Grade Level Curriculum

Language Arts & Literacy

• Demonstrate phonological awareness and print awareness. 
• Demonstrate and apply phonetic knowledge. 
• Use a variety of strategies to understand texts. 
• Comprehend a variety of literary texts. 
• Comprehend a variety of informational texts. 
• Respond to a variety of sources that are read, heard or viewed. 
• Use the writing process recursively to compose texts. 
• Dictate or compose a variety of literary texts and informational texts. 
• Dictate or compose a variety of informational texts. 
• Demonstrate and apply spelling knowledge. 
• Develop oral language through listening, speaking, and discussion. 
• Engage in both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes for a variety of purposes

Mathematics

• Count objects to tell how many there are (up to at least 20) 
• Compare two groups of objects to tell which group, if either, has more; compare two written numbers to tell which is greater 
• Act out addition and subtraction story problems and represent them with objects and/or drawings 
• Add with a sum of 10 or less; subtract from a number 10 or less; solve story problems involving addition and subtraction 
• Identify U.S. coins by name (students learn the values in 1st grade) 
• Correctly name a shape regardless of the size or how it is rotated (for example, a square rotated to look like a “diamond” is still a square) 
• Compare measurable attributes of objects - longer/shorter, heavier/lighter, holds more/less 
• Collect and use data to create graphs made with real objects or pictures

Science

• Conduct classroom and outdoor investigations following home and school safety procedures while using environmentally appropriate and responsible practices 
• Develop the ability to ask questions and seek answers in classroom and outdoor investigations
• Understand the relevance of science to their everyday lives and recognize the contributions and work of scientists from diverse backgrounds Identify basic parts of plants and animals 
• Use age appropriate tools and models to investigate the natural world 
• Observe and record properties of objects 
• Use the senses to explore different forms of energy such as light, thermal, and sound 
• Observe, describe, and sort rocks by size, shape, color, and texture 
• Observe, describe, and illustrate objects in the sky such as the clouds, Moon, stars, and Sun

Social Studies

• Identifying groups/ communities within our schools, neighborhood, city, state and nation. 
• Recognizing that we use symbols to represent our communities. We take pride in our community and in the symbols that represent. 
• Recognizing that our family is another group we belong to. Our families are diverse and have unique customs and traditions. These customs and traditions may come from other places in the world. 
• Understanding that we use natural resources and science & technology to meet our needs and wants.
• Understanding that location / place determines which type of natural resources are available. 
• Identifying people from our past that have made an impact on our community. 
• We can learn from these people's choices. Their choices have both positive and negative effects.
• Understanding that our community agrees to rules and laws to keep us safe. Some people in our community are in charge of enforcing the rules and laws. 
• Identifying the needs and wants of people and communities. Understand that we work to meet our needs and wants. 
• Our family and community celebrate holidays to show pride. We have customs/ traditions that we participate in on each of the holidays.

Creating an environment most conducive for your child to study will maximize learning outcomes. Depending on how your student studies best, you may want to create a quiet place or play music in the background. Carve out time each day, if possible, for your child to study. You, or another designee, should check in with your student at least once a week while he or she works on homework. This will keep you informed about what your child is learning in school. Here are some activities you can do with your child to support learning at home:

English Language Arts & Literacy

• Read and reread literary and informational texts to your child on a daily basis. This may be in a language other than English. 
• Allow your child to participate in activities that involve writing and reading (for example, cooking, making grocery lists).

Mathematics

• Play “Write the next number.” You write a number, and your child writes the next number. 
• Ask your child questions that require counting as many as 20 things. For example, ask, “How many books do you have about wild animals?”

Science

• Pick something in nature and observe it with your child for a few days or even weeks. Ask your child to draw pictures of what they notice, including patterns and differences over time.  
• Use pictures from magazines, newspapers, or the internet to create collages of different science objects, organizing plants, birds, fish, and more into various categories.

Social Studies

• To learn more about your community, visit historical markers. 
• Visit local museums and cultural centers. 
• Attend cultural, religious and/or patriotic community celebrations.  
• Read books that depict people from different cultures, genders, races, geographic areas, etc. as heroes.

LANGUAGE ARTS & LITERACY

• Demonstrate phonological awareness and print awareness 
• Demonstrate and apply phonetic knowledge Use a variety of strategies to understand texts
• Comprehend a variety of literary and informational texts 
• Respond to a variety of sources that are read, heard or viewed 
• Use writing process recursively to compose texts 
• Dictate or compose a variety of literary 
• Dictate or compose informational texts 
• Dictate or compose a variety of correspondence 
• Demonstrate and apply spelling knowledge 
• Develop oral language through listening, speaking, and discussion 
• Engage in both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes for a variety of purposes 

MATHEMATICS 

• Solve story problems involving addition and subtraction in situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing (for example, taking a situation would be: “Five apples were on the table. I ate some apples. Then there were three apples. How many apples did I eat?”) 
• Add with a sum of 20 or less, and subtract from a number 20 or less, for example by using strategies based around the number 10 (for example, to solve 13-4, you can start with 13, subtract 3 to reach 10, and then subtract 1 more to reach 9) 
• Understand that a group of 10 objects can be thought of as 10 ones or 1 ten (unitizing) 
• Skip count by twos, fives, and tens 
• Collect and use data to create bar-type graphs and picture graphs 
• Understand what the digits mean in two-digit numbers (place value) 
• Understand that the equal sign represents a relationship: what is on the left side of the equal sign has the same value as what is on the right side of the equal sign 
• Measure lengths of objects by using a shorter object as a unit of length (for example, finding how many paper clips it takes to measure the length of a bookcase) 
• Make composite shapes by joining shapes together; divide shapes, such as circles and rectangles, into halves or fourths

SCIENCE

• Conduct classroom and outdoor investigations following home and school safety procedures while using environmentally appropriate and responsible practices 
• Develop the ability to ask questions and seek answers in classroom and outdoor investigations 
• Use age appropriate tools and models to investigate the natural world Understand the relevance of science to their everyday lives and recognize the contributions and work of scientists from diverse backgrounds 
• Classify objects by observable properties such as larger/smaller, heavier/lighter, shape, color and texture Record weather information, including hot/cold, clear/cloudy, calm/windy, and rainy/dry 
• Observe and record changes in the appearance of objects in the sky such as the Moon, stars, and Sun Investigate how external characteristics of an animal are related to where it lives, how it moves, and what it eats 
• Observe and record life cycles of animals such as chickens, frogs, or fish

SOCIAL STUDIES

• Understanding that people work to make money. 
• Work helps produce goods and services other people need or want and gives us money to use to meet our own needs and wants. 
• Understanding that when we make purchases we need to make choices about what to buy, how much to buy and how much money we should save for other purposes. 
• Recognize that where we live affects how we live. 
• Understanding how we meet our needs and wants has changed over time. 
• Science and technology has changed the way we meet our needs and wants and how we live. 
• In many ways, science and technology has made our lives easier. 
• Identifying people we can learn from that have used science and technology to create new, useful products and services. 
• Understanding that people keep family traditions and stories alive through storytelling. 
• Different languages, customs, traditions and cultures make our community diverse and interesting. Recognize that the history of our family, community, state, and nation are influenced by where they took place. 
• Just like in fiction, the setting influences the story. 
• Our home, schools, and communities have rules and laws. 
• There are people in our home, schools, and communities that are in charge of enforcing the rules.
• There are people in our past that have affected the rules and laws of our home, schools, and communities. 
• As members of a community, we have roles and responsibilities to be good citizens. 
• We can learn how to be good citizens by studying the successes and failures of people from the past.

