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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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Pick your grade level and go straight to your TEKS standards, aligned resources, and teaching tools.

  • 4th
    4th Grade Science
    14 standards • Earth, Energy, Organisms & more
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    5th Grade Science
    16 standards • Matter, Ecosystems, Space & more
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    6th Grade Science
    18 standards • Forces, Energy, Matter & more
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    17 standards • Cells, Chemistry, Earth & more
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    8th Grade Science
    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.6.8C • Energy

Energy of Waves

The Standard

"Compare and contrast transverse and longitudinal waves, and describe how waves transfer energy from one location to another without transferring matter."

💡 What This Standard Actually Means

The Key Verb

"Compare and contrast transverse and longitudinal waves, and describe how waves transfer energy from one location to another without transferring matter."

A wave is a disturbance that carries energy from one place to another. The most important idea in this standard is that waves move energy, not matter. When a wave travels across a lake, the water itself mostly moves up and down in place while the wave's energy travels forward. A piece of floating cork bobs up and down but does not ride the wave to the other side of the lake.

Transverse waves move the material at right angles (perpendicular) to the direction the wave is traveling. If the wave is moving left to right, the material goes up and down. Light waves and the visible ripples on the surface of water are common classroom examples. Transverse waves have crests (the high points) and troughs (the low points).

Longitudinal waves move the material in the same direction the wave is traveling, through a back-and-forth squeezing motion. Sound waves traveling through air are the classic example. Longitudinal waves have compressions (where the material is squeezed together) and rarefactions (where the material is spread out). Both wave types transfer energy from one place to another, and in both cases, the material itself moves mostly in place while the energy moves forward. That "energy travels, matter stays" idea is the core understanding students should walk away with.

💬 From Chris's Classroom

Nothing teaches waves like a slinky on the floor. I'd have two students stretch one out across the carpet, then shake one end side to side to make a transverse wave. Then I'd have them push and pull the end forward and back to make a longitudinal wave. Same slinky, totally different-looking waves. The magic moment was asking a third student to put a piece of tape on one coil, and watching the tape stay roughly in place while the wave zipped down the slinky. Kids who had been memorizing definitions suddenly got it. "The tape didn't go anywhere, but the wave did." That one sentence is the whole standard.

⚠️ 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.

×

"A wave carries the water (or air) along with it"

✓

This is the biggest one. Students see a wave crashing on a beach and assume the water is being pushed from the middle of the ocean all the way to shore. Out in open water, a floating bottle mostly bobs up and down as waves pass under it. The wave carries energy forward, but each bit of water mostly stays in place. The same is true of sound in air. Molecules vibrate in place while the energy moves outward.

×

"Sound travels like a wave on the ocean"

✓

Water waves on the surface are transverse. Sound in air is longitudinal. They look different because they move the material in different directions. Drawing a curvy line for sound can confuse students. A better picture for sound in air is a repeating pattern of squished and spread-out areas, like a slinky being pushed and pulled along its length.

×

"Sound and light are basically the same kind of wave"

✓

Light is a transverse electromagnetic wave and can travel through empty space. Sound is a longitudinal mechanical wave and needs a material, like air, water, or a solid, to travel through. That's why astronauts in space can see the sun but cannot hear it. Different types of waves, different rules.

×

"Bigger waves are always faster waves"

✓

The height of a wave (its amplitude) tells you how much energy it's carrying, not how fast it's moving. A loud sound and a quiet sound at the same pitch travel through the same air at about the same speed. The loud one just has more energy. Speed depends mostly on the material the wave is traveling through.

×

"If you can't see or feel a wave, it must not be there"

✓

We're surrounded by waves that our senses miss. Radio waves, microwaves, and ultraviolet light pass through the classroom right now. Dog whistles create sound waves that humans can't hear but dogs can. Just because a wave isn't visible doesn't mean it's gone. Helping students expand their mental list of waves past "ocean" and "music" opens the standard up.

📓 Teaching Resources for 6.8C

These resources are aligned to this standard.

Complete 5E Lesson
Energy of Waves Complete Science Lesson
The full unit for 6.8C: 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
Energy of Waves Station Lab
9-station hands-on lab covering transverse and longitudinal waves and how waves transfer energy without transferring matter, 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
Energy of Waves Student Choice Projects
Choice board with nine project options plus a "design your own" pathway. Students demonstrate their understanding of transverse and longitudinal waves and how waves transfer energy through writing, building, illustrating, presenting, or digital formats.
🎓 Best for: Project-based assessment • 2-3 class periods
Preview → Buy →

🌎 Phenomenon Ideas for 6.8C

Use these real-world phenomena to anchor your lesson. Show students the phenomenon first, let them wonder, then build toward Energy of Waves as the explanation.

🔎
Phenomenon 1

A Rubber Duck in a Pond

Drop a pebble into a calm pond with a rubber duck floating a few feet away. Ripples spread out from the splash and reach the duck. The duck bobs up and down several times, but mostly stays in roughly the same spot. The ripples clearly kept traveling outward, but the duck didn't travel with them.

💬 Discussion Prompt

"If the waves traveled all the way to the duck, why didn't the duck get pushed to the edge of the pond? What did the wave actually carry across the pond?"

🔎
Phenomenon 2

Feeling a Bass Speaker Through Your Chest

Stand in front of a loud speaker at a school dance, a movie theater, or a football stadium. When the bass drops, you don't just hear the sound. You feel it pushing against your chest. Something traveling through the air is strong enough to move your shirt and vibrate your body, but you can't see it at all.

💬 Discussion Prompt

"If you can feel the sound, something must be hitting you. What's doing the hitting? Is it air moving toward you from the speaker, or something else?"

🔎
Phenomenon 3

Sunlight After an 8-Minute Trip

Sunlight from the sun takes roughly 8 minutes to reach Earth. Most of the path between the sun and Earth is empty space with almost no material in it. Somehow, enough energy comes across that gap to warm your skin on a summer afternoon in Texas. Whatever is doing the traveling didn't need air or water to carry it.

💬 Discussion Prompt

"How can energy from the sun reach Earth if space is mostly empty? What type of wave might be able to travel without a material to move through?"

💡 Free Engagement Ideas for 6.8C

01

Slinky Wave Lab

Pair students up with a long slinky on the floor or across two desks. First, one student shakes the end side to side to model a transverse wave. Next, one student pushes and pulls the end in and out to model a longitudinal wave. Place a small piece of tape on one coil so students see the coil return to its starting position while the wave travels forward. Have them sketch both waves and label the parts.

Materials: Long metal slinkies (one per pair), masking tape
02

Water Wave and Floating Cork

Fill a long, clear baking pan with about an inch of water. Float a small piece of cork or bubble wrap near one end. At the other end, dip a finger in and out repeatedly to create waves. Students watch the waves travel toward the cork, and observe that the cork mostly bobs up and down in place. A cheap, vivid demo of "energy travels, matter stays."

Materials: Long clear baking pan, water, a piece of cork or bubble wrap or a small toy
03

Rice on a Drum

Sprinkle uncooked rice or salt onto the top of a stretched balloon or a drum-like surface (a plastic storage bin covered tight with plastic wrap works). Hold a phone speaker close to the surface and play different notes. The rice jumps and dances as sound waves vibrate the drum head. Students see a direct visual of the invisible longitudinal sound waves hitting a surface and transferring energy.

Materials: Plastic bin or balloon or drum, plastic wrap, rubber band, uncooked rice or salt, phone with speaker
04

Jump Rope Transverse Wave

Take a jump rope outside or into the hall. One student holds each end. Flick one end up and down to send a wave along the rope. Have the holder try sending faster flicks (shorter wavelength) and slower flicks (longer wavelength). Students sketch what they see, labeling crest, trough, wavelength, and amplitude. Add color-coded arrows to show that the rope moves up and down while the wave moves sideways.

Materials: A long jump rope or piece of cord, colored pencils, diagramming paper
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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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