Texas Administrative Code
Title 19 - EDUCATION
Part 2 - TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY
Chapter 112 - TEXAS ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS FOR SCIENCE
Subchapter B - MIDDLE SCHOOL
Section 112.28 - Grade 8, Adopted 2021
Universal Citation: 19 TX Admin Code ยง 112.28
Current through Reg. 49, No. 38; September 20, 2024
(a) Introduction.
(1) In Grades 6 through 8
Science, content is organized into recurring strands. The concepts within each
grade level build on prior knowledge, prepare students for the next grade
level, and establish a foundation for high school courses. In Grade 8, the
following concepts will be addressed in each strand.
(A) Scientific and engineering practices.
Scientific inquiry is the planned and deliberate investigation of the natural
world using scientific and engineering practices. Scientific methods of
investigation are descriptive, correlative, comparative, or experimental. The
method chosen should be appropriate to the grade level and question being
asked. Student learning for different types of investigations includes
descriptive investigations, which have no hypothesis that tentatively answers
the research question and involve collecting data and recording observations
without making comparisons; correlative and comparative investigations, which
have a hypothesis that predicts a relationship and involve collecting data,
measuring variables relevant to the hypothesis that are manipulated, and
comparing results; and experimental investigations, which involve processes
similar to comparative investigations but in which a hypothesis can be tested
by comparing a treatment with a control.
(i)
Scientific practices. Students ask questions, plan and conduct investigations
to answer questions, and explain phenomena using appropriate tools and
models.
(ii) Engineering practices.
Students identify problems and design solutions using appropriate tools and
models.
(B) Matter and
energy. Students make connections between elements, compounds, and mixtures
that were introduced in prior grade levels. Students examine the properties of
water, acids, and bases. In addition, students understand the basic concept of
conservation of mass using chemical equations.
(C) Force, motion, and energy. Students are
introduced to Newton's Second Law of Motion and investigate how all three laws
of motion act simultaneously within systems. Students understand that waves
transfer energy and further explore the characteristics and applications of
waves.
(D) Earth and space.
Students learn that stars and galaxies are part of the universe. In addition,
students use data to research scientific theories of the origin of the
universe. Students learn how interactions in solar, weather, and ocean systems
create changes in weather patterns and climate. In addition, students
understand that climate can be impacted by natural events and human
activities.
(E) Organisms and
environments. Students identify the function of organelles. Traits are
contained in genetic material that is found on genes within a chromosome from
the parent. These traits influence the success of a species over time. Students
explore how organisms and their populations respond to environmental changes,
including those caused by human activities.
(2) 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.
(3) Scientific
observations, inferences, hypotheses, and theories. Students are expected to
know that:
(A) observations are active
acquisition of either qualitative or quantitative information from a primary
source through the senses;
(B)
inferences are conclusions reached on the basis of observations or reasoning
supported by relevant evidence;
(C)
hypotheses are tentative and testable statements that must be capable of being
supported or not supported by observational evidence. Hypotheses of durable
explanatory power that have been tested over a wide variety of conditions are
incorporated into theories; and
(D)
scientific theories are based on natural and physical phenomena and are capable
of being tested by multiple independent researchers. Unlike hypotheses,
scientific theories are well established and highly reliable explanations, but
they may be subject to change as new areas of science and new technologies are
developed.
(4) 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 distinguish between
scientific decision-making practices and ethical and social decisions that
involve science.
(5) Recurring
themes and concepts. Science consists of recurring themes and making
connections between overarching concepts. Recurring themes include structure
and function, 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. Models
have limitations but provide a tool for understanding the ideas presented.
Students analyze a system in terms of its components and how these components
relate to each other, to the whole, and to the external environment.
(6) Statements containing the word
"including" reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the
phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.
(b) Knowledge and skills.
(1) 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 answer questions, explain phenomena, or design solutions
using appropriate tools and models. The student is expected to:
(A) ask questions and define problems based
on observations or information from text, phenomena, models, or
investigations;
(B) use scientific
practices to plan and conduct descriptive, comparative, and experimental
investigations and use engineering practices to design solutions to
problems;
(C) use appropriate
safety equipment and practices during laboratory, classroom, and field
investigations as outlined in Texas Education Agency-approved safety
standards;
(D) use appropriate
tools such as graduated cylinders, metric rulers, periodic tables, balances,
scales, thermometers, temperature probes, laboratory ware, timing devices, pH
indicators, hot plates, models, microscopes, slides, life science models, petri
dishes, dissecting kits, magnets, spring scales or force sensors, tools that
model wave behavior, satellite images, weather maps, hand lenses, and lab
notebooks or journals;
(E) collect
quantitative data using the International System of Units (SI) and qualitative
data as evidence;
(F) construct
appropriate tables, graphs, maps, and charts using repeated trials and means to
organize data;
(G) develop and use
models to represent phenomena, systems, processes, or solutions to engineering
problems; and
(H) distinguish
between scientific hypotheses, theories, and laws.
(2) Scientific and engineering practices. The
student analyzes and interprets data to derive meaning, identify features and
patterns, and discover relationships or correlations to develop evidence-based
arguments or evaluate designs. The student is expected to:
(A) identify advantages and limitations of
models such as their size, scale, properties, and materials;
(B) analyze data by identifying any
significant descriptive statistical features, patterns, sources of error, or
limitations;
(C) use mathematical
calculations to assess quantitative relationships in data; and
(D) evaluate experimental and engineering
designs.