Creating an environment most conducive for your child to study will maximize learning outcomes.  Depending on how your student studies best, you may want to create a quiet place or play music in the background.   Carve out time each day, if possible, for your child to study. You, or another designee, should check in with your student at least once a week while he or she works on homework.  This will keep you informed about what your child is learning in school. Here are some activities you can do with your child to support learning at home:

English Language Arts & Literacy

• Have a discussion with your child about favorite storybooks. 
• Suggest your child write correspondence to friends and relatives. 
• Encourage your child to share what they have learned about their writing and reading.

Mathematics

• Look for “story problems” in real life. 
  • Some 1st grade examples might include: If you open a new carton of 12 eggs and you use 4 eggs to cook breakfast, close the carton and ask your child how many eggs are left. 
  • While putting away toys into bins, count the number of toys in two bins and ask your child how many more are in one bin compared to the other. 
• Play the “I’m thinking of a number” game. For example, “I’m thinking of a number that makes 11 when added to 8. What is my number?”

Science

• Pick something in nature and observe it with your child for a few days or even weeks. Ask your child to draw pictures of what they notice, including patterns and differences over time.  
• Help your child use their senses. Have them put on a blindfold and taste, touch, and smell different objects, asking them to guess what the object is? Talk about how it tastes, feels, and smells.

Social Studies

• Take your child with you when you vote. 
• Visit local museums and cultural centers. 
• Discuss choices families make when deciding to spend or save money.

LANGUAGE ARTS & LITERACY

• Demonstrate and apply phonetic knowledge 
• Use a variety of strategies to understand texts 
• Comprehend a variety of literary, informational, and persuasive texts 
• Respond to a variety of sources that are read, heard, or viewed 
• Use the writing process recursively to compose texts 
• Compose a variety of literary texts 
• Compose a variety of informational texts 
• Compose a variety of correspondence 
• Demonstrate and apply spelling knowledge 
• Develop oral language through listening, speaking, and discussion 
• Engage in both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes for a variety of purposes

MATHEMATICS 

• Solve challenging story problems with one or two steps involving addition and subtraction (for example, a “onestep” problem would be: “Lucy has 23 fewer apples than Julie. Julie has 47 apples. How many apples does Lucy have?”)
• Quickly and accurately add with a sum of 20 or less; quickly and accurately subtract from a number 20 or less
• Understand that a group of 100 can be thought of as 100 ones, 10 tens, or 1 hundred (unitizing)
• Understand what the digits mean in two- and three-digit numbers (place value)
• Use an understanding of place value to add and subtract two- and three-digit numbers
• Measure and estimate lengths in standard units (for example, inches and centimeters)
• Build, draw, and analyze 2-D and 3-D shapes to develop foundations for area, volume, and geometry in later grades
• Explain that the number of parts into which a shape is divided says something about the size of the parts (for example, if I divide a pizza in half, those two pieces will be larger than the four pieces I would get if I were to divide the same pizza into fourths)
• Act out multiplication and division story problems and represent them with objects and/or drawings
• Solve problems involving addition and subtraction based on data presented in bar graphs and pictographs

SCIENCE

• Conduct classroom and outdoor investigations following home and school safety procedures while using environmentally appropriate and responsible practices
• Develop the ability to ask questions and seek answers in classroom and outdoor investigations
• Use age appropriate tools and models to investigate the natural world
• Understand the relevance of science to their everyday lives and recognize the contributions and work of scientists from diverse backgrounds
• Compare changes in materials caused by heating and cooling
• Investigate the effects on objects by increasing or decreasing amounts of light, heat, and sound energy
• Observe, describe, and record patterns of objects in the sky, including the appearance of the Moon
• Observe, describe, and compare rocks by size, texture, and color
• Observe, record, and compare how the physical characteristics and behaviors of animals help them meet their basic needs

SOCIAL STUDIES

• Understanding that producing goods and services allows people to make money. People with money must make choices about how to spend or not spend the money to meet both their needs and wants (consume).
• Understand that just like our nation and state have roles and responsibilities to us, the citizens. We, the citizens of our nation and state, have a role and responsibility to each other and to our nation and state.
• Recognize that our local, state and national governments provide services that help keep us safe, like the fire and police departments. They also provide services that help us learn and play, for example libraries and parks. We pay for these services by paying taxes.
• Understand that we vote for people, who are citizens just like us, to make decisions about rules, laws and how to spend tax dollar collected from the people.
• Use words to express the passage of time and time periods. Historians use primary and secondary evidence from each time period to learn about that time.
• Understand that many significant symbols, holidays, and traditions of our past are captured in stories, poems, music and art.
• Understand that the history of our families, community, state, and nation are influenced by where they took place.
• Understand that natural resources are used to make finished products. Natural resources must be conserved or replenished to ensure they are available in the future.

Creating an environment most conducive for your child to study will maximize learning outcomes.  Depending on how your student studies best, you may want to create a quiet place or play music in the background.   Carve out time each day, if possible, for your child to study. You, or another designee, should check in with your student at least once a week while he or she works on homework.  This will keep you informed about what your child is learning in school. Here are some activities you can do with your child to support learning at home:

English Language Arts & Literacy

• Visit the library regularly to support your child's specific hobby or interest with reading materials and references. 
• Engage your child in activities that require reading and writing. 
• Show your child your interest in their learning by displaying his/her written work.

Mathematics

• Look for “story problems” in real life. Some 2nd grade examples might include:
  • When saving for a purchase, compare the cost of the item to the amount of money you have; then ask your child to determine how much more money he or she needs to buy the item.
  • When measuring your child’s height, ask how many inches he or she has grown since the very first measurement.
• Play “draw the shape.” For example, ask your child to draw a hexagon with one side longer than the others, or ask him or her to shade in a fourth of a rectangle.

Science

• Let your child mix together different liquids, and then record what happens using words and illustrations.  
• Ask your child to pick a scientific topic that interests them, such as animals, space, or dinosaurs. 
• Research the topic together and create a collage, short book, or text and present it to family and friends.

Social Studies

• Visit local trails and nature centers to learn about the natural resources found in your area.  
• Discuss ways in which families produce and consume.  
• As a family, engage in opportunities to interact with people from different cultures, races, religions, etc.

LANGUAGE ARTS & LITERACY

• Use a range of strategies when drawing meaning from the text. 
• Use word identification strategies appropriately and automatically when encountering unknown words.
• Comprehend a variety of literary, informational, and argumentative texts. 
• Recognize and discuss elements of different genre text structures. 
• Make critical connections between texts. 
• Respond to a variety of sources that are read, heard, or viewed. 
• Develop oral language through listening, speaking, and discussion. 
• Use the writing process recursively to compose texts. 
• Compose a variety of literary texts, informational texts, argumentative texts and correspondence. 
• Use a rich variety of vocabulary and sentences appropriate to text forms. 
• Revise and edit their own writing during and after composing. 
• Spell words correctly in final writing drafts or final pieces. 
• Engage in both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes for a variety of purposes.

