Texas State Standards for Science: Grade 9

TX.112.42 (9.1) Integrated Physics and Chemistry: Scientific processes: The student, for at least 40% of instructional time, conducts field and laboratory investigations using safe, environmentally appropriate, and ethical practices.

9.1. (A) The student is expected to demonstrate safe practices during field and laboratory investigations.

9.1. (B) The student is expected to make wise choices in the use and conservation of resources and the disposal or recycling of materials.

TX.112.42 (9.2) Integrated Physics and Chemistry: Scientific Processes: The student uses scientific methods during field and laboratory investigations.

9.2. (A) The student is expected to plan and implement investigative procedures including asking questions, formulating testable hypotheses, and selecting equipment and technology.

9.2. (B) The student is expected to collect data and make measurements with precision.

9.2. (C) The student is expected to organize, analyze, evaluate, make inferences, and predict trends from data.

9.2. (D) The student is expected to communicate valid conclusions.

TX.112.42 (9.3) Integrated Physics and Chemistry: Scientific Processes: The student uses critical thinking and scientific problem solving to make informed decisions.

9.3. (A) The student is expected to analyze, review, and critique scientific explanations, including hypotheses and theories, as to their strengths and weaknesses using scientific evidence and information.

9.3. (B) The student is expected to draw inferences based on data related to promotional materials for products and services.

9.3. (C) The student is expected to evaluate the impact of research on scientific thought, society, and the environment.

9.3. (D) The student is expected to describe connections between physics and chemistry, and future careers.

9.3. (E) The student is expected to research and describe the history of physics, chemistry, and contributions of scientists.

TX.112.42 (9.4) Integrated Physics and Chemistry: Science Concepts: The student knows concepts of force and motion evident in everyday life.

9.4. (A) The student is expected to calculate speed, momentum, acceleration, work, and power in systems such as in the human body, moving toys, and machines.

9.4. (B) The student is expected to investigate and describe applications of Newton's laws such as in vehicle restraints, sports activities, geological processes, and satellite orbits.

9.4. (C) The student is expected to analyze the effects caused by changing force or distance in simple machines as demonstrated in household devices, the human body, and vehicles.

9.4. (D) The student is expected to investigate and demonstrate mechanical advantage and efficiency of various machines such as levers, motors, wheels and axles, pulleys, and ramps.

TX.112.42 (9.5) Integrated Physics and Chemistry: Science Concepts: The student knows the effects of waves on everyday life.

9.5. (A) The student is expected to demonstrate wave types and their characteristics through a variety of activities such as modeling with ropes and coils, activating tuning forks, and interpreting data on seismic waves.

9.5. (B) The student is expected to demonstrate wave interactions including interference, polarization, reflection, refraction, and resonance within various materials.

9.5. (C) The student is expected to identify uses of electromagnetic waves in various technological applications such as fiber optics, optical scanners, and microwaves.

9.5. (D) The student is expected to demonstrate the application of acoustic principles such as in echolocation, musical instruments, noise pollution, and sonograms.

TX.112.42 (9.6) Integrated Physics and Chemistry: Science Concepts: The student knows the impact of energy transformations in everyday life.

9.6. (A) The student is expected to describe the law of conservation of energy.

9.6. (B) The student is expected to investigate and demonstrate the movement of heat through solids, liquids, and gases by convection, conduction, and radiation.

9.6. (C) The student is expected to analyze the efficiency of energy conversions that are responsible for the production of electricity such as from radiant, nuclear, and geothermal sources, fossil fuels such as coal, gas, oil, and the movement of water or wind.

9.6. (D) The student is expected to investigate and compare economic and environmental impacts of using various energy sources such as rechargeable or disposable batteries and solar cells.

9.6. (E) The student is expected to measure the thermal and electrical conductivity of various materials and explain results.

9.6. (F) The student is expected to investigate and compare series and parallel circuits.

9.6. (G) The student is expected to analyze the relationship between an electric current and the strength of its magnetic field using simple electromagnets.

9.6. (H) The student is expected to analyze the effects of heating and cooling processes in systems such as weather, living, and mechanical.

TX.112.42 (9.7) Integrated Physics and Chemistry: Science Concepts: The student knows relationships exist between properties of matter and its components.

9.7. (A) The student is expected to investigate and identify properties of fluids including density, viscosity, and buoyancy.

