MADISON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Grade 8 Science
Authored by: Catherine Tahlmore
Reviewed by: Mr. Lee S. Nittel
Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Mr. Tom Paterson
K12 Supervisor of Science and Technology
Approval Date: Fall 2012
Members of the Board of Education:
Lisa Ellis, President
Patrick Rowe, Vice-President
Kevin Blair
Thomas Haralampoudis
Linda Gilbert
James Novotny
David Arthur
Shade Grahling
Superintendent: Dr. Michael Rossi
Madison Public Schools
359 Woodland Road, Madison, NJ 07940
www.madisonpublicschools.org
I.
OVERVIEW
The eighth grade science course is designed to provide the middle school student with experiences in
the physical sciences and to students to increase understanding of basic scientific knowledge and
processes. The topics studied include the scientific method, matter and energy, force and motion, the
nature of light, the transfer of heat, elements, compounds and mixtures, atomic structure, and the study
of acids, bases, and salts. Through the use of laboratory investigations, class discussions and evaluation,
the students are required to analyze data, understand both concrete and abstract concepts and apply
knowledge to solve new problems.
II.
RATIONALE
As stated in the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards for science, “All students can and must
learn enough science to assume their roles as concerned citizens…” The eighth grade curriculum provides
the student with the means to achieve that end. This course provides an opportunity for students to
develop an understanding of fundamental scientific principles as well as the skills necessary to perform
science investigation. Attitudes, such as curiosity, open mindedness, and a thirst for knowledge, all
essential to scientific inquiry, will be stressed. Upon completion of the course, the student will have the
ability to more fully describe, discuss and explain the core ideas and principals of both physics and
chemistry.
III.
STUDENT OUTCOMES
A. The following list identifies the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards:
5.1 Science Practices: All students will understand that science is both a body of knowledge and an
evidence-based, model-building enterprise that continually extends, refines, and revises knowledge.
The four Science Practices strands encompass the knowledge and reasoning skills that students must
acquire to be proficient in science.
A. Understand Scientific Explanations: Students understand core concepts and principles of science
and use measurement and observation tools to assist in categorizing, representing, and interpreting
the natural and designed world.
5.1.8.A.1
Demonstrate understanding and use interrelationships among central scientific
concepts to revise explanations and to consider alternative explanations.
5.1.8.A.2
Use mathematical, physical, and computational tools to build conceptual-based
models and to pose theories.
5.1.8.A.3
Use scientific principles and models to frame and synthesize scientific arguments and
pose theories.
B. Generate Scientific Evidence Through Active Investigations: Students master the conceptual,
mathematical, physical, and computational tools that need to be applied when constructing and
evaluating claims.
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5.1.8.B.1
Design investigations and use scientific instrumentation to collect, analyze, and
evaluate evidence as part of building and revising models and explanations.
5.1.8.B.2
Gather, evaluate, and represent evidence using scientific tools, technologies, and
computational strategies.
5.1.8.B.3
Use qualitative and quantitative evidence to develop evidence-based arguments.
5.1.8.B.4
Use quality controls to examine data sets and to examine evidence as a means of
generating and reviewing explanations.
C. Reflect on Scientific Knowledge: Scientific knowledge builds on itself over time.
5.1.8.C.1
Monitor one’s own thinking as understandings of scientific concepts are refined.
5.1.8.C.2
Revise predictions or explanations on the basis of discovering new evidence, learning
new information, or using models.
5.1.8.C.3
Generate new and productive questions to evaluate and refine core explanations.
D. Participate Productively in Science: The growth of scientific knowledge involves critique and
communication, which are social practices that are governed by a core set of values and norms.
5.1.8.D.1
Engage in multiple forms of discussion in order to process, make sense of, and learn
from others’ ideas, observations, and experiences.
5.1.8.D.2
Engage in productive scientific discussion practices during conversations with peers,
both face-to-face and virtually, in the context of scientific investigations and model-building.
