This collection of biology resources is designed for middle school and high school students, with many materials aligned to the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP). Whether you’re learning in class, reviewing for assessments, or exploring biology out of curiosity, these resources are designed to help you understand how living systems work.
Biology is the study of life, from the structure of cells to the evolution of species and the complex interactions between organisms and their environments. The resources on this page emphasize conceptual understanding, scientific inquiry, and systems thinking rather than simple memorization.
Topics include cell biology, classification of living organisms, plant biology, anatomy and physiology, cellular reproduction, genetics and inheritance, and evolution. Throughout these units, students develop scientific skills such as designing investigations, analyzing data, evaluating evidence, and communicating scientific ideas.
Resources include presentations, videos, simulations, review materials, and links to high-quality external biology learning tools used by students and teachers around the world.
Units of Study
Explore the major concepts of life science through the following biology units. Each section contains classroom resources, videos, review materials, and learning activities designed to support student understanding and scientific thinking.
Because the MYP approaches science conceptually (rather than through the memorization of facts), each of our units of study focuses on one of the key concepts of systems, relationships, or change. Each unit uses related concepts, such as energy, movement, transformation, and models to strengthen and deepen students’ understanding of the content.
Learn about cell structure, organelles, cell membranes, transport, and the functions that sustain life.
Explore taxonomy, biodiversity, kingdoms of life, and evolutionary relationships between organisms.
Study photosynthesis, plant structure, reproduction, and adaptations to different environments.
Understand how body systems interact to maintain life and support human health.
Learn about mitosis, meiosis, growth, repair, and the production of gametes.
Investigate DNA, genes, heredity, genetic variation, and inheritance patterns.
Examine natural selection, adaptation, speciation, and evidence for evolutionary change.
General Biology Resources: Bookmarks
- Bioman Biology. Interactive biology games on a variety of topics, including physiology, cells, ecology, genetics, evolution, DNA, respiration, and photosynthesis.
- InstaGrok interactive concept maps. Premade concept maps showing links between a whole bunch of topics in general biology. Click on a term to see links to other biology topics, facts, websites, videos, images, or add your own notes.
- John Kimball’s online biology textbook. This guy has been teaching biology for decades, and he’s amassed an incredible amount of resources on his site around every conceivable topic in biology. It’s kind of an old-school site, but it’s thorough.
- Bozeman Science biology playlist on YouTube. 76 videos! 76! This playlist contains videos that could be useful in AP Biology, IB Biology, Biology, and other life sciences, all from the amazing Paul Andersen.
- Mitosis World Home at University of North Carolina, USA. An aggregate of several other biology resources.
- Discover Biology animations from W.W. Norton & Co. High-quality animations that can be viewed straight through, step-by-step, or narrated.
- Biology for Life. A great website from Gretel von Bargen at Skyline High School in Washington state, USA. It follows the new IB Biology syllabus. Also linked to her Twitter feed. I use this site a ton.
- Bioknowledgy. Probably my favorite site for IB Biology. Chris Paine in Shanghai has created an extensive library of resources and materials aligned with the new IB Biology syllabus. Includes presentations, videos, and guided revision questions, among other resources. Awesome!
- Not a video, but some audio: The story of discovery of Homo floresciensis (“The Hobbit”)
- Oldest-known human genome sequenced (45,000 YPB)
Science humor: Biology
I did not create these images, and for many of them I don’t even have a source. They’ve just come into my life one way or another over the years, and I enjoy sharing them with my students. So, if any of them are yours, please contact me and I will give credit where credit is due. In the meantime, enjoy!
Happy learning!
Mr K
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