9.7. (B) The student is expected to research and describe the historical development of the atomic theory.

9.7. (C) The student is expected to identify constituents of various materials or objects such as metal salts, light sources, fireworks displays, and stars using spectral-analysis techniques.

9.7. (D) The student is expected to relate the chemical behavior of an element including bonding, to its placement on the periodic table.

9.7. (E) The student is expected to classify samples of matter from everyday life as being elements, compounds, or mixtures.

TX.112.42 (9.8) Integrated Physics and Chemistry: Science Concepts: The student knows that changes in matter affect everyday life.

9.8. (A) The student is expected to distinguish between physical and chemical changes in matter such as oxidation, digestion, changes in states, and stages in the rock cycle.

9.8. (B) The student is expected to analyze energy changes that accompany chemical reactions such as those occurring in heat packs, cold packs, and glow sticks to classify them as endergonic or exergonic reactions.

9.8. (C) The student is expected to investigate and identify the law of conservation of mass.

9.8. (D) The student is expected to describe types of nuclear reactions such as fission and fusion and their roles in applications such as medicine and energy production.

9.8. (E) The student is expected to research and describe the environmental and economic impact of the end products of chemical reactions.

TX.112.42 (9.9) Integrated Physics and Chemistry: Science Concepts: The student knows how solution chemistry is a part of everyday life.

9.9. (A) The student is expected to relate the structure of water to its function as the universal solvent.

9.9. (B) The student is expected to relate the concentration of ions in a solution to physical and chemical properties such as pH, electrolytic behavior, and reactivity.

9.9. (C) The student is expected to simulate the effects of acid rain on soil, buildings, statues, or microorganisms.

9.9. (D) The student is expected to demonstrate how various factors influence solubility including temperature, pressure, and nature of the solute and solvent.

9.9. (E) The student is expected to demonstrate how factors such as particle size, influence the rate of dissolving.

TX.112.43 (9.1) Biology: Scientific Processes: The student, for at least 40% of instructional time, conducts field and laboratory investigations using safe, environmentally appropriate, and ethical practices.

9.1. (A) The student is expected to demonstrate safe practices during field and laboratory investigations.

9.1. (B) The student is expected to make wise choices in the use and conservation of resources and the disposal or recycling of materials.

TX.112.43 (9.2) Biology: Scientific Processes: The student uses scientific methods during field and laboratory investigations.

9.2. (A) The student is expected to plan and implement investigative procedures including asking questions, formulating testable hypotheses, and selecting equipment and technology.

9.2. (B) The student is expected to collect data and make measurements with precision.

9.2. (C) The student is expected to organize, analyze, evaluate, make inferences, and predict trends from data.

9.2. (D) The student is expected to communicate valid conclusions.

TX.112.43 (9.3) Biology: Scientific Processes: The student uses critical thinking and scientific problem solving to make informed decisions.

9.3. (A) The student is expected to analyze, review, and critique scientific explanations, including hypotheses and theories, as to their strengths and weaknesses using scientific evidence and information.

9.3. (B) The student is expected to evaluate promotional claims that relate to biological issues such as product labeling and advertisements.

9.3. (C) The student is expected to evaluate the impact of research on scientific thought, society, and the environment.

9.3. (D) The student is expected to describe the connection between biology and future careers.

9.3. (E) The student is expected to evaluate models according to their adequacy in representing biological objects or events.

9.3. (F) The student is expected to research and describe the history of biology and contributions of scientists.

TX.112.43 (9.4) Biology: 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.

9.4. (A) The student is expected to identify the parts of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

9.4. (B) The student is expected to 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.

9.4. (C) The student is expected to compare the structures and functions of viruses to cells and describe the role of viruses in causing diseases and conditions such as acquired immune deficiency syndrome, common colds, smallpox, influenza, and warts.

9.4. (D) The student is expected to identify and describe the role of bacteria in maintaining health such as in digestion and in causing diseases such as in streptococcus infections and diphtheria.

TX.112.43 (9.5) Biology: Science Concepts: The student knows how an organism grows and how specialized cells, tissues, and organs develop.

9.5. (A) The student is expected to compare cells from different parts of plants and animals including roots, stems, leaves, epithelia, muscles, and bones to show specialization of structure and function.

9.5. (B) The student is expected to identify cell differentiation in the development of organisms.

