8th Grade Science Class Outline

This is a yearlong course that students can log in for the weeks that interest them. Included are many lessons designed to encourage students to further their education giving them an understanding of different high school science classes to promote interest in those areas. There are many follow-up activities, labs, videos, simulations, games, and notes so that science can continue throughout the week. The teacher keeps an interactive notebook and posts her notes after class to encourage students to review and copy the notes into their notebooks. The teacher also offers a semester exam at the end of the course and sends students that pass it and that have attended most weeks, a certificate of completion.

Lessons use a presentation and align hands-on activities to the standards. The teacher also stops periodically to check for student understanding. We use the whiteboard, chat box, and some lab sheets. The National Science Standards required for grade 8 science will be covered.

Here is the schedule: Each week is a stand-alone subject within the standards of science.

Week of August 25- September 7
Week 1
      How to set up a Science Interactive Notebook and Introduction to Chemistry
      Understanding chemistry concepts (Review of Middle School Science Standards)

Week of September 8- 14
Week 2
     Diving into the Periodic Table
     Understanding the design of the Periodic Table

Week of September 15- 21
Week 3
     Matter and Its Interactions
     Develop and use a model to describe how the total number of atoms does not change in a chemical reaction and thus mass is 
     conserved. (PS1-5)

Week of September 22- 28
Week 4
     Introduction to Physics
     Understanding physical science concepts (Review of Middle School Physical Science Standards)

Week of September 29- October 5
Week 5
     Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions
     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. (PS2-5)

Week of October 6- 12
Week 6
     Energy
     Construct, use, and present arguments to support the claim that when the kinetic energy of an object changes, energy is 
     transferred to or from the object. (PS3-5)

Week of October 13- 19
Week 7
     Waves and their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer
     Integrate qualitative scientific and technical information to support the claim that digitized signals are a more reliable way to 
     encode and transmit information than analog signals. (PS4-3)

Week of October 20- 26
Week 8
     Introduction to Biology
     Understanding Biological Studies (Review of Middle School Biology Standards)

Week of October 27- November 2
Week 9
     From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
     Use argument based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support an explanation for how characteristic animal 
     behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of animals and plants respectively.
     (LS1-4)

Week of November 3- 9
Week 10
     From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
     Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and flow of energy 
     into and out of organisms.  (LS1-6)

Week of November 10- 16
Week 11
     Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
     Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.   
     (LS2-3)

Week of November 17- 23
Week 12
     Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
     Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem 
     affect populations. (LS2-4)

Week of November 24- 30
Week 13
     Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
     Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services. (LS2-5)

Week of December 1-7
Week 14
     Engineering Design: Extraterrestrial Gardening
     Understanding the role of Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration in the growth of plants (MS-ETS1-1,2,3 & 4)

Week of December 8-14
Week 15
     Engineering Design: Living Cells
     Understanding the functions of various organelles in the cell. (MS-ETS1,2,3 & 4)

Week of December 15-21
Week 16
     Engineering Design: Live on the Scene
     Understanding the complex energy flow through an ecosystem (MS-ETS1,2,3 & 4)

Week of January 5-11
Week 17
     Introduction to Astronomy
     Understanding the various astronomy classes and studies available in high school and college.  
    (Review of Middle School Astronomy Standards)

Week of January 12-18
Week 18
     Earth's Place in the Universe
     Analyze and interpret data to determine scale properties of objects in the solar system. (ESS1-3)

Week of January 19-25
Week 19
     Earth's Place in the Universe
     Understanding latest scientific findings of our planets

Week of January 26- February 1
Week 20
     Earth's Place in the Universe
     Understanding latest technological advances of space flight

Week of February 2-8
Week 21
     Earth's Place in the Universe
     Understanding latest scientific findings of objects beyond our solar system

Week of February 9-15
Week 22
     Introduction to Meteorology
     Understanding the study of the Atmosphere  (Review of Middle School Meteorology Standards)

Week of February 16- 22
Week 23
     Earth's Systems
     Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and 
     oceanic circulation that determine regional climates. (ESS2-6)

Week of February 23- March 1
Week 24
     Earth and Human Activity
     Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century. 
     (ESS3-5)

Week of March 2- 8
Week 25
     Introduction to Geology
     Understanding the concepts of studying geology and earth sciences. (Review of Middle School Geology Standards)

Week of March 9-15
Week 26
     Classification of Minerals
     Understanding how minerals are classified

Week of March 16- 22
Week 27
     Classification of Gems
     Understanding how precious stones and gems are classified

Week of March 23- 29
Week 28
     Understanding Rock Strata
     Reviewing the laws of geology

Week of March 30- April 5
Week 29
     Introduction to Engineering
     Understanding the disciplines of the different areas of engineering  (Review of Middle School Engineering Standards) and Engineering Principles-      Applying math and science to engineering design and why S.T.E.A.M. comes together to solve problems


Week of April 6- 12
Week 30
Discovering High School Sciences- Environmental Sciences
Understanding the concepts taught in Environmental Science Classes  
(Review of Middle School Environmental Science Standards)


Week of April 13- 26
Week 31
Discovering High School Sciences- Forensic Science
Understanding the concepts taught in Forensic Science Classes


Week of April 27- May 3
Week 32
Discovering High School Sciences- Zoology
Understanding the concepts taught in Zoology classes


Week of May 4- 10
Week 33
Discovering High School Sciences- Oceanography
Understanding the concepts taught in Oceanography classes   


Week of May 11- 17
Week 34
Discovering CTE (Career Technical Education) Classes
Understanding the concepts taught in the many Career and Technical Education Classes

Week of May 18-24
Week 35
STEAM Activity
Land Yachts Engineering Challenge