Curriculum by grade › 9th Grade › Science

9th Grade homeschool science curriculum

All 36 weeks of 9th grade science, planned and ready, with the exact topic for every week below. Start with Week 1 free, no card needed.

Open the free Week 1 lesson See plans

How 9th grade science works

Every lesson has an on-page lab or model, diagrams, and a quiz. Grades 6–8 add a full lab notebook: hypothesis, variables, three trials, averages, a chart, and a claim-evidence-reasoning write-up.

Time: about 50–60 minutes a day
Scores go straight to the gradebook and report card
Print any lesson as a worksheet with an answer key
Parent tools: hours log, weekly report, portfolio, course descriptions, and transcript
Family plan: up to 4 students, each with their own records

The full 36-week scope & sequence

Topics and standards come straight from the live course. Standards codes are listed for reference; Life Academy is built to help meet homeschool requirements in all 50 states.

Quarter 1 (weeks 1–9)

Week	Topic	Standards
1	Nature of science + CER; lab safety; observation vs inference
2	Design a fair test; variables (IV/DV/controls); measurement error
3	Microscope alternatives: onion/elodea/yeast OR video micrograph protocol
4	Finish CER portfolio starter; peer challenge one claim
5	Cell theory history; prokaryote vs eukaryote
6	Organelles as systems; analogy map (cell ↔ city)
7	Membrane transport; osmosis demo (potato/salt or egg)
8	Photosynthesis overview; light vs dark reactions conceptual
9	Cellular respiration; ATP as energy currency metaphor

Quarter 2 (weeks 10–18)

Week	Topic	Standards
10	Respiration lab alternative: yeast CO₂ or exercise pulse CER
11	DNA structure intro; Chargaff / Rosalind Franklin fairness note
12	Genetics intro: Mendel’s ratios; Punnett squares
13	Meiosis vs mitosis; chromosomal inheritance
14	DNA → protein central dogma conceptual
15	Modern genetics: alleles, pedigrees; ethics freeze-frame
16	Genetics problem set + CER on a heredity claim
17	Evolution: variation, selection, inheritance — Darwin carefully
18	Evidence for evolution: fossils, homology, DNA (survey)

Quarter 3 (weeks 19–27)

Week	Topic	Standards
19	Natural selection simulations (bean/toothpick or digital)
20	Evolution unit defense (CER + teach-back)
21	Ecology: biotic/abiotic; food webs; energy pyramids
22	Population ecology; carrying capacity models
23	Community ecology; keystone species case study
24	Ecology field study OR window/yard biodiversity CER
25	Human impact: carbon, land use, biodiversity loss (factual)
26	Local environmental audit (home/energy/waste)
27	Design human-impact mitigation mini-proposal

Quarter 4 (weeks 28–36)

Week	Topic	Standards
28	Lab design challenge proposal (testable question)
29	Run lab design: collect data; begin CER
30	Finish lab CER; graph & uncertainty talk
31	Biology systems review map (cells → ecology)
32	Biology practice defense questions
33	Biology defense rehearsal (CER + diagrams)
34	Biology oral defense
35	Biology lab notebook audit
36	Biology credit evidence summary

Need a little extra help?

Live 1:1 tutoring with David Clifford on Zoom or Google Meet: $35/hour, your first hour $25. See tutoring.

Same grade: 9th Grade math · 9th Grade English · 9th Grade history

← 8th Grade science · 10th Grade science →

FAQ

Is this 9th grade science curriculum free?

Week 1 is free with no card needed: open the Week 1 science lesson. Weeks 2–36 unlock with a Student plan ($35/month) or a Family plan for up to 4 students ($69/month).

How long is a 9th grade science lesson?

Plan on about 50–60 minutes a day for science. There is one lesson per week of the school year, broken into short daily steps.

Is Life Academy accredited?

No. Life Academy is not accredited. It's built to help meet homeschool requirements in all 50 states, and parents are the school of record. Why that's usually fine.

Can I print it?

Yes. Every lesson prints as a worksheet with a separate parent answer key.

Does it count for high school credit?

Each full-year course is worth 1.0 credit on the parent-issued transcript. Colleges set their own admission rules, so check with the schools your teen is considering.

Life Academy is a parent-directed online K–12 curriculum, built to help meet homeschool requirements in all 50 states. It is not accredited, and parents issue the homeschool transcript. Nothing here is legal advice. Check your state's law at HSLDA. Questions? Email david.dukes77102@gmail.com.