MATHEMATICS 

• Multiply and divide up to 10 × 10 quickly and accurately, including knowing the times table from memory
• Solve story problems using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division and represent them with drawings and/or equations 
• Begin to multiply numbers with more than one digit (for example, multiplying 9 × 82) 
• Extend their understanding of unitizing to include fractional amounts (for example, one whole can be thought of as 2 one-halves, 3 one-thirds, 4 one-fourths, etc.) 
• Reason about shapes (for example, squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares)
• Measure and estimate weights and liquid volumes 
• Compare two fractions that either have the same numerator or same denominator (for example, knowing that 1/2 is greater than 1/3 because both fractions represent 1 part of the whole and because halves are larger than thirds) 
• Find areas of shapes, and relate area to multiplication (for example, why is the number of square feet for a 9-foot by 7-foot room given by the product of 9 × 7?) 
• Extend their understanding of place value to read, write, and compare numbers up to 100,000 
• Collect and use data to create frequency tables, dot plots, pictographs, and bar graphs with scaled intervals

SCIENCE

• Conduct classroom and outdoor investigations following home and school safety procedures while using environmentally appropriate and responsible practices
• Know how to use a variety of tools and methods to conduct scientific inquiry 
• Understand the relevance of science to their everyday lives and recognize the contributions and work of scientists from diverse backgrounds
• Multiple opportunities to engage in argument from evidence as well as plan and carry out investigations
• Measure, test, and record physical properties of matter, including temperature, mass, magnetism, and the ability to sink or float 
• Explore how soils are formed by weathering of rock and the breakdown of plant and animal remains
• Identify the planets in Earth’s solar system and their position in relation to the sun 
• Observe and describe the physical characteristics of environments and how they support populations and communities of plants and animals within an ecosystem 
• Explore how structures and functions of plants and animals allow them to survive in a particular environment.

SOCIAL STUDIES

• Understand the idea of social contract. In a social contract, the government provides for the people and the people give consent to the government and agree to obey the laws of the government. In addition, citizens are expected to behave in a way the benefits the common good. The common good meaning everyone or most people in the community. When people act with the common good in mind they enhance the community and in some cases correct the wrongs of the government. 
• Recognize that as a part of the social contract, the government gets its power from the people, this is called "consent of the governed." This principle and other principles of our government are documented in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights. 
• Identify ways families and communities honor people who demonstrate heroism. 
• Understand that we use literature, poetry, music and art to express who we are today and who we were in the past. Writers and artists have documented cultural celebrations in different communities and families. 
• Use geographical terms, maps, and globes to both describe characteristics of a place and to give directions. 
• Understand that the history of our family, country, and state is influenced by our geographical location.
• Understand that people adapted their ways to the physical environment of the location where they settled. In addition, people changed the natural environment to better meet the needs and wants of the people. These changes had both positive and negative impacts. 
• Recognize people who have started businesses. Understand supply and demand affect prices.

Creating an environment most conducive for your child to study will maximize learning outcomes.  Depending on how your student studies best, you may want to create a quiet place or play music in the background.   Carve out time each day, if possible, for your child to study. You, or another designee, should check in with your student at least once a week while he or she works on homework.  This will keep you informed about what your child is learning in school. Here are some activities you can do with your child to support learning at home:

English Language Arts & Literacy

• Visit the library and bookstores with your child to support them in their learning and interest. 
• Build a love of language in all its forms and engage your child in conversation; help them add to their ideas with examples or reasons. 
• Engage your child in open-ended questions that allow him/her to think deeply about topics and stories.

Mathematics

Look for “story problems” in real life. Some 3rd grade examples might include: 

• A trip to visit Grandma and Grandpa is happening in four weeks. Ask your child to calculate how many days there are in four weeks. 
• Your child is sharing 18 candies with his or her siblings. Ask how many each child will get if they are shared equally.

Science

• Grow a flower or other plant and ask your child to observe what they see, recording the growth and life cycles.
• Pick out any variety of objects and ask your child to move them in various ways such as up and down a ramp, hill or stairs; push or throw them with different levels of force; or blow air on them. Talk about what happens. 
• Take close up pictures of objects, such as animal body parts, fur, plants, trees, or different materials and use your observation skills to take turns guessing what it is in each other’s pictures.

Social Studies

• Attend a city council, school board or other civic body meeting to see how representatives make decisions on behalf of everyone in that community. 
• Create a sample budget that addresses the needs, wants and saving for the future.   
• As a family, engage in opportunities to interact with  people from different cultures, races, religions, etc.

LANGUAGE ARTS & LITERACY

• Use a range of strategies when drawing meaning from the text. 
• Use word identification strategies appropriately and automatically when encountering unknown words.
• Comprehend a variety of literary, informational, and argumentative texts. 
• Recognize and discuss elements of different genre text structures.
• Make critical connections between texts. 
• Respond to a variety of sources that are read, heard, or viewed. 
• Develop oral language through listening, speaking, and discussion. 
• Use the writing process recursively to compose texts. 
• Compose a variety of literary texts, informational texts, argumentative texts and correspondence. 
• Use a rich variety of vocabulary and sentences appropriate to text forms. 
• Revise and edit their own writing during and after composing. 
• Spell words correctly in final writing drafts or final pieces. 
• Engage in both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes for a variety of purposes. 

MATHEMATICS 

• Use whole-number arithmetic to solve story problems, including problems with remainders and problems with measurements 
• Represent story problems using diagrams and equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity
• Add and subtract whole numbers quickly and accurately (numbers up to 1 billion) 
• Multiply and divide multi-digit whole numbers in simple cases (for example, multiplying 1,638×7 or 24×17, and dividing 6,766÷6) 
• Measure angles and find unknown angles in a diagram 
• Analyze shapes using knowledge of types of angles and parallel and perpendicular lines 
• Use a variety of strategies to compare fractions with different numerators and different denominators (for example, knowing that 5/12 is less than 7/8 because 5/12 is less than one-half and 7/8 is greater than one-half) 
• Solve story problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions with like denominators 
• Extend understanding of place value to read, write, and compare decimal numbers to the hundredths place 
• Add and subtract decimal numbers quickly and accurately (numbers to the hundredths place) 
• Use data to create frequency tables, dot plots, and stem-and-leaf plots marked with whole numbers and/or fractions

SCIENCE

• Conduct classroom and outdoor investigations while using environmentally appropriate and responsible practices 
• Know how to use a variety of tools, materials, equipment, and models to conduct scientific inquiry
• Understand the relevance of science to their everyday lives and recognize the contributions and work of scientists from diverse backgrounds 
• Multiple opportunities to engage in argument from evidence as well as plan and carry out investigations Measure, compare and contrast physical properties of matter, including mass, volume, physical states, temperature, magnetism, and the ability to sink or float 
• Differentiate among forms of energy, including mechanical, sound, energy, light, and thermal Identify and classify 
• Earth’s renewable resources, including air, plants, water, and animals as well as nonrenewable resources including, coal, oil, and natural gas 
• Describe the flow of energy through food webs, beginning with the Sun, and predict how changes in the ecosystem affect the food web

SOCIAL STUDIES

• Compare the different geographic regions of Texas and explain how geography influences the way of life and economy in each region. 
• Use primary and secondary sources to investigate important historical and contemporary events and people of Texas. 
• Evaluate historical events from multiple perspectives using both primary and secondary sources.
• Evaluate sources to determine bias. 
• Identify ways citizens can participate in and influence Texas communities and government. 
• Understand the principles of Texas government outlined in the Texas Constitution. 
• Examine diverse cultures that have shaped the identity of various regions in Texas. 
• Examine the roles of the three branches of Texas government. 
• Explain the roles and responsibilities of each branch and how each branch interacts with the other two.
• Understand the effects of Texas’s market economy and how it impacts the different regions of Texas and Texans. 
• Understand the effects of various government programs and industries (NASA, oil, cattle, etc.) and how it impacts the different regions of Texas and Texans. 
• Analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences and conclusions.

