analyze characteristics and structures of argumentative text by:

develop an intermediate-term saving and investing strategy to achieve a goal such as accumulating a down payment on a home or vehicle;

identifying the claim;

explain the tax benefits of charitable contributions; and

explaining how the author uses various types of evidence to support the argument;

Aquatic Science. In Aquatic Science, students study the interactions of biotic and abiotic components in aquatic environments, including natural and human impacts on aquatic systems. Investigations and field work in this course may emphasize fresh water or marine aspects of aquatic science depending primarily upon the natural resources available for study near the school. Students who successfully complete Aquatic Science acquire knowledge about how the properties of water and fluid dynamics affect aquatic ecosystems and acquire knowledge about a variety of aquatic systems. Students who successfully complete Aquatic Science conduct investigations and observations of aquatic environments, work collaboratively with peers, and develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.

identifying the intended audience or reader; and

develop a long-term investing strategy to achieve a goal such as a financially secure retirement.

Nature of science. Science, as defined by the National Academy of Sciences, is the "use of evidence to construct testable explanations and predictions of natural phenomena, as well as the knowledge generated through this process." This vast body of changing and increasing knowledge is described by physical, mathematical, and conceptual models. Students should know that some questions are outside the realm of science because they deal with phenomena that are not currently scientifically testable.

analyze characteristics of multimodal and digital texts.

Saving and investing. The student understands the implementation of a saving and investing plan. The student is expected to:

Scientific hypotheses and theories. Students are expected to know that:

Author's purpose and craft: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student uses critical inquiry to analyze the authors' choices and how they influence and communicate meaning within a variety of texts. The student analyzes and applies author's craft purposefully in order to develop his or her own products and performances. The student is expected to:

discuss the role of financial institutions and markets in saving and investing;

explain the author's purpose and message within a text;

demonstrate the impact of compound growth over time;

evaluate the costs and benefits of various savings options such as bank savings accounts, certificates of deposit, and money market mutual funds; and

analyze how the use of text structure contributes to the author's purpose;

evaluate risk and return of various investment options, including stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.

Scientific inquiry. Scientific inquiry is the planned and deliberate investigation of the natural world using scientific and engineering practices. Scientific methods of investigation are descriptive, comparative, or experimental. The method chosen should be appropriate to the question being asked. Student learning for different types of investigations include descriptive investigations, which involve collecting data and recording observations without making comparisons; comparative investigations, which involve collecting data with variables that are manipulated to compare results; and experimental investigations, which involve processes similar to comparative investigations but in which a control is identified.

analyze the author's use of print and graphic features to achieve specific purposes;

Saving and investing. The student demonstrates an understanding of the importance of planning for retirement. The student is expected to:

describe how the author's use of figurative language such as metaphor and personification achieves specific purposes;

identify costs of retirement such as living expenses, health care expenses, and long-term care expenses;

identify the use of literary devices, including omniscient and limited point of view, to achieve a specific purpose;

analyze how the author's use of language contributes to mood and voice; and

Science and social ethics. Scientific decision making is a way of answering questions about the natural world involving its own set of ethical standards about how the process of science should be carried out. Students should be able to distinguish between scientific decision-making methods (scientific methods) and ethical and social decisions that involve science (the application of scientific information).

identify and explain sources of income during retirement, including Social Security, individual savings, and employer-sponsored plans; and

explain the differences between rhetorical devices and logical fallacies.

Science consists of recurring themes and making connections between overarching concepts. Recurring themes include systems, models, and patterns. All systems have basic properties that can be described in space, time, energy, and matter. Change and constancy occur in systems as patterns and can be observed, measured, and modeled. These patterns help to make predictions that can be scientifically tested, while models allow for boundary specification and provide tools for understanding the ideas presented. Students should analyze a system in terms of its components and how these components relate to each other, to the whole, and to the external environment.

demonstrate an understanding of the importance of saving early and at a sufficient level to achieve financial security in retirement.

Composition: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts--writing process. The student uses the writing process recursively to compose multiple texts that are legible and uses appropriate conventions. The student is expected to:

Statements containing the word "including" reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.

Credit and borrowing. The student understands the use of credit to make purchases. The student is expected to:

plan a first draft by selecting a genre appropriate for a particular topic, purpose, and audience using a range of strategies such as discussion, background reading, and personal interests;

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 explain phenomena or design solutions using appropriate tools and models. The student is expected to:

compare and contrast sources of credit such as banks, merchants, peer-to-peer, payday loans, and title loans;

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

compare and contrast types of credit, including revolving and installment credit, and collateralized loans versus unsecured credit; and

develop drafts into a focused, structured, and coherent piece of writing by:

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

evaluate the impact of credit decisions on monthly budget, income statement, and net worth statement.

organizing with purposeful structure, including an introduction, transitions, coherence within and across paragraphs, and a conclusion; and

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

Credit and borrowing. The student identifies factors that affect credit worthiness. The student is expected to:

developing an engaging idea reflecting depth of thought with specific facts and details;

use appropriate tools such as Global Positioning System (GPS), Geographic Information System (GIS), weather balloons, buoys, water testing kits, meter sticks, metric rulers, pipettes, graduated cylinders, standard laboratory glassware, balances, timing devices, pH meters or probes, various data collecting probes, thermometers, calculators, computers, internet access, turbidity testing devices, hand magnifiers, work and disposable gloves, compasses, first aid kits, field guides, water quality test kits or probes, 30-meter tape measures, tarps, ripple tanks, trowels, screens, buckets, sediment samples equipment, cameras, flow meters, cast nets, kick nets, seines, computer models, spectrophotometers, stereomicroscopes, compound microscopes, clinometers, and field journals, various prepared slides, hand lenses, hot plates, Petri dishes, sampling nets, waders, leveling grade rods (Jason sticks), protractors, inclination and height distance calculators, samples of biological specimens or structures, core sampling equipment, fish tanks and associated supplies, and hydrometers;

discuss how character, capacity, and collateral can adversely or positively impact an individual's credit rating and the ability to obtain credit;

revise drafts for clarity, development, organization, style, word choice, and sentence variety;

edit drafts using standard English conventions, including: