Imagine trying to work through the Grade 4–Energy Lesson with no prior knowledge of energy. Would it have made sense? Would you have understood it? Let's trace the curriculum back to see where students begin and how we can better prepare them for subsequent grade levels.

Click TEKS Deconstruction. The table on this page shows the science concepts TEKS addressed by the energy lesson in the Science Academies for Grades K–4. 

You will need to reference the elementary science TEKS to answer the following questions.

Let's look at the first question on the TEKS Deconstruction page. What do the TEKS, including the knowledge and skills statements, say students must learn at each grade level? It is important to understand the concepts in the TEKS to ensure we are teaching the TEKS as they are intended.

Let's look at the second question. Based on the verbs what types of activities that would address the TEKS, should be planned for students? If the verb in the TEKS indicates students should explore, the activities we plan should allow students to explore. Sometimes we find or create great activities, but they do not properly match the TEKS. For example, if the TEKS say students should be exploring, our activity for them should not ask them to evaluate. We must pay attention to how closely our activities match the level of the TEKS.

Let's look at the third question. How do the TEKS in each grade level impact the other grade levels? By examining the TEKS vertically, we can better differentiate how the curriculum is addressed across grade levels. The TEKS assign responsibility to each grade level and create a vertical alignment that must be followed.