Texas Science Teacher Resource Hub
Free scope and sequences, TEKS breakdowns, phenomenon ideas, and engagement activities for the 2024 Texas science standards.
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7th Grade TEKS Standards
Click any standard to see what it means, how to teach it, where students get stuck, and aligned resources.
Body Systems & Functions
"Identify and model the main functions of the systems of the human organism, including the circulatory, respiratory, skeletal, muscular, digestive, urinary, reproductive, integumentary, nervous, immune, and endocrine systems."
💡 What This Standard Actually Means
"Identify and model". Students are identifying the main functions of the systems of the human organism and creating models that show those functions. The 2024 TEKS lists eleven systems by name: circulatory, respiratory, skeletal, muscular, digestive, urinary, reproductive, integumentary, nervous, immune, and endocrine. The two main shifts are the addition of the reproductive system and the explicit verb "model." Kids need to be able to draw or build a representation of each system in action, not just describe it on paper. Instruction can take many forms, such as body system poster projects, lifesize human outline modeling, function-matching card sorts, and short build activities like a paper bag respiratory system.
The human body is a collection of eleven systems working together. Each one has a specific main function, but no system runs on its own. The 2024 TEKS calls out all eleven by name, including the reproductive system, which is a new addition for this standard.
The circulatory system moves blood, oxygen, nutrients, hormones, and waste around the body. The respiratory system handles gas exchange, taking in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. The skeletal system provides support, protects organs, and stores minerals. The muscular system produces movement and generates body heat. The digestive system breaks down food into nutrients the body can absorb. The urinary system filters waste out of the blood and removes it as urine. The reproductive system produces sex cells and supports the creation of new offspring. The integumentary system (skin, hair, and nails) is the body's outer barrier and helps regulate temperature.
The nervous system sends and receives electrical signals to coordinate everything the body does, fast. The immune system defends the body against bacteria, viruses, and other threats. The endocrine system uses hormones to send slower, longer-lasting signals that regulate growth, metabolism, and stress responses. The big idea students should walk away with is that these systems work together. When a kid runs in gym class, the muscular system needs more oxygen, so the respiratory system breathes faster, the circulatory system pumps faster to deliver it, the nervous system coordinates the whole response, and the integumentary system sweats to dump heat. When students model the systems, they should show both the structure and what it actually does.
I used to teach body systems one at a time, quiz on each, and move on. Kids could name parts but had no idea how anything connected. The fix was a weekly "what happened in your body?" question. After PE, I'd ask, "You ran the mile. Tell me three systems that worked together to make that happen." They'd argue it out. Muscular used the energy. Respiratory pulled in oxygen. Circulatory moved it. Nervous told everybody when to start. Skeletal gave them something to push off of. Once they started seeing systems as a team, the unit summary was almost an afterthought. They just knew it.
⚠️ 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.
"Each body system works on its own"
This is the biggest trap. Students learn the systems one at a time and assume they run independently. In reality, almost nothing in the body happens without multiple systems pitching in. Taking a breath uses respiratory, muscular, nervous, and skeletal. Eating a sandwich involves digestive, circulatory, endocrine, and nervous. The systems are a team.
"The heart makes oxygen"
Students mix up the jobs of the heart and the lungs. The lungs bring oxygen into the body from the air. The heart pumps the oxygen-carrying blood around. The heart doesn't create oxygen, and the lungs don't pump. Two separate systems, two separate jobs, working as a pair.
"Skin isn't really a body system"
Skin, hair, and nails make up the integumentary system, and it's every bit as important as the others. It keeps pathogens out, holds water in, regulates temperature through sweating, and senses the environment. The integumentary system is often the one students forget on a blank list.
"Homeostasis means staying exactly the same"
Homeostasis is keeping internal conditions within a stable range, not locking them to a single number. Body temperature, blood sugar, and pH all shift a little throughout the day. The systems work to bring those values back toward normal when they drift too far. Stable does not mean frozen.
📓 Teaching Resources for 7.13A
These resources are aligned to this standard.
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🌎 Phenomenon Ideas for 7.13A
Use these real-world phenomena to anchor your lesson. Show students the phenomenon first, let them wonder, then build toward Body Systems & Functions as the explanation.
Running the Mile in PE
A student starts running the mile at a resting heart rate of around 70 beats per minute. Three minutes in, their heart is pounding, their breathing is fast, their face is red, and they're sweating. When they stop, the body slowly brings everything back down over several minutes. All of those changes came from different body systems responding to the same activity.
