Texas TEKS 3.5.F

Science3rd GradeRecurring themes and concepts

The Standard

explain the relationship between the structure and function of objects, organisms, and systems

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students identify the parts and physical features of an object, organism, or system. They explain how each feature helps it perform a specific job.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students point to a feature, name its job, and connect the two using evidence. They can also predict how changing the feature might affect performance.
Common Misconceptions: Students may describe a feature without explaining what it does. They may assume similar-looking parts always have the same job or that every feature serves only one purpose.
How to Assess It: Show a picture of a duck’s webbed foot and ask, “How does this foot shape help the duck survive?” Require a labeled feature and function.

Lesson moves

Give students tongs, spoons, and tweezers to test picking up objects, then record how each tool’s shape affects its job.
Ask students to explain which cactus feature is most useful in a dry habitat and support their choice with evidence.
Play a card match game pairing structures, such as wings or wheels, with functions, such as flying or moving loads.
Inspect classroom chairs and identify how the legs, seat, and backrest help the chair support a person.

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