cycles through living and non-living systems, and what forces regulate population size.

•Trace the flow of energy through a food web from producers to top consumers, explaining energy loss at each level.
•Describe the carbon, nitrogen, and water cycles and explain the role of living organisms in each.
•Explain the factors that regulate population size, including carrying capacity and limiting factors.
+1 more objectives

Body Systems and Homeostasis

Examine how organ systems work together to maintain homeostasis through negative and positive feedback loops, linking cellular function to whole-body physiology.

•Explain the concept of homeostasis and how negative feedback loops maintain stable internal conditions.
•Describe how the nervous and endocrine systems coordinate the body's response to change.
•Explain how the circulatory, respiratory, and excretory systems interact to maintain homeostasis.
+1 more objectives

Humans and the Environment

Examine humanity's impact on biodiversity and ecosystems, and evaluate evidence-based conservation strategies for protecting the living world.

•Explain the concept of biodiversity and describe why it matters for ecosystem function and human welfare.
•Identify and explain the major causes of biodiversity loss, including habitat destruction, invasive species, pollution, overexploitation, and climate change.
•Describe and evaluate conservation strategies including protected areas, corridors, captive breeding, and legislation.
+1 more objectives

Capstone: Research Proposal Design

Apply the scientific method by designing an original biology research proposal, peer-reviewing a classmate's design, and reflecting on a year of biological thinking.

•Formulate a testable research question grounded in a biological phenomenon from this course.
•Design a controlled experiment with clearly defined variables, methods, and data analysis plan.
•Evaluate a peer's research proposal using structured scientific criteria and provide constructive feedback.
+1 more objectives

Biology (HS Credit). For accelerated 8th graders. TEKS §112.42 aligned. Prerequisite: Accelerated Science — Year 2.