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Texas Science Teacher Resource Hub

Free scope and sequences, TEKS breakdowns, phenomenon ideas, and engagement activities for the 2024 Texas science standards.

Chris Kesler
I'm Chris Kesler, a former award-winning Texas middle school science teacher. This is the site I wish I'd had in the classroom. One hub with TEKS breakdowns, scope and sequences, phenomenon starters, engagement ideas, and resources, all aligned to the standards you actually teach.
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  • 4th
    4th Grade Science
    14 standards • Earth, Energy, Organisms & more
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    16 standards • Matter, Ecosystems, Space & more
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    18 standards • Forces, Energy, Matter & more
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    19 standards • Newton's Laws, Space, Genetics & more
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All standards updated for the 2024 TEKS revision
TEKS Details | Texas Hub Module

6th Grade TEKS Standards

Click any standard to see what it means, how to teach it, where students get stuck, and aligned resources.

Matter & Properties (6.6)
6.6A Matter & Kinetic Energy 6.6B Pure Substances & Mixtures 6.6C Classify Elements 6.6D Comparing Density 6.6E Evidence of Chemical Changes
Force, Motion & Energy (6.7)
6.7A Forces in the Real-World 6.7B Calculating Net Force 6.7C Newton's Third Law of Motion
Energy (6.8)
6.8A Compare & Contrast Energies 6.8B Energy Transformations in Systems 6.8C Energy of Waves
Earth & Space (6.9)
6.9A Model Earth's Tilt & Seasons 6.9B Predicting Tides
Earth's Structure (6.10)
6.10A Differentiate Between Earth's Spheres 6.10B Modeling Layers of Earth 6.10C Processes in the Rock Cycle
Resources (6.11)
6.11A Resource Management 6.11B Managing Energy Resources
Ecosystems (6.12)
6.12A Biotic & Abiotic Competition 6.12B Ecological Relationships 6.12C Hierarchy of Ecosystems
Organisms (6.13)
6.13A Development of Cell Theory 6.13B Comparing Organisms 6.13C Variations & Survival
TEKS S.6.8A • Energy

Compare & Contrast Energies

The Standard

"Compare and contrast potential and kinetic energy in different systems, including the energy stored in an object's position and the energy of an object in motion."

💡 What This Standard Actually Means

The Key Verb

"Compare and contrast". Students are finding similarities and differences between potential and kinetic energy. No calculating with formulas. No memorizing equations. The standard also uses the word "including", which signals where to focus your students: energy stored in an object's position and the energy of an object in motion. Students should be able to identify and explain both of these examples with clarity. Instruction can take many forms, such as Venn diagrams, T-charts, labeled models, and sorting activities.

Kinetic energy is the energy of an object that's moving. A rolling ball, a falling book, a kid walking across the room. If it's moving, it has kinetic energy. The amount depends on how much mass the object has and how fast it's going.

Potential energy is the energy an object has because of its position or the way it's set up. A book held up on a high shelf has gravitational potential energy because of how high it is. A stretched rubber band or compressed spring has elastic potential energy because of its shape. The object isn't moving, but the energy is still there, ready to show up if the object is released.

When students compare and contrast, two differences usually stand out: potential energy is stored and depends on position or configuration, while kinetic energy shows up only when an object is in motion. Two similarities also stand out: both are forms of mechanical energy, and both can be present in the same object at the same time. A ball halfway through a fall has both. That "both at once" idea is where a lot of 6th graders get stuck.

💬 From Chris's Classroom

The move that worked for me on this one was leading with a visual before anything else. I'd hold a basketball over a student's desk and ask, "Is this doing anything right now?" They'd say no. Then I'd ask, "What would happen if I let go?" They'd answer for me. That's your opening to the idea that position is part of energy, not just motion. From there, I'd layer in the vocabulary (potential, kinetic, stored, in motion) and have them label the basketball at different points. Position first, then motion, then the comparison. That order maps directly to how the TEKS asks them to compare and contrast the two.

⚠️ Misconceptions Your Students May Have

These are some of the most common misconceptions. Knowing what to look for can help you get ahead of them.

×

"If something isn't moving, it doesn't have any energy"

✓

This one runs deep. Students see a book sitting on a shelf and assume it's "doing nothing." But that book has potential energy because of its height. If the shelf breaks, you'd see that energy pretty quickly. Energy can be stored without being visible.

×

"Kinetic energy only counts when things move fast"

✓

Students hear "kinetic" and picture race cars or roller coasters. But a slowly rolling marble, a person walking across the room, or a leaf drifting down all have kinetic energy. Motion is motion. Speed changes the AMOUNT, but any movement at all means kinetic energy is present.

