Texas TEKS 5.5.B
The Standard
identify and investigate cause-and-effect relationships to explain scientific phenomena or analyze problems
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students identify what changed and what happened as a result. They change one factor, observe the outcome, and use evidence to explain the connection.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students can plan a fair test, record results, and identify a supported cause and effect. They explain why the evidence supports the connection rather than a coincidence.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may assume that an earlier event always caused a later one. They may change several factors at once or overlook that one effect can have several possible causes.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Two identical ice cubes are placed under a lamp and in a shaded area. Ask students to name the tested factor, effect, and needed evidence.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Groups roll the same toy car from two ramp heights, measure the travel distance, and explain how ramp height affected the result.
Ask students to write whether wet sidewalks caused people to carry umbrellas, then explain what extra evidence would support that claim.
Play a card sort where students match causes, effects, and evidence, then remove pairs that show only coincidence.
Measure classroom temperature before and after closing the blinds, then discuss whether the results support changing blinds during hot afternoons.
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