High School Biology Series

This is Session 1 of 4 in a full year (36 week) High School Biology Series

This class is only offered once per year in the fall.

If you enroll in Session 1, you are guaranteed space in the remaining biology classes as long as you enroll before the deadline for each class.

It is not required, but it is highly recommended that you take these classes in order. Later courses in the series refer back to information we learn in earlier courses.

Other classes in this series include:
Session 2: Cells, Genetics, and Evolution
Session 3: The Kingdoms of Life
Session 4: Human Anatomy

CLASS DESCRIPTION

This is one of the most advanced classes we offer at Next Level Homeschool, meant to be a comprehensive full year biology program for serious students. You will not find another online high school homeschool program that covers this much biology content. Students who complete the full year will be easily prepared to take AP or college biology. In fact, former students have told me they learned more in this class than their college biology!

My degree is in Marine Biology (from Texas A&M University at Galveston), and I am truly a biologist at heart! I have a passion for this branch of science, and truly love sharing that passion with my students. And it’s my goal to make sure students come away with a deep understanding of the science of life. Because biology is not just a science, it is what we are! It is in us and around us and we are being it and interacting with it every second of our lives. I may be biased, but I truly feel that it is the most important branch of science students will ever learn. And I treat teaching it as a huge responsibility. This will be an academic, in-depth approach to biology.

This session will focus on the following main topics:

1. What are the characteristics of living things?

2. Chemistry: Life is basically just a chemistry set! What are the chemical properties of life? What role does carbon play? How do chemical reactions fuel life?

3. Ecology: How do living things interact with their environment? How does energy flow through these ecosystems (food webs, carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle)?

4. Ecosystems: What are the major ecosystems on earth? What processes define them (biotic and abiotic factors)? How do organisms interact with each other within an ecosystem? How do ecosystems change over time?

5. Populations: What are the characteristics of populations of organisms? What factors allow for and limit their growth? What is biodiversity and how does it differ from a population?

At the end of the course, students will have a firm understanding and working knowledge of all aspects of general biology. This foundation will serve them very well if they progress to an AP biology course in high school or for college biology. That said, it’s going to be engaging and a lot of fun as well!

CLASS FORMAT

No live classes—view lessons on YOUR schedule. In general, expect 1.5-2.5 hours to work through the lesson plan each week, and an additional 2-5 hours working on assignments (it really depends what assignment your child chooses to do and how they manage their time). For classes with two levels, the material is the same for both—the depth of the assignments differs. Younger students should usually be placed in Level 1. Older students, or younger students who want more of a challenge, should be placed in Level 2.

Each lesson consists of a fully narrated PowerPoint presentation with images and videos to enhance the topics. Students will have access to our learning management system, Canvas, for viewing their lesson, printing worksheets, taking quizzes, viewing/submitting assignments, participating in discussions, and viewing grades/feedback.

Read more details about class format.

Week 1

This is a MARATHON week and we’ll be covering a massive amount of foundational material! We’ll start with what the characteristics of living things are, and how we know a cat is a living organism and a rock isn’t. Then we’ll look at life at the molecular level, with an overview of the foundations of chemistry in general, and then applying that information to the chemistry of life. We’ll cover the four major biomolecules, their composition, structure, and role in life’s processes. We’ll then see how those biomolecules fuel chemical reactions in the body.

Week 2

In week 2 we’ll be exploring the ecological structure of life, including individuals, populations, communities, and ecosystems. We’ll discuss the sun’s role in life, and discuss the differences between autotrophs, phototrophs, heterotrophs, and chemotrophs. Well see how these different trophic levels form food chains and webs, and how energy moves through these systems. Next are in depth studies on the water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous cycles on Earth and their impact on life.

Week 3

Time to learn about climate’s role in life on Earth! Then we’ll talk about niches within an ecosystem, and the factors that control the niche an organism can live in, including competition, predation, symbiosis, and more. We’ll then discuss biodiversity, and different major ecosystems of Earth.

