Board
Approved – April 8, 2004
Science
Grade 8 – Grade Level Expectations
PHYSICAL
SCIENCE
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SYSTEMS
(Content)
PROPERTIES
Properties
of Substances
- Identify,
categorize, and describe substances using physical and/or chemical properties,
including boiling point, density, freezing point, mass, acidity (pH), and
solubility.
- Use
chemical properties, including pH to describe substances.
- Describe
why substances with the same volume may have different densities.
- Explain
why substances with the same mass may have different densities.
- Identify
the volumetric properties of a solid, liquid and gas.
- Demonstrate
ability to determine density of both regular and irregular objects.
- Use
the properties of an unknown substance to identify the substance.
- Distinguish
between the measure of mass and the measure of weight.
Energy
Sources and Kinds
- Explain
how energy transfer occurs in chemical reactions.
- Explain
that matter has energy because the particles of a substance are in continual
motion.
STRUCTURE
Systems
Approach
- Describe
a system by tracing the flow of matter and energy through the system.
- Explain
the parts and components of a system and how the parts interconnect and influence
each other.
- Identify
the inputs, outputs and transfers of a system.
Energy
Transfer and Transformation
- Identify
and describe the motion of the particles of a substance as heat increases.
Structure
of Matter
- Identify
and describe what happens as atoms form compounds.
- Discriminate
between the characteristics of a compound, a mixture, and a solution when
given a situation involving mixtures, compounds and solutions.
- Describe
the relative amounts of atoms or molecules in a mixture.
CHANGES
Physical/Chemical
Changes
- Identify
and describe the differences in the motion of the particles of a substance
when given a substance in different states of matter.
- Describe
that the motion of the particles change with different states of matter but
the number of particles remain constant.
- Explain
that matter is neither created nor destroyed when substances undergo physical
and/or chemical changes.
- Distinguish
between physical changes and chemical changes, in terms of atoms and molecules,
when given substances are undergoing changes.
- Identify
and describe how chemical changes produce matter with different properties
and characteristics form the original.
- Describe
how some chemical changes can decompose materials (e.g. burning, rusting,
acid/base reactions).
- Observe
and explain that matter is conserved during chemical and physical changes.
- Describe
physical and chemical changes in terms of atoms and molecules.
LIFE
SCIENCE
SYSTEMS
(Content)
PROPERTIES
Characteristics
of Living Matter
- Categorize
plants and/or animals into groups according to how they accomplish life processes
such as food production or consumption and reproduction.
- Categorize
plants and/or animals into groups by similarities and differences in physical
characteristics, functional characteristics and internal and external characteristics.
- Create
and interpret descriptions, charts and graphics of the physical characteristics
or internal structures of plants and animals.
- Explain
whether animals or plants have a biological relationship based on given characteristics.
- Differentiate
between sexual and asexual reproduction in living organisms.
STRUCTURE
Systems
Approach
- Describe
a system by tracing the flow of matter and energy through the system.
- Explain
the parts and components of a system and how the parts interconnect and influence
each other.
- Identify
the inputs, outputs and transfers of a system.
Structure
and Organization of Living Systems
- Describe
and identify how plant and animal cells are similar and different in structure
and function.
- Identify
and explain basic cell functions (extracting energy from food, using energy,
and getting rid of waste).
- Describe
how cells are arranged into body structures and how these structures work
together and depend on each other to sustain life.
- Show
the relationship between the 4 levels of organization in multi-cellular organisms:
cell, tissue, organ, and organ system.
- Diagram
parts of plants (flower, leaf, stem, stamen, pistil, ova).
- Describe
and draw living organisms.
Molecular
Basis of Heredity
- Identify
and describe how physical traits of living things can be affected by genetic
information and by interactions with the environment (e.g., nutrition, disease,
sanitation).
- Identify
and describe the role of sperm and egg in reproduction.
- Identify
and describe how genes, obtained from parents, are combined in their offspring.
- Explain
the relationship between genes and physical characteristics.
- Identify
and describe the relationship of genes and chromosomes.
- Describe
and draw offspring and parent.
- Describe
the role of reproduction in the survival and maintenance of a species.
Human
Biology
- Describe
the structure and function of the organ systems.
- Identify
and describe the components and steps necessary for human body processes (e.g.
digestion, reproduction, respiration, elimination of waste, circulation) to
function properly.
- Discriminate
between diseases caused by microorganisms and those caused by a breakdown
of an organ or body system.
CHANGES
Life
Processes and the Flow of Matter and Energy
- Describe,
draw, chart to show change in an organism over time.
- Describe
the processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration in terms of solar
energy, carbon dioxide, water, oxygen, and sugar.
- Describe
how organisms acquire materials needed for photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
- Describe
how systems interact to distribute materials and eliminate wastes produced
by metabolic processes.
- Explain
how both plants and animals use cellular respiration.
- Identify
and describe how energy is transformed into food for the growth of an organism.
- Identify
and describe the role of cell division in plant and animal growth and health.