×

"Potential energy only means something up high"

✓

Students often lock in on gravitational potential energy (the high-shelf, top-of-the-hill kind) and forget that stretched rubber bands, compressed springs, bent diving boards, and pulled-back bowstrings also store potential energy. Height is one way to store energy by position. Shape and configuration are others. Show examples of both so students don't assume "up high" is the only way.

×

"An object can only have potential OR kinetic energy, never both"

✓

Watch any object fall off a table. Halfway down, it has some height left (potential) AND it's moving (kinetic). Most real-world examples have both at the same time. The ratio just shifts as the object moves. Don't let students draw a hard line between the two.

📓 Teaching Resources for 6.8A

These resources are aligned to this standard.

Complete 5E Lesson
Compare & Contrast Energies Complete Science Lesson
The full unit for 6.8A: differentiated station labs, editable presentations, interactive notebooks (English + Spanish), student-choice projects, and assessments. Built on the 5E model.
⏱ Best for: Full unit coverage • Multiple class periods
Preview → Buy →
Station Lab
Compare & Contrast Energies Station Lab
9-station hands-on lab covering potential and kinetic energy with input stations (Explore It!, Watch It!, Read It!, Research It!) and output stations (Organize It!, Illustrate It!, Write It!, Assess It!). Print and digital. English and Spanish.
🔬 Best for: Core instruction • 1-2 class periods
Preview → Buy →
Student Choice Projects
Compare & Contrast Energies Student Choice Projects
Choice board with nine project options plus a "design your own" pathway. Students demonstrate their understanding of potential and kinetic energy through writing, building, illustrating, presenting, or digital formats.
🎓 Best for: Project-based assessment • 2-3 class periods
Preview → Buy →

🌎 Phenomenon Ideas for 6.8A

Use these real-world phenomena to anchor your lesson. Show students the phenomenon first, let them wonder, then build toward Compare & Contrast Energies as the explanation.

🔎
Phenomenon 1

The First Hill of a Classic Roller Coaster

On a classic chain-lift roller coaster, a motor pulls the cars slowly up the first big hill. After the cars crest the top, many of these coasters glide through most of the rest of the ride using the energy they gained from being lifted up. On a traditional design, that first lift is where most of the ride's energy comes from. When the car is at the top, it's barely moving. When it's at the bottom of the first drop, it's screaming along. What changed?

💬 Discussion Prompt

"On a traditional chain-lift coaster, why is the first hill usually taller than the hills that follow? What happens to the energy of the car as it climbs and as it drops?"

🔎
Phenomenon 2

A Pulled-Back Archery Bow

An archer pulls back the bowstring and holds it. Nothing is moving. The arrow is just sitting there. But the second they let go, the arrow can fly over 200 feet per second. Where did all that motion come from, if nothing was moving a moment earlier?

💬 Discussion Prompt

"If the archer only pulls the string back a little bit, the arrow doesn't go far. If they pull it back a lot, the arrow goes far. What's the relationship between how far back the string is pulled and how much energy the arrow has?"

🔎
Phenomenon 3

Water Behind a Dam

The water behind the Hoover Dam sits there, flat and calm, for years. But that still water powers homes for millions of people. When engineers open a gate at the bottom, the water shoots out so fast and with so much force that it can spin giant turbines. How does water that wasn't even moving end up producing that much electricity?

💬 Discussion Prompt

"Why do dams hold the water up so high? Why don't we just use water at ground level to make electricity?"

💡 Free Engagement Ideas for 6.8A

01

Pull-Back Toy Car Challenge

Give each group a pull-back toy car and masking tape. Have them pull it back different distances (1 inch, 2 inches, 3 inches), release, and mark where it stops. Graph the data. Kids see the connection between stored energy and motion immediately.

Materials: Pull-back toy cars, masking tape, measuring tape
02

The Book Drop Crater Test

Fill a cup with flour. Drop a small ball into it from 3 different heights and measure the crater each time. The higher the drop, the deeper the crater. Students can literally see potential energy converting to kinetic energy converting to "dent the flour" energy.

Materials: Flour, small ball or marble, cup, ruler, newspaper for mess
03

Ramp and Roll

Prop up one end of a book or board to make a ramp. Roll a marble from different heights on the ramp and measure how far it travels across the floor. Have students label where the energy is potential, where it's kinetic, and where it's both.

Materials: A book or board, marbles, measuring tape, stopwatch (optional)
04

Pendulum Swap Stations

Tie a washer to a string and hang it from a pencil taped to a desk edge. Pull the washer back and release. Have students draw or annotate the pendulum at 5 positions (top, moving down, bottom, moving up, top again) and label where PE is high, where KE is high, and where they're equal.

Materials: String, washers or small weights, pencils, tape
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Practical, week-by-week scope and sequences for grades 4-8. These tell you what to teach and when to teach it. Updated for the 2024 TEKS.

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