SECTION 112.49. Earth Systems Science, Adopted 2021 (One Credit)

(a) General requirements. Students shall be awarded one credit for successful completion of this course. Prerequisites: Algebra I and two credits of high school science.

(b) Introduction.

(1) Earth Systems Science. The Earth Systems Science course is designed to build on students' prior scientific and academic knowledge and skills to develop their understanding of Earth's systems. These systems (the atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, and biosphere) interact through time to produce the Earth's landscapes, climate, and resources. Students explore the geologic history of individual dynamic systems through the flow of energy and matter, their current states, and how these systems affect and are affected by human use.

(2) Nature of science. Science, as defined by the National Academy of Sciences, is the "use of evidence to construct testable explanations and predictions of natural phenomena, as well as the knowledge generated through this process." This vast body of changing and increasing knowledge is described by physical, mathematical, and conceptual models. Students should know that some questions are outside the realm of science because they deal with phenomena that are not currently scientifically testable.

(3) Scientific hypotheses and theories. Students are expected to know that:

(A) hypotheses are tentative and testable statements that must be capable of being supported or not supported by observational evidence. Hypotheses of durable explanatory power that have been tested over a wide variety of conditions are incorporated into theories; and

(B) scientific theories are based on natural and physical phenomena and are capable of being tested by multiple independent researchers. Unlike hypotheses, scientific theories are well established and highly reliable explanations, but they may be subject to change as new areas of science and new technologies are developed.

(4) Scientific inquiry. Scientific inquiry is the planned and deliberate investigation of the natural world using scientific and engineering practices. Scientific methods of investigation are descriptive, comparative, or experimental. The method chosen should be appropriate to the question being asked. Student learning for different types of investigations include descriptive investigations, which involve collecting data and recording observations without making comparisons; comparative investigations, which involve collecting data with variables that are manipulated to compare results; and experimental investigations, which involve processes similar to comparative investigations but in which a control is identified.

(A) Scientific practices. Students should be able to ask questions, plan and conduct investigations to answer questions, and explain phenomena using appropriate tools and models.

(B) Engineering practices. Students should be able to identify problems and design solutions using appropriate tools and models.

(5) Science and social ethics. Scientific decision making is a way of answering questions about the natural world involving its own set of ethical standards about how the process of science should be carried out. Students should be able to distinguish between scientific decision-making methods (scientific methods) and ethical and social decisions that involve science (the application of scientific information).

(6) Science consists of recurring themes and making connections between overarching concepts. Recurring themes include systems, models, and patterns. All systems have basic properties that can be described in space, time, energy, and matter. Change and constancy occur in systems as patterns and can be observed, measured, and modeled. These patterns help to make predictions that can be scientifically tested, while models allow for boundary specification and provide tools for understanding the ideas presented. Students should analyze a system in terms of its components and how these components relate to each other, to the whole, and to the external environment.

(7) Statements containing the word "including" reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.

(c) Knowledge and skills.

(1) Scientific and engineering practices. The student, for at least 40% of instructional time, asks questions, identifies problems, and plans and safely conducts classroom, laboratory, and field investigations to explain phenomena or design solutions using appropriate tools and models. The student is expected to:

(A) ask questions and define problems based on observations or information from text, phenomena, models, or investigations;

(B) apply scientific practices to plan and conduct descriptive, comparative, and experimental investigations and use engineering practices to design solutions to problems;

(C) use appropriate safety equipment and practices during laboratory, classroom, and field investigations as outlined in Texas Education Agency-approved safety standards;

(D) use appropriate tools such as a drawing compass, magnetic compass, bar magnets, topographical and geological maps, satellite imagery and other remote sensing data, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS), hand lenses, and fossil and rock sample kits;

(E) collect quantitative data using the International System of Units (SI) and qualitative data as evidence;

(F) organize quantitative and qualitative data using scatter plots, line graphs, bar graphs, charts, data tables, digital tools, diagrams, scientific drawings, and student-prepared models;

(G) develop and use models to represent phenomena, systems, processes, or solutions to engineering problems; and

(H) distinguish between scientific hypotheses, theories, and laws.

