Earth and space. The student understands how human activity can impact the hydrosphere. The student is expected to:

Social studies skills. The student creates written, oral, and visual presentations of social studies information. The student is expected to:

analyze the beneficial and harmful influences of human activity on groundwater and surface water in a watershed; and

apply the conventions of usage and mechanics of written English;

describe human dependence and influence on ocean systems and explain how human activities impact these systems.

use social studies terminology correctly;

Organisms and environments. The student understands that ecosystems are dependent upon the cycling of matter and the flow of energy. The student is expected to:

diagram the flow of energy within trophic levels and describe how the available energy decreases in successive trophic levels in energy pyramids; and

use appropriate oral communication techniques;

describe how ecosystems are sustained by the continuous flow of energy and the recycling of matter and nutrients within the biosphere.

construct a thesis that is supported by evidence;

Organisms and environments. The student knows how systems are organized and function to support the health of an organism and how traits are inherited. The student is expected to:

recognize and evaluate counter arguments;

use visual images (photographs, paintings, and other media) to facilitate understanding and appreciation of multiple perspectives in a social studies topic;

identify and model the main functions of the systems of the human organism, including the circulatory, respiratory, skeletal, muscular, digestive, urinary, reproductive, integumentary, nervous, immune, and endocrine systems;

develop a bibliography with ideas and information attributed to source materials and authors using accepted social science formats such as Modern Language Association Style Manual (MLA) and Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) to document sources and format written materials; and

describe the hierarchical organization of cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems within plants and animals;

use computer software to create written, graphic, or visual products from collected data.

compare the results of asexual and sexual reproduction of plants and animals in relation to the diversity of offspring and the changes in the population over time; and

describe and give examples of how natural and artificial selection change the occurrence of traits in a population over generations.

Organisms and environments. The student knows how the taxonomic system is used to describe relationships between organisms. The student is expected to:

describe the taxonomic system that categorizes organisms based on similarities and differences shared among groups; and

describe the characteristics of the recognized kingdoms and their importance in ecosystems such as bacteria aiding digestion or fungi decomposing organic matter.

Social studies skills. The student understands the need for an organizing framework to identify an area of interest and collect information. The student is expected to:

select a social studies issue, topic, or area of interest;

write a rationale and preliminary ideas for research methods;

develop a literature review; and

develop a thesis.

Social studies skills. The student applies a process approach to a research topic, applying the ideas, theories, and modes of inquiry drawn from the social sciences in the examination of persistent issues and social questions. The student is expected to:

understand the basic requirements and philosophical foundations for qualitative and quantitative methods of inquiry, including inductive and deductive reasoning, to determine the most effective research approach from a variety of alternatives;

select and design a research project, including an examination of the theory and methods applicable to the research topic;

collect information from a variety of sources (primary, secondary, written, and oral) using techniques such as questionnaires, interviews, and library research;

use current technology such as library topic catalogues, networks, online information systems, academic journals, primary sources on the Internet, email interviews, and video interviews to collect information about the selected topic;

use information from sources that take into account multiple perspectives;

differentiate between primary and secondary sources and use each appropriately to conduct research and construct arguments;

develop and use criteria for the evaluation of qualitative and/or quantitative information;

describe the results of the research process;

Scientific and engineering practices. The student, for at least 40% of instructional time, asks questions, identifies problems, and plans and safely conducts classroom, laboratory, and field investigations to answer questions, explain phenomena, or design solutions using appropriate tools and models. The student is expected to:

generate logical conclusions from research results;

ask questions and define problems based on observations or information from text, phenomena, models, or investigations;

justify a conclusion with supporting evidence;

use scientific practices to plan and conduct descriptive, comparative, and experimental investigations and use engineering practices to design solutions to problems;

make predictions as to future actions and/or outcomes based on conclusions of research; and

use appropriate safety equipment and practices during laboratory, classroom, and field investigations as outlined in Texas Education Agency-approved safety standards;

develop a bibliography in a format appropriate to the social sciences such as Modern Language Association Style Manual (MLA) and Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) to document sources and format written materials.

use appropriate tools such as graduated cylinders, metric rulers, periodic tables, balances, scales, thermometers, temperature probes, laboratory ware, timing devices, pH indicators, hot plates, models, microscopes, slides, life science models, petri dishes, dissecting kits, magnets, spring scales or force sensors, tools that model wave behavior, satellite images, weather maps, hand lenses, and lab notebooks or journals;

Social studies skills. If doing qualitative research, the student employs the processes of critical social science inquiry to understand an issue, topic, or area of interest using a variety of sources, checking their credibility, validating and weighing evidence for claims, and searching for causality. The student is expected to:

collect quantitative data using the International System of Units (SI) and qualitative data as evidence;

construct appropriate tables, graphs, maps, and charts using repeated trials and means to organize data;

interpret the historiography of the research topic;