Enrolling Now for 2026-27 School Year.
Enrolling Now for 2026-27 School Year.
Learning Coach Guide Biology Contents Studying Living Things Unit12 Ecosystems Unit13 Resources and Competition Unit14 Energy in Ecosystems Unit15 Photosynthesis Unit16 Cellular Respiration Unit17 DNA and Cell Division Unit18 Gene Expression Unit19 Genetics Unit20 Evolution Unit21 Biotechnology Unit22 Part A:Welcome to Biology Welcome Letter Dear Learning Coach, Thank you for partnering with CCA and investing in your learner’s education. This Learning Coach Guide is intended to help you support your learner in their Biology course. Within this guide, you will find the goals, components, and features of the online course. Please take time to read and review this information so you understand how to help your learner interact with all the course’s elements. The Learning Coach Guide also includes information about each of the units in this course. On each page of unit information, you will discover the following. The Unit Overview will tell you what the focus, content, and skills of the unit will be. The Unit Assessment section is a place for you and your learner to preview the graded work in the course. At the start of each unit, work with your learner to look at the unit in edio and find out which types of graded work are in this unit. Write them in the box and use it as a checklist. You can check off each one as your learner completes it. The Unit Materials section tells you the materials your learner will need to complete the activities in this unit. You will also find the materials list repeated within each lesson, so that your learner has exactly what they need at the right time. The Unit Discussion Questions are optional questions that you may want to ask your learner during the unit to increase home and school connections about what your learner is studying. In the Unit Notables section, you may find optional activities, career connections, technology tips, ideas to help your learner if they get stuck, or safety tips. CCA wishes you and your learner a terrific school year! Supporting Your Learner Your role as a Learning Coach is very important. Here are a few ways you can help your learner do their very best in the course. Help your learner know what time guided or live class instruction is scheduled for, and prompt them to attend sessions or watch recordings. Remember, it is okay for your learner to get stuck. Learning new material takes time. Encourage them to take breaks, keep trying, and even ask the teacher for help. Help your learner navigate technology. This could include helping them type information, save important documents to their desktop, and upload work into edio. Always encourage your learner to do their very best. Review the course syllabus for your learner’s course. Maintain communication with your learner’s teacher. Part B:Course Information Course Goals In Biology, your learner will use the foundations they learned in previous science courses to explore the basic concepts of biology. Your learner will use science and engineering practices to explore topics such as ecology, bioenergetics, DNA, genetics, and evolution. By the end of the year, your learner will be able to: use science and engineering practices to develop models and scientific claims about biology concepts; apply systems thinking to cells, organisms, and ecosystems; relate energetic cellular processes to organism and ecosystem functioning; relate Mendel’s model of genetics to modern understanding of DNA; and critically analyze evidence for the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection. Course Format This section will help you to understand how your learner’s course is structured in edio. Lesson Components: Each day, your learner will spend 45–60 minutes completing a biology lesson. Some days may take less time, while others may take a little more time. The lesson does not need to be completed in one sitting. Encourage your learner to take short breaks as they need. Lesson Bundling: In the Biology course, your learner will engage in lessons, assignments, projects, labs, quizzes, and tests. Within some lessons, there are lesson bundles. Within the lesson bundles, there are different components your learner will interact with. These components will not be used every day. Course Organization Lesson: There is one Course Organization lesson in this course. It can be found on Day 1 of Unit 1. This lesson includes important information about the course and contact information for your teacher. Unit Overview: Each unit will include a unit overview. This describes what your learner will learn in the unit and how many assessments the unit will have. Knowledge Check: There will be one Knowledge Check in each unit. The Knowledge Check is designed to check prior learning and understanding of key skills and concepts that will be taught in the unit. The Knowledge Check is not a graded assessment. Vocabulary: On most lesson days, your learner will see a vocabulary bundle. Your learner will complete a vocabulary bundle followed by the regular lesson. The vocabulary bundle contains a list of the objectives you will learn in the lesson, new vocabulary, and prerequisite vocabulary. Lesson: Biology lessons follow a very similar structure to your learner’s other classes. Each informative lesson is made up of three parts: Engage, Discover, and Show. See example below. Review the information below to learn what to expect in each of these parts of a lesson. Lesson Components: Each lesson has its own components to help guide your learner through the lesson. Lesson Overview: At the beginning of every lesson, within the vocabulary bundle, your learner will see the lesson overview. This section contains lesson objectives, vocabulary, materials your learner will need, and the suggested lesson length. Engage: The first section of the lesson is Engage. In this section, learners will be introduced to the lesson by making a connection to the past and present knowledge of the topic and will get ready for the lesson’s instruction. Discover: New content and instruction is presented in the Discover section. Your learner will interact with the lesson content