5.1.8.D.3
Demonstrate how to safely use tools, instruments, and supplies.
5.1.8.D.4
Handle and treat organisms humanely, responsibly, and ethically.
5.2 Physical Science: All students will understand that physical science principles, including
fundamental ideas about matter, energy, and motion, are powerful conceptual tools for making
sense of phenomena in physical, living, and Earth systems science.
A. Properties of Matter: All objects and substances in the natural world are composed of matter.
Matter has two fundamental properties: matter takes up space, and matter has inertia.
5.2.6.A.1
Determine the volume of common objects using water displacement methods.
5.2.6.A.2
Calculate the density of objects or substances after determining volume and mass.
5.2.6.A.3
Determine the identity of an unknown substance using data about intrinsic properties.
5.2.8.A.1
Explain that all matter is made of atoms, and give examples of common elements.
5.2.8.A.2
Analyze and explain the implications of the statement “all substances are composed of
elements.”
5.2.8.A.3
Use the kinetic molecular model to predict how solids, liquids, and gases would behave
under various physical circumstances, such as heating or cooling.
5.2.8.A.4
Predict the physical and chemical properties of elements based on their positions on
the Periodic Table.
5.2.8.A.5
Identify unknown substances based on data regarding their physical and chemical
properties.
5.2.8.A.6
Determine whether a substance is a metal or nonmetal through student-designed
investigations.
5.2.8.A.7
Determine the relative acidity and reactivity of common acids, such as vinegar or
cream of tartar, through a variety of student-designed investigations.
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B. Changes in Matter: Substances can undergo physical or chemical changes to form new substances.
Each change involves energy.
5.2.6.B.1
Compare the properties of reactants with the properties of the products when two or
more substances are combined and react chemically.
5.2.8.B.1
Explain, using an understanding of the concept of chemical change, why the mass of
reactants and the mass of products remain constant.
5.2.8.B.2
Compare and contrast the physical properties of reactants with products after a
chemical reaction, such as those that occur during photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
C. Forms of Energy: Knowing the characteristics of familiar forms of energy, including potential and
kinetic energy, is useful in coming to the understanding that, for the most part, the natural world can
be explained and is predictable.
5.2.6.C.1
Predict the path of reflected or refracted light using reflecting and refracting
telescopes as examples.
5.2.6.C.2
Describe how to prisms can be used to demonstrate that visible light from the Sun is
made up of different colors.
5.2.6.C.3
Relate the transfer of heat from oceans and land masses to the evolution of a
hurricane.
5.2.8.C.1
Structure evidence to explain the relatively high frequency of tornadoes in “Tornado
Alley.”
5.2.8.C.2
Model and explain current technologies used to capture solar energy for the purposes
of converting it to electrical energy.
D. Energy Transfer and Conservation: The conservation of energy can be demonstrated by keeping
track of familiar forms of energy as they are transferred from one object to another.
5.2.6.D.1
Use simple circuits involving batteries and motors to compare and predict the current
flow with different circuit arrangements.
5.2.8.D.1
Relate the kinetic and potential energies of a roller coaster at various points on its
path.
5.2.8.D.2
Describe the flow of energy from the Sun to the fuel tank of an automobile.
E. Forces and Motion: It takes energy to change the motion of objects. The energy change is
understood in terms of forces.
5.2.6.E.1
Model and explain how the description of an object’s motion from one observer’s view
may be different from a different observer’s view.
5.2.6.E.2
Describe the force between two magnets as the distance between them is changed.
5.2.6.E.3
Demonstrate and explain the frictional force acting on an object with the use of a
physical model.
5.2.6.E.4
Predict if an object will sink or float using evidence and reasoning.
5.2.8.E.1
Calculate the speed of an object when given distance and time.
5.2.8.E.2
Compare the motion of an object acted on by balanced forces with the motion of an
object acted on by unbalanced forces in a given specific scenario.