(2) Scientific and engineering practices. The student analyzes and interprets data to derive meaning, identify features and patterns, and discover relationships or correlations to develop evidence-based arguments or evaluate designs. The student is expected to:

(A) identify advantages and limitations of models such as their size, scale, properties, and materials;

(B) analyze data by identifying significant statistical features, patterns, sources of error, and limitations;

(C) use mathematical calculations to assess quantitative relationships in data; and

(D) evaluate experimental and engineering designs.

(3) Scientific and engineering practices. The student develops evidence-based explanations and communicates findings, conclusions, and proposed solutions. The student is expected to:

(A) develop explanations and propose solutions supported by data and models consistent with scientific ideas, principles, and theories;

(B) communicate explanations and solutions individually and collaboratively in a variety of settings and formats; and

(C) engage respectfully in scientific argumentation using applied scientific explanations and empirical evidence.

(4) Scientific and engineering practices. The student knows the contributions of scientists and recognizes the importance of scientific research and innovation on society. The student is expected to:

(A) analyze, evaluate, and critique scientific explanations and solutions by using empirical evidence, logical reasoning, and experimental and observational testing, so as to encourage critical thinking by the student;

(B) relate the impact of past and current research on scientific thought and society, including research methodology, cost-benefit analysis, and contributions of diverse scientists as related to the content; and

(C) research and explore resources such as museums, planetariums, observatories, libraries, professional organizations, private companies, online platforms, and mentors employed in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field in order to investigate STEM careers.

(5) Science concepts. The student understands the formation of the Earth and how objects in the solar system affect Earth's systems. The student is expected to:

(A) analyze how gravitational condensation of solar nebular gas and dust can lead to the accretion of planetesimals and protoplanets;

(B) identify comets, asteroids, meteoroids, and planets in the solar system and describe how they affect the Earth and Earth's systems; and

(C) explore the historical and current hypotheses for the origin of the Moon, including the collision of Earth with a Mars-sized planetesimal.

(6) Science concepts. The student knows the evidence for the formation and composition of Earth's atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere. The student is expected to:

(A) describe how impact accretion, gravitational compression, radioactive decay, and cooling differentiated proto-Earth into layers;

(B) evaluate the roles of volcanic outgassing and water-bearing comets in developing Earth's atmosphere and hydrosphere;

(C) evaluate the evidence for changes to the chemical composition of Earth's atmosphere prior to the introduction of oxygen;

(D) evaluate scientific hypotheses for the origin of life through abiotic chemical processes; and

(E) describe how the production of oxygen by photosynthesis affected the development of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, and biosphere.

(7) Science concepts. The student knows that rocks and fossils provide evidence for geologic chronology, biological evolution, and environmental changes. The student is expected to:

(A) describe the development of multiple radiometric dating methods and analyze their precision, reliability, and limitations in calculating the ages of igneous rocks from Earth, the Moon, and meteorites;

(B) apply relative dating methods, principles of stratigraphy, and index fossils to determine the chronological order of rock layers;

(C) construct a model of the geological time scale using relative and absolute dating methods to represent Earth's approximate 4.6-billion-year history;

(D) explain how sedimentation, fossilization, and speciation affect the degree of completeness of the fossil record;

(E) describe how evidence of biozones and faunal succession in rock layers reveal information about the environment at the time those rocks were deposited and the dynamic nature of the Earth; and

(F) analyze data from rock and fossil succession to evaluate the evidence for and significance of mass extinctions, major climatic changes, and tectonic events.

(8) Science concepts. The student knows how the Earth's interior dynamics and energy flow drive geological processes on Earth's surface. The student is expected to:

(A) evaluate heat transfer through Earth's systems by convection and conduction and include its role in plate tectonics and volcanism;

(B) develop a model of the physical, mechanical, and chemical composition of Earth's layers using evidence from Earth's magnetic field, the composition of meteorites, and seismic waves;

(C) investigate how new conceptual interpretations of data and innovative geophysical technologies led to the current theory of plate tectonics;

(D) describe how heat and rock composition affect density within Earth's interior and how density influences the development and motion of Earth's tectonic plates;

(E) explain how plate tectonics accounts for geologic processes, including sea floor spreading and subduction, and features, including ocean ridges, rift valleys, earthquakes, volcanoes, mountain ranges, hot spots, and hydrothermal vents;

(F) calculate the motion history of tectonic plates using equations relating rate, time, and distance to predict future motions, locations, and resulting geologic features;

(G) distinguish the location, type, and relative motion of convergent, divergent, and transform plate boundaries using evidence from the distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes; and

(H) evaluate the role of plate tectonics with respect to long-term global changes in Earth's subsystems such as continental buildup, glaciation, sea level fluctuations, mass extinctions, and climate change.

