Curriculum Map: Science Grade 8 Page 1 of 2 pages

Curriculum Map: Science ­ Grade 8
Course: Science 8 ­ Subtopic: Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
Detailed
Description:
The eighth grade Science course incorporates three strands of science. They include: Physical Science (heat, magnetism, electricity, sound, light and a heavy
emphasis in chemistry), Astronomy (astronomical tools, the planets, and the stars), and Ecology (marine ecology, rainforest ecology, species adaptations, and
ecological careers). The course emphasizes the steps of the scientific method by using a myriad of hands­on labs, national science standard software and problemsolving
activities that involve analyzing discrepant events. All units incorporate individual and cooperative learning activities.
Strand: 1.0 Science ­­ Problem Solving
Content Strand: 1.1 Explain and Apply Scientific and Technological Knowledge
Content Strand: 1.2 Apply Process Knowledge to Make and Interpret Observations
Content Strand: 1.3 Identify and Use the Elements of Scientific Inquiry to Solve Problems
Strand: 2.0 Science ­­ Physical Science ­­ "Heat"
Content Strand: 2.1 Relate Energy Sources and Transfers to Heat and Temperature
Strand: 3.0 Science ­­ Magnetism and Electricity
Content Strand: 3.1 Explain the Parts and Functions in an Electrical Circuit
Strand: 4.0 Science ­­ Sound and Light
Content Strand: 4.1 Identify and Describe Changes in Moving Objects
Content Strand: 4.2 Explain How Convex and Concave Mirrors and Lenses Change Light Images
Strand: 5.0 Science ­­ Earth and Moon
Content Strand: 5.1 Describe Essential Ideas About the Composition and Structure of the Universe and the Earth's Place In It
Strand: 6.0 The Solar System and Stars of the Universe
Content Strand: 6.1 Identify Patterns as Repeated Processes or Recurring Elements in Science and Technology
Content Strand: 6.2 Explain Scale as a Way of Relating Concepts and Ideas to One Another by Some Measure
Content Strand: 6.3 Describe Essential Ideas About the Composition and Structure of the Universe and the Earth's Place In It
Strand: 7.0 Matter, Periodic Table, Chemical Reactions and Chemical Technology
Content Strand: 7.1 Describe Concepts About the Structure and Properties of Matter
Content Strand: 7.2 Identify Elements as Basic Building Blocks of Matter That Cannot be Broken Down Chemically
Content Strand: 7.3 Distinguish Compounds From Mixtures
Content Strand: 7.4 Describe and Conduct Experiments That Identify Chemical and Physical Properties
Content Strand: 7.5 Describe Reactants and Products of Simple Chemical Reactions
Strand: 8.0 Ecology
Content Strand: 8.1 Describe the Use of Models as an Application of Scientific or Technological Concepts
Content Strand: 8.2 Identify and Describe Different Types of Models and Their Functions
Content Strand: 8.3 Apply Models to Predict Specific Results and Observations (e.g., Population Growth)
Content Strand: 8.4 Explain the Flows of Energy and Matter From Organism to Organism Within an Ecosystem
Content Strand: 8.5 Identify and Explain the Characteristics of Biotic and Abiotic
Content Strand: 8.6 Describe and Explain the Adaptations of Plants and Animals to Their Environment
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Content Strand: 8.7 Demonstrate the Dependency of Living Components in the Ecosystem on the Nonliving Components
Content Strand: 8.8 Explain Energy Flow Through a Food Chain, Web and Pyramid
Content Strand: 8.9 Explain the Importance of the Predator/Prey Relationship and How It Maintains the Balances Within
Ecosystems
Content Strand: 8.10 Understand Limiting Factors and Predict Their Effects on an Organism
Content Strand: 8.11 Identify Niches for Producers, Consumers and Decomposers Within an Ecosystem
Content Strand: 8.12 Compare and Contrast the Major Ecosystems of Pennsylvania
Content Strand: 8.13 Identify the Major Characteristics of a Biome
Content Strand: 8.14 Compare and Contrast Different Biomes and Their Characteristics
Content Strand: 8.15 Identify the Relationship of Abiotic and Biotic Components and Explain Their Interaction in an Ecosystem
Content Strand: 8.16 Explain How Different Soil Types Determine the Characteristics of Ecosystems
Content Strand: 8.17 Explain the Concepts of Cycles
Content Strand: 8.18 Identify and Explain Cycles Within an Ecosystem
Content Strand: 8.19 Analyze the Role of Different Cycles Within an Ecosystem
Content Strand: 8.20 Explain How Ecosystems Change Over Time
Content Strand: 8.21 Identify the Succession Stages of a Given Ecosystem
Content Strand: 8.22 Explain How Specific Organisms May Change an Ecosystem
Content Strand: 8.23 Explain a Change in an Ecosystem That Relates to Humans
Strand: 9.0 Ecology Adaptations
Content Strand: 9.1 Describe Diversity of Plants and Animals in Ecosystems
Content Strand: 9.2 Select an Ecosystem and Describe Different Plants and Animals That Life There
Content Strand: 9.3 Identify Adaptations in Plants and Animals
Content Strand: 9.4 Recognize That Adaptations are Developed Over Long Periods of time and are Passed on From One
Generation to the Next
Content Strand: 9.5 Understand Levels of Ecosystem Organization (e.g., Individuals, Populations, Species)
Content Strand: 9.6 Explain How Species of Living Organisms Adapt to Their Environment
Content Strand: 9.7 Explain the Role of Individual Variations in Natural Selection
Content Strand: 9.8 Explain How an Adaptation is an Inherited Structure or Behavior That Helps an Organism Survive and
Reproduce
Content Strand: 9.9 Describe How a Particular Trait May be Selected Over Time and Account for a Species' Adaptations
Content Strand: 9.10 Compare and Contrast Animals and Plants That Have Very Specific Survival Requirements With Those That
Have More General Requirements for Survival
Content Strand: 9.11 Explain How One Species May Survive an Environmental Change While Another Might Not
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