Circuit Designers
Students will work in small groups of two to three on a structured challenge around circuits which includes requirements such as including using a switch or a conductor. They will then use that knowledge to work on a collaborative challenge to solve a relevant problem related to elephant poaching. Students will create a containment system that will have an alarm system, a lighting system, and a way to pass through. Finally, they will review the other projects and discuss similarities and differences in the design.
Mendelian Genetics Using Monohybrids
Students will work collaboratively through a fictitious, real-world scenario to determine the probability of each breeding pair of dogs producing offspring with the desired trait for a fictitious client.
Proving an Ecosystem’s Health Through Succession
Students engage in viewing day three of ecosystem changes in lab groups to determine if the ecosystem is healthy or unhealthy based on scientific data and factors.
Stop, Collaborate, and Rotate
Students will explore the Earth's rotation and its relation to the Sun and the Moon. Then, students will create a visual representation of this relationship and present it to the rest of the class.
DNA Sequencing
In this lesson, students will investigate how gene expression is a regulated process controlled by DNA and the interpretations of codons through translation.
Uses of Energy Lab
Students will rotate through lab stations equipped with objects and videos as they explore the uses and conversion of five different types of energy.
Going on an Expedition
Students observe how dunes and canyons are created through agents of erosion by weathering and erosion.
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Vertical Alignment
Click below to learn about the TEKS related to the unit and Research Lesson. The highlighted student expectation(s) is the chosen focus for the Research Lesson.
Scientifically Magnetic!
Students will review the steps of the scientific method and conduct an investigation that involves sorting magnetic and nonmagnetic objects.
Producing Plump Produce
In collaborative groups, the students investigate the transport of water within potato cells placed in various tonicity solutions.
Energy Transfer in an Ecosystem
All matter contains energy. Energy can be transferred from one object to another. Energy transformation can occur through the conversion of energy from one form to another. Energy is never created nor destroyed; it is always transferred and/or transformed. Students will demonstrate how energy is transformed and transferred in an ecosystem. To do this, students will create energy pyramids by stacking cups that represent organisms and available amounts of energy. Students will graph and analyze the data.
Drumming Up Some Sound Energy!
Students will explore sound energy by creating their own drums using a variety of materials. Then, students will listen for the loud and soft sounds that each of the drums creates.
Manifest Density
Students will design a foil boat and add mass to test relative density.
Plant, Parts, and Function
Students use prior knowledge of body systems as they make connections to systems in plants. Students learn that some plant systems have similar functions as the respective animal systems. The lesson highlights the following systems in plants: root system, shoot system, vascular system, and reproductive system.
Types of Science Investigations
Students will distinguish between descriptive, comparative, and experimental investigations.
Experimental Design
Given investigation scenarios and lab procedures, students will identify independent variables, dependent variables, constants, and control groups.
Potential and Kinetic Energy
This resource provides Tier I instruction ideas for Grade 6+ science teachers in the area of potential and kinetic energy.
Protein Synthesis
The learner explores the structure and function of the nucleic acids and enzymes important to the process of synthesizing proteins.
Cell Comparisons
Learners compare a variety of prokaryotes and eukaryotes to determine similarities and differences among and between them.
Monohybrid and Dihybrid Crosses
Learners calculate the probability of genotypic inheritance and phenotypic expression using mono- and dihybrid crosses.
Mechanisms of Evolution Beyond Natural Selection
Learners analyze and evaluate the effects of other evolutionary mechanisms.