Organisms and Environments

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms undergo similar life processes and have structures and behaviors that help them survive within their environments.
Glossary terms and definitions are consistent across kindergarten through high school in the TEKS Guide. The definitions are intended to give educators a common understanding of the terms regardless of what grade level they teach. Glossary definitions are not intended for use with students.

the way in which an organism acts in response to a particular situation or stimulus 

the circumstances, objects, or conditions that surround an organism including abiotic (climate and soil) and biotic (living organisms) that act upon an organism or an ecological community and ultimately determine its form and survival  

the reason for which an object or a process occurs in a system

an individual form of life, such as a plant, animal, bacterium, protist, or fungus; a body made up of organs, organelles, or other parts that work together to carry on the various processes of life  

a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding

something arranged in a definite pattern of organization; the arrangement of particles or parts in a substance or body; the aggregate of elements of an entity in their relationships to each other

Research

Sinoradzki, Kristen, and TJ McKenna. “What’s so Phenomenal About Animals? Using Structure and Function to Explore Animal Diversity.” Science and Children 58, no. 6 (July/August 2021):86–90. https://digital.nsta.org/publication/?i=712535&p=&pn=.

Summary: This article explains that allowing students to explore animal diversity and the different structures that allow them to survive can help increase student engagement. Discussions about this topic can help promote a broader vocabulary.