"Name every body system you can think of that had to do something to make running possible. What was each one's job? What triggered all of them to change at the same time?"
The Journey of a Cheeseburger
A student eats a cheeseburger at lunch. Within minutes, the stomach is already breaking it down. Within an hour or two, nutrients from that burger are circulating in the blood and being delivered to cells all over the body. Waste products get filtered out and sent out of the body. The student never thinks about any of it while they're eating, but at least four body systems are working together to turn food into energy and raw materials.
"Trace the path of one bite of that burger. Which body system does what, and which systems have to work together to keep the process going?"
Pulling Your Hand Away From a Hot Pan
Someone reaches out and their fingers brush a hot pan. Before they even think about it, their hand is already yanked back. The whole reaction can happen in a fraction of a second, faster than they can consciously decide to move. Multiple body systems had to fire in a specific order to make that happen.
"Which system detected the heat? Which system sent the signal to move? Which system actually moved the hand? Why does this happen so fast, and what would happen if one of those systems was slow to respond?"
💡 Free Engagement Ideas for 7.13A
Body System Trace Map
Give each group a large sheet of butcher paper and have one student lie down while others trace their outline. Then have groups draw or label each of the 11 systems inside the outline using markers (circulatory, respiratory, skeletal, muscular, digestive, urinary, reproductive, integumentary, nervous, immune, and endocrine). Every system has to connect to at least one other system with an arrow showing what they share. Great way to force the "systems work together" idea.
Heart Rate & Breathing Challenge
Students record their resting heart rate and breathing rate. Then they do 30 seconds of jumping jacks and record again. Then 60 seconds. Then 90 seconds. They chart the results and write one paragraph explaining which systems were involved and why the numbers changed. This links respiratory, circulatory, muscular, and nervous in one activity.
System Emergency Scenario Cards
Create index cards with short scenarios: "You just ate a huge meal." "You got a paper cut." "You're in a cold classroom." "You just heard a loud noise." Groups pull a card and list every system that responds, in order, with what each system does. Share out and compare answers.
"If This System Failed..." Writing Prompt
Assign each student one body system. They write a short paragraph describing what would happen to the whole body if their system suddenly stopped working. Then they pair up with someone who had a different system and compare how the two failures would affect each other. Drives home that no system works alone.
🎯 What Approaches, Meets, and Masters Thinking Look Like
Here is what student thinking at each level looks like on this one task, so you know what to look for and how to move a student up.
A student is running laps in gym class. Draw and label a model that shows what is happening inside the runner's body. Pick at least three body systems, show the main job each one is doing during the run, and explain how those systems work together to keep the runner going.
- A labeled model (not just a list) that shows at least three body systems inside the running body.
- The correct main function named for each system shown, such as the respiratory system bringing in oxygen.
- The respiratory and circulatory jobs kept separate: lungs bring in oxygen, the heart pumps the blood that carries it.
- The muscular system shown doing its job (moving the legs) and needing more oxygen during the run.
- At least one connecting arrow or sentence that links one system's job to another's.
- An explanation that the systems are working together, not just sitting next to each other in the same body.
- The runner's faster breathing and faster heartbeat explained as a team response to the muscles needing more oxygen. That link is the easiest one to leave out.
The circulatory system is the heart and it pumps blood. The respiratory system is the lungs and they breathe. The muscular system is the muscles and they move the legs to run. Each system has its own job and does it by itself.
When the runner runs, the muscular system moves the legs and needs a lot of oxygen. The respiratory system breathes faster so the lungs take in more oxygen. The circulatory system pumps faster so the heart sends the oxygen in the blood to the leg muscles. The lungs do not pump and the heart does not make oxygen. They have different jobs but they work together so the runner can keep going.
While the runner runs, the muscular system works hard and needs more oxygen, so the respiratory system breathes faster and the circulatory system pumps faster to deliver it. None of that happens on its own. The nervous system senses the body working harder and sends the signal that tells the heart and lungs to speed up. The integumentary system makes sweat so the body does not overheat. The systems share jobs to keep the inside of the body steady.
I know this is teamwork and not separate machines because of what happens when the runner stops. The legs do not need much oxygen anymore, so the nervous system lets the heart and lungs slow back down and the breathing returns to normal. The same systems adjust together both ways, speeding up for the run and settling down for the rest.
Every 7th-Grade Science TEKS on One Page
The color-coded, front-and-back cheat sheet I wish I'd had — every standard, organized by reporting category. Print it and reference it all year long. This will be your new favorite document!
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