Creating an environment most conducive for your child to study will maximize learning outcomes.  Depending on how your student studies best, you may want to create a quiet place or play music in the background.   Carve out time each day, if possible, for your child to study. You, or another designee, should check in with your student at least once a week while he or she works on homework.  This will keep you informed about what your child is learning in school. Here are some activities you can do with your child to support learning at home:

English Language Arts & Literacy

• Visit the library and bookstores with your child to support them in their learning and interests. 
• Build a love of language in all its forms and engage children in conversation. 
• Engage your child in open-ended questions that allow him/her to think deeply about topics, ideas, and stories from materials read, viewed, or experienced together.

Mathematics

Look for “story problems” in real life. Some 4th grade examples might include: 

• Ask your child to compare numbers using phrases like “times as much.” For example, if the family cat weighs 8 pounds and the family dog weighs 56 pounds, how many times as much does the dog weigh than the cat? 
• Ask your child to help you compare fractional amounts - for example, if one recipe calls for ⅔ cup of oil, but another recipe calls for ¾ cup of oil, which recipe calls for more oil?

Science

• Go on a walk/hike at a local park and encourage your child to make observations, describe what they notice, and ask questions. Pay attention to natural objects you find like rock formations and plants and use those observations for further research. 
• Conduct experiments using everyday materials. 
• Choose a technology or machine with your child and research how that object works then create a model, diagram, or video explaining it.

Social Studies

• As a family read, watch or listen to the news on a regular basis.  
• Visit local museums and cultural centers.

LANGUAGE ARTS & LITERACY

• Readers read from a wide range of books and are challenged by sophisticated genres such as fantasy, myths, and legends; speeches; complex articles, poetry; etc. 
• Readers are able to understand literary themes in texts with growing sophistication 
• Readers can identify and use the features of informational texts to glean and synthesize information/big ideas 
• Readers process longer, more varied sentences 
• Solve multisyllabic words by taking them apart by syllable and/or identifying spelling patterns within the word Use and understand disciplinary vocabulary in reading and talk 
• Make rich connections in and across content, or plot, of text(s) and support thinking with evidence from text 
• Acquire and use new vocabulary, including technical words, intentionally while writing various genres 
• Write for a variety of purposes (including different types of: letters, informational texts, literary texts, response to reading, and research/inquiry) 
• Compose writing with a clear understanding of the purpose and characteristics of the genre 
• Organize and elaborate ideas with a clear and concise message or focused central idea, including informational, argumentative and literary compositions 
• Understand the writing process as a whole and individualize to support their daily writing process 
• Write complete and compound sentences 
• Spell a wide range of common words, use a range of spelling strategies/patterns, and monitor spelling in drafts 

MATHEMATICS 

• Solve story problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions with unlike denominators (for example, 21/4 – 11/3) 
• Solve story problems involving multiplication and division of fractions in specific cases (multiplying a whole number by a fraction or mixed number; dividing a whole number by a unit fraction; dividing a unit fraction by a whole number) 
• Solve story problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with decimal numbers Multiply and divide multi-digit whole numbers (for example, multiplying 638×75 and dividing 6,971÷63) Understand the concept of volume, and solve story problems that involve volume of rectangular prisms 
• Represent and solve story problems involving all four operations with whole numbers using diagrams and equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity 
• Use the order of operations to simplify numerical expressions 
• Graph points in the coordinate plane to solve problems and analyze patterns 
• Generalize their understanding of 2-D shapes to create hierarchies representing relationships between types of shapes 
• Convert measurements within the same measurement system (for example, convert 18 inches to 112 feet) Solve one- and two-step problems using data from a frequency table, dot plot, bar graph, stem-and-leaf plot, or scatterplot 

SCIENCE

• Conduct classroom and outdoor investigations while using environmentally appropriate and responsible practices 
• Know how to use a variety of tools, materials, equipment, and models to conduct scientific inquiry Understand the relevance of science to their everyday lives and recognize the contributions and work of scientists from diverse backgrounds 
• Multiple opportunities to engage in argument from evidence as well as plan and carry out investigations 
• Demonstrate the flow of electricity in closed circuits can produce light, heat, or sound 
• Measure physical properties such as mass, magnetism, physical state, relative density, solubility, and the ability to conduct or insulate thermal or electric energy 
• Demonstrate that Earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours causing the day/night cycle and the apparent movement of the sun across the sky 
• Explore the uses of energy including mechanical, light, thermal, electrical and sound energy 
• Compare the structures and functions of different species that help them live and survive 

SOCIAL STUDIES

• Compare the different geographic regions of the United States and explain how geography influences the way of life and economy in each region.
• Use primary sources and secondary sources to investigate important historical and contemporary events and people of the U.S. 
• Evaluate historical events from multiple perspectives using both primary and secondary sources. 
• Evaluate sources to determine bias. Identify ways citizens can participate in and influence communities and government. 
• Understand the principles of government outlined in the United States Constitution. 
• Examine diverse cultures that have shaped the identity of various regions in the United States. 
• Examine the roles of the three branches of government. 
• Explain the roles and responsibilities of each branch and how each branch interacts with the other two. 
• Understand the effects of the United States market economy and how it impacts the different regions of the U.S. and the people. 
• Understand the effects of various government programs and industries and how it impacts the different regions of the U.S. and the people. 
• Analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences and conclusions. 

Creating an environment most conducive for your child to study will maximize learning outcomes.  Depending on how your student studies best, you may want to create a quiet place or play music in the background.   Carve out time each day, if possible, for your child to study. You, or another designee, should check in with your student at least once a week while he or she works on homework.  This will keep you informed about what your child is learning in school. Here are some activities you can do with your child to support learning at home:

English Language Arts & Literacy

• Visit the library and bookstores with your child to support them in their learning and interests. 
• Build a love of language in all its forms and engage children in conversation; have them expand and build on their ideas and thinking. 
• Engage your child in open-ended questions that allow him/her to think deeply about topics, ideas, and stories from materials read, viewed, or experienced together.

Mathematics

Look for “story problems” in real life. Some 5th grade examples might include: 

• Doing arithmetic with decimals, for example when adding together prices at the store. 
• Multiplying with fractions - for example, if you used ⅔ of a 4-cup container of vegetable stock, then how many cups of stock did you use? How much is left? 
• Using the length, width, and depth of a raised garden bed to determine how many bags of garden soil to buy.

Science

• Conduct experiments using everyday materials at home.
• Ask your child’s teacher what topic they are learning about then make a model of a related object.  
• Prove it! When someone claims something about a scientific concept, see if your child can prove it using evidence to support their claim.

Social Studies

• As a family read, watch or listen to the news on a regular basis. 
• Watch historical movies or read historical novels together as a family.  
• Visit local museums and cultural centers.  
• Ask your student to support his/her opinion with evidence.

