Texas Essential 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:

    (A)  demonstrate safe practices during field and laboratory investigations; and

    (B)  make wise choices in the use and conservation of resources and the disposal or recycling of materials

2)  Scientific processes. The student uses scientific methods during field and laboratory investigations. The student is expected to:

    (A)  plan and implement investigative procedures including asking questions, formulating testable hypotheses, and selecting equipment and technology;

    (B)  collect data and make measurements with precision;

    (C)  organize, analyze, evaluate, make inferences, and predict trends from data; and

    (D)  communicate valid conclusions.

(3)  Scientific processes. The student uses critical thinking and scientific problem solving to make informed decisions. The student is expected to:

    (A)  analyze, review, and critique scientific explanations, including hypotheses and theories, as to their strengths and weaknesses using scientific evidence and information;

    (C)  evaluate the impact of research on scientific thought, society, and the environment;

    (E)  evaluate models according to their adequacy in representing biological objects or events.

 (4) Science concepts. The student knows that cells are the basic structures of all living things and have specialized parts that perform specific functions, and that viruses are different from cells and have different properties and functions. The student is expected to:

     (B) Investigate and identify cellular processes including homeostasis, permeability, energy production, transportation of molecules, disposal of wastes, function of cellular parts, and synthesis of new molecules;

 (11) Science concepts. The student knows that organisms maintain homeostasis. The student is expected to:

    (C)  analyze the importance of nutrition, environmental conditions, and physical exercise on health; and

12)  Science concepts. The student knows that interdependence and interactions occur within an ecosystem. The student is expected to:

    E)  investigate and explain the interactions in an ecosystem including food chains, food webs, and food pyramids.

National Science Standards

As a result of their activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop an understanding of:

Cells have particular structures that underlie their functions. Every cell is surrounded by a membrane that separates it from the outside world. Inside the cell is a concentrated mixture of thousands of different molecules which form a variety of specialized structures that carry out such cell functions as energy production, transport of molecules, waste disposal, synthesis of new molecules, and the storage of genetic material.

Organisms both cooperate and compete in ecosystems. The interrelationships and interdependencies of these organisms may generate ecosystems that are stable for hundreds or thousands of years.

Living organisms have the capacity to produce populations of infinite size, but environments and resources are finite. This fundamental tension has profound effects on the interactions between organisms.

Human beings live within the world's ecosystems. Increasingly, humans modify ecosystems as a result of population growth, technology, and consumption. Human destruction of habitats through direct harvesting, pollution, atmospheric changes, and other factors is threatening current global stability, and if not addressed, ecosystems will be irreversibly affected.