Week 4

We’ll finish out Session 1 with a discussion of populations and limits on their growth. We’ll cover carrying capacities and resources, then finish with the differences between endemic, invasive, and keystone species.

All labs are OPTIONAL and not required to complete the work.

These materials will allow students to follow along with the in-lesson labs.
Students who do not have materials can simply follow along with me in the video.

Month-long Lab Project

3 large clear jars
Banana
Cheesecloth or similar breathable fabric

Week 1 Lab Materials

a raw potato
a bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide 3%
about 1/4 cup Vinegar
about 1/4 cup ammonia or household bleach
five clear containers of the same size (I am going to be using test tubes. You can use small glasses or beakers as well)
Timer
eye protection

This is Session 2 of 4 in a full year (36 week) High School Biology Series

This class is only offered once per year in the fall.

If you enroll in Session 1, you are guaranteed space in the remaining biology classes as long as you enroll before the deadline for each class.

It is not required, but it is highly recommended that you take these classes in order. Later courses in the series refer back to information we learn in earlier courses.

Other classes in this series include:

Session 1: Biochemistry and Ecology

Session 3: The Kingdoms of Life

Session 4: Human Anatomy

CLASS DESCRIPTION

This is one of the most advanced classes we offer at Next Level Homeschool, meant to be a comprehensive full year biology program for serious students. You will not find another online high school homeschool program that covers this much biology content. Students who complete the full year will be easily prepared to take AP or college biology. In fact, former students have told me they learned more in this class than their college biology!

My degree is in Marine Biology (from Texas A&M University at Galveston), and I am truly a biologist at heart! I have a passion for this branch of science, and truly love sharing that passion with my students. And it’s my goal to make sure students come away with a deep understanding of the science of life. Because biology is not just a science, it is what we are! It is in us and around us and we are being it and interacting with it every second of our lives. I may be biased, but I truly feel that it is the most important branch of science students will ever learn. And I treat teaching it as a huge responsibility. This will be an academic, in-depth approach to biology.

This session will cover 3 major topics in 12 weeks:

1. Cells: 
What are the different types of cells (prokaryotic, eukaryotic)? What are the different organelles and their functions? How do materials enter and exit the cell (diffusion, osmosis, active transport)? What is the purpose of photosynthesis, and what are the chemical reactions that power it? How do cells turn food into energy? What are the processes of cellular respiration (glycolysis and the Krebs cycle)? How do cells grow and divide (the cell cycle- mitosis)?

2. Genetics: 
What are genes and alleles? How can you predict genetic traits (Punnett squares with F1 and F2  crosses)? How does meiosis play a role in genetics, and how does it differ from mitosis? What is DNA? How does DNA replicate? What is RNA and what is its role in protein synthesis? How do mutations occur, and are they all bad? In what ways can humans use genetic engineering to increase the probability of certain traits appearing in offspring? What are the processes and potential risks of this technology? What is the human genome, how do our genes play a role in inherited disorders, and what are the ethics involved in using genetic engineering on people?

3. Evolution: 
Using many real life examples to illustrate the topics, we will learn: What is Darwinian evolution? How do artificial selection and natural selection work? What is the role of genes in evolution? How do entirely new species evolve from other species? Where did life originate from? How has it evolved over billions of years? How does the studying the history of the earth reinforce the theory of evolution? What patterns can we find in evolution (adaptive radiation, convergent evolution, coevolution, punctuated equilibrium)?

At the end of the course, students will have a firm understanding and working knowledge of all aspects of general biology. This foundation will serve them very well if they progress to an AP biology course in high school or for college biology. That said, it’s going to be engaging and a lot of fun as well!

CLASS FORMAT

No live classes—view lessons on YOUR schedule. In general, expect 1.5-2.5 hours to work through the lesson plan each week, and an additional 2-5 hours working on assignments (it really depends what assignment your child chooses to do and how they manage their time). For classes with two levels, the material is the same for both—the depth of the assignments differs. Younger students should usually be placed in Level 1. Older students, or younger students who want more of a challenge, should be placed in Level 2.

