Standards Correlation Guide

Every Science Critical Thinking Online Breakout, mapped to the 2021 Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science (§112.2–112.28). Each grade lists its featured breakout and the concept set (one short breakout per key idea). Every breakout uses four locks — a sequence, a multiple-choice, an evidence-sort (3 strong + 1 decoy), and a word lock — so students practice ordering, reasoning, separating strong evidence from a true-but-off-topic fact, and naming the idea.

Grades

Breakouts

396

Locks

Languages

🧑‍🏫 How to read this: each row is one breakout. The Concept / skill and TEKS columns name what it targets; the Lock types show the four reasoning moves. Each grade page also has a lock-by-lock Skills & TEKS table with the thinking move and, for the featured breakout, a high-effect-size strategy (Hattie).

🧑‍🏫 Teacher supports: UDL supports · ELPS supports · Lesson-plan guide

🧒 Elementary · Grades K–5

Kindergarten · §112.2 · band K–2

Breakout	Type	Concept / skill	TEKS (aligned to)	Lock types
Light and Shadows	Featured	We need light to see; blocking light makes shadows	`K.8(A,B)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Sort It!	Concept	Sorting Objects	`K.6`	seq · mc · multi · word
Magnet Magic	Concept	Magnets, Push & Pull	`K.7`	seq · mc · multi · word
Day and Night	Concept	Day and Night	`K.9(A)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Look Up!	Concept	Things in the Sky	`K.9(B)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Rock Sort	Concept	Sorting Rocks	`K.10(A)`	seq · mc · multi · word
What's the Weather?	Concept	Weather	`K.10(B)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Feel the Wind	Concept	Air & Wind	`K.10(C)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Help a Plant Grow	Concept	What Plants Need	`K.12(A)`	seq · mc · multi · word
What Animals Need	Concept	What Animals Need	`K.12(B)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Parts of a Plant	Concept	Plant Parts & Growing	`K.13(A,C)`	seq · mc · multi · word

Grade 1 · §112.3 · band K–2

Breakout	Type	Concept / skill	TEKS (aligned to)	Lock types
Push, Pull, and Play!	Featured	Pushes & pulls change motion	`1.7(A)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Sort It Out	Concept	Sorting by Properties	`1.6(A)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Hot and Cold	Concept	Heating & Cooling	`1.6(B), 1.8`	seq · mc · multi · word
Round the Year	Concept	Seasons	`1.9`	seq · mc · multi · word
All About Soil	Concept	Soil	`1.10(A)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Water Everywhere	Concept	Water on Earth	`1.10(C)`	seq · mc · multi · word
What's the Weather?	Concept	Weather	`1.10(D)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Save the Water	Concept	Saving Water	`1.11(B,C)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Living or Not?	Concept	Living or Nonliving	`1.12(A)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Who Eats What?	Concept	Food Chains	`1.12(C)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Animal Bodies & Babies	Concept	Animal Bodies & Babies	`1.13`	seq · mc · multi · word

Grade 2 · §112.4 · band K–2

Breakout	Type	Concept / skill	TEKS (aligned to)	Lock types
Make Some Noise!	Featured	Sound is made by vibrating matter	`2.8(A)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Solid or Liquid?	Concept	Solids & Liquids	`2.6(A)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Change It!	Concept	Changing Matter	`2.6(B)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Push and Bump	Concept	Pushes & Collisions	`2.7`	seq · mc · multi · word
Sun and Moon	Concept	Sun & Moon	`2.9`	seq · mc · multi · word
Moving Earth	Concept	Wind & Water Move Earth	`2.10(A)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Wild Weather	Concept	Measuring & Wild Weather	`2.10(B,C)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle	Concept	Resources & Recycling	`2.11`	seq · mc · multi · word
Who Makes Food?	Concept	Producers & Consumers	`2.12(B)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Moving Seeds & Pollen	Concept	Moving Pollen & Seeds	`2.12(C)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Baby Look-Alikes?	Concept	Growing Up Different	`2.13(D)`	seq · mc · multi · word

Grade 3 · §112.5 · band 3–5

Breakout	Type	Concept / skill	TEKS (aligned to)	Lock types
Blast Off! A Trip Through Space	Featured	The solar system: orbits & planet order	`3.9(A,B)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Solid, Liquid, or Gas?	Concept	Solids, Liquids & Gases	`3.6(B)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Melt, Freeze, Evaporate	Concept	Changes of State	`3.6(C)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Test It! Measure Matter	Concept	Measuring Matter	`3.6(A)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Pull Without Touching	Concept	Forces at a Distance	`3.7(A)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Energy Everywhere	Concept	Forms of Energy	`3.8(A)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Where Does Soil Come From?	Concept	How Soil Forms	`3.10(B)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Earth in a Hurry	Concept	Rapid Earth Changes	`3.10(C)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Follow the Energy	Concept	Energy in a Food Chain	`3.12(B)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Clues From Long Ago	Concept	Fossils	`3.12(D)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Built to Survive	Concept	Structures for Survival	`3.13(A)`	seq · mc · multi · word

