Life on Our Planet

In this course, ninth graders engage in the practices of science to explore life at different scales, from the chemistry of biological molecules to the global flow of matter and energy. Students explore the relationship between molecular and cellular structures of organisms and their life functions, the transmission of traits across generations, the role of evolution in driving biodiversity, and the interdependent relationships between living things and Earth’s environment. Emphasis is placed on constructing explanations for biological phenomena, including the ability to connect structure to function and model the interactions among different scales of a system.