LANGUAGE ARTS & LITERACY

• Present a critique of a literary work, film, or dramatic production.myths, and legends; speeches; complex articles, poetry; etc. 
• Engage in meaningful discourse and provide and accept constructive feedback from others.
• Use print and digital resources, context, and Greek and Latin roots to identify the meaning of words. 
• Self-select text(s) and read independently for a sustained period of time.
• Use metacognitive skills to develop and deepen reading comprehension including establishing a purpose for reading, generating questions, making predictions, making connections and inferences, evaluating details, synthesizing information, and annotating texts to create new understandings of complex texts
• Discuss texts and write responses that demonstrate understanding of them including comparing and contrasting ideas across a variety of sources.
• Engage in short-term and sustained research/inquiry for a variety of purposes. 
• Explain the author’s purpose and message within a text. 
• Paraphrase and summarize texts.
•  Analyze how the characters' qualities influence events and resolution of the conflict and how the setting also influences character and plot development. 
• Analyze plot elements, including the use of foreshadowing and suspense, to advance the plot.
•  Demonstrate knowledge of literary genres such as realistic fiction, adventure stories, historical fiction, mysteries, humor, myths, fantasy, and science fiction.
•  Analyze poetry, including the effect of rhyme scheme, meter, and graphical elements such as punctuation and capitalization. 
• Analyze how playwrights develop characters through dialogue and staging. 
• Analyze the characteristics and structural elements of informational and argumentative texts. 
• Identify the use of literary devices and describe how the author's use of language contributes to mood, voice, and tone.
•  Use the writing process to compose literary, informational, and argumentative texts that are legible, focused, structured, organized, engaging, and use the appropriate standard English conventions.

MATHEMATICS 

• Extending rational number concepts and operations. 
• Representing, solving, and graphing two-step equations and inequalities. 
• Solving problems using proportions.
•  Representing constant rates of change and linear relationships.
•  Determining experimental and theoretical probabilities. 
• Modeling and solving for the measurements of circles and composite figures. 
• Modeling and solving problems involving volume of prisms and pyramids.
•  Using and comparing statistical data to make decisions. 
• Calculate sales tax, income tax, simple interest, and compound interest.
•  Using rational numbers in problem situations.

SCIENCE

• Conduct scientific laboratory and field investigations.
•  Apply critical thinking, scientific reasoning, and problem solving. 
• Variety of tools and equipment to conduct inquiry-based activities in science.
•  Interactions occur between matter and energy. 
• Matter has physical and chemical properties and can undergo physical and chemical changes. 
• Relationship between force, motion, and energy.
•  Natural events and human activity can impact Earth systems.
•  Components of our solar system.
•  Relationship between organisms and the environment. 
• Populations and species demonstrate variation and inherit many of their unique traits through gradual processes over many generations.
•  Living systems at all levels of organization demonstrate the complementary nature of structure and function.
•  Living organisms must be able to maintain balance in stable internal conditions in response to external and internal stimuli. 
• Reproduction is a characteristic of living organisms and that the instructions for traits are governed in the genetic material.

SOCIAL STUDIES

• Compare the different geographic regions of Texas and explain how geography influences the way of life and economy in each region.
•  Use primary sources and secondary to investigate important historical and contemporary events and people of Texas. 
• Evaluate historical events from multiple perspectives using both primary and secondary sources. Evaluate sources to determine bias. 
• Identify ways citizens can participate in and influence Texas communities and government. 
• Understand the principles of Texas government outlined in the Texas Constitution.
•  Examine diverse cultures that have shaped the identity of various regions in Texas.
•  Examine the roles of the three branches of Texas government.
•  Explain the roles and responsibilities of each branch and how each branch interacts with the other two. 
• Understand the effects of Texas’s market economy and how it impacts the different regions of Texas and Texans.
•  Evaluate the influence of a person’s gender, race, ethnicity, religion, etc. on the person’s access to education, political power, economic opportunities, etc. 
• Analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences and conclusions.

Creating an environment most conducive for your child to study will maximize learning outcomes.  Depending on how your student studies best, you may want to create a quiet place or play music in the background.   Provide a home school supply kit for their use. Carve out time each day, if possible, for your child to study. You, or another designee, will want to check in with your student at least once a week while he or she works on homework.  This will keep you informed about what your child is learning in school. There are free resources at texasgateway.org for you.  This resource is aligned to our standards, developed and maintained by the Texas Education Agency.  Here are some activities you can do with your child to support learning at home:

English Language Arts & Literacy

• Read a shared text with your student - form a family book club!Ask your student to explain why he/she likes the author and what the individual writes about in the text.
•  Create a written or video review of the shared text giving an opinion about it.  
•  Encourage your student to write in a journal and keep one yourself. Write about topics of interest in an authentic way, including letters to authors or companies and letters to the editor. Compose for enjoyment!

Mathematics

• Always ask your child “why does that make sense?” Ask this whether their answers are correct or incorrect.
•  Ask your child to draw mathematical ideas and solutions. Ask them to think about how they see math. 
• Encourage your child to represent their math results in different forms, e.g. words, a picture, a graph, an equation, a table; also, make connections among them.

Science

• See science everywhere. Parents can encourage children to be inquisitive and seek out answers. Children need to know that science isn't just a subject, but it is a way of understanding the world.
•  Show excitement for science.

Social Studies

• As a family read, watch or listen to the news on a regular basis.
•  Visit local museums and cultural centers
•  Ask your student to support his/her opinion with evidence. 
• Attend a city council, school board or other civic body meeting to see how representatives make decisions on behalf of everyone in that community.

LANGUAGE ARTS & LITERACY

• Advocate a position using anecdotes, analogies, and/or illustrations employing eye contact, speaking rate, volume, enunciation, a variety of natural gestures, and conventions of language to communicate ideas effectively.
• Participate collaboratively in discussions, plan agendas with clear goals and deadlines, set time limits for speakers, take notes, and vote on key issues.
• Use print and digital resources, context, and Greek and Latin roots to identify the meaning of words.
• Self-select text(s) and read independently for a sustained period of time.
• Use metacognitive skills to develop and deepen reading comprehension including establishing a purpose for reading, generating questions, making predictions, making connections and inferences, evaluating details, synthesizing information, and annotating text(s) to create new understandings of complex texts.
• Discuss texts and write responses that demonstrate understanding including comparing and contrasting ideas across a variety of sources.
• Paraphrase and summarize texts.
• Analyze how themes are developed through the interaction of characters and events.
• Explain the author’s purpose and message within a text.
• Analyze how characters' motivations and behaviors influence events and resolution of the conflict, and explain how the setting influences the values and beliefs of characters.
• Analyze non-linear plot development such as flashbacks, foreshadowing, subplots, and parallel plot structures and compare it to linear plot development.
• Demonstrate knowledge of literary genres such as realistic fiction, adventure stories, historical fiction, mysteries, humor, myths, fantasy, science fiction, and short stories.
• Analyze poetry, including the effect of graphical elements such as punctuation and line length in poems across a variety of poetic forms such as epic, lyric, and humorous poetry.
• Analyze how playwrights develop dramatic action through the use of acts and scenes.
• Analyze the characteristics and structural elements of informational and argumentative texts.
• Identify and analyze the use of literary devices, including multiple points of view and irony.
• Use the writing process to compose literary, informational, and argumentative texts that are legible, focused, structured, organized, engaging, stylized, and use the appropriate standard English conventions.
• Engage in short-term and sustained research/inquiry for a variety of purposes.

