9th grade Science
14 units matched to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
Focus areas
- Biology: biomolecules, cells, transport and the cell cycle
- DNA, protein synthesis, meiosis and genetic crosses
- Evidence and mechanisms of evolution
- Body and plant systems, matter and energy, and ecosystems
Units
Unit 1
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.
TEKS student expectation: B.6(A) · the cell cycle, DNA replication and mitosis in growth
Unit 2
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.
TEKS student expectation: B.8(A) · meiosis and how sexual reproduction increases variation
Unit 3
Microbes & the Immune System
What makes something alive, helpful and harmful micro-organisms, how the immune system defends the body, how vaccines and antibiotics work, and the impact of epidemics and pandemics.
TEKS student expectation: B.5(D) · how viruses and bacteria spread and cause disease, and how the body defends itself
Unit 4
Infectious Disease
Practices pathogens, vaccines, antibiotics and antibiotic resistance, mutations and strains, waning immunity, and public health measures that limit the spread of disease.
TEKS student expectation: B.5(D) · pathogens, how disease spreads, and antibiotic resistance
Unit 5
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.
TEKS student expectation: B.10(A); B.10(B) · natural selection acting on populations through inherited variation and competition
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.
TEKS student expectation: B.11(A) · matter and energy in photosynthesis and cellular respiration
Unit 7
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.
TEKS student expectation: B.5(A); B.11(B) · the structure and function of biomolecules, and the role of enzymes
Unit 8
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.
TEKS student expectation: B.5(B); B.5(C); B.6(B); B.6(C) · prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, cell transport and homeostasis, differentiation, and cell cycle disruptions
Unit 9
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.
TEKS student expectation: B.7(A); B.7(B); B.7(C); B.7(D) · DNA structure, protein synthesis, mutations, and DNA technologies
Unit 10
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.
TEKS student expectation: B.8(B) · predicting outcomes of genetic crosses, including non-Mendelian traits
Unit 11
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.
TEKS student expectation: B.9(A); B.9(B); B.10(C); B.10(D) · evidence of common ancestry, rates of change in the fossil record, speciation, and other mechanisms of evolution
Unit 12
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).
TEKS student expectation: B.12(A); B.12(B) · interacting systems in animals and in plants
Unit 13
Ecosystem Stability
Practices how predation, parasitism, commensalism, mutualism and competition affect ecosystem stability, energy flow through trophic levels, carrying capacity, and how human activity and disturbances change biodiversity, with Texas examples such as Gulf Coast wetlands and invasive species.
TEKS student expectation: B.13(A); B.13(B); B.13(D) · ecological relationships, energy flow through trophic levels, and how changes in biodiversity affect stability
Unit 14
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.
TEKS student expectation: B.13(C) · the carbon and nitrogen cycles and the consequences of disrupting them
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