Each lesson consists of a fully narrated PowerPoint presentation with images and videos to enhance the topics. Students will have access to our learning management system, Canvas, for viewing their lesson, printing worksheets, taking quizzes, viewing/submitting assignments, participating in discussions, and viewing grades/feedback.

Read more details about class format.

Week 5

We’ll start our study of cells by learning about the history of various scientific breakthroughs that led to the Cell Theory. We’ll then begin building our foundation of knowledge about cells by learning the two main types of cells (prokaryotic and eukaryotic), the organelles found in each, and what their functions are. We’ll cover the differences between plant cells and animal cells. Then we’ll discuss the importance of the cell membrane in detail- including the lipid bilayer, diffusion, osmosis, and active and passive transport.

Week 6

We’ll focus on plant cells this week, specifically how they obtain energy. We’ll discuss ATP and ADP, photosynthesis and the structures involved, the electron transport chain, light dependent and light independent reactions, the Calvin cycle, and more.

Week 7

This week is all about animal cells and cellular respiration. We are going to dig deep into the steps involved in glycolysis, how cellular respiration occurs in the presence and absence of oxygen, the Kreb’s cycle, more information on the electron transport chain, and the end products of cellular respiration.

Week 8

We’ll begin our study of genetics this week with a detailed discussion on the structure of DNA. From there, we will discuss the cell cycle and all of the steps involved for a cell to duplicate its genetic material (mitosis) in depth so students have a firm understanding of this important process. We’ll then talk about what can happen when cellular reproduction goes wrong, specifically the formation of cancerous tumors, and finish with a discussion on different types of stem cells.

Week 9

Now that we understand the basics of DNA, it’s time to figure out what it’s for! This week is all about traits- phenotypes, genotypes, and alleles. We’ll create Punnett Squares to predict possible genetic outcomes for offspring from different combinations of homozygous recessive/dominant parents and heterozygous parents. We’ll move into polygenic traits, incomplete dominance, codominance, and multiple alleles. Then we’ll discuss fertilization, how meiosis works and is different from mitosis, and different reasons why siblings from the same parents don’t look alike!

Week 10

More DNA! We’re going to discuss the chemical structure of the DNA helix, including the different nucleotide bases, and how DNA replicates itself. We’ll learn how DNA builds amino acids, which then build proteins- which means we’ll be diving into the mysteries of DNA, RNA, tRNA, and mRNA! We’ll cover transcription and translation, codons and anticodons, and finish with what happens when DNA replication doesn’t happen precisely….genetic mutations.

Week 11

This week we’ll start with how wolves were bred to create all of the different dog breeds we know and love! Artificial selection isn’t just for puppies! We’ll discuss its role in agricultural as well, along with polyploidy. It’s one thing to breed a fluffy dog and a fluffy dog to get another fluffy dog, it’s something else to actually get into a lab and manipulate the DNA itself! We’ll discuss DNA sequencing, recombinant DNA, polymerase chain reaction, transgenic species, and cloning.

Week 12

We’ll end our genetics unit with a detailed discussion on sex chromosomes and how they different from autosomes. XY, XX, and other combinations that can occur as well. We’ll learn how to read a pedigree chart and karyotypes, and then discuss different types of mutations that can occur on the sex chromosomes.

Week 13

We’ve covered cells and genetics, and that has laid a firm foundation for students to understand the biological processes behind evolution! We’ll begin with Darwin and his theory of evolution through natural selection. We’ll discuss all of the major scientific reasonings behind why evolution is a theory- a SCIENTIFIC theory, not theory in layman’s terms! #petpeeve  Gradualism, punctuated equilibrium, divergent evolution, convergent evolution, and more! We’ll also discuss in detail how we did not evolve FROM monkeys, but how we share a common ancestor with monkeys- putting to rest once and for all the question “If we evolved from monkeys, why are there still monkeys?” 😉

Week 14

Time to put Mendel and Darwin in a biological blender and see the link between genetics and evolution! We’ll discuss various allele frequencies in populations and how they contribute to evolution. We’ll cover disruptive, directional, and stabilizing selection, the Hardy-Weinberg Principle, genetic bottlenecks, the founder effect, genetic drift, reproductive isolation, and more!

