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Category: Grade 8 Science

  • Physical Science – Energy

    Students learn about energy, conservation of energy, energy transfer, and the relationship between energy and forces.

    Standards

    • MS-PS3-1. Construct and interpret graphical displays of data to describe the relationships of kinetic energy to the mass of an object and to the speed of an object. 
    • MS-PS3-2. Develop a model to describe that when the arrangement of objects interacting at a distance changes, different amounts of potential energy are stored in the system.  
    • MS-PS3-3. Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.  [Clarification Statement:  Examples of devices could include an insulated box, a solar cooker, and a Styrofoam cup.] 
    • MS-PS3-4. Plan and conduct an investigation to determine the relationships among the energy transferred, the type of matter, the mass, and the change in the temperature of the sample of matter.  
    • MS-PS3-5. Construct, use, and present an argument to support the claim that when work is done on or by a system, the energy of the system changes as energy is transferred to or from the system.  
    • MS-PS3-6. Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred by electric currents.  

    Essential questions and big ideas of the unit

    • What is the function of energy?
      • Motion energy is properly called kinetic energy; it is proportional to the mass of the moving object and grows with the square of its speed. (MS-PS3-1)  
      • A system of objects may also contain stored (potential) energy, depending on their relative positions. (MS-PS3-2)  
      • Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of particles of matter.  The relationship between the temperature and the total energy of a system depends on the types, phases (states), and amounts of matter present. (MS-PS3-3), (MS-PS3-4) 
      • When the motion energy of an object changes, there is inevitably some other change in energy at the same time. (MS-PS3-5) 
      • The amount of energy transfer needed to change the temperature of a matter sample by a given amount depends on the nature of the matter, the mass of the sample, and the environment. (MS-PS3-4)  
      • Energy is spontaneously transferred out of hotter regions or objects and into colder ones. (MS-PS3-3)  
      • An electric circuit is a closed path in which an electric current can exist. (MS-PS3-6) 
      • When two objects interact, each one exerts a force on the other that can cause energy to be transferred to or from the object. (MS-PS3-2) 
      • The more precisely a design task’s criteria and constraints can be defined, the more likely it is that the designed solution will be successful. Specification of constraints includes consideration of scientific principles and other relevant knowledge that is likely to limit possible solutions. (secondary to MS-PS3-3)
      • A solution needs to be tested, and then modified on the basis of the test results in order to improve it. There are systematic processes for evaluating solutions with respect to how well they meet criteria and constraints of a problem. (secondary to MS-PS3-3)

    Download the complete Physical Science – Energy framework to customize for your own planning.

  • Physical Science – Forces & Interactions

    Students explore the relationship between force and motion, and how electric, magnetic and gravitational forces interact with objects.

    Download the complete Physical Science – Forces & Interactions framework to customize for your own planning.

    Standards

    • MS-PS2-1. Apply Newton’s Third Law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding objects.
    • MS-PS2-2. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object. 
    • MS-PS2-3. Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces.  
    • MS-PS2-4. Construct and present arguments using evidence to support the claim that gravitational interactions are attractive and depend on the masses of interacting objects and the distance between them.  
    • MS-PS2-5. Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence that fields exist between objects exerting forces on each other even though the objects are not in contact. 

    Essential questions and big ideas of the unit

    • What causes objects to move?
      • For any pair of interacting objects, the force exerted by the first object on the second object is equal in strength to the force that the second object exerts on the first, but in the opposite direction (Newton’s third law). (MS-PS2-1)  
      • The motion of an object is determined by the sum of the forces acting on it; if the total force on the object is not zero, its motion will change. The greater the mass of the object, the greater the force needed to achieve the same change in motion. For any given object, a larger force causes a larger change in motion. (MS-PS2-2)  
      • All positions of objects and the directions of forces and motions must be described in an arbitrarily chosen reference frame and arbitrarily chosen units of size. In order to share information with other people, these choices must also be shared. (MS-PS2-2)
    • How do electric, magnetic and gravitational forces interact with objects in the world around us?
      • Electric and magnetic (electromagnetic) forces can be attractive or repulsive, and their sizes depend on the magnitudes of the charges, currents, or magnetic strengths involved and on the distances between the interacting objects. (MS-PS2-3)  
      • Gravitational forces are always attractive. There is a gravitational force between any two masses, but it is very small except when one or both of the objects have large mass—e.g., Earth and the sun. (MS-PS2-4) 
      • Forces that act at a distance (electric, magnetic, and gravitational) can be explained by fields that extend through space and can be mapped by their effect on a test object (a charged object, or a ball, respectively). (MS-PS2-5)

    Download the complete Physical Science – Forces & Interactions framework to customize for your own planning.

  • Physical Science – Structure & Properties of Matter

    Students explore the structure of matter, how each substance has unique physical and chemical properties, changes of states of matter, and basic chemical reactions. Students learn about “heat” thermal energy, and temperature as a measurement of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a sample of matter.

    Download the complete Physical Science – Structure & Properties of Matter framework to customize for your own planning.

