Science

Honors Biology with Lab

Ninth grade

1.00 high school credit

Core curriculum

to see where this is scheduled in your curriculum.

Description

Biology is a complex and fascinating subject, and an area where technology and discoveries are perhaps more transformative than any other field of science today.

We use CK-12 Biology, an open source multimedia textbook, as a framework. This covers all the topics taught in a standard high school biology course at an on-grade level. In addition, the course includes a Great Courses biology course at an introductory college level.

We include a gentle introduction to biochemistry course as an optional supplement. For students looking for additional challenge, we also include a more advanced Great Courses option which provides a series of college-level lectures on molecular biology.

For the lab component, we include a homeschooling biology lab manual written by a popular DIY biology enthusiast. Your weekly schedule page coordinates lab sessions with topics covered in the text. You do not need to do every lab. Completing most of them will provide a thorough grounding in laboratory science and microscopy.

Note that you will need to purchase or have access to a microscope as well as other materials for the lab sessions. We have included suggestions for where to purchase them in the book description.

We round out the course with a selection of popular science books which present the latest advances in various facets of biology in a thorough and entertaining way. These include explorations of genetics and gene editing, forest ecosystems, animal senses, neurobiology, and a biography of the scientist who developed CRISPR. Most of the readings are optional; aim to complete at least half of them for an honors-level course.