Home > States > Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) > Chapter 112. Science > (c) Knowledge and skills.

§112.44. Environmental Systems.

Source: The provisions of this §112.44 adopted to be effective September 1, 1998, 22 TexReg 7647.

(c) Knowledge and skills.

  • (1) Scientific processes. The student, for at least 40% of instructional time, conducts field and laboratory investigations using safe, environmentally appropriate, and ethical practices. The student is expected to:
    1. demonstrate safe practices during field and laboratory investigations; and
    2. make wise choices in the use and conservation of resources and the disposal or recycling of materials.
    Teach This Standard
  • (2) Scientific processes. The student uses scientific methods during field and laboratory investigations. The student is expected to:
    1. plan and implement investigative procedures including asking questions, formulating testable hypotheses, and selecting equipment and technology;
    2. collect data and make measurements with precision;
    3. organize, analyze, evaluate, make inferences, and predict trends from data; and
    4. communicate valid conclusions.
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  • (3) Scientific processes. The student uses critical thinking and scientific problem solving to make informed decisions. The student is expected to:
    1. analyze, review, and critique scientific explanations, including hypotheses and theories, as to their strengths and weaknesses using scientific evidence and information;
    2. make responsible choices in selecting everyday products and services using scientific information;
    3. evaluate the impact of research on scientific thought, society, and the environment;
    4. describe the connection between environmental science and future careers; and
    5. research and describe the history of environmental science and contributions of scientists.
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  • (4) Science concepts. The student knows the relationships of biotic and abiotic factors within habitats, ecosystems, and biomes. The student is expected to:
    1. identify indigenous plants and animals, assess their role within an ecosystem, and compare them to plants and animals in other ecosystems and biomes;
    2. make observations and compile data about fluctuations in abiotic cycles and evaluate the effects of abiotic factors on local ecosystems and biomes;
    3. evaluate the impact of human activity such as methods of pest control, hydroponics, organic gardening, or farming on ecosystems;
    4. predict how the introduction, removal, or reintroduction of an organism may alter the food chain and affect existing populations; and
    5. predict changes that may occur in an ecosystem if biodiversity is increased or reduced.
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  • (5) Science concepts. The student knows the interrelationships among the resources within the local environmental system. The student is expected to:
    1. summarize methods of land use and management;
    2. identify source, use, quality, and conservation of water;
    3. document the use and conservation of both renewable and non-renewable resources;
    4. identify renewable and non-renewable resources that must come from outside an ecosystem such as food, water, lumber, and energy;
    5. analyze and evaluate the economic significance and interdependence of components of the environmental system; and
    6. evaluate the impact of human activity and technology on land fertility and aquatic viability.
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  • (6) Science concepts. The student knows the sources and flow of energy through an environmental system. The student is expected to:
    1. summarize forms and sources of energy;
    2. explain the flow of energy in an ecosystem;
    3. investigate and explain the effects of energy transformations within an ecosystem; and
    4. investigate and identify energy interactions in an ecosystem.
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  • (7) Science concepts. The student knows the relationship between carrying capacity and changes in populations and ecosystems. The student is expected to:
    1. relate carrying capacity to population dynamics;
    2. calculate exponential growth of populations;
    3. evaluate the depletion of non-renewable resources and propose alternatives; and
    4. analyze and make predictions about the impact on populations of geographic locales, natural events, diseases, and birth and death rates.
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  • (8) Science concepts. The student knows that environments change. The student is expected to:
    1. analyze and describe the effects on environments of events such as fires, hurricanes, deforestation, mining, population growth, and municipal development;
    2. explain how regional changes in the environment may have a global effect;
    3. describe how communities have restored an ecosystem; and
    4. examine and describe a habitat restoration or protection program.
    Teach This Standard

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