9th grade Science
14 units matched to the Alabama Course of Study.
Focus areas
- Biology: cells, DNA and heredity, evolution, and ecosystems
- Science and engineering practices: explaining with evidence and models
- Engineering design: solving real problems in Alabama and beyond
Units
Unit 1
Cell Types, Transport & Specialization
Practices comparing prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, how cells keep homeostasis by moving molecules (diffusion, osmosis, active transport), how cells specialize through differentiation, and how a disrupted cell cycle can lead to cancer.
Content standard: BIO.1; BIO.3; BIO.4 · cell structures and their functions, the cell cycle, and active and passive transport
Unit 2
Biomolecules & Enzymes
Practices the four kinds of biomolecules (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids), their building blocks and jobs in the cell, and how enzymes speed up cellular reactions and are affected by temperature and pH.
Content standard: BIO.1; BIO.4 · the molecules cells are built from, and enzymes that keep cell processes working
Unit 3
DNA, RNA & Proteins
Practices the parts of DNA and how base sequences code for traits, transcription and translation (DNA to RNA to protein), kinds of mutations and their effects, and molecular technologies such as PCR, gel electrophoresis and genetic engineering.
Content standard: BIO.2 · DNA and RNA in transcription and translation to make proteins
Unit 4
Cells from Cells
How cells copy their DNA and divide by mitosis, the stages in order, why cells divide for growth and healing, and what can go wrong when cell growth isn't controlled.
Content standard: BIO.3 · DNA replication, mitosis and cell division for growth and repair
Unit 5
Systems in Animals & Plants
Practices how animal systems interact for regulation (nervous and endocrine), nutrient absorption (digestive and circulatory), reproduction and defense (immune and skin), and how plant structures carry out transport (xylem and phloem), reproduction (flowers, pollination) and response (tropisms).
Content standard: BIO.4 · how body systems work together to keep homeostasis
Unit 6
Photosynthesis & Respiration
The reactants, products and location of photosynthesis and cellular respiration, why they are complementary, and how they link plants, animals and the carbon cycle.
Content standard: BIO.5 · the reactants and products of photosynthesis and cellular respiration
Unit 7
Carbon & Nitrogen Cycles
Practices the steps of the carbon cycle (photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, combustion) and the nitrogen cycle (fixation, nitrification, assimilation, denitrification), why they matter to ecosystem stability, and the consequences of disrupting them, such as fertilizer runoff and burning fossil fuels.
Content standard: BIO.7 · the carbon and nitrogen cycles between living and nonliving parts of ecosystems
Unit 8
Genetic Crosses
Practices predicting the outcomes of monohybrid and dihybrid crosses with Punnett squares, and non-Mendelian inheritance: incomplete dominance, codominance, sex-linked traits and multiple alleles.
Content standard: BIO.11 · Punnett squares and probability to predict the traits of offspring
Unit 9
Reproduction
How organisms reproduce with one parent or two, why sexual reproduction creates variety, the parts of a flower, and the strengths and weaknesses of each approach.
Content standard: BIO.12 · meiosis and the formation of reproductive cells
Unit 10
Evidence & Mechanisms of Evolution
Practices the evidence for common ancestry (the fossil record, biogeography, and anatomical, molecular and developmental homologies), explanations for different rates of change in the fossil record (gradualism, abrupt appearance, stasis), how natural selection can lead to speciation, and mechanisms other than selection: genetic drift, gene flow, mutation and recombination.
Content standard: BIO.13; BIO.14 · evidence of common ancestry and the mechanisms of evolution
Unit 11
Evolution & Selection
Practices variation, adaptation, natural and artificial selection, mutations, the evidence for evolution from fossils and rock layers, and how new species can form.
Content standard: BIO.14; BIO.15 · natural selection, adaptation, speciation and extinction
Unit 12
Alabama's Biodiversity
Your child explains how Alabama's many species, from river mussels to longleaf pine forests, give the state ecosystem services such as clean water, flood control, food and recreation.
Content standard: BIO.9 · how the biodiversity of Alabama contributes to ecosystem services in the state
Unit 13
Populations & Stability
Your child explains how density-dependent and density-independent factors affect population growth and why some ecosystems recover well after a disturbance.
Content standard: BIO.6; BIO.8 · interactions among organisms, populations and communities, and factors that limit population growth
Unit 14
Ecosystem Stability
Your child explains how the relationships in an ecosystem and ecological succession make it resilient and help it recover after a disturbance.
Content standard: BIO.6; BIO.10 · interactions among organisms in an ecosystem, and succession and recovery from disturbance
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