Texas TEKS 7.11

7.11 is a TEKS knowledge and skills statement. These are the student expectations under it.

• 7.11.A

  analyze the beneficial and harmful influences of human activity on groundwater and surface water in a watershed

• 7.11.B

  describe human dependence and influence on ocean systems and explain how human activities impact these systems.

01

What Students Need to Do

Students trace how pollution, land use, conservation, and water use affect water above and below ground. They also explain how people rely on oceans and how fishing, shipping, waste, and climate change alter ocean systems.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

Students can examine a human action and explain its effects using a clear cause-and-effect chain. They can identify benefits, harms, and practical ways to reduce damage.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may think groundwater forms underground lakes or rivers rather than filling spaces in soil and rock. They may think pollution stays where it enters water. Some assume oceans are too large to be changed by human activity.

04

How to Assess It

Give this exit prompt: “A town restores wetlands near farms but allows plastic waste into storm drains. Trace one helpful effect and one harmful effect.”

1. 01

   Build a gravel-and-sponge aquifer model, add colored water as pollution, and test whether a clay barrier slows its movement.

2. 02

   Write a claim answering: Which human activity poses the greatest threat to ocean systems, and what evidence supports your choice?

3. 03

   Sort scenario cards into groundwater, surface water, or ocean impacts, then label each impact as beneficial or harmful.

4. 04

   Use a local watershed map to trace where storm-drain water travels and propose one action that would reduce pollution.

• 3.10

  Earth and space. The student knows that there are recognizable processes that change Earth over time. The student is expected to:

• 4.11

  Earth and space. The student understands how natural resources are important and can be managed. The student is expected to:

• 3.11

  Earth and space. The student understands how natural resources are important and can be managed. The student is expected to:

• 6.11

  Earth and space. The student understands how resources are managed. The student is expected to: