A student expectation is directly related to the knowledge and skills statement, is more specific about how students demonstrate their learning, and always begins with a verb. Student expectations are further broken down into their component parts, often referred to as “breakouts.”
identify evidence that supports the idea that air is all around us and demonstrate that wind is moving air using items such as a windsock, pinwheel, or ribbon.
S.6.10.A
differentiate between the biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and geosphere and identify components of each system;
EARTH.6.B
evaluate the roles of volcanic outgassing and water-bearing comets in developing Earth's atmosphere and hydrosphere;
EARTH.6.C
evaluate the evidence for changes to the chemical composition of Earth's atmosphere prior to the introduction of oxygen;
EARTH.6.E
describe how the production of oxygen by photosynthesis affected the development of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, and biosphere.
ENVIR.7.A
describe the interactions between the components of the geosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere;
EARTH.11.B
describe how Earth's atmosphere is chemically and thermally stratified and how solar radiation interacts with the layers to cause the ozone layer, the jet stream, Hadley and Ferrel cells, and other atmospheric phenomena;
ENVIR.10.A
identify sources of emissions in air, soil, and water, including point and nonpoint sources;
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.
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.
The whole of the Earth system is made up of the biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and geosphere. Each of these parts influences the others. For example, in a particular location the geosphere's geography affects the weather patterns within the atmosphere which affects the water in the hydrosphere and the organisms that live in the biosphere.
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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Social Studies
SS.6.3.A identify and explain the geographic factors responsible for patterns of population in places and regions