Week 15

Now we have the evolutionary knowledge to go back in time and watch its progression through geologic history! We’ll go all the way back 4.6 billion years and watch how oxygen formed which led to life being able to exist. We’ll see how the different types of cells we discussed weeks ago came into existence, and work our way all the way up the evolutionary tree to the arrival of mammals!

Week 16

We’ll finish up our unit on evolution with learning how scientists classify all of the life on earth through taxonomy. Students will learn the taxonomic order and how scientists determine where to classify organisms. We’ll discuss phylogeny, derived characteristics, and how to read and create a cladogram. We’ll finish by learning how to read and create dichotomous keys. All of this week’s information will be the springboard that launches us into Biology Session 3: The Kingdoms of Life!

All labs are OPTIONAL and not required to complete the work.

These materials will allow students to follow along with the in-lesson labs.
Students who do not have materials can simply follow along with me in the video.

I highly recommend a quality microscope for this class. We will use it in Sessions 2 and 3. If you do not have a microscope, it’s fine. I’ll be recording the microscope labs for the students. This is the one I use and love. It allows for live viewing on the computer screen and the ability to take pictures and videos. This is another that I see recommended by homeschool families often. Not as high of a magnification, but workable. If you have a serious biology kiddo, pay the money for the Omax. If not, go with the Amscope.

Week 5 Lab Materials 

(This is Week 5 of the overall course, but Week 1 of this session):
LAB 1:
microscope
2 slides and 2 coverslips
an onion
tweezers
iodine
2 cotton swabs

LAB 2:
300 ml of water
drinking glass or beaker
iodine
eyedropper
plastic sandwich bag (twist tie if it’s not ziplock)
cornstarch

Week 7 Lab Materials:

LAB 1:
8 teaspoons of yeast
4 same sized narrow necked bottles that you can put a balloon on the neck of (plastic water bottles work well)
4 balloons of the same size (blown up a couple of times to stretch them out)
5 teaspoons of sugar
water and thermometer

LAB 2:
2 small clear containers
way to measure 20ml of water
2 straws
timer
eyedropper
bromothymol blue

Week 8 Lab Materials:

2 hard boiled eggs
small container with 200 ml water
20 drops of blue food coloring
sharp knife or scalpel (ADULT SUPERVISION REQUIRED!)
metric ruler that shows millimeters

Week 10 Lab Materials:

4 pieces of paper, preferably 4 different colors of construction paper
Yarn or string that will lay flat and not curl up, about 2 meters long
tape
scissors
marker

Week 14 Lab Materials:

calculator

This is Session 3 of 4 in a full year (36 week) High School Biology Series

This class is only offered once per year in the spring.

If you enroll in Session 1, you are guaranteed space in the remaining biology classes as long as you enroll before the deadline for each class.

It is not required, but it is highly recommended that you take these classes in order. Later courses in the series refer back to information we learn in earlier courses.

Other classes in this series include:

Session 1: Biochemistry and Ecology
Session 2: Cells, Genetics, and Evolution
Session 4: Human Anatomy

CLASS DESCRIPTION

This is one of the most advanced classes we offer at Next Level Homeschool, meant to be a comprehensive full year biology program for serious students. You will not find another online high school homeschool program that covers this much biology content. Students who complete the full year will be easily prepared to take AP or college biology. In fact, former students have told me they learned more in this class than their college biology!

