|
Kindergarten
Science TEKS
Directions
This document is arranged so that you can have
immediate access to the TEKS as they were written by the state of Texas. Each
TEKS, including the introduction, will be followed by resources for your use. As
you, the teacher, begin to plan for lessons that address the various
kindergarten Science TEKS:
1.
Scroll down the document, click on the appropriate TEKS
2. Review and evaluate the sites and/or software that relate to the designated
TEKS
3. Plan appropriately.
Some of the WWW sites and instructional software
can be used with various TEKS. Therefore, you will encounter the use of these
WWW sites and software more than once.
Kindergarten
Return to Top
Introduction
(1) In
Kindergarten, science introduces the use of simple classroom and
field investigations to help students develop the skills of asking
questions, gathering information, communicating findings, and making
informed decisions. Using their own senses and common tools such as
a hand lens, students make observations and collect information.
Students also use computers and information technology tools to
support their investigations.
(2) As students
learn science skills, they identify components of the natural world
including rocks, soil, and water. Students observe the seasons and
growth as examples of change. In addition, Kindergarten science
includes the identification of organisms and objects and their
parts. Students learn how to group living organisms and nonliving
objects and explore the basic needs of living organisms.
(3) Science is a
way of learning about the natural world. Students should know how
science has built a vast body of changing and increasing knowledge
described by physical, mathematical, and conceptual models, and also
should know that science may not answer all questions.
(4) A system is a
collection of cycles, structures, and processes that interact.
Students should understand a whole in terms of its components and
how these components relate to each other and to the whole. All
systems have basic properties that can be described in terms of
space, time, energy, and matter. Change and constancy occur in
systems and can be observed and measured as patterns. These patterns
help to predict what will happen next and can change over time.
(5) Investigations
are used to learn about the natural world. Students should
understand that certain types of questions can be answered by
investigations, and that methods, models, and conclusions built from
these investigations change as new observations are made. Models of
objects and events are tools for understanding the natural world and
can show how systems work. They have limitations and based on new
discoveries are constantly being modified to more closely reflect
the natural world.
Return to Top
K.1
The student
participates in classroom and field investigations following home
and school safety procedures. The student is expected to:
(A) demonstrate safe practices during classroom and field
investigations; and
(B) learn
how to use and conserve resources and materials.
-
Sponge
Bob Story about Science Lab Safety
Teacher reads the story and students point out the safety rules
broken.
-
Science Safety Handbook
The
Science Safety
Handbook for California Public Schools
has been prepared to help science teachers,
administrators, and other school staff members understand and
avoid situations in which accidents might occur in the science
laboratories or on field trips and outdoor education
experiences.
-
Science Safety Agreement
Students must know and follow the science safety rules and sing
the science safety agreement before participating in any science
labs. Parents must read and sign the science safety agreement
acknowledging the need for their child to follow the safety
rules and procedures as set out by the contract.
Return to Top
K.2
The student
develops abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry in the field
and the classroom. The student is expected to:
(A) ask
questions about organisms, objects, and events;
(B) plan
and conduct simple descriptive investigations;
(C) gather
information using simple equipment and tools to extend the
senses;
(D) construct reasonable explanations using information; and
(E) communicate findings about simple investigations.
-
Particulate Matter: The Lorax
This experiment will help the students understand how dirty
the air really is.
-
The Adventures of Amelia the Pigeon
This interactive adventure engages children in a story-based
scenario that emphasizes concepts of remote sensing and how
NASA scientists use satellite imagery to better understand
the Earth's environmental changes. It introduces students to
Earth science concepts, beginning with classifying objects
in satellite images by shape, color and texture, building a
foundation for interpreting and understanding remote
sensing. The story is set in New York City, chosen for its
size, diversity and the visibility of prominent features in
satellite imagery. Lesson plans to accompany the adventure
are in development.
Return to Top
K.3
The student knows
that information and critical thinking are used in making decisions.
The student is expected to:
(A) make
decisions using information;
(B) discuss
and justify the merits of decisions; and
(C) explain
a problem in his/her own words and propose a solution.
