S.K.13.A | TEKS Guide

SCIENCE.K.13.A — 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.K.13.A

identify the structures of plants, including roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits;

S.2.13.A

identify the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds of plants and compare how those structures help different plants meet their basic needs for survival;

S.4.13.A

explore and explain how structures and functions of plants such as waxy leaves and deep roots enable them to survive in their environment; and

S.5.13.A

analyze the structures and functions of different species to identify how organisms survive in the same environment; and

S.8.13.C

describe how variations of traits within a population lead to structural, behavioral, and physiological adaptations that influence the likelihood of survival and reproductive success of a species over generations.

BIO.12.B

explain how the interactions that occur among systems that perform functions of transport, reproduction, and response in plants are facilitated by their structures.

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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.

Plants have similar structures (patterns). Scientists identify plants based on the patterns of their structures.

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 plant (system) depends on each structure for its basic needs. For example, the plant depends on roots to get nutrients and water from the soil, on leaves to absorb sunlight, and on the stem to keep it upright and provide strength.

Relationship between structure and function

A structure is an organized arrangement of particles,
parts, or elements in a substance, body, or entity. A function is the purpose or reason for something to exist in a system. The function of a structure depends on the shapes of and relationships among its essential parts. It is important to note that in kindergarten – grade 2, students focus on structures as an organized arrangement of parts within an organism or object.

The parts of a plant are designed to meet the plant's specific needs. For example, a plant that needs a lot of sunlight has large flat leaves(structure) to absorb a large amount of sunlight (function), or a plant that grows tall, such as a tree, has a woody stem (structure) to provide it strength when it blows in the wind (function).

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.K.13.A

SCIENCE.K.13.A — Vertical Alignment

Recurring themes and concepts — Connections to the content

Cross-curricular Connections