SCIENCE.4.13 — 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.
identify fossils as evidence of past living organisms and environments, including common Texas fossils.
S.4.13
Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms undergo similar life processes and have structures that function to help them survive within their environments. The student is expected to:
analyze and evaluate how evidence of common ancestry among groups is provided by the fossil record, biogeography, and homologies, including anatomical, molecular, and developmental; and
examine scientific explanations for varying rates of change such as gradualism, abrupt appearance, and stasis in the fossil record.
explain how sedimentation, fossilization, and speciation affect the degree of completeness of the fossil record;
analyze data from rock and fossil succession to evaluate the evidence for and significance of mass extinctions, major climatic changes, and tectonic events.