Biology Basics Unit

This no-prep paper AND digital paperless product is all of the notes, labs, activities, practices, and tests you need to teach your first introductory unit in your biology class. Content covered includes lab safety and equipment, measurement, nature of science, experimental design, technological design, chemistry of life, water properties, and macromolecules. Links to video lectures are included for all notes. Everything is provided for two levels – CP and Honors. Not only that, but the student packets come in a paperless digital version that can be used in Google Drive™ and/or Microsoft OneDrive™. This is perfect for the teacher who is in a 1:1 classroom, for someone who is hoping to integrate more educational technology to move towards becoming a paperless classroom, or if you are currently teaching via distance learning. Because it is all-inclusive, it is especially useful for new teachers, maternity leave, and flipped classrooms!

Note: This is Unit 1 in my Biology Curriculum Full Year Bundle. You can buy this unit for 20% off if you purchase as a part of my full year bundle.

*How is this resource distance learning compatible?*

This resource already comes with all of the student handouts in a packet format that can be used on paper (PDF to print) or digitally in a paperless version for Google Drive™ and/or Microsoft OneDrive™. All of the PowerPoint notes also come with a lecture video to help your students learn from afar. You can see all of my lecture videos on my YouTube channel here, and feel free to email me at itsnotrocketsciencestore@gmail.com for a free sample of a paperless digital packet so you can see what the formatting and usability is like prior to purchasing so you can tell if it is a good fit for you and your students.

*NOTE* I did not specifically write this unit for distance learning or homeschool settings, but this entire unit can still be used in a modified format, and all will be fully usable when we are one day back in our classrooms! I include a document with tips for using these resources in a virtual teaching and/or homeschool setting to help you. If you have questions about which resources may or may not work from home, shoot me an email and we can discuss!

What content is covered in this unit?

• Lab equipment and measurement basics
• Lab safety
• Nature of science
• Experimental design process
• Technological design process
• Chemistry of life
• Properties of water
• Macromolecules (carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids)

What is included?

I strongly encourage you to download the preview for this product. It is 20-pages and will give you the best idea of what all is included – because there is so much in this! In short:

• 50 pages of teacher implementation notes + editable unit plans (both 50-minute and 90-minute pacing)
• Two packets (one 35-page PDF for CP and one 37-page PDF for Honors) that include:
  • Unit outline with objectives and vocabulary terms for each concept covered for students to use to make their own study guides from
  • Notes outlines for each of the three main concepts in Cornell Note format - now with filled in and fill in the blank notes!
  • Lab Stations: Safety and Equipment (+ editable version)
  • Lab Stations: Measurement Review (+ editable version)
  • Practice: Understanding Hypotheses
  • Practice: Scientific Investigations
  • Lab: An Investigation of Hand Sanitizers and Soaps, to practice experimental design
  • Lab Activity: Water Tower Challenge
  • Research and Report activity: Careers in Science
  • Inquiry Activity: Intro. to Concept 2
  • Activity: Water Property Graphing
  • Card Sort: Macromolecules
  • Macromolecule Lab: Murder and a Meal
  • Macromolecule Lab: Diet and Exercise Online Simulation
    • This activity goes with the Eating and Exercise PhET simulation.
• Access to ALL of the materials in the student packets in a digital paperless format that can be used in Google Drive™ and/or Microsoft OneDrive™
• 6 fully animated PowerPoints of notes – over 120 slides – differentiated for CP and Honors
• Links to YouTube video lectures for each of the PowerPoint notes – perfect for absent students or flipped classrooms!
• 4 unit tests with multiple choice, open response, answer sheets, and detailed answer keys (CP and Honors, 2 versions of each with multiple choice rearranged to prevent cheating.)

What is so great about the digital student packets that are included?

• You can go PAPERLESS in your classroom if you want – no more dreaded mornings at the copy machine!
• You still get all of the organization of my packet strategy, just now in digital format too!
• Students will be able to access their packets ANYWHERE. No more, “I forgot my binder so I couldn’t do (fill in the blank)”
• Students can print their filled in packets or an extra blank copy easily from home
• You can now have a mixed classroom with some students paperless and others not. You can also start with just doing a few units digitally and others on paper. Whatever works best for you and your students. The point here is that you now have OPTIONS!
• You have increased flexibility for students to easily learn and be connected outside the walls of your classroom.
• A built in opportunity to help students grow in their digital literacy.

What Next Generation Science Standards* are covered?

• HS-LS1-2: Develop and use a model to illustrate the hierarchical organization of interacting systems that provide specific functions within multicellular organisms.
• HS-LS1-6: Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence for how carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen from sugar molecules may combine with other elements to form amino acids and/or other large carbon-based molecules.

Note: If you aren’t sure how your state standards compare to the NGSS, shoot me an email at itsnotrocketsciencestore@gmail.com with a PDF or link to your state standards for Biology and I will be happy to review them for you prior to you making a purchase!

Why use a “packet” instead of an interactive notebook?

I started creating packets for my students over six years ago, and I love them so much more than interactive notebooks. While interactive notebooks are great resources, I have found the packet strategy to be a more appropriate tool for using in the secondary classroom setting. I love using the packet for many reasons.

