Texas TEKS 1.2.A

Science1st GradeScientific and engineering practices

The Standard

1.2: Scientific and engineering practices. The student analyzes and interprets data to derive meaning, identify features and patterns, and discover relationships or correlations to develop evidence-based arguments or evaluate designs. The student is expected to:

identify basic advantages and limitations of models such as their size, properties, and materials

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students compare a model with the real object or system it represents. They explain what the model shows well and what it cannot show because of its size, features, or material.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can name one useful feature and one missing or inaccurate feature of a model. The student can explain why the model differs from the real thing.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think a model is an exact copy or that a larger model is always better. They may also assume model materials behave like the materials in the real object.
How to Assess It: Show a globe and a photograph of Earth. Ask students to complete: The globe helps us see ____. It cannot show ____ because ____.

Lesson moves

Give pairs a toy car and a real-car photo, then have them record matching and nonmatching features on two sticky notes.
Ask: When is a globe more useful than a flat map, and what can neither one show?
Play Model Detective by showing classroom models and awarding a point for naming one helpful feature and one limit.
Compare a building model with a school photograph, then discuss how architects use small models before construction.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 1.2.A, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

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