S.3.12.B | TEKS Guide

SCIENCE.3.12.B — Vertical Alignment

Vertical alignment shows student expectations in the same subject area at different grade levels that are related to or build upon one another.

S.1.12.C

identify and illustrate how living organisms depend on each other through food chains.

S.2.12.B

create and describe food chains identifying producers and consumers to demonstrate how animals depend on other living things; and

S.3.12.B

identify and describe the flow of energy in a food chain and predict how changes in a food chain such as removal of frogs from a pond or bees from a field affect the ecosystem;

S.4.12.B

describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy through food webs, including the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers; and

S.5.12.B

predict how changes in the ecosystem affect the cycling of matter and flow of energy in a food web; and

S.6.12.B

describe and give examples of predatory, competitive, and symbiotic relationships between organisms, including mutualism, parasitism, and commensalism; and

S.7.12.A

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

S.7.12.B

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

S.8.12.A

explain how disruptions such as population changes, natural disasters, and human intervention impact the transfer of energy in food webs in ecosystems;

BIO.13.B

analyze how ecosystem stability is affected by disruptions to the cycling of matter and flow of energy through trophic levels using models;

AQUA.7.A

identify how energy flows and matter cycles through both freshwater and marine aquatic systems, including food webs, chains, and pyramids;

AQUA.8.C

use data from short-term or long-term studies to analyze interrelationships between producers, consumers, and decomposers in aquatic ecosystems.

ENVIR.5.E

use models to predict how the introduction of an invasive species may alter the food chain and affect existing populations in an ecosystem;

ENVIR.5.F

use models to predict how species extinction may alter the food chain and affect existing populations in an ecosystem; and

ENVIR.7.D

identify and describe how energy is used, transformed, and conserved as it flows through ecosystems.

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Recurring themes and concepts — Connections to the content

Recurring themes and concepts provide a connective structure for scientific ideas across disciplines. The connection(s) below show some ways that teachers can help students understand how the content they are learning fits into the broader understanding of science. These connections do not represent all possible connections that might be made but highlight some that are appropriate for this grade level.

Patterns

Patterns are regular sequences that can be found throughout nature.

A larger population of producers is needed to sustain a smaller population of consumers (pattern). When the number of predators in an ecosystem increases, the number of prey organisms in that food chain decreases (pattern).

Cause-and-effect relationships

Cause-and-effect relationships are relationships between two or more variables or phenomena whereby one variable or event leads to a predictable response. Events have causes—sometimes simple, sometimes multi-faceted.

When an organism is removed from the ecosystem (cause), the populations of the other organisms in the food chain will be affected (effect). If the number of predators in an ecosystem increases (cause), the number of prey organisms in that food chain will decrease (effect).

Model the interdependence and parts of a system

A system is a whole made of parts that work together. It has components and boundaries. It can interact with or be part of other systems.

A food chain (system) contains a producer and one or more consumers (parts). The sizes of the predator and prey populations affect each other (interdependence).

Flow of energy and cycling of matter through systems

Matter and energy are conserved, changing forms but maintaining quantities. Energy flows within a system or between systems through transfers and transformations. Matter is cycled within systems through physical and chemical processes.

A food chain models the flow of energy from producers to consumers.

Stability and change

Stability describes a system that does not change at the observed scale. In a stable system, a small disturbance will die out and the system will return to a stable state. Change in the system can come from modifying a factor or condition.

A stable ecosystem does not have large fluctuations in the population sizes of the organisms within it. If a condition in the ecosystem is significantly changed, the population sizes of some organisms will greatly increase and some will greatly decrease.

Cross-curricular Connections

The cross-curricular connections are designed to help educators make content connections between the science TEKS and math, English language arts and reading, social studies, and technology applications. The standards below illustrate alignment between grade level content areas which may help educators develop cross-curricular lessons. These connections do not represent all possible connections that might be made.

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Math

English Language Arts and Reading

Science.3.12.B

SCIENCE.3.12.B — Vertical Alignment

Recurring themes and concepts — Connections to the content

Cross-curricular Connections