Texas Administrative Code
Title 19 - EDUCATION
Part 2 - TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY
Chapter 112 - TEXAS ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS FOR SCIENCE
Subchapter C - HIGH SCHOOL
Section 112.48 - Astronomy, Adopted 2021 (One Credit)
Universal Citation: 19 TX Admin Code ยง 112.48
Current through Reg. 49, No. 38; September 20, 2024
(a) General requirements. Students shall be awarded one credit for successful completion of this course. Prerequisites: Algebra I and Integrated Physics and Chemistry or Chemistry.
(b) Introduction.
(1) Astronomy. In Astronomy,
students focus on patterns, processes, and relationships among astronomical
objects in our universe. Students acquire basic astronomical knowledge and
supporting evidence about sun-Earth-Moon relationships, the solar system, the
Milky Way, the size and scale of the universe, and the benefits and limitations
of exploration. Students conduct laboratory and field investigations to support
their developing conceptual framework of our place in space and time. By the
end of Grade 12, students are expected to gain sufficient knowledge of the
scientific and engineering practices across the disciplines of science to make
informed decisions using critical thinking and scientific problem
solving.
(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
scientifically testable.
(3)
Scientific hypotheses and theories. Students are expected to know that:
(A) 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
(B) 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) Scientific inquiry. Scientific
inquiry is the planned and deliberate investigation of the natural world using
scientific and engineering practices. Scientific methods of investigation are
descriptive, comparative, or experimental. The method chosen should be
appropriate to the question being asked. Student learning for different types
of investigations include descriptive investigations, which involve collecting
data and recording observations without making comparisons; comparative
investigations, which involve collecting data with variables that are
manipulated to compare results; and experimental investigations, which involve
processes similar to comparative investigations but in which a control is
identified.
(A) Scientific practices. Students
should be able to ask questions, plan and conduct investigations to answer
questions, and explain phenomena using appropriate tools and models.
(B) Engineering practices. Students should be
able to identify problems and design solutions using appropriate tools and
models.
(5) 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 should be able to
distinguish between scientific decision-making methods (scientific methods) and
ethical and social decisions that involve science (the application of
scientific information).
(6)
Science consists of recurring themes and making connections between overarching
concepts. Recurring themes include 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, while models allow for boundary specification and
provide tools for understanding the ideas presented. Students should analyze a
system in terms of its components and how these components relate to each
other, to the whole, and to the external environment.
(7) Statements containing the word
"including" reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the
phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.
(c) 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 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) apply 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 gnomons;
sundials; Planisphere; star charts; globe of the Earth; diffraction gratings;
spectroscopes; color filters; lenses of multiple focal lengths; concave, plane,
and convex mirrors; binoculars; telescopes; celestial sphere; online
astronomical databases; and online access to observatories;
(E) collect quantitative data using the
International System of Units (SI) and qualitative data as evidence;
(F) organize quantitative and qualitative
data using graphs, charts, spreadsheets, and computer software;
(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 significant
statistical features, patterns, sources of error, and 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 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) analyze,
evaluate, and critique scientific explanations and solutions by using empirical
evidence, logical reasoning, and experimental and observational testing, so as
to encourage critical thinking by the student;
(B) relate the impact of past and current
research on scientific thought and society, including research methodology,
cost-benefit analysis, and contributions of diverse scientists as related to
the content; and
(C) research and
explore resources such as museums, planetariums, observatories, libraries,
professional organizations, private companies, online platforms, and mentors
employed in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field in
order to investigate STEM careers.
(5) Science concepts. The student understands
how astronomy influenced and advanced civilizations. The student is expected
to:
(A) evaluate and communicate how ancient
civilizations developed models of the universe using astronomical structures,
instruments, and tools such as the astrolabe, gnomons, and charts and how those
models influenced society, time keeping, and navigation;
(B) research and evaluate the contributions
of scientists, including Ptolemy, Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Kepler, Galileo, and
Newton, as astronomy progressed from a geocentric model to a heliocentric
model; and
(C) describe and explain
the historical origins of the perceived patterns of constellations and the role
of constellations in ancient and modern navigation.
(6) Science concepts. The student conducts
and explains astronomical observations made from the point of reference of
Earth. The student is expected to:
(A)
observe, record, and analyze the apparent movement of the Sun, Moon, and stars
and predict sunrise and sunset;
(B)
observe the movement of planets throughout the year and measure how their
positions change relative to the constellations;
(C) identify constellations such as Ursa
Major, Ursa Minor, Orion, Cassiopeia, and constellations along the ecliptic and
describe their importance; and
(D)
understand the difference between astronomy and astrology, the reasons for
their historical conflation, and their eventual separation.
(7) Science concepts. The student
knows our relative place in the solar system. The student is expected to:
(A) demonstrate the use of units of
measurement in astronomy, including astronomical units and light years,
minutes, and seconds;
(B) model the
scale, size, and distances of the Sun, Earth, and Moon system and identify the
limitations of physical models; and
(C) model the scale, sizes, and distances of
the Sun and the planets in our solar system and identify the limitations of
physical models.
