• As a district, we strive to ensure every student learns at high levels. Our Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) are very lengthy, and for that purpose, we have to prioritize the most important standards for every student to master in order to be successful in the following grade level. We’ve also factored in skills that your child will endure lifelong as well. Our teachers and district leaders have worked together to determine those essential standards to help your child succeed. In an effort to gain your support, we have compiled the essential standards for math and reading in this document. 

    In the event, your child is not successful in mastering these skills, we will provide additional support during our daily intervention time. This support is targeted and timely to meet your child’s needs. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

    Our 6th Grade Science Essential Standards are:

    6.6A Compare metals, nonmetals, and metalloids using physical properties such as luster, conductivity, or malleability.

    6.6B Calculate density to identify an unknown substance.

    6.8A Compare and contrast potential and kinetic energy 

    6.8C Calculate average speed using distance and time measurements

    6.9A Investigate methods of thermal energy transfer, including conduction, convection, and radiation

    6.11A Describe the physical properties, locations, and movements of the Sun, planets, moons, meteors, asteroids, and comets.

    6.11B - understand that gravity is the force that governs the motion of our solar system

    6.12D - identify the basic characteristics of organisms, including prokaryotic or eukaryotic, unicellular or multicellular, autotrophic or heterotrophic, and mode of reproduction, that further classify them in the currently recognized kingdoms

     

    Our 7th Grade Science Essential Standards are:

    7.12C - Recognize levels of organization in plants and animals, including cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, and organisms.

    7.12D - Differentiate between structure and function in plant and animal cell organelles, including cell membrane, cell wall, nucleus, cytoplasm, mitochondrion, chloroplast, and vacuole.

    7.12B - identify the main functions of the systems of the human organism, including the circulatory, respiratory, skeletal, muscular, digestive, excretory, reproductive, integumentary, nervous, and endocrine systems.

    7.11C -  identify some changes in genetic traits that have occurred over several generations through natural selection and selective breeding such as the Galapagos Medium Ground Finch (Geospiza fortis) or domestic animals and hybrid plants.

    7.5B - diagram the flow of energy through living systems, including food chains, food webs, and energy pyramids.

    7.10B - describe how biodiversity contributes to the sustainability of an ecosystem

    7.8C -  model the effects of human activity on groundwater and surface water in a watershed.

    7.6A - distinguish between physical and chemical changes in matter.

     

    Our 8th Grade Science Essential Standards are:

    8.5(A) describe the structure of atoms, including the masses, electrical charges, and locations, of protons and neutrons in the nucleus and electrons in the electron cloud

    8.5 (B) Identify that protons determine an element's identity and valence electrons determine its chemical properties, including reactivity.

    8.5 (C) Interpret the arrangement of the Periodic Table, including groups and periods, to explain how properties are used to classify elements.

    8.5 (D) Recognize that chemical formulas are used to identify substances and determine the number of atoms of each element in chemical formulas containing subscripts.

    8.5 (E) Investigate how evidence of chemical reactions indicates that new substances with different properties are formed and how that relates to the law of conservation of mass.

    8.6 (A) Demonstrate and calculate how unbalanced forces change the speed or direction of an object's motion.

    8.6(C) investigate and describe applications of Newton’s 3 laws of motion such as in vehicle restraints, sports activities, amusement park rides, Earth’s tectonic activities, and rocket launches

    8.9 (B) Relate plate tectonics to the formation of crustal features.

    8.7(B) demonstrate and predict the sequence of events in the lunar cycle

    8.8(A) describe components of the universe, including stars, nebulae, and galaxies, and use models such as the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram for classification

    8.11(B) Explore how short- and long-term environmental changes affect organisms and traits in subsequent populations.