My degree is in Marine Biology (from Texas A&M University at Galveston), and I am truly a biologist at heart! I have a passion for this branch of science, and truly love sharing that passion with my students. And it’s my goal to make sure students come away with a deep understanding of the science of life. Because biology is not just a science, it is what we are! It is in us and around us and we are being it and interacting with it every second of our lives. I may be biased, but I truly feel that it is the most important branch of science students will ever learn. And I treat teaching it as a huge responsibility. This will be an academic, in-depth approach to biology. At the end of the course, students will have a firm understanding and working knowledge of all aspects of general biology. This foundation will serve them very well if they progress to an AP biology course in high school or for college biology. That said, it’s going to be engaging and a lot of fun as well!

Some of the things we will be covering will include:

1. Kingdoms Bacteria and Archaebacteria:
What are the two main domains of bacteria and how do they differ? How do bacteria obtain energy, grow, and reproduce? Why is bacteria essential to all other lifeforms on earth? How do bacteria differ from viruses, and what are some of the diseases caused by both?

2. Kingdom Protista:
What makes protists the most argued about organisms in the taxonomic world? What are examples of animal like protists? Plant like protists? Fungus like protists? How do all of these different types obtain energy, grow, and reproduce? Why are protists important if you like ice cream?

3. Kingdom Fungi:
What are the unique characteristics of fungi? How do they obtain energy, grow, and reproduce? What are the different classifications of fungi? What are the benefits and hazards of fungi to other organisms? In other words, we’ll learn why you always wear flip flops in public showers!

4. Kingdom Plantae:
We’ll spend a lot of time on this kingdom! What are the characteristics of plant cells that make them unique? What are the major groups of plants and how did they evolve (bryophytes, ferns, gymnosperms, angiosperms)? What was the evolutionary progression of each of these groups? What are the main structures of a plant and what is the function of each? What special tissues do vascular plants have an how do those tissues work together? How do the life cycles of various groups of plants work, and how do they differ from each other? What are the different types of hormones that control plant growth, and how do they work? How do plants respond to external stimuli? What are some of the adaptations plants have to thrive in their ecosystems?

5. Kingdom Animalia:
We’ll go through each of the major phlya of animals, from sponges to mammals! For each phyla, we’ll learn what characteristics cause animals to be categorized into that group, what the anatomy of those animals are, how they obtain energy, grow, and reproduce. We’ll discuss how animals respond to stimuli, communicate, and behave. We’ll be dissecting many different species as well (dissections are always optional). As we work our way up to humans, we’ll discover how evolution played a role in the success of various animal species.

CLASS FORMAT

No live classes—view lessons on YOUR schedule. In general, expect 1.5-2.5 hours to work through the lesson plan each week, and an additional 2-5 hours working on assignments (it really depends what assignment your child chooses to do and how they manage their time). For classes with two levels, the material is the same for both—the depth of the assignments differs. Younger students should usually be placed in Level 1. Older students, or younger students who want more of a challenge, should be placed in Level 2.

Each lesson consists of a fully narrated PowerPoint presentation with images and videos to enhance the topics. Students will have access to our learning management system, Canvas, for viewing their lesson, printing worksheets, taking quizzes, viewing/submitting assignments, participating in discussions, and viewing grades/feedback.

Read more details about class format.

Week 17

We’ll start at the very beginning–the bacterial kingdoms! We’ll learn how bacteria are classified based on shape, gram stains, and oxygen requirements. We’ll cover various reproductive strategies and then discuss the Germ Theory, bacterial and viral diseases, antibiotics, and vaccinations.

Week 18

Kingdom Protista is often called the “trash can” kingdom, and we’ll find out about the odd organisms- both microscopic and macroscopic- that call this Kingdom home! We’ll discuss the different types of protists, how they are classified, reproductive strategies, and my personal spirit protist……SLIME MOLDS!!!

Week 19

We’ll have a lot of “fun” this week with Kingdom FUNgi! We’ll discuss structure, reproductive strategies, evolution (you might be surprised to find out about this!), how they are classified, feeding mechanisms, and lovely things like toenail fungus. 🙂

Week 20

We’ve worked our way up to the Kingdom Plantae! Settle in, because we’ll be here for a while! We’ll start our study with a discuss of plant evolution. We’ll cover alteration of generations as a reproductive strategy, and then cover reproductive differences in bryophytes, ferns, gymnosperms, and angiosperms.