(8)
Science concepts. The student observes and models the interactions within the
Sun, Earth, and Moon system. The student is expected to:
(A) model how the orbit and relative position
of the Moon cause lunar phases and predict the timing of moonrise and moonset
during each phase;
(B) model how
the orbit and relative position of the Moon cause lunar and solar eclipses;
and
(C) examine and investigate the
dynamics of tides using the Sun, Earth, and Moon model.
(9) Science concepts. The student models the
cause of planetary seasons. The student is expected to:
(A) examine the relationship of a planet's
axial tilt to its potential seasons;
(B) predict how changing latitudinal position
affects the length of day and night throughout a planet's orbital
year;
(C) investigate the
relationship between a planet's axial tilt, angle of incidence of sunlight, and
concentration of solar energy; and
(D) explain the significance of Earth's
solstices and equinoxes.
(10) Science concepts. The student knows how
astronomical tools collect and record information about celestial objects. The
student is expected to:
(A) investigate the
use of black body radiation curves and emission, absorption, and continuous
spectra in the identification and classification of celestial
objects;
(B) calculate the relative
light-gathering power of different-sized telescopes to compare telescopes for
different applications;
(C) analyze
the importance and limitations of optical, infrared, and radio telescopes,
gravitational wave detectors, and other ground-based technology; and
(D) analyze the importance and limitations of
space telescopes in the collection of astronomical data across the
electromagnetic spectrum.
(11) Science concepts. The student uses
models to explain the formation, development, organization, and significance of
solar system bodies. The student is expected to:
(A) relate Newton's law of universal
gravitation and Kepler's laws of planetary motion to the formation and motion
of the planets and their satellites;
(B) explore and communicate the origins and
significance of planets, planetary rings, satellites, asteroids, comets, Oort
cloud, and Kuiper belt objects;
(C)
compare the planets in terms of orbit, size, composition, rotation, atmosphere,
natural satellites, magnetic fields, and geological activity; and
(D) compare the factors essential to life on
Earth such as temperature, water, gases, and gravitational and magnetic fields
to conditions on other planets and their satellites.
(12) Science concepts. The student knows that
our Sun serves as a model for stellar activity. The student is expected to:
(A) identify the approximate mass, size,
motion, temperature, structure, and composition of the Sun;
(B) distinguish between nuclear fusion and
nuclear fission and identify the source of energy within the Sun as nuclear
fusion of hydrogen to helium;
(C)
describe the eleven-year solar cycle and the significance of sunspots;
and
(D) analyze the origins and
effects of space weather, including the solar wind, coronal mass ejections,
prominences, flares, and sunspots.
(13) Science concepts. The student
understands the characteristics and life cycle of stars. The student is
expected to:
(A) identify the characteristics
of main sequence stars, including surface temperature, age, relative size, and
composition;
(B) describe and
communicate star formation from nebulae to protostars to the development of
main sequence stars;
(C) evaluate
the relationship between mass and fusion on stellar evolution;
(D) compare how the mass of a main sequence
star will determine its end state as a white dwarf, neutron star, or black
hole;
(E) describe the use of
spectroscopy in obtaining physical data on celestial objects such as
temperature, chemical composition, and relative motion;
(F) use the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram to
classify stars and plot and examine the life cycle of stars from birth to
death;
(G) illustrate how
astronomers use geometric parallax to determine stellar distances and intrinsic
luminosities; and
(H) describe how
stellar distances are determined by comparing apparent brightness and intrinsic
luminosity when using spectroscopic parallax and the Leavitt relation for
variable stars.
(14)
Science concepts. The student knows the structure of the universe and our
relative place in it. The student is expected to:
(A) illustrate the structure and components
of our Milky Way galaxy and model the size, location, and movement of our solar
system within it;
(B) compare
spiral, elliptical, irregular, dwarf, and active galaxies;
(C) develop and use models to explain how
galactic evolution occurs through mergers and collisions;
(D) describe the Local Group and its relation
to larger-scale structures in the universe; and
(E) evaluate the indirect evidence for the
existence of dark matter.
(15) Science concepts. The student knows the
scientific theories of cosmology. The student is expected to:
(A) describe and evaluate the historical
development of evidence supporting the Big Bang Theory;
(B) evaluate the limits of observational
astronomy methods used to formulate the distance ladder;
(C) evaluate the indirect evidence for the
existence of dark energy;
(D)
describe the current scientific understanding of the evolution of the universe,
including estimates for the age of the universe; and
(E) describe current scientific hypotheses
about the fate of the universe, including open and closed universes.
(16) Science concepts. The student
understands the benefits and challenges of expanding our knowledge of the
universe. The student is expected to:
(A)
describe and communicate the historical development of human space flight and
its challenges;
(B) describe and
communicate the uses and challenges of robotic space flight;
(C) evaluate the evidence of the existence of
habitable zones and potentially habitable planetary bodies in extrasolar
planetary systems;
(D) evaluate the
impact on astronomy from light pollution, radio interference, and space
debris;
(E) examine and describe
current developments and discoveries in astronomy; and
(F) explore and explain careers that involve
astronomy, space exploration, and the technologies developed through
them.
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