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Core Content and Skills
Science 8
2008-2009
BOE Approved

Meterology/Weather  Content   Skills  Local weather changes are caused by movements of airmasses High pressure systems bring fair weather. Low Pressure system brings unstable weather. Movement of highs and lows is from west to east in the USA.   Students will look at weather maps and symbols to see high/low pressure systems look and type of weather associated with each.   Describe weather and climate changes. Uneven heating of the earth causes weather.   Students will look at a world map and based on the continents location (latitude/longitude) students will make inferences as to what type of climates are found through out the world.     Phase Changes  Content   Skills  Gases have neither a determined shape not a definite volume. Gases assume the shape and volume of a closed container. A liquid has a definite volume, but take the shape of the container. If a solid has define shape and volume, particles resist a change in position. Characteristic properties can be used to identify different materials and separate a mixture of substances into its components. For example, iron can be removed from a mixture by means of a magnet. An insoluble substance can be separated from a soluble substance by such processes as filtration, settling and evaporation. During a physical change a substance keeps its chemical composition and properties. Examples of physical changes include freezing, melting, condensation, boiling, evaporation, tearing and crushing. Mixtures are physical combinations of materials and can be separated by physical means. During a chemical change, substances react in characteristic ways to form new substances with different physical and chemical properties. Examples of chemical changes include burning wood, cooking of an egg, rusting of iron, and souring of milk. Substances are often placed in categories if they react in similar ways. Examples include metals, nonmetals, and noble gases. The Law of Conservation of Mass states that during an ordinary chemical reaction matter cannot be created or destroyed. In chemical reactions, the total mass of the products.   Students will work on various activities regarding phase changes. One activity involves them observing how ice changes from a solid to a liquid. They will monitor the change by taking periodic measurement of the temperature and base on their data, determine at which temperature ice changes into water.

Phases continued  Content   Skills  Gases continued   Students will observe the various phase changes of matter. (solid to a liquid, liquid to a gas, liquid to a solid)     weather continued  Content   Skills  Uneven heating of the earth causes weather.  Local weather changes are caused by movements of airmasses  Fronts are boundaries between airmasses.  High pressure systems bring fair weather.  Low Pressure system brings unstable weather.   Students will work with a weather map and learn what the symbols mean on the weather map Interpret Latitude Longitude Isolines Isotherms

Observation, Density, Earth's Shape, Minerals, Roc  Content   Skills  Observation, Density Earthquake wave data analysis used to determine layers of the earth. Rocks classified based how they are formed.   Students will also work with rocks/minerals and use the 5 tests needed to identify the rocks in minerals. Students will practice the skill of observing by using their 5 senses. They also will work with different size cubes to measure the density of the cubes using the formula D= mass/volume. Contients "fit" together like puzzle pieces. Classification of rocks Observe the model of the rock cycle that shows the interconnectedness of how each rock is formed and depending on the process, one rock type may turn into another type. Scratch test Acid test Cleavage Fracture

Topography  Content   Skills  The dynamic processes that wear away Earth's surface include weathering and erosion. The process of weathering breaks down rocks to form sediment, organic material, water and air. Erosion is the driving force behind erosion. Gravity can act directly or through agents such as moving water, wind, and glaciers.   Students will work with topography maps and be able to locate areas that are steep or flat. Contour lines Contour intervals Slope

Astronomy  Content   Skills  The tilt of the Earth's axis of rotation and the revolution of Earth around the sun cause the seasons of the earth.   Make observations on the different seasons found in this area. Based on their observations, students will be able to determine the earth's location as it rotates on its axis around the sun.     Physical Science  Content   Skills  Classify elements based on Periodic Table location.   Students will be able to determine element properties by location in the Periodic Table.     Sound-Energy-Motion  Content   Skills  Energy cannot be created nor destroyed. It changes from one form into another.   Observe, describe, and compare effects of forces (gravity, electric current, and magnetism) on the motion of objects.

Laboratory Science Skills  Content   Skills  The microscope is an instrument used to magnify objects not visible to the naked eye. For example cells. The field of view is the area under the microscope that you can see. Under low power more cells or parts are seen. Under high power more details are seen.   Student will work learn parts of the microscope. They will work with premade slides to look at them under high and low power. Students to the best of their ability will draw what they see under each power. Students will also work with slides that have the letter e, f, or s. They will observe these slides under the scope, record their results and the report their observations.

Characteristics of Life  Content   Skills  Characteristics of living things Students will discover what are the needs of living things necessary for survival.   Students will look at different things (living vs. non-living) and determine which ones containt the 9 features of life. Students will observe that although there are things that contain some of the nine features of life, they need to contain all if they are to be considered living.     Human Body Systems  Content   Skills  Cells are organized into tissues -------> organs-------->organ systems. Tissues, organs, and organ systems provide our cells with necessary nutrients in order to maintain homeostatis. We have 8 body systems that all work together. They are : Circulatory, Nervous, Skeletal, Muscular, Excretory, Digestive, Respiratory, and Endocrine.   Describe the systems and their functions (Slim Goodbody Series: digestion, respiratory, circulatory systems)

Classification  Content   Skills  There are 5 Kingdoms used to classify animals in. Taxonomy is the science of naming and classifying organism.   Have students use their senses (vision, smell, hearing) to determine how to characterizes items into groups.  Discussion will include items such as clothes, music, shoes, etc. are classified based on common characteristics.     Ecology, Reproduction & Genetics  Content   Skills  Organism interact with the environment (abiotic) and each other (biotic) factors in an ecosystem.   Students will walk outside the school to observe and record the biotic and abiotic factors present. They will also note organism interactions that are present.

Features of Life  Content   Skills  Living things are classified by shared characteristics on the cellular and organism level.  Living things are similar yet different from living things.   Record observations of what features constitutes what is living and what is non living.

Science Review  Content   Skills  Graphing X and Y Axis Investigation Data collection Formulate questions and conclusions based on their scientific observations.   Students will demonstrate their graphing skills by applying mathematical skills to solve real world problems using graphs, pictures, charts, and tables. Measuring Observing Describing classifying sequencing