through defined vocabulary, videos, audio, and Pause and Think activities. Your learner can practice and answer questions as they work through the lesson. Some of these practice questions are auto-scored. Show: Learners will demonstrate what they have learned in the lesson through a series of practice questions. Optional More to Explore: At the end of some lessons, an Optional More to Explore Activity will appear. The activity will introduce your learner to an extension that includes more information about the day’s lesson topic. Your learner may skip the activity and move directly to the lesson summary. Summary: This section recaps the day’s objectives and prepares learners for a future lesson or assessment. The course includes assignments, projects, and labs. These graded assignments allow your learner to show what they have learned and apply their new skills and knowledge learned during the lessons. All CCA assignments, projects, and labs include these components. Assignments, Projects, and Lab Components: Assessment Overview: At the beginning of each assessment, your learner will review the assessment overview. This section contains the goals of the assessment, materials your learner will need, the length of the assessment, and directions for completion. Plan: In the Plan section, learners will be introduced to the assignment or project. Learners may be provided with a review of content from the previous lessons, strategies for completing the activity, graphic organizers, and grading rubrics. Do: Learners put their plan into action and work to complete the assignment, project, or lab successfully. This section also provides the grading expectations and/or rubric the teacher will use to grade the work. Reflect: In Reflect, learners will think about the work they completed. They will reflect upon the experience and analyze how well they completed the task. These moments of reflection are important and allow learners to think about their learning and work habits. In addition to assignments and projects, this course also includes quizzes. Quiz Components: Quiz Review: Before a quiz, learners will have the opportunity to review the vocabulary and content they will be assessed on in a quiz. Quiz: A quiz may be given at the end of a topic or the end of a unit. Quizzes can include multiple-choice, short-answer, and long-answer questions. Course Features In order to best engage your learner, Biology uses some additional features that are unique to this course. This course includes and uses the following unique features: Scientific Word Charts: Scientific Word Charts show your learner how to break a word apart to understand what it means. As your learner reviews the scientific word chart, they will begin to recognize some common word parts used in science. Critical Thinking Strategy: In this course, your learner will practice using this critical thinking skill in each lesson. The Critical Thinking Strategy presents your learner with a question that requires them to think deeply to answer it. Each Critical Thinking Strategy contains tips to guide your learner through the thinking process. Biology Workbook: In Biology, your learner will use the Biology Workbook in conjunction with the majority of their lessons in edio. The Biology Workbook consists of a Notes page to record main ideas, “Show What You Learned” pages to summarize the lesson and check for understanding, a Laboratory Manual, a Glossary of definition of terms, and an appendix. Biology Kit Materials: Your learner should have received a box that contains the supplies they will use during this course. The Biology Materials Kit contains most of the materials your learner will need to complete the activities in Biology. Take a few minutes to verify that your learner’s Biology Materials Kit contains all of the materials they need. The materials list is in Appendix A: Biology Kit Contents. Part C:Unit Information Studying Living Things Unit Unit Overview In this unit, your learner will learn what different types of biologists do. They will learn how the structures in living things work together as systems and how organisms keep their internal conditions stable. Learners will also perform an investigation to demonstrate how feedback mechanisms maintain homeostasis in your body. Unit Discussion Questions What did you learn about the scope of biology? How do organisms maintain stable internal conditions? What did you like most about this unit? Unit Notables In this unit, your learner will have their first laboratory experience of the course. The lab involves some physical activity. If your learner has difficulty with the task, they can work with a friend, family member, or sibling who can help perform the physical activity necessary for the lab. Kit Materials air flow meter, alcohol wipes, Biology Workbook, cannula, measuring tape, scissors, timer Household Materials none Have your learner identify the assessments they see in their unit. Check all that apply. Unit Assessments Have your learner identify which assessment type they see in their unit. Check all that apply. Quiz ___________________________ Test ___________________________ Assignment __________________ Project _______________________ Exam _________________________ Ecosystems Unit Unit Overview In this unit, your learner will learn about the structure of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and how they change over time. They will also learn how aquaponics relates to ecosystems. Throughout this unit, your learner will keep a nature journal to record your observations of ecosystems. They will use their notes and journal entries to create a model of a local watershed that demonstrates how human activities affect the ecosystems downstream. Unit Assessments Unit Discussion Questions How do ecosystems change when the environment changes? What did you learn from your nature journal? What are some examples of human impact on different ecosystems? Unit Notables In this unit, your learner will take their first quiz on ecosystems. Encourage your learner to fully complete the review lesson before taking the quiz. Tell your learner to be sure to fully read each multiple-choice question and choose