The following Basic Understandings are helpful in putting the TEKS into a broader context. They were developed by and used by the TEKS writing teams to assist in their more detailed work with knowledge and skills statements, and they are offered here as optional information for use by local schools and districts. The Basic Understandings for Grades K-8, Precalculus, and Mathematical Models with Application, however, were not part of the officially adopted TEKS and are offered here for your use. The concept of number is critical in ordering, labeling, and expressing quantities and relationships. Students describe how they use numbers to solve problems in meaningful contexts and applications and translate informal language into mathematical symbols.
Pattern recognition leads to the understanding of concepts of number, operations, shape, and space.
Students use patterns to describe objects, express relationships, make predictions, and solve problems. The language of geometry and properties of geometric figures are important components of spatial sense. Students use informal language and observation of attributes to describe shapes, solids, and locations in the physical world. The foundation of the measurement process is the comparison of like attributes of objects. Students identify and compare attributes of objects and situations to develop the concept of relative size and to establish personal referents for standard units.