Texas TEKS 8.6.C
The Standard
describe the properties of cohesion, adhesion, and surface tension in water and relate to observable phenomena such as the formation of droplets, transport in plants, and insects walking on water
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students explain how water molecules attract one another and other materials. They connect these attractions to water behavior they can see, including beading, capillary movement, and supported insects.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students correctly distinguish cohesion from adhesion and explain how both contribute to surface tension and capillary action. They support each explanation with an observable example.
Common Misconceptions
- Students often treat cohesion, adhesion, and surface tension as the same property. They may think insects float because they are weightless or that plants actively pull each water molecule upward.
How to Assess It
- Show a photo of water beading on a leaf and water rising in a plant stem. Ask students to identify and explain the water property involved in each.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Place drops on wax paper, glass, and a coin, then compare shape, spread, and the number of drops each surface holds.
Write a claim explaining how cohesion and adhesion work together to move water through a plant stem.
Sort phenomenon cards into cohesion, adhesion, surface tension, or multiple properties, then defend each choice to a partner.
Test paper towel brands by measuring how far colored water climbs in five minutes, then connect the results to plant water transport.
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Printable 8.6.C Worksheet
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