the best answer. Also, tell your learner to be sure to answer each prompt when responding to a free response question. Kit Materials Biology Workbook, gloves, pH strips, safety goggles, five test tubes, test tube brush, test tube holder, wax pencil Household Materials paper towels Have your learner identify which assessment type they see in their unit. Check all that apply. Quiz ___________________________ Test _________________________ Assignment __________________ Project _____________________ Exam _______________________ Resources and Competition Unit Unit Overview In this unit, your learner will explain how competition for resources affect ecosystems. They will learn how the carbon and nitrogen cycles occur in ecosystems. Your learner will identify the limiting factors in ecosystems. They will also learn the impact of human activities on ecosystems and how to design a solution to a way that humans affect the local ecosystem. Unit Assessments Have your learner identify which assessment type they see in their unit. Check all that apply. Unit Discussion Questions In what ways do humans depend on Earth for resources? What did you learn from your human impacts project? Why is hazardous waste considered dangerous? Unit Notables In this unit, your learner will complete a human impacts project. To begin this project, your learner should select an environmental issue that affects one group of people more than other groups. Encourage them to choose an issue from Human Impacts on Ecosystems, an issue they learned about in the Environmental Justice lesson, a human impact they learned about earlier in this unit or another topic that is important to them. Kit Materials Biology Workbook, dice Household Materials none Quiz ___________________________ Test ___________________________ Assignment __________________ Project _______________________ Exam _________________________ Energy in Ecosystems Unit Unit Overview In this unit, your learner will explore how energy flows through ecosystems. They will learn the transfer of energy through food chains and food webs across trophic levels. At the end of the unit, your learner will use a food web of a local ecosystem to demonstrate how eliminating an organism will affect the ecosystem. Unit Assessments Have your learner identify which assessment type they see in their unit. Check all that apply. Unit Discussion Questions What is one example of how organisms interact in an ecosystem? What did you find most interesting about energy flow through ecosystems? How does energy flow through an ecosystem? Unit Notables In this unit, your learner will complete a food web project that requires them to analyze a scenario and propose a solution. They will create a presentation to present to a fictional supervisory board. This is a great life skills experience. Encourage your learner to practice presenting their project and imagine they are really presenting it to a supervisory board. Kit Materials Biology Workbook Household Materials none Quiz ___________________________ Test ___________________________ Assignment __________________ Project _______________________ Exam _________________________ Photosynthesis Unit Unit Overview In this unit, your learner will describe how autotrophs, like plants, use chloroplasts to capture energy from the sun during photosynthesis. They will learn how plants use this energy to build and store carbohydrates. Your learner will also learn how photosynthesis relates to the carbon cycle. Unit Assessments Have your learner identify which assessment type they see in their unit. Check all that apply. Unit Discussion Questions How do autotrophs store energy for later use? What did you learn from your seed germination lab? What are two ways photosynthesis relates to the carbon cycle? Unit Notables In this unit, your learner will complete the seed germination and light colors lab. This lab requires experimental setup in order to give the plant seeds time to germinate and grow. Please encourage your learner to complete the lab setup at the appropriate time and as directed so that the plants are ready for observation and data collection. Kit Materials 250 mL beaker, Biology Workbook, calculator, Carolina® Botany Kit, Carolina® Seed Germination and Light Colors Kit, gloves, ruler, scissors, wax pencil corn starch Household Materials cardboard (optional), rubber band, spoon, water Quiz ___________________________ Test ___________________________ Assignment __________________ Project _______________________ Exam _________________________ Cellular Respiration Unit Unit Overview In this unit, your learner will explore how organisms release the energy stored in carbohydrates to do work and how their bodies store excess glucose for later. They will analyze how the structure of mitochondria allows it to produce ATP in the cell. Your learner will also explore how some organisms create energy without using oxygen. Unit Assessments Have your learner identify which assessment type they see in their unit. Check all that apply. Unit Discussion Questions How does metabolism relate to the carbon cycle? What are two different pathways for energy production? What did you find most interesting about cellular respiration? Unit Notables In this unit, your learner will complete the cellular respiration lab. If your learner is unable to perform intense exercise, they should find a partner to complete this lab. They will also be using Bromothymol blue. This dye is generally safe, but it may irritate your learner’s skin or eyes. Encourage them to wear gloves and eye protection when handling this chemical. Kit Materials two 250 mL beakers, two drinking straws, 25 mL graduated cylinder, 100 mL graduated cylinder, apron, bromothymol blue, Biology Workbook, plastic cup, safety goggles, timer Household Materials water Quiz ___________________________ Test ___________________________ Assignment __________________ Project _______________________ Exam _________________________ DNA and Cell Division Unit Unit Overview In this unit, your learner will analyze the structure of DNA and how scientists determined its structure. They will explore how cells create new copies of DNA and how cells pass DNA