9.5. (C) The student is expected to sequence the levels of organization in multicellular organisms to relate the parts to each other and to the whole.

TX.112.43 (9.6) Biology: Science Concepts: The student knows the structures and functions of nucleic acids in the mechanisms of genetics.

9.6. (A) The student is expected to describe components of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), and illustrate how information for specifying the traits of an organism is carried in the DNA.

9.6. (B) The student is expected to explain replication, transcription, and translation using models of DNA and ribonucleic acid (RNA).

9.6. (C) The student is expected to identify and illustrate how changes in DNA cause mutations and evaluate the significance of these changes.

9.6. (D) The student is expected to compare genetic variations observed in plants and animals.

9.6. (E) The student is expected to compare the processes of mitosis and meiosis and their significance to sexual and asexual reproduction.

9.6. (F) The student is expected to identify and analyze karyotypes.

TX.112.43 (9.7) Biology: Science Concepts: The student knows the theory of biological evolution.

9.7. (A) The student is expected to identify evidence of change in species using fossils, DNA sequences, anatomical similarities, physiological similarities, and embryology.

9.7. (B) The student is expected to illustrate the results of natural selection in speciation, diversity, phylogeny, adaptation, behavior, and extinction.

TX.112.43 (9.8) Biology: Science Concepts: The student knows applications of taxonomy and can identify its limitations.

9.8. (A) The student is expected to collect and classify organisms at several taxonomic levels such as species, phylum, and kingdom using dichotomous keys.

9.8. (B) The student is expected to analyze relationships among organisms and develop a model of a hierarchical classification system based on similarities and differences using taxonomic nomenclature.

9.8. (C) The student is expected to identify characteristics of kingdoms including monerans, protists, fungi, plants, and animals.

TX.112.43 (9.9) Biology: Science Concepts: The student knows metabolic processes and energy transfers that occur in living organisms.

9.9. (A) The student is expected to compare the structures and functions of different types of biomolecules such as carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

9.9. (B) The student is expected to compare the energy flow in photosynthesis to the energy flow in cellular respiration.

9.9. (C) The student is expected to investigate and identify the effects of enzymes on food molecules.

9.9. (D) The student is expected to analyze the flow of matter and energy through different trophic levels and between organisms and the physical environment.

TX.112.43 (9.10) Biology: Science Concepts: The student knows that, at all levels of nature, living systems are found within other living systems, each with its own boundary and limits.

9.10. (A) The student is expected to interpret the functions of systems in organisms including circulatory, digestive, nervous, endocrine, reproductive, integumentary, skeletal, respiratory, muscular, excretory, and immune.

9.10. (B) The student is expected to compare the interrelationships of organ systems to each other and to the body as a whole.

9.10. (C) The student is expected to analyze and identify characteristics of plant systems and subsystems.

TX.112.43 (9.11) Biology: Science Concepts: The student knows that organisms maintain homeostasis.

9.11. (A) The student is expected to identify and describe the relationships between internal feedback mechanisms in the maintenance of homeostasis.

9.11. (B) The student is expected to investigate and identify how organisms, including humans, respond to external stimuli.

9.11. (C) The student is expected to analyze the importance of nutrition, environmental conditions, and physical exercise on health.

9.11. (D) The student is expected to summarize the role of microorganisms in maintaining and disrupting equilibrium including diseases in plants and animals and decay in an ecosystem.

TX.112.43 (9.12) Biology: Science Concepts: The student knows that interdependence and interactions occur within an ecosystem.

9.12. (A) The student is expected to analyze the flow of energy through various cycles including the carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and water cycles.

9.12. (B) The student is expected to interpret interactions among organisms exhibiting predation, parasitism, commensalism, and mutualism.

9.12. (C) The student is expected to compare variations, tolerances, and adaptations of plants and animals in different biomes.

9.12. (D) The student is expected to identify and illustrate that long-term survival of species is dependent on a resource base that may be limited.

9.12. (E) The student is expected to investigate and explain the interactions in an ecosystem including food chains, food webs, and food pyramids.

TX.112.43 (9.13) Biology: Science Concepts: The student knows the significance of plants in the environment.

9.13. (A) The student is expected to evaluate the significance of structural and physiological adaptations of plants to their environments.

9.13. (B) The student is expected to survey and identify methods of reproduction, growth, and development of various types of plants.