Return to Top
K.4
The student uses
age-appropriate tools and models to verify that organisms and
objects and parts of organisms and objects can be observed,
described, and measured. The student is expected to:
(A) identify and use senses as tools of observation; and
(B) make
observations using tools including hand lenses, balances, cups,
bowls, and computers.
-
My Senses Tell Me...
In this lesson, students learn
about their five senses. At this level, you can expect that
students are familiar with the fact that their nose smells,
their fingers feel, their eyes see, their ears hear, and their
tongue tastes. However, students may not have spent much time
thinking about how they use these body parts and their senses to
learn about the world around them. This lesson encourages
students to explore their environment using their senses, first
in an open-ended way, and then in a more reflective way. Using
student sheets to record their observations, students work in
small groups at five "Sense Stations," where they document what
they smell, taste, see, etc. Through group discussion, students
then are challenged to think about how their senses led them to
new information.
Return to Top
K.5
The student knows
that organisms, objects, and events have properties and patterns.
The student is expected to:
(A) describe properties of objects and characteristics of
organisms;
(B) observe
and identify patterns including seasons, growth, and day and
night and predict what happens next; and
(C) recognize and copy patterns seen in charts and graphs.
-
There is Lady in the Room
In this activity, students observe and describe the
properties of ladybugs and record their observations by
constructing patterns and graphs. Students also listen to the
story The Grouchy Ladybug and discuss what happens in the story.
-
Changing Places
In this activity, students observe, describe, and record
how ladybugs change their location when the temperature changes.
-
Color, Shape, Size
Students move objects to follow the related rules.
-
Attribute Trains
Students figure out the pattern and continue the attribute
train.
Return to Top
K.6
The student knows
that systems have parts and are composed of organisms and objects.
The student is expected to:
(A) sort
organisms and objects into groups according to their parts and
describe how the groups are formed;
(B) record
observations about parts of plants including leaves, roots,
stems, and flowers;
(C) record
observations about parts of animals including wings, feet,
heads, and tails;
(D) identify parts that, when separated from the whole, may
result in the part or the whole not working, such as cars
without wheels and plants without roots; and
(E) manipulate parts of objects such as toys, vehicles, or
construction sets that, when put together, can do things they
cannot do by themselves.
Animals, Piece by Piece
In this activity, students identify the parts of animals
on puzzle pieces, assemble animal puzzles, and name the animals
shown on the puzzles. Students also draw and label the animals
shown on the puzzles.
Return to Top
K.7
The student knows
that many types of change occur. The student is expected to:
(A) observe, describe, and record changes in size, mass, color,
position, quantity, time, temperature, sound, and movement;
(B) identify that heat causes change, such as ice melting or
the Sun warming the air and compare objects according to
temperature;
(C) observe
and record weather changes from day to day and over seasons; and
(D) observe
and record stages in the life cycle of organisms in their
natural environment.
Changing Places
In this activity, students observe, describe, and record
how ladybugs change their location when the temperature changes.
Lucy the Changing Ladybug
In this activity, students observe and describe the stages of
development in the life cycle of the ladybug.
Return to Top
K.8
The student knows
the difference between living organisms and nonliving objects. The
student is expected to:
(A) identify a particular organism or object as living or
nonliving; and
(B) group
organisms and objects as living or nonliving.
Hey Diddle Diddle
In this activity, students sort living organisms and
nonliving objects using the nursery rhyme “Hey Diddle Diddle.”
Return to Top
K.9
The student knows
that living organisms have basic needs. The student is expected to:
(A) identify basic needs of living organisms;
(B) give
examples of how living organisms depend on each other; and
(C) identify ways that the Earth can provide resources for
life.
Hey Diddle Diddle
In this activity, students sort living organisms and
nonliving objects using the nursery rhyme “Hey Diddle Diddle.”
Return to Top
K.10
The student knows
that the natural world includes rocks, soil, and water. The student
is expected to:
(A) observe
and describe properties of rocks, soil, and water; and
(B) give
examples of ways that rocks, soil, and water are useful.
Return to Top
<
Other Grade Levels
>
Source:
The provisions of this §112.2 adopted to be effective September 1,
1998, 22 TexReg 7647. |