Grade 4 · §112.6 · band 3–5

Breakout	Type	Concept / skill	TEKS (aligned to)	Lock types
Light It Up! The Secret of Circuits	Featured	Electricity in a closed circuit makes light & heat	`4.8(C)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Mix It Up	Concept	Mixtures & Solutions	`4.6(B,C)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Pass the Energy	Concept	Transferring Energy	`4.8(A)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Let It Through, or Block It?	Concept	Conductors & Insulators	`4.8(B)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Why the Moon Changes	Concept	Moon Phases	`4.9(B)`	seq · mc · multi · word
The Water Cycle	Concept	The Water Cycle	`4.10(A)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Reshaping the Land	Concept	Weathering, Erosion & Deposition	`4.10(B)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Weather or Climate?	Concept	Weather vs. Climate	`4.10(C)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Will It Run Out?	Concept	Renewable & Nonrenewable Resources	`4.11(A)`	seq · mc · multi · word
The Web of Life	Concept	Food Webs	`4.12(B)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Born With It, or Learned?	Concept	Inherited & Acquired Traits	`4.13(B)`	seq · mc · multi · word

Grade 5 · §112.7 · band 3–5

Breakout	Type	Concept / skill	TEKS (aligned to)	Lock types
Round and Round: Day, Night, and Shadows	Featured	Earth's rotation causes day/night & shadows	`5.9`	seq · mc · multi · word
Take It Apart	Concept	Separating Mixtures	`5.6(B)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Too Small to See	Concept	Matter Is Made of Particles	`5.6(D)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Balanced or Not?	Concept	Equal & Unequal Forces	`5.7(A)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Chain of Energy	Concept	Energy Transformations	`5.8(A)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Bounce, Bend, or Soak	Concept	How Light Behaves	`5.8(C)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Layers of Time	Concept	Sedimentary Rock & Fossil Fuels	`5.10(B)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Shaping the Land	Concept	Landforms	`5.10(C)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Ripple Effect	Concept	Changes in Ecosystems	`5.12(B)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Help or Harm?	Concept	Humans & Ecosystems	`5.12(C)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Born to Do It, or Taught?	Concept	Instinct & Learned Behavior	`5.13(B)`	seq · mc · multi · word

🔬 Middle School · Grades 6–8

Grade 6 · §112.26 · band 6–8

Breakout	Type	Concept / skill	TEKS (aligned to)	Lock types
Cargo Ship Rescue	Featured	Density, net force, Newton’s Third Law & energy conservation	`6.6(D), 6.7, 6.8`	seq · mc · multi · word
States of Matter	Concept	States of Matter	`6.6(A)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Mixture or Pure?	Concept	Mixtures & Pure Substances	`6.6(B)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Reading the Periodic Table	Concept	The Periodic Table	`6.6(C)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Density: Sink or Float?	Concept	Density & Buoyancy	`6.6(D)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Chemical Change Detective	Concept	Chemical Change	`6.6(E)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Balanced or Unbalanced?	Concept	Forces & Net Force	`6.7(A,B,C)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Waves: Two Kinds	Concept	Waves	`6.8(C)`	seq · mc · multi · word
The Reason for Seasons	Concept	Seasons & Tides	`6.9(A,B)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Inside the Earth	Concept	Earth's Layers & Rock Cycle	`6.10`	seq · mc · multi · word
Living Systems	Concept	Ecosystems & Cells	`6.12,6.13`	seq · mc · multi · word

Grade 7 · §112.27 · band 6–8

Breakout	Type	Concept / skill	TEKS (aligned to)	Lock types
Rescue Run	Featured	Speed vs. velocity, distance–time graphs & heat transfer	`7.7, 7.8`	seq · mc · multi · word
Element or Compound?	Concept	Elements & Compounds	`7.6(A,B)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Solutions & Dissolving	Concept	Solutions & Dissolving	`7.6(D,E)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Speed, Velocity & Graphs	Concept	Speed, Velocity & Graphs	`7.7`	seq · mc · multi · word
Heat on the Move	Concept	Heat Transfer	`7.8`	seq · mc · multi · word
Tour the Solar System	Concept	The Solar System	`7.9`	seq · mc · multi · word
Shifting Plates	Concept	Plate Tectonics	`7.10`	seq · mc · multi · word
Water & Watersheds	Concept	Water & Watersheds	`7.11`	seq · mc · multi · word
Energy Pyramids	Concept	Energy Pyramids	`7.12`	seq · mc · multi · word
Body Systems	Concept	Human Body Systems	`7.13`	seq · mc · multi · word
Sorting Life	Concept	Classifying Life	`7.14`	seq · mc · multi · word

Grade 8 · §112.28 · band 6–8

Breakout	Type	Concept / skill	TEKS (aligned to)	Lock types
Launch Control	Featured	Conservation of mass, Newton’s Second Law & waves	`8.6(E), 8.7(A), 8.8`	seq · mc · multi · word
Classify the Matter	Concept	Classifying Matter	`8.6(A)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Acids & Bases	Concept	Acids & Bases	`8.6(D)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Conservation of Mass	Concept	Conservation of Mass	`8.6(E)`	seq · mc · multi · word
Newton's Laws in Action	Concept	Newton's Laws	`8.7`	seq · mc · multi · word
Anatomy of a Wave	Concept	Waves & the EM Spectrum	`8.8`	seq · mc · multi · word
Stars & Galaxies	Concept	Stars & the Universe	`8.9`	seq · mc · multi · word
Weather Systems	Concept	Weather Systems	`8.10`	seq · mc · multi · word
Carbon & Climate	Concept	Carbon & Climate	`8.11`	seq · mc · multi · word
Change in Ecosystems	Concept	Change in Ecosystems	`8.12`	seq · mc · multi · word
Cells & Heredity	Concept	Cells & Heredity	`8.13`	seq · mc · multi · word

Standards are aligned to, not reproduced from, the official TEKS. Featured-breakout TEKS name the anchor standard; see each grade's Skills & TEKS page for the full lock-by-lock alignment.