1. I only have to make copies one time each unit instead of copying handouts every day. Even though it takes a while to copy the packets for each student, it saves so much time on the day to day. (Also the last few years I’ve recruited seniors to be my “Teacher’s Aide” and have trained them to copy all of my packets for me. I haven’t seen a copier in four years and it’s glorious!) Now you can go DIGITAL and PAPERLESS, never making any copies ever again!
2. It puts responsibility back on the students to maintain their biology binder with their packet, while also aiding them in practicing organization skills. It has been incredibly effective for my lower level students. Even though it is a lot of papers at once, I can watch them put it in their binder and leave it there, rather than having to hang on to 100 individual papers passed out each day.
3. It makes it so easy to be absent last minute. If you or your child gets sick, sub plans are a breeze. You don’t have to send your teacher neighbor to make copies for you – because your students have everything they need. You just have to tell the sub which pages the students need to work on.
4. The structure is more suited to what students will be doing in college – and one of our goals as high school teachers should be to prepare our students for college. The packet helps students learn how to structure notes (I give students Cornell-style note outlines for each concept) which I have found helps provide scaffolding for them to be able to write notes all on their own in later high school years.
5. Time saver in so many ways – no more time wasted regularly passing out handouts, or having to cut and paste things into a notebook.
6. Students do a better job keeping up with returned graded work because every page is numbered so they can put graded assignments right back into the packet where it came from.
7. You no longer need a filing cabinet – you can keep all of your curriculum and keys organized in binders!

What types of files are included?

When you download this product you will receive a zip file with 5 folders of files. Most of the documents in this product are secured PDFs, meaning you can print them but you cannot copy or edit the text. The paperless digital student packets will be accessed via a Google Drive™ link in a PDF file that students can type into but not change the essential content of. Editable versions are only included for the unit plans, quizzes, tests and some aspects of the activities for you to customize for your classroom. The PowerPoint lecture notes also have editable text. This is to protect the copyright and intellectual property of my own work, plus the work of many dedicated clip artists that are included in this product. If you have questions about this, please don’t hesitate to email me with them PRIOR to purchasing!

Why should I use this product in my classroom?

Designing curriculum for an entire unit that is engaging, activity-based, and standard-aligned can be exhausting. I’ve spent over 4 years creating this curriculum and have had amazing results. I had a 96% pass rate on the State standardized End-of-Course exam for Non-Honors students and a 100% pass rate for honors students. This was at a South Carolina Public School with over 50% of the students being below the poverty line. My average score on the EOC (all 200+ students combined that I taught over 2 years) was a 90%. I believe this success is due to multiple factors, but I attribute a lot of it to the packet curriculum I have designed, and the fact that all of my tests are cumulative (which you will see if you purchase further units!) Honestly, I could go on and on about the packet as a resource and why I love it so much, but I think you will find as you use it that you will fall in love with it too. Last but not least, this product comes with links to video lectures for each set of notes. This resource + all of the detailed lesson plans makes this product perfect for teachers new to this subject, going on maternity leave for a long-term sub, or using a flipped classroom strategy.

Want this for a different unit?

I have made this product for every high school biology unit. You can also buy this product for:

• Cells Unit
• Energy Flow Unit
• Genetics Unit
• Heredity Unit
• Evolution Unit
• Ecology Unit
• Add-on Extension: Plants Mini-Unit
• Add-on Extension: Homeostasis Mini-Unit
• Add-on Extension: Pathogens Mini-Unit

Or get all of the units at a 20% discount if you buy the full year curriculum!

• Biology Curriculum Full Year Bundle.

Looking for complementary resources specifically for this unit?

My daily bell ringers and test review games are not included in this bundle, but you can find them for this unit by clicking below!

• Biology Basics Daily Bell Ringers or Exit Slips
• Biology Basics Vocabulary Review Game

Looking for more comprehensive resources?

Check out the other full year curricula I have available!

• Anatomy and Physiology Full Year Curriculum Bundle
• Chemistry Full Year Curriculum Bundle
• Physical Science Full Year Curriculum Bundle

What if I have a question?

Email me at itsnotrocketsciencestore@gmail.com I’d love to answer any questions you have!

How do I stay updated on new products, sales, blogposts, and freebies?

Follow me on TpT, join my email list, or follow me on Instagram. These are the three best ways to keep up with what’s happening at It’s Not Rocket Science®️!

**TERMS OF USE**

You may:

• Use this item for your own classroom, students, or for your own personal use.
• Buy additional licenses for others to use this product at a discount by visiting your TpT “My Purchases” page.
• Review this product to recommend others buy it in blog posts, at professional development workshops, or other venues as long as credit is given to my store with a direct link to my store/product.

You may not:

• Upload this product to any unsecured website or server that other teachers can access for free.
• Give this product to others without the purchase of an additional license for them (this includes emailing, printing copies, or sharing through a website, cloud or other network.)
• Copy or modify any part of this document to offer others for free or for sale.
• Use the resources for commercial use, such as teaching a course on Outschool or a similar platform using these resources.

*Note: NGSS is a registered trademark of Achieve. Neither Achieve nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and do not endorse it.