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I need some assistance in creating my first unit in Biology using the NGSS. This is my first year teaching in High School. There is no curriculum of any kind for science at my school, so I am having to create it as I go. I am working on the Structure and Function section (LS1 1-3). I have been picking these standards apart and determining the Big Ideas and yada yada yada. I have been trying to see what others are teaching in this section by looking around online (I'm the only science teacher in my school and I won't get a mentor teacher from a neighboring school until after classes begin). I keep seeing lots of time spent on prokaryote v eukaryote and getting into the parts of a cell in great depth. From what I can see the standards only ask us to address the parts of the cell in terms of only the essential parts for all cells. I am interpreting this as only what all cells share in common. The rest of it can be mentioned, but not focused on. Kind of a good to know, but not testable kind of situation. History isn't mentioned in the standards anywhere. Obviously history is good to know, but if I can save a day or two by condensing it into an F.Y.I. addon to the primary lesson I would prefer that. I would like to know what more experienced teachers, with the NGSS and biology topics, think. Can I gloss over history, and in depth cell parts? Or, am I misunderstanding the NGSS? cross posting this on the NGSS forum