Week 21

We’ll focus on vascular plants this week, discussing the internal anatomy and external anatomy. We’ll learn how water and nutrients move throughout the plant, and how growth happens. This will be a week full of new vocabulary that describes plant anatomy all the way down to the cellular level.

Week 22

Now that we know all about how vascular plants work, we’re going to figure out the differences between the vascular seedless plants (gymnosperms) and the vascular seed plants (angiosperms). We’ll then hone in on the reproduction, hormones, and hormonal responses of angiosperms. We’ll learn why some plants drop their leaves in the fall and other major adaptations of plants.

Week 23

We’ve covered 5 kingdoms in 6 weeks. And we’re going to spend the last 8 weeks on the final kingdom- Animalia! We’ll start with the basics- feeding, respiration, and reproductive strategies. We’ll cover protostomes and deuterostomes and the developmental differences of each. Then we’ll start our march through all of the major phyla of life, beginning with the sponges and cnidarians (jellyfish, coral, and anemones)- covering anatomy, feeding mechanisms, and reproductive strategies of each.

Week 24

We’ll cover the major worm phyla and their characteristics, and then end with mollusks (snails, clams, and cephalopods).

Week 25

We’ll cover the characteristics of arthropods (insects, spiders, crabs, etc…) and echinoderms (sea stars, urchins, etc….).

Week 26

Our last phylum, Phylum Chordata! And we’ll be spending the remaining 5 weeks discussing each major class! First we have to figure out what characteristics all chordates share. We’ll discuss the transitional Hemichordates, then move into fish. We’ll see how their distinct characteristics evolved over time, and cover anatomy, reproduction, locomotion, respiration, excretion, and feeding characteristics in detail.

Week 27

From fish, we see the evolution of lungs and the first amphibians. We’ll talk about the unique characteristics that separate them from reptiles, and one of the most important evolutionary adaptations to ever evolve- the amniotic egg- that allowed life to move from the water to the land.

Week 28

We’ll take to the skies for our study on birds this week! We’ll learn about many of the evolutionary adaptations found in birds, as well as their general life characteristics.

Week 29

We’ve made it to mammals! And we need the last two weeks to cover this major taxonomic class! We’ll discuss evolution and general characteristics, and then finish up with an in depth look at primates.

Week 30

Now that we know the characteristics of animals, we’re going to discuss behavior and learning- from simple stimulus/response reactions all the way up to language!

All labs are OPTIONAL and not required to complete the work.

These materials will allow students to follow along with the in-lesson labs.
There will be multiple dissections for this class.
Students who do not have materials can simply follow along with me in the video.

Week 17 Lab Materials:

1) We’ll be growing bacterial cultures this week. For the best results, I recommend using sterile petri dishes (you’ll need at least 4) and sterile nutrient agar. You can purchase these from Amazon,  Homeschoolsciencetools.com, (Get a $5 credit at Homeschoolscience tools by using this link) or lots of other sources.
It doesn’t matter what size petri dish you use. Innoculating loops are good to have as well, but you can use sterile cotton swabs as well. The key here is STERILE for the best results!!

The “I’m not spending money on all of that” version (the one I usually used in live classes!):
unflavored gelatin (Knox is the brand I’ve used) and beef bouillon cubes to make your “agar”.
You can then pour them in to foil cupcake papers and store them in sealed ziplock bags.
Instructions will be given in the lesson.

2) Hand sanitizer or alcohol to sterilize your working area.

Week 18 Lab Materials:

This lab requires a microscope.
You can order protist culture kits from many sources: Homeschoolsciencetools.com has this kit or this one. (Get a $5 credit at Homeschoolscience tools by using this link )
Here is on from Ward’s Scientific. Here is one from Carolina Biological.