MATHEMATICS 

• Ordering and using different forms of real numbers.
• Problems using equations and inequalities with variables on both sides.
• Modeling and using the Pythagorean theorem and its converse.
• Modeling and solving problems involving volume and surface area.
• Characteristics and representations of dilations.
• Exploring and explaining the properties of transformations.
• Developing and identifying the concept of slope and y-Intercept.
• Identifying, representing, and using various linear relationships.
• Representing, comparing, and using statistical data.
• Personal financial literacy.

SCIENCE

• Conduct scientific laboratory and field investigations.
• Apply critical thinking, scientific reasoning, and problem solving.
• The student learns how to use a variety of tools and equipment to conduct inquiry-based activities in science.
• The student knows that matter is composed of atoms and has chemical and physical properties.
• The student knows that there is a relationship between force, motion, and energy.
• The student knows the characteristics of the universe.
• The student knows that natural events can impact Earth systems.
• The student knows that climatic interactions exist among Earth, ocean, and weather systems.
• The student knows that interdependence occurs among living systems and the environment and that human activities can affect these systems.
• The student knows the effects resulting from cyclical movements of the Sun, Earth, and Moon.

SOCIAL STUDIES

• Compare the different geographic regions of the United States and explain how geography influences the way of life and economy in each region.
• Use primary and secondary sources to investigate important historical and contemporary events and people of the U.S.
• Evaluate historical events from multiple perspectives using both primary and secondary sources. Evaluate sources to determine bias.
• Identify ways citizens can participate in and influence communities and government.
• Understand the principles of government outlined in the United States Constitution.
• Examine diverse cultures that have shaped the identity of various regions in the United States.
• Examine the roles of the three branches of government. Explain the roles and responsibilities of each branch and how each branch interacts with the other two.
• Understand the effects of the United States market economy and how it impacts the different regions of the U.S. and the people.
• Evaluate the influence of a person’s gender, race, ethnicity, religion, etc. on the person’s access to education, political power, economic opportunities, etc.
• Analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences and conclusions.

Creating an environment most conducive for your child to study will maximize learning outcomes. Depending on how your student studies best, you may want to create a quiet place or play music in the background. Provide a home school supply kit for their use. Carve out time each day, if possible, for your child to study. You, or another designee, will want to check in with your student at least once a week while he or she works on homework. This will keep you informed about what your child is learning in school. There are free resources at texasgateway.org for you. This resource is aligned to our standards, developed and maintained by the Texas Education Agency. Here are some activities you can do with your child to support learning at home:

English Language Arts & Literacy

• Read a shared text with your student - form a family book club! Ask your student to explain why he/she likes the author and what the individual writes about in the text. Create a written or video review of the shared text giving an opinion about it.
• Visit a local college if possible with your student and begin talking about college and what he/she may need to do to prepare for college to support his/her future goals.
• Encourage your student to write in a journal and keep one yourself.

Mathematics

• Always ask your child “why does that make sense?” Ask this whether their answers are correct or incorrect.
• Ask your child to draw mathematical ideas and solutions. Ask them to think about how they see math.
• Encourage your child to represent their math results in different forms, e.g. words, a picture, a graph, an equation, a table; also, make connections among them.

Science

• See science everywhere. Parents can encourage children to be inquisitive and seek out answers. Children need to know that science isn't just a subject, but it is a way of understanding the world.
• Show excitement for science.

Social Studies

• As a family read, watch or listen to the news on a regular basis.
• Watch historical movies or read historical novels together as a family.
• Visit local museums.
• Ask your student to support his/her opinion with evidence.
• Attend a city council, school board or other civic body meeting to see how representatives make decisions on behalf of everyone in that community.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & LITERACY

To prepare for college and career, high school students learn to build upon their foundation of English language and literacy instruction to master challenges posed by complex written materials independently and confidently. Through wide and deep reading of literature and nonfiction texts of steadily increasing sophistication, students expand their literary and cultural knowledge while studying the writer’s craft. They also develop the flexibility, concentration, and fluency to produce high-quality, first drafts of writing under tight deadlines, and the metacognition and stamina to craft full process writing. They apply mastery of standard conventions of written and spoken English and learn to analyze and present information using multiple modalities. By developing rhetorical and analytical skills, they assert and defend claims and synthesize what they know about a subject using appropriate examples and evidence. 

READING 

• self-select text(s) and read independently for a sustained period of time. 
• establish purpose for reading assigned and self-selected texts
• use metacognitive skills to develop and deepen reading comprehension including establishing a purpose for reading, generating questions, making predictions, making connections and inferences, evaluating details, synthesizing information, and annotating text(s) to create new understandings of complex texts.
• analyze the author's purpose, audience, and message within text. 
• analyze, evaluate, and critique how the author's use of language informs and shapes the perception of readers. 
• analyze and evaluate the use of a variety of literary devices within text(s) to achieve specific purposes.
• analyze themes and their developed relationships among characterization, point of view, the significance of setting, and plot in a variety of literary text(s).
• evaluate how the author's diction and syntax contribute to the mood, voice, and tone of a text.
•  Analyze author's purpose, audience, and message within text 
• analyze literary elements within and across increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse literary texts (including American, British, and world literature).

WRITING

• respond orally or in writing with appropriate register, vocabulary, tone, and voice. 
• write responses that demonstrate understanding or analysis of texts, including comparing texts within and across genres. 
• use text evidence and original commentary to support a variety of responses. paraphrase and summarize text(s). 
• defend or challenge an authors' claims using relevant text evidence. use the writing process to compose literary, informational, and argumentative texts that are legible, focused, structured, organized, engaging, stylized, and use the appropriate standard English conventions. 
• revise drafts to improve clarity, development, organization, style, diction, and sentence fluency, both within and between sentences. 
• edit drafts to demonstrate a command of standard English conventions using a style guide as appropriate. 
• engage in short-term and sustained research/inquiry for a variety of purposes using multiple sources to synthesize information. 

SPEAKING & LISTENING

• participate collaboratively, offering ideas or judgments that are purposeful for goals and decision making. 
• engage in meaningful and respectful discourse by listening, responding appropriately, and adjusting communication to audiences and purposes.
•  discuss and write about the explicit or implicit meanings of text(s). 

LANGUAGE

• use print or digital resources to clarify and validate understanding of word meaning(s). 
• analyze context to distinguish among denotative, connotative, and figurative meanings and draw conclusions about nuanced meanings of words.

At the beginning of high school, sit down with your child’s teachers, counselor or other advisor to discuss what it will take for your child to graduate, your child’s goals, and his/her plans after high school. Create a plan together to help your child reach these goals. This plan should include: 

• understanding how high school credits work to ensure graduation requirements are met in four years.
•  gathering information from post-secondary schools (four-year college, university, vocational/technical school, or two-year college) to evaluate options upon graduation from high school. 
• ensuring your student is taking challenging courses that require extensive reading, writing, and inquiry/research in preparation for independent work in college. 
• encouraging your student to read widely and voraciously and spending less time on the computer or watching television. Model reading habits yourself and take time to share and discuss texts (e.g., novels, short stories, articles etc.) with your student. 
• confirming your student knows the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing). Your student will be writing extensively in college, so understanding the process will help your adolescent/young adult writer develop his/her own compositions. Some skills that will ensure effective writing at the college level include: mechanics (grammar, spelling, sentence structure), writing clearly and concisely, constructing an effective argument, integrating accurate text evidence for support of a position, and citing appropriate sources. 

