8th Grade Science

 

back to Science

 

Lesson Plans / Units

 

Matter

 

Energy

 

Scream Machine: A Roller Coaster Webquest by Rashida Freeman Betts

http://teacherweb.com/MD/OxonHillMS/TechEffectScreamMachineWebQuest/index.html

Roller coasters, like other amusement park rides, are designed using physics laws to simulate danger. Students work in teams as historian, physicist, and design engineer in order to research the science of roller coasters and design the ultimate scream machine for a fictional theme park.

 

Energy Quest by Stephanie Brook

http://www.geocities.com/brookwebquest1/

The year is 2050 and the earth has run out of non-renewable energy resources. You must research a renewable resource, write a proposal and make a presentation to the Secretary-General of the UN.

 

Moving magical Marbles with More Momentum than Most

Reeko's Mad Scientist Lab

http://www.spartechsoftware.com/reeko/Experiments/momentum.htm

Inertia means that a rolling ball on a smooth, level surface will roll forever if nothing stops it. In fact, friction and air pushing against the moving ball will eventually bring it to a stop. But interesting things happen when a motionless object gets in the way of a moving one. Try this and see for yourself.

 

Amusement Park Physics

http://www.learner.org/exhibits/parkphysics/index.html

You've bought your ticket and boarded the roller coaster. Now you're barreling down the track at 60 miles per hour, taking hairpin turns and completing death-defying loops. Your heart is in your throat and your stomach is somewhere near your shoes. The only thing separating you from total disaster is a safety harness...but are you really in danger?

 

Build the Ultimate Roller Coaster Webquest

http://www.scs.unr.edu/~bnowak/myquest/index.html

Your task in this mission is to create the ultimate roller coaster using what you've learned in this quest. You will design and construct your roller coaster using pipe insulation that will act as the track. You will use a marble to "coast" down your track that will have at least three hills and two curves. Loops will be extra credit. You will have about two weeks to complete the quest and another two weeks to construct your coaster. Once your roller coaster has been built and tested by you, you will take an I-Movie of your marble on a ride on your coaster and include this recording in a PowerPoint presentation.

 

 

 

 

Simple Machines

 

Simple Machines Invention Webquest by Betty Carlson

http://www.jsd.k12.ak.us/ab/el/simplemachines.html

Invent a Rube Goldberg device that uses simple machines.

 

 

 

Integrated lesson on simple machines, history, and art via an Internet Lab by Larry Jones

http://www.trussvillecityschools.com/Teachers/Larry.Jones/Lesson%20or%20Lab%20documents/Simple_Machines_Internet_Lab_4.doc

 

It takes two full days to complete, and the students loved it.

 

 

 

Waves

 

The King of Tides by Bill Byles

http://www.internet4classrooms.com/tide.htm

Analyze real-time data to try to prove a causal relationship between the moon and tides

 

Do You See What I See? Do You Hear What I Hear? by Carla Beasley

http://beasleyjwms.tripod.com/cb_webquest/home.htm

The purpose of this lesson is to assist students in identifying and applying the basic concepts of light and sound waves. At the completion of this lesson, students should have an understanding of the basic properties of light and sound waves, including how waves behave as well as how to apply these concepts to solve practical problems.

 

 

________________________________________________________________________________

 

Why Units Are Important

 

---

 

Read Alouds / Book Studies

(Teachers must read book prior to using it in the classroom to assure it is developmentally appropriate for their students)

 

Mr. Archimedes' Bath (density)

by Pamela Allen

 

 

---

 

Online Resources

 

 

General Physical Science

http://www.physicsclassroom.com/

 

http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/physci.html#6-8

 

 

 

Matter

 

Chemistry

 

 

The Atoms Family

http://www.miamisci.org/af/sln/

 

Basic Chemistry Information

http://www.chem4kids.com/map.html

 

Interactive Periodic Chart

http://www.chemicalelements.com/

 

http://www.webelements.com/

 

 

 

 

Energy

 

Skydive from the Stratosphere

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/escape/skydive.html

Play skydive and start at "climb" and see how many tries it takes you to land safely.

 

Simple Machines

 

Waves

 

Wave Animation

http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/visualizations/es1604/es1604page01.cfm?chapter_no=visualization

 

 

Ecological Footprint - How many planets would we need if there were 6.5 billion people consuming like you do?

http://www.squidoo.com/EcologicalFootprint/

Teachers to Connect WithCurriculum1. Identify steps within the scientific process.2. Describe the structure of atoms, including the location of protons, neutrons, and electrons.3. Determine the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons, and the mass of an element using the periodic table.4. State the law of conservation of matter.5. Differentiate between ionic and covalent bonds.6. Define solution in terms of solute and solvent7. Describe states of matter based on kinetic energy of particles in matter.8. Identify Newton’s three laws of motion.9. Describe how mechanical advantages of simple machines reduce the amount of force needed for work.10. Differentiate between potential and kinetic energy.11. Explain the law of conservation of energy and its relationship to energy transformation, including chemical to electrical, chemical to heat, electrical to light, electrical to mechanical, and electrical to sound.12. Classify waves as mechanical or electromagnetic.**

________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

HTMS 8th Grade Science Curriculum Map

 

Alabama Science Course of Study - 8th Grade/Physical Science

 

Students will:

 

 

 

• Applying process skills to interpret data from graphs, tables, and charts

• Identifying controls and variables in a scientific investigation

• Measuring dimension, volume, and mass using Syst譥 International d'Unit鳊(SI units)

• Identifying examples of hypotheses

• Identifying appropriate laboratory glassware, balances, time measuring equipment, and optical instruments used to conduct an investigation

 

 

 

• Identifying the charge of each subatomic particle

• Identifying Democritus and Dalton as contributors to the atomic theory

 

 

 

• Locating metals, nonmetals, metalloids, and noble gases on the periodic table

• Using data about the number of electrons in the outer shell of an atom to determine its reactivity

 

 

 

• Balancing chemical equations by adjusting coefficients

 

 

 

 

 

• Illustrating the transfer or sharing of electrons using electron dot diagrams

 

 

 

• Defining diffusion and osmosis

• Defining isotonic, hypertonic, and hypotonic solutions

• Describing acids and bases based on their hydrogen ion concentration

 

 

 

• Explaining effects of temperature, concentration, surface area, and catalysts on the rate of chemical reactions

 

 

 

• Defining terminology such as action and reaction forces, inertia, acceleration, momentum, and friction

• Interpreting distance–time graphs

 

 

 

• Describing the effect of force on pressure in fluids

 

Example: increasing force on fluid leading to increase of pressure within a hydraulic cylinder

 

 

 

Examples: potential—rock resting at the top of a hill,

kinetic—rock rolling down a hill

 

 

 

 

 

Examples: mechanical—earthquake waves;

electromagnetic—ultraviolet light waves, visible light waves

 

• Describing how earthquake waves, sound waves, water waves, and electromagnetic waves can be destructive or beneficial due to the transfer of energy

• Describing longitudinal and transverse waves

• Describing how waves travel through different media

• Relating wavelength, frequency, and amplitude to energy

• Describing the electromagnetic spectrum in terms of frequencies

 

Example: electromagnetic spectrum in increasing frequencies—microwaves, infrared light, visible light, ultraviolet light, X rays