on to new cells. Your learner will also explore how sexual reproduction creates new organisms. Unit Assessments Have your learner identify which assessment type they see in their unit. Check all that apply. Unit Discussion Questions What is the basic structure and function of DNA? What is a fact you learned about DNA? What are the differences between mitosis and meiosis? Unit Notables In this unit, your learner will complete lessons and assignments on two different types of cell division called mitosis and meiosis. These concepts have some similarities but also have some very important differences. Encourage your learner to make a list of the similarities and differences in preparation for quizzes and assignments on each of the topics. Kit Materials Biology Workbook, Carolina® Biological Macromolecules of Life Kit, Carolina® Mitosis and Meiosis Simulation Kit, metric measuring tape, scissors, tape Household Materials none Quiz ___________________________ Test ___________________________ Assignment __________________ Project _______________________ Exam _________________________ Gene Expression Unit Unit Overview In this unit, your learner will explore how their cells use the information in DNA to build proteins. They will explore how the nucleus, ribosomes, rough ER, and Golgi apparatus work together to create and distribute proteins. Your learner will also analyze what happens when mutations change DNA. Unit Assessments Have your learner identify which assessment type they see in their unit. Check all that apply. Unit Discussion Questions How does DNA determine an organism’s traits? What did you learn from making the molecule model? How do cells become specialized? Unit Notables In this unit, your learner will complete a molecule model. Each of the pieces in the kit represents a different molecular structure. They are color coded to reduce confusion. Encourage your learner to arrange the pieces into separate piles by color before they begin creating the model. Kit Materials Biology Workbook, Carolina® Biological Macromolecules of Life Kit Household Materials none Quiz ___________________________ Test ___________________________ Assignment __________________ Project _______________________ Exam _________________________ Genetics Unit Unit Overview In this unit, your learner will investigate the concepts of mendelian genetics. They will collect data to support Mendel’s findings about how genes are inherited. Your learner will also study complex patterns of inheritance and use Punnett squares to predict the genetic outcome of these crosses. Unit Assessments Have your learner identify which assessment type they see in their unit. Check all that apply. Unit Discussion Questions How does DNA relate to genetic traits? What are Mendel’s laws of inheritance? Was there any results from the labs that surprised you? What is a genetic disorder? Kit Materials 250mL beaker, apron, Biology Workbook, Blood Typing With Simulated Blood Kit, forceps, LED desk lamp, Mendelian Genetic Inheritance Kit, paper towels, ruler, safety goggles, scissors Unit Notables In this unit, your learner will complete several labs. There are two lab setup bundles that will appear throughout the unit. Please encourage your learner to use the time allowed to prepare each lab so that they are ready for lab work days. Household Materials water Quiz ___________________________ Test ___________________________ Assignment __________________ Project _______________________ Exam _________________________ Evolution Unit Unit Overview In this unit, your learner will analyze the evidence that scientists collected to support the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection. They will explore how natural selection affects populations of organisms. Your learner will analyze the relationship between environmental changes and evolution. Finally, they conduct a laboratory experiment to collect data on how natural selection affects the survival of brine shrimp. Unit Assessments Have your learner identify which assessment type they see in their unit. Check all that apply. Unit Discussion Questions Is there anything more you would like to learn from your lab with brine shrimp? How does species interaction encourage or slow changes in species? Kit Materials Biology Workbook, Carolina® Natural Selection: Salt Concentration on Brine Shrimp Kit, non-iodized salt Unit Notables In this unit, your learner will complete a lab using brine shrimp eggs. When you learner is counting the eggs for data collection, encourage them to use the scapula provided. The eggs are very small and counting will be difficult if the proper materials are not used. Household Materials water Quiz ___________________________ Test ___________________________ Assignment __________________ Project _______________________ Exam _________________________ Biotechnology Unit Unit Overview In this unit, your learner will explore how biologists use new discoveries to improve human life. They will explore topics such as GMOs, cloning, and reproductive technologies. Your learner will also study the implications that advances in biotechnology have on ethics. Finally, at the end of the unit, your learner will defend their point of view or belief about the ethics of a biotechnology topic. Unit Assessments Have your learner identify which assessment type they see in their unit. Check all that apply. Unit Discussion Questions What did you find interesting about biotechnology? How are biotechnology practices used in biology and other areas of study? What is an example of a limitation that humans should place on biotechnology? Unit Notables In this unit, your learner will defend their point of view or belief about the ethics of a biotechnology topic. Encourage your learner to express their true personal opinion. There is no correct or incorrect opinion on the ethics of biotechnology. This will be a great life skills practice in personal expression. Kit Materials Biology Workbook Household Materials none Quiz ___________________________ Test ___________________________ Assignment __________________ Project _______________________ Exam _________________________
Enrolling Now for 2026-27 School Year.