Week 19 Lab Materials:

microscope, slides, clear tape.
bread or cheese mold (start growing it now!!).
whole mushroom from the grocery store. Get a few, just in case you mess one up (or get hungry!). If you can get a few different species, that would be great!
2 Onions
2 glasses
water

Week 21 Lab Materials:

LAB 1:
clear nail polish
clear tape
samples of live leaves from various kinds of plants (2 or 3 types are fine- more is always more fun!)
microscope

LAB 2:
1 clear plastic bag (kind of a large one, like 1 gallon zip loc)
twist ties or pieces of wire (you’re going to be attaching a bag to a tree and making it as airtight as possible)

Week 22 Lab Materials:

live flower(s)
root hormone: You can buy it here.
We will be experimenting on cuttings of plants. You will need at least one mature plant from this list or any other fast growing plant that does well from cuttings.
green bean seeds: You should be able to get them from your local garden center or from here.
potting soil and containers

Week 23 Lab Materials:

We have a LOT of dissections coming up! I recommend picking one supplier and getting everything at once if you can to save on shipping.

Live hydra samples: You can get them at Amazon, Homeschool Science Tools, (Get a $5 credit at Homeschoolscience tools by using this link), Carolina Biological, Wards Scientific, Nebraska Scientific (they have just hydra or the hydra/daphnia combo). If you want to observe the feeding mechanism (recommended) or keep them as pets for a little while, get live Daphnia as well!
eyedropper
needle
microscope

Week 24 Lab Materials:

LAB 1:
live planaria: we will be doing external anatomy and cutting them to show forced asexual reproduction through fragmentation. To keep them alive, here are the care instructions.
Nebraska Scientific, Homeschool Science Tools, Carolina Biological, Wards Scientific
microscope
razor blade
bottled spring water
one long dish
one boiled egg yolk
flashlight
3 small containers

LAB 2:
a live earthworm: You can do a search and buy them online, but it’s easiest to get these from a bait shop or even from your own garden (where you will return them to when we’re finished!)

LAB 3: Snail Dissection
a preserved specimen from: Nebraska Scientific,  Wards
small pair of needle nose pliers
gloves
goggles

Week 25 Lab Materials: Comparison of Insect and Crustacean Anatomy

Grasshopper: get preserved specimen from Nebraska Scientific or Homeschool Science Tools
Crawfish: get preserved specimen from Nebraska Scientific, Homeschool Science Tools,  or your local grocery store seafood department.
gloves
goggles
sharp narrow point scissors

Live Daphnia from Week 23

Week 26 Lab Materials:

Fish Dissection: Get a specimen from Nebraska Scientific or your local fish market! I’ll be using a perch, but pretty much any fish will do.
gloves
goggles
sharp scissors or scalpel

Week 27 Lab Materials:

Frog Dissection: Try to get a double injected specimen if you can (if not, that’s ok) from Nebraska Scientific or Homeschool Science Tools
gloves
googles
sharp scissors or scalpel

Week 29 Lab Materials:

Fetal Pig Dissection
Specimen from: Nebraska Scientific or Homeschool Science Tools
gloves
googles
sharp scissors or scalpel
yarn or string

This is Session 4 of 4 in a full year (36 week) High School Biology Series

This class is only offered once per year in the spring.

If you enroll in Session 1, you are guaranteed space in the remaining biology classes as long as you enroll before the deadline for each class.

It is not required, but it is highly recommended that you take these classes in order. Later courses in the series refer back to information we learn in earlier courses.

Other classes in this series include:

Session 1: Biochemistry and Ecology
Session 2: Cells, Genetics, and Evolution
Session 3: Kingdoms of Life

CLASS DESCRIPTION

This is one of the most advanced classes we offer at Next Level Homeschool, meant to be a comprehensive full year biology program for serious students. You will not find another online high school homeschool program that covers this much biology content. Students who complete the full year will be easily prepared to take AP or college biology. In fact, former students have told me they learned more in this class than their college biology!

