Texas TEKS 8.13

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

• 8.13.A

  identify the function of the cell membrane, cell wall, nucleus, ribosomes, cytoplasm, mitochondria, chloroplasts, and vacuoles in plant or animal cells

• 8.13.B

  describe the function of genes within chromosomes in determining inherited traits of offspring

• 8.13.C

  describe how variations of traits within a population lead to structural, behavioral, and physiological adaptations that influence the likelihood of survival an...

01

What Students Need to Do

Students match major cell parts with the jobs they perform in plant and animal cells. They explain how genes carried on chromosomes pass trait information to offspring. They classify adaptations as structural, behavioral, or physiological and explain population changes across generations.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

Given a cell diagram or malfunction, students name the cell part involved and explain its job. Given parent and offspring information, they connect a trait to genes carried on chromosomes. With population data, they explain why one inherited variation becomes more common and identify the adaptation type.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students often confuse the cell membrane with the cell wall or place chloroplasts in animal cells. They may think genes and chromosomes are unrelated, or that acquired traits pass to offspring. They may also claim individuals change because they need to, rather than populations changing across generations.

04

How to Assess It

Exit ticket: Match cell membrane, nucleus, mitochondria, and chloroplast to control entry, store genetic material, release usable energy, and capture light energy. Then explain how an inherited camouflage trait could become more common over generations.

1. 01

   Build plant and animal cell models with labeled clay, then place function cards beside each structure and compare which structures are shared.

2. 02

   Write a claim explaining how a helpful inherited variation can spread, using the words survival, reproduction, population, and generations.

3. 03

   Play organelle matching relay: teams pair structure cards with function cards, then find one planted mismatch and justify the correction.

4. 04

   Analyze peppered moth images and pollution records to explain how camouflage affected survival and moth color frequencies across generations.

• 7.13

  Organisms and environments. The student knows how systems are organized and function to support the health of an organism and how traits are inherited. The stud...

• 3.13

  Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms undergo similar life processes and have structures that function to help them survive within their ...

• 6.13

  Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms have an organizational structure and variations can influence survival of populations. The student ...

• 4.13

  Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms undergo similar life processes and have structures that function to help them survive within their ...