Keeping the conversation focused. When you talk to the teacher, do not worry about covering everything. Instead, keep the conversation focused on the most important topics. In high school, these include: 

• How is my child understanding the meaning of technical or discipline-based vocabulary and using print or digital resources to understand the multiple meanings of advanced vocabulary? 
• Are they recognizing and analyzing genre-specific characteristics, structures, and purposes within and across increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse texts? Are they responding to an increasingly challenging variety of sources that are read, heard, or viewed and writing responses that use text evidence and original commentary to articulate meaning and analysis? 
• How are they composing literary, informational,  and argumentative texts through the writing process?

Creating an environment most conducive for your child to study will maximize learning outcomes.  Depending on how your student studies best, you may want to create a quiet place or play music in the background.   Carve out time each day, if possible, for your child to study. You, or another designee, should check in with your student at least once a week while he or she works on homework.  This will keep you informed about what your child is learning in school. Here are some activities you can do with your child to support learning at home:

English Language Arts & Literacy

• Visit the library and bookstores with your child to support them in their learning and interests. 
• Build a love of language in all its forms and engage children in conversation; have them expand and build on their ideas and thinking. 
• Engage your child in open-ended questions that allow him/her to think deeply about topics, ideas, and stories from materials read, viewed, or experienced together.

MATH

Students use concepts, algorithms, and properties of real numbers to explore mathematical relationships and to describe increasingly complex situations. Students use algebraic thinking to connect verbal, numeric, graphic, and symbolic representations of relationships, including equations and inequalities. Students begin to develop an understanding of functional relationships, geometric properties and relationships, as well as statistics, representations of data, and reasoning to draw conclusions, evaluate arguments, and make recommendations. When possible, students will apply mathematics to problems arising in everyday life, society, and the workplace. Students will also display, explain, or justify mathematical ideas and arguments using precise mathematical language in written or oral communication. While the use of all types of technology is important, the emphasis on algebra readiness skills necessitates the implementation of graphing technology. 

NUMERICAL REASONING

• Comparing real numbers. 
• Defining and using complex numbers.
• Performing computations with real and complex numbers.
•  Using estimation to check for errors and reasonableness of solutions. 
• Identifying the most reasonable solution for a given problem from a list of possible solutions; justifying the choice. 
• Ordering real numbers with and without a calculator. 

ALGEBRAIC REASONING

• Explaining and differentiating between expressions and equations using words such as “solve,” “evaluate,” and “simplify” 
• Recognizing and using algebraic properties, concepts, procedures, and algorithms to combine, transform, and evaluate expressions and equations.
•  Interpreting and translating among multiple representations of equations and relationships. 
• Explaining why algorithms & procedures used to transform algebraic expressions are valid.

STATISTICS

• Selecting and applying appropriate visual representations of data. 
• Computing and describing summary statistics of data. 
• Making predictions and drawing inferences using summary statistics. 
• Analyzing data sets using graphs and summary statistics.
• Analyzing relationships between paired data using spreadsheets, graphing calculators, and statistical software. 
• Recognizing reliability of statistical results. 

PROBABILITY

• Determining the nature and the number of elements in a finite sample space.
• Computing and interpreting the probability of an event and its complement. 
• Computing and interpreting the probability of conditional and compound events.
• Determining the number of ways an event may occur using combination and permutation formulas and the Fundamental Counting Principle. 
• Conducting an experiment and simulation to compute the empirical probability of an event and its complement.

At the beginning of high school, sit down with your child’s teachers, counselor or other advisor to discuss what it will take for your child to graduate, your child’s goals, and his/her plans after high school. Create a plan together to help your child reach these goals. This plan should include: 

• An appropriate course sequence to meet your child’s goals. 
• The most appropriate extracurricular activities for your child. 
• Your plan to help your child prepare for college or career. For example, if your child is interested in a particular field, look to see if internships exist to build his/her work experience in that subject are.

Keeping the conversation focused. When you talk to the teacher, do not worry about covering everything. Instead, keep the conversation focused on the most important topics. In secondary math courses, these include:

• Is my child comfortable making connections among the various forms of representations, i.e., tables, graphs, equations, verbal situations, and charts?
•  Does my child have the knowledge to learn advanced mathematics after high school if he/she so chooses? 
• How can I help to  improve my child’s work in this course?

Creating an environment most conducive for your child to study will maximize learning outcomes.  Depending on how your student studies best, you may want to create a quiet place or play music in the background.   Carve out time each day, if possible, for your child to study. You, or another designee, should check in with your student at least once a week while he or she works on homework.  This will keep you informed about what your child is learning in school. Here are some activities you can do with your child to support learning at home:

• Always ask your child “why does that make sense?” Ask this whether their answers are correct or incorrect.
• Ask your child to draw mathematical ideas and solutions. Ask them to think about how they see math.
• Encourage your child to represent their math results in different forms, e.g. words, a picture, a graph, an equation, a table; also, make connections among them.

SCIENCE

Science, as defined by the National Academy of Sciences, is the "use of evidence to construct testable explanations and predictions of natural phenomena, as well as the knowledge generated through this process." This vast body of changing and increasing knowledge is described by physical, mathematical, and conceptual models. Students should know that some questions are outside the realm of science because they deal with phenomena that are not scientifically testable. Scientific inquiry is the planned and deliberate investigation of the natural world. Scientific methods of investigation can be experimental, descriptive, or comparative. The method chosen should be appropriate to the question being asked.

In high school, your child will engage in multiple science disciplines; however, each course will be a laboratory-based course in which:

• the student, for at least 40% of instructional time, conducts scientific laboratory and field investigations following safety procedures and environmentally appropriate and ethical practices. 
• the student applies critical thinking, scientific reasoning, and problem solving.
•  the student learns how to use a variety of tools and equipment to conduct inquiry-based activities in science.

BIOLOGY

In addition to Science Laboratory Processes and Skills, the main topics your child will be learning about in Biology are:

• Cell Structure and Function
•  Mechanisms of Genetics Biological Evolution and Classification 
• Biological Processes and Systems 
• Interdependence within Environmental Systems 

CHEMISTRY

In addition to Science Laboratory Processes and Skills, the main topics your child will be learning about in Chemistry are: 

• Matter and the Periodic Table 
• Atomic structure and Nuclear Chemistry 
• Bonding and Chemical Reactions Gasses and Thermochemistry
• Solutions, including Acids and Bases

PHYSICS

In addition to Science Laboratory Processes and Skills, the main topics your child will be learning about in Physics are:

• Force and Motion
• Gravitational, Electrical, Magnetic, and Nuclear Forces
• Momentum and Energy. 
• Nature of Waves 
• Quantum Phenomena 

ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS

In addition to Science Laboratory Processes and Skills, the main topics your child will be learning about in Environmental Systems are:

• Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems
•  Water Resources and Water Pollution
•  Population and Biodiversity
•  Land Use, Soil, and Agriculture
•  Energy Resources and Sustainability

INTEGRATED PHYSICS & CHEMISTRY

Integrated Physics and Chemistry (IPC) introduces students to basic ideas from physics and chemistry. The course builds problem-solving skills, encourages curiosity, and prepares students for future science classes.

Students learn about: 

• Motion
• Energy 
• Matter
• Chemical Changes

FORENSIC SCIENCE

Students in this course will: 

• Use a structured, scientific approach to investigate various types of crimes
• Learn key forensic science terminology and standard investigative procedures
• Study crime scene processing, questioning and interviewing techniques, and criminal behavior
• Examine truth detection methods and the psychology of criminal behavior
• Collect and analyze evidence using scientific methods
• Participate in case studies and simulated crime scenes, including fingerprinting, ballistics, and blood spatter analysis
• Explore the history, legal considerations, and career opportunities in forensic science

At the beginning of high school, sit down with your child’s teachers, counselor or other advisor to discuss what it will take for your child to graduate, your child’s goals, and his/her plans after high school. Create a plan together to help your child reach these goals. This plan should include: 

• an appropriate course sequence to challenge your child academically and expand their interests. This sequence should meet requirements for their graduation plan as well as provide a good foundation for their post-secondary plans. If you have a particular college or university in mind, be sure to check their admission requirements as these may differ from Texas graduation requirements. 
• your plan to help your child prepare for college or career. For example, if your child is interested in a particular field, talk with their counselor or teachers about available advanced, AP, IB, dual credit, or dual enrollment courses. There may also be Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses, extracurricular clubs, internships, volunteer opportunities, and work opportunities to build their experience in that subject.

Keeping the conversation focused. When you talk to the teacher, do not worry about covering everything. Instead, keep the conversation focused on the most important topics. In secondary courses, these include: 

• What opportunities has my child had to engage in learning this material by applying science concepts in a hands-on, inquiry-based activity? What further opportunities to explore the content in a real-world context can be given?
•   What opportunities has my child had to demonstrate their science content knowledge beyond multiple-choice assessments, which do not assess all aspects of student learning?  What additional opportunities can they be given to demonstrate mastery in a different way

Creating an environment most conducive for your child to study will maximize learning outcomes.  Depending on how your student studies best, you may want to create a quiet place or play music in the background.   Carve out time each day, if possible, for your child to study. You, or another designee, should check in with your student at least once a week while he or she works on homework.  This will keep you informed about what your child is learning in school. Here are some activities you can do with your child to support learning at home:

• See science everywhere. Parents can encourage children to be inquisitive and seek out answers. Children need to know that science isn't just a subject, but it is a way of understanding the world.

• Show excitement for science.

SOCIAL STUDIES

Throughout social studies, students build a foundation in history; geography; economics; government; citizenship; culture; science, technology, and society; and social studies skills. The content, as appropriate for the grade level or course, enables students to understand the importance of patriotism, function in a free enterprise (market) society, and appreciate the basic democratic values of our state and nation. A greater depth of understanding of complex content material can be attained when integrated social studies content from the various disciplines and critical-thinking skills are taught together. 

HISTORY

• Describe how passage of time combined with subsequent and related events refines and re-frames our understanding of historical events, so people might understand the same events from a wider lens fifty, a hundred, or five hundred years later.
•  Evaluate historical events from multiple perspectives using both primary and secondary sources.
• Evaluate sources to determine bias. 
• Use primary sources and secondary sources to investigate important historical and contemporary events and people. 
• Understands the role of minority groups in different historical events. 

CULTURE

• Examine diverse cultures that have shaped the identity of various places. 
• Explain ways in which cultures change and maintain continuity. 
• Understands the history and relevance of major religious and philosophical traditions.
• Understand the relationship between the arts and the times during which they were created. 
• Explain the distribution, patterns, and characteristics of different cultures. 
• Discuss how culture affects the way of life for various groups, which will in turn reveal why culture is important to people and societies as a whole.

CITIZENSHIP

• Evaluate the influence of a person’s gender, race, ethnicity, religion, etc. on the person’s access to education, political power, economic opportunities, etc. 
• Identify ways citizens can participate in and influence communities and government. 
• Compare and contrast the rights, roles and responsibilities of people living in countries with different forms of government. 
• Understand the significance of political choices and decisions made by individuals, groups, and nations throughout history. 
• Understand the historical development of significant legal and political concepts related to the rights and responsibilities of citizens.
•  Describe the importance of citizen participation in a democratic society.

GEOGRAPHY 

• Compare the different geographic regions and explain how geography influences the way of life and economy in each region. 
• Describe how natural resources influence the economy of a place. Explain how the distribution of natural resources can lead to competition and conflict. 
• Compare patterns and processes and explain how they shape the environment and distribution of resources. 
• Explain how different economic and government systems determine interactions between groups of people over geographic space.
•  Analyze how availability of scarce resources influences settlement patterns.
•  Describe how the components of culture affect the way people live and shape the characteristics of a place.

ECONOMICS

• Understand the effects of market economy and command economies and how it impacts the government and people. 
• Create personal budgets that allow for meeting needs and wants, saving for the future and donating to charity.
•  Describe the Supply and Demand model as the cornerstone of understanding the market system and how prices and quantities of goods and services are determined. 
• Understand how businesses form and operate is critical to understanding an economic system.
• Understand the role of money and banking in the economy.
• Understand monetary policy and the role of the Federal Reserve System. 
• Evaluate current economic conditions and understand the intent and effects of stabilization policies.
• Describe sources of government revenue in order for the government to be able to carry out its functions, as well as the impact of government spending and taxes on individuals and businesses.
• Explore ways of paying for postsecondary training/ education. 

GOVERNMENT

• Understand the principles of government outlined in the United States Constitution.
•  Compare and contrast the rights, roles and responsibilities of leaders in countries with different forms of government. 
• Analyze the impact of government policies on people and the economy. 
• Examine the concept of federalism and the structure and functions of the U.S. federal government.
• Analyze how economic, military, and environmental priorities influence governmental policies.
• Understand that rules, laws, and leaders exist to establish order, provide security, and manage conflict in the community. 
• Describe the six basic principles on which the U.S. Constitution is built and the formal and informal procedures for interpreting the U.S. Constitution 

At the beginning of high school, sit down with your child’s teachers, counselor or other advisor to discuss what it will take for your child to graduate, your child’s goals, and his/her plans after high school. Create a plan together to help your child reach these goals. This plan should include: 

• an appropriate course sequence to challenge your student academically. This sequence should meet requirements for their graduation plan as well as provide a good foundation for their postsecondary plans.
•  courses that explore your student’s interest. Social Studies electives include Personal Financial Literacy, Psychology, Sociology, & Philosophy (course availability at each high school may differ). Talk with their counselor or teachers about available elective courses. Some of these courses may also be offered as AP, IB, dual credit, or dual enrollment courses. There may also be Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses, extracurricular clubs, internships, volunteer opportunities, and work opportunities to build their experience in that subject.

Keeping the conversation focused. When you talk to the teacher, do not worry about covering everything. Instead, keep the conversation focused on the most important topics. In secondary courses, these include:

• How is my child identifying political, social, economic, and geographic characteristics of various countries around the world? 
•  Are they identifying various points of view / perspectives? 
• Are they using multiple pieces of evidence to corroborate claims? 
• Is my child able to explain the impact of place on people? 
• How are they discussing the strengths and weaknesses of various economic systems?

Creating an environment most conducive for your child to study will maximize learning outcomes.  Depending on how your student studies best, you may want to create a quiet place or play music in the background.   Carve out time each day, if possible, for your child to study. You, or another designee, should check in with your student at least once a week while he or she works on homework.  This will keep you informed about what your child is learning in school. Here are some activities you can do with your child to support learning at home:

• As a family read, watch or listen to the news on a regular basis.
• Watch historical movies or read historical novels together as a family.
• Visit local museums.
• Ask your student to support his/her opinion with evidence.
• Attend a city council, school board or other civic body meeting to see how representatives make decisions on behalf of everyone in that community.