My degree is in Marine Biology (from Texas A&M University at Galveston), and I am truly a biologist at heart! I have a passion for this branch of science, and truly love sharing that passion with my students. And it’s my goal to make sure students come away with a deep understanding of the science of life. Because biology is not just a science, it is what we are! It is in us and around us and we are being it and interacting with it every second of our lives. I may be biased, but I truly feel that it is the most important branch of science students will ever learn. And I treat teaching it as a huge responsibility. This will be an academic, in-depth approach to biology.

In this class, we will be covering all of the major human body systems, including: Nervous, Skeletal, Muscular, Integumentary, Circulatory, Respiratory, Digestive, Excretory, Endocrine, Reproductive, and Immune. We will be going into detail on the characteristics, anatomy, and functions of each system.

As this is a science class, the unit on the immune system will discuss the science behind vaccinations, including how they work within the body and within a population.

At the end of the course, students will have a firm understanding and working knowledge of all aspects of general biology. This foundation will serve them very well if they progress to an AP biology course in high school or for college biology. That said, it’s going to be engaging and a lot of fun as well!

CLASS FORMAT

No live classes—view lessons on YOUR schedule. In general, expect 1.5-2.5 hours to work through the lesson plan each week, and an additional 2-5 hours working on assignments (it really depends what assignment your child chooses to do and how they manage their time). For classes with two levels, the material is the same for both—the depth of the assignments differs. Younger students should usually be placed in Level 1. Older students, or younger students who want more of a challenge, should be placed in Level 2.

Each lesson consists of a fully narrated PowerPoint presentation with images and videos to enhance the topics. Students will have access to our learning management system, Canvas, for viewing their lesson, printing worksheets, taking quizzes, viewing/submitting assignments, participating in discussions, and viewing grades/feedback.

Read more details about class format.

Week 31

We begin our final session of our Biology course with our first week of human anatomy! We’ll focus this week on the nervous system- from the different types of nerves and their anatomy to a detailed discussion of how signals from a stimulus move through the nervous system and culminate in a response. We’ll discuss the parts of the brain, and it’s role as the “control center” of the body. We’ll end with an exploration of the five senses and how they work.

Week 32

This week we’re covering the skeletal system, with the muscular and integumentary systems! 😉 We’ll learn the major bones of the body and their structure, discuss how bone is produced, and the different types of joints. Then we’ll move to the muscular system and learn about the different types and the mechanics behind exactly how they work. Finally, we’ll tackle the skin- the different parts and functions.

Week 33

It’s time to get to the “heart” of the respiratory and circulatory systems! We’ll cover all of the major structures of each, and discuss in detail how they both work- separately and together- to keep our cells bathed in oxygen.

Week 34

Grab a snack! This week we’re going to learn all about the digestive system. We’ll revisit the biomolecules from waaaaay back in week 1, and talk about the nutrients we need, and don’t need, for a healthy life. We’ll discuss all of the parts of the digestive system, mechanical and chemical digestion, and the different enzymes and hormones that help with the digestive process. Then we’ll move to the excretory system, and discuss all of the parts of the kidney in detail and how our kidneys function to keep our blood clean.

Week 35

This week we’ll cover one of the least well-known of the body systems, but one of the most important- the endocrine system. We’ll discuss the glands and hormones that regulate our body functions, including every student’s favorite topic….puberty! From there we’ll move into a discussion about the reproductive system, including fertilization and development of a human embryo.

Week 36

It’s our final week of biology, and this week the immune system is the star of the show! We’ll discuss contagious diseases in humans and how they can be spread. Then we’ll talk about all of the different part of the immune system- all the way down to the cellular level- that defend us against getting sick! We’ll cover innate, acquired, active, and passive immunity, vaccines, allergies, and end with auto immune diseases.

There are no in class labs for this session. My husband frowns upon the idea of me dissecting a human cadaver on the kitchen counter! 🙂

There are several labs that can be chosen by students to do as their assignment, none of which require anything other than normal household items.

Optional Supplemental Material

The Anatomy Coloring Book (Level 1)
The Anatomy Coloring Book (Level 2)