(9) Science concepts. The student knows that the lithosphere continuously changes as a result of dynamic and complex interactions among Earth's systems. The student is expected to:

(A) interpret Earth surface features using a variety of methods such as satellite imagery, aerial photography, and topographic and geologic maps using appropriate technologies;

(B) investigate and model how surface water and ground water change the lithosphere through chemical and physical weathering and how they serve as valuable natural resources;

(C) model the processes of mass wasting, erosion, and deposition by water, wind, ice, glaciation, gravity, and volcanism in constantly reshaping Earth's surface; and

(D) evaluate how weather and human activity affect the location, quality, and supply of available freshwater resources.

(10) Science concepts. The student knows how the physical and chemical properties of the ocean affect its structure and flow of energy. The student is expected to:

(A) describe how the composition and structure of the oceans leads to thermohaline circulation and its periodicity;

(B) model and explain how changes to the composition, structure, and circulation of deep oceans affect thermohaline circulation using data on energy flow, ocean basin structure, and changes in polar ice caps and glaciers; and

(C) analyze how global surface ocean circulation is the result of wind, tides, the Coriolis effect, water density differences, and the shape of the ocean basins.

(11) Science concepts. The student knows that dynamic and complex interactions among Earth's systems produce climate and weather. The student is expected to:

(A) analyze how energy transfer through Milankovitch cycles, albedo, and differences in atmospheric and surface absorption are mechanisms of climate;

(B) describe how Earth's atmosphere is chemically and thermally stratified and how solar radiation interacts with the layers to cause the ozone layer, the jet stream, Hadley and Ferrel cells, and other atmospheric phenomena;

(C) model how greenhouse gases trap thermal energy near Earth's surface;

(D) evaluate how the combination of multiple feedback loops alter global climate;

(E) investigate and analyze evidence for climate changes over Earth's history using paleoclimate data, historical records, and measured greenhouse gas levels;

(F) explain how the transfer of thermal energy among the hydrosphere, lithosphere, and atmosphere influences weather; and

(G) describe how changing surface-ocean conditions, including El Niño-Southern Oscillation, affect global weather and climate patterns.

(12) Science concepts. The student understands how Earth's systems affect and are affected by human activities, including resource use and management. The student is expected to:

(A) evaluate the impact on humans of natural changes in Earth's systems such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions;

(B) analyze the impact on humans of naturally occurring extreme weather events such as flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, and thunderstorms;

(C) analyze the natural and anthropogenic factors that affect the severity and frequency of extreme weather events and the hazards associated with these events;

(D) analyze recent global ocean temperature data to predict the consequences of changing ocean temperature on evaporation, sea level, algal growth, coral bleaching, and biodiversity;

(E) predict how human use of Texas's naturally occurring resources such as fossil fuels, minerals, soil, solar energy, and wind energy directly and indirectly changes the cycling of matter and energy through Earth's systems; and

(F) explain the cycling of carbon through different forms among Earth's systems and how biological processes have caused major changes to the carbon cycle in those systems over Earth's history.

(13) Science concepts. The student explores global policies and careers related to the life cycles of Earth's resources. The student is expected to:

(A) analyze the policies related to resources from discovery to disposal, including economics, health, technological advances, resource type, concentration and location, waste disposal and recycling, mitigation efforts, and environmental impacts; and

(B) explore global and Texas-based careers that involve the exploration, extraction, production, use, disposal, regulation, and protection of Earth's resources.

Source Note: The provisions of this §112.49 adopted to be effective November 30, 2021, 46 TexReg 8044