    Standards

    • MS-PS1-1. Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.
    • MS-PS1-3. Gather and make sense of information to describe that synthetic materials come from natural resources and impact society.
    • MS-PS1-4. Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and phase (state) of a substance when thermal energy is added or removed.
    • MS-PS1-7. Use evidence to illustrate that density is a property that can be used to identify samples of matter.
    • MS-PS1-8. Plan and conduct an investigation to demonstrate that mixtures are combinations of substances.

    Essential Questions and Big Ideas of the Unit

    • What is matter made of?
      • Substances are made of one type of atom or combinations of different types of atoms. Individual atoms are particles and can combine to form larger particles that range in size from two to thousands of atoms. (MS-PS1-1)
      • Each substance has characteristic physical and chemical properties (for any bulk quantity under given conditions) that can be used to identify it. (MS-PS1-3),(MS-PS1-7)
      • Solids may be formed from molecules, or they may be extended structures with repeating sub-units (e.g., crystals). (MS-PS1-1)
      • The changes of state that occur with variations in temperature and/or pressure can be described and predicted using these models of matter. (MS-PS1-4)
      • Mixtures are physical combinations of one or more samples of matter and can be separated by physical means. (MS-PS1-8)
    • What happens in a chemical reaction?
      • Substances react chemically in characteristic ways. In a chemical process, the atoms that make up the original substances are regrouped into different particles, and these new substances have different properties from those of the reactants. (MS-PS1-3)
      • The term “heat” as used in everyday language refers both to thermal energy (the motion of particles within a substance) and the transfer of that thermal energy from one object to another. In science, heat is used only for this second meaning; it refers to the energy transferred due to the temperature difference between two objects. (secondary to MS-PS1-4)
      • Temperature is not a form of energy. Temperature is a measurement of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a sample of matter. (secondary to MS- PS1-4)

    Download the complete Physical Science – Structure & Properties of Matter framework to customize for your own planning.

  • Life Science – Structure, Function and Information Processing

    Students explore the structure and function of living things, their similarities and differences, and how living things process information.

    Download the complete Life Science – Structure, Function, and Information Processing framework to customize for your own planning.

    Standards

    • MS-LS1-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells; either one cell or many different numbers and types of cells.
    • MS-LS1-2. Develop and use a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole and ways parts of cells contribute to the function.
    • MS-LS1-3. Construct an explanation supported by evidence for how the body is composed of interacting systems consisting of cells, tissues, and organs working together to maintain homeostasis.
    • MS-LS1-8. Gather and synthesize information that sensory receptors respond to stimuli, resulting in immediate behavior and/or storage as memories.

    Essential Questions and Big Ideas of the Unit

    • How are living things similar and different?
      • All living things are made up of cells, which is the smallest unit that can be said to be alive. An organism may consist of one single cell (unicellular) or many different numbers and types of cells (multicellular). (MS-LS1-1)
      • Within cells, special structures are responsible for particular functions, and the cell membrane forms the boundary that controls what enters and leaves the cell. (MS-LS1-2)
      • In multicellular organisms, the body is a system of multiple interacting subsystems. These subsystems are groups of cells that work together to form tissues and organs that are specialized for particular body functions. (MS-LS1-3)
      • Information Processing Each sense receptor responds to different inputs (electromagnetic, mechanical, chemical), transmitting them as signals that travel along nerve cells to the brain. (MS-LS1-8)
      • Plants respond to stimuli such as gravity (geotropism) and light (phototropism). (MS-LS1-8)

    Download the complete Life Science – Structure, Function, and Information Processing framework to customize for your own planning.

  • Earth Science – Space Systems

    Students explore the Universe, its stars, the Earth-Sun-moon system, and how the solar system formed.

    Download the complete Earth Science – Space Systems framework to customize for your own planning.

    Standards

    • MS-ESS1-1. Develop and use a model of the Earth-Sun-moon system to describe the cyclic patterns of lunar phases, eclipses of the Sun and moon, and seasons.
    • MS-ESS1-2. Develop and use a model to describe the role of gravity in the motions within galaxies and the solar system.
    • MS-ESS1-3. Analyze and interpret data to determine scale properties of objects in the solar system.

    Essential Questions and Big Ideas of the Unit

    • Why do we need the solar system and how does it impact our life on Earth?
      • Patterns of the apparent motion of the sun, the moon, and stars in the sky can be observed, described, predicted, and explained with models. (MS-ESS1-1)
      • Earth and its solar system are part of the Milky Way galaxy, which is one of many galaxies in the universe. (MS-ESS1-2)
      • The solar system consists of the Sun and a collection of objects, including planets, their moons, comets, and asteroids that are held in orbit around the Sun by its gravitational pull on them. (MS-ESS1-2),(MS-ESS1-3)
      • This model of the solar system can explain eclipses of the sun and the moon. Earth’s spin axis is fixed in direction over the short term but tilted relative to its orbit around the sun. The seasons are a result of that tilt and are caused by the differential intensity of sunlight on different areas of Earth across the year. (MS-ESS1-1)
      • The solar system appears to have formed from a disk of dust and gas, drawn together by gravity.(MS-ESS1-2)

    Download the complete Earth Science – Space Systems framework to customize for your own planning.