(3) Scientific
and engineering practices. The student develops evidence-based explanations and
communicates findings, conclusions, and proposed solutions. The student is
expected to:
(A) develop explanations and
propose solutions supported by data and models and consistent with scientific
ideas, principles, and theories;
(B) communicate explanations and solutions
individually and collaboratively in a variety of settings and formats;
and
(C) engage respectfully in
scientific argumentation using applied scientific explanations and empirical
evidence.
(4) Scientific
and engineering practices. The student knows the contributions of scientists
and recognizes the importance of scientific research and innovation on society.
The student is expected to:
(A) relate the
impact of past and current research on scientific thought and society,
including the process of science, cost-benefit analysis, and contributions of
diverse scientists as related to the content;
(B) make informed decisions by evaluating
evidence from multiple appropriate sources to assess the credibility, accuracy,
cost-effectiveness, and methods used; and
(C) research and explore resources such as
museums, libraries, professional organizations, private companies, online
platforms, and mentors employed in a science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM) field to investigate STEM careers.
(5) Recurring themes and concepts. The
student understands that recurring themes and concepts provide a framework for
making connections across disciplines. The student is expected to:
(A) identify and apply patterns to understand
and connect scientific phenomena or to design solutions;
(B) identify and investigate cause-and-effect
relationships to explain scientific phenomena or analyze problems;
(C) analyze how differences in scale,
proportion, or quantity affect a system's structure or performance;
(D) examine and model the parts of a system
and their interdependence in the function of the system;
(E) analyze and explain how energy flows and
matter cycles through systems and how energy and matter are conserved through a
variety of systems;
(F) analyze and
explain the complementary relationship between the structure and function of
objects, organisms, and systems; and
(G) analyze and explain how factors or
conditions impact stability and change in objects, organisms, and
systems.
(6) Matter and
energy. The student understands that matter can be classified according to its
properties and matter is conserved in chemical changes that occur within closed
systems. The student is expected to:
(A)
explain by modeling how matter is classified as elements, compounds,
homogeneous mixtures, or heterogeneous mixtures;
(B) use the periodic table to identify the
atoms involved in chemical reactions;
(C) describe the properties of cohesion,
adhesion, and surface tension in water and relate to observable phenomena such
as the formation of droplets, transport in plants, and insects walking on
water;
(D) compare and contrast the
properties of acids and bases, including pH relative to water; and
(E) investigate how mass is conserved in
chemical reactions and relate conservation of mass to the rearrangement of
atoms using chemical equations, including photosynthesis.
(7) Force, motion, and energy. The student
understands the relationship between force and motion within systems. The
student is expected to:
(A) calculate and
analyze how the acceleration of an object is dependent upon the net force
acting on the object and the mass of the object using Newton's Second Law of
Motion; and
(B) investigate and
describe how Newton's three laws of motion act simultaneously within systems
such as in vehicle restraints, sports activities, amusement park rides, Earth's
tectonic activities, and rocket launches.
(8) Force, motion, and energy. The student
knows how energy is transferred through waves. The student is expected to:
(A) compare the characteristics of amplitude,
frequency, and wavelength in transverse waves, including the electromagnetic
spectrum; and
(B) explain the use
of electromagnetic waves in applications such as radiation therapy, wireless
technologies, fiber optics, microwaves, ultraviolet sterilization, astronomical
observations, and X-rays.
(9) Earth and space. The student describes
the characteristics of the universe and the relative scale of its components.
The student is expected to:
(A) describe the
life cycle of stars and compare and classify stars using the
Hertzsprung-Russell diagram;
(B)
categorize galaxies as spiral, elliptical, and irregular and locate Earth's
solar system within the Milky Way galaxy; and
(C) research and analyze scientific data used
as evidence to develop scientific theories that describe the origin of the
universe.
(10) Earth and
space. The student knows that interactions between Earth, ocean, and weather
systems impact climate. The student is expected to:
(A) describe how energy from the Sun,
hydrosphere, and atmosphere interact and influence weather and
climate;
(B) identify global
patterns of atmospheric movement and how they influence local weather;
and
(C) describe the interactions
between ocean currents and air masses that produce tropical cyclones, including
typhoons and hurricanes.
(11) Earth and space. The student knows that
natural events and human activity can impact global climate. The student is
expected to:
(A) use scientific evidence to
describe how natural events, including volcanic eruptions, meteor impacts,
abrupt changes in ocean currents, and the release and absorption of greenhouse
gases influence climate;
(B) use
scientific evidence to describe how human activities, including the release of
greenhouse gases, deforestation, and urbanization, can influence climate;
and
(C) describe the carbon
cycle.
(12) Organisms
and environments. The student understands stability and change in populations
and ecosystems. The student is expected to:
(A) explain how disruptions such as
population changes, natural disasters, and human intervention impact the
transfer of energy in food webs in ecosystems;
(B) describe how primary and secondary
ecological succession affect populations and species diversity after ecosystems
are disrupted by natural events or human activity; and
(C) describe how biodiversity contributes to
the stability and sustainability of an ecosystem and the health of the
organisms within the ecosystem.
(13) Organisms and environments. The student
knows how cell functions support the health of an organism and how adaptation
and variation relate to survival. The student is expected to:
(A) identify the function of the cell
membrane, cell wall, nucleus, ribosomes, cytoplasm, mitochondria, chloroplasts,
and vacuoles in plant or animal cells;
(B) describe the function of genes within
chromosomes in determining inherited traits of offspring; and
(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.
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