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IV. COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS AND LITERACY IN SCIENCE
(Grades 6-8)
Reading
Students will:
1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts.
2. Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text
distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
3. Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or
performing technical tasks.
4. Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as
they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6–8 texts and topics.
5. Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections
contribute to the whole and to an understanding of the topic.
6. Analyze the author’s purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an
experiment in a text.
7. Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that
information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table).
8. Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.
9. Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video, or
multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic.
10. By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 6–8 text
complexity band independently and proficiently.
Writing
Students will:
1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
a. Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from
alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
b. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence that
demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among
claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument
presented.
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IV.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS AND CONTENT
A. Introduction to Physical Science
 How do scientists solve problems?
 How do scientists measure the general properties of matter?
 What metric units are used to describe the general properties of matter?
 How does scientific knowledge affect our lives?
B. Force and Motion
 What is energy and what are the main forms of energy?
 How is heat energy transferred?
 What are the fundamental quantities and units used describe motion and how are they
calculated?
 How do forces affect motion?
 How do Newton’s three laws describe motion?
C. Energy in Waves
 What is a wave and describe the different types of waves?
 What is the relationship between wavelength and frequency?
 How does color addition differ from color subtraction?
D. The Nature of Light
 How does light reflect off surfaces?
 How does light refract when passing though substances?
 What kinds of images are produced by reflection and refraction?
 What scientific advances have been made possible by the knowledge about the behavior of
light?
E. Elements, Compounds, and Mixtures
 How is matter classified?
 What are the properties of elements, compounds, and mixtures?
 How do physical and chemical changes differ?
F. Atomic Structure
 How does the structure of the atom relate to the chemical and physical properties of matter?
 How is the arrangement of the periodic table useful to scientists?
G. Acids, Bases, and Salts
 What are the four basic types of chemical reactions?
 How does the law of conservation of matter apply to chemical reactions?
 What are the major properties of acids, bases, and salts?
H. Laboratory and Experimental Situations
 What scientific approach can be taken to address a problem?
 What equipment and technology can be chosen to best investigate a particular problem?
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V.
STRATEGIES
Strategies may include:
 Power Point Presentations
 Teacher-guided class discussions
 Overhead transparencies
 Hand outs
 Demonstrations
 Teacher lecture & modeling
 Computer animations, simulations and
web quests
 Laboratory investigations (both group &
individual)
VI.
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Small group discussions & activities
Videos
Scientific Games
Research
Model building
Study Guides
GEPA review questions, games, &
activities
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Lab practical
Projects
Presentations
Final Exam
EVALUATION
Assessments may include:
 Quizzes/Tests
 Homework
 Class work
 Notebook
 Lab reports
VII.
REQUIRED RESOURCES
Textbook:
VIII.
Exploring Physical Science. Prentice Hall, 1999.
SCOPE AND SEQUENCE
Introduction to Physical Science (4 weeks)
 What is Science?
o Drawing conclusions-observation vs. assumption

Science and Technology
o Science Makes Technology Possible

Scientific Method
o Safety in the Lab
o The scientific method
 State the problem
 Gather information
 Make a hypothesis
 Devise an experiment
 Draw a conclusion
o A controlled experiment
 controls
 variable
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
What is Physical Science?
o Matter and Energy
o Properties of Matter
Mass. weight, volume, density
Force and Motion
(7 weeks)
 What is Energy?
 Potential and Kinetic Energy
 Five forms of energy
 mechanical
 heat
 chemical
 electromagnetic
 nuclear
 Law of Conservation of Energy
 Transfer of Heat
 Conduction
 Convection
 Radiation
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Motion
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Frames of Reference
Speed (rate)
average speed
constant speed
Velocity
Acceleration
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Combining Forces-balanced and unbalanced
Friction
Gravitational Force
Newton’s First Law of Motion: Inertia
Newton's Second Law: Force = Mass X Acceleration
Newton's Third Law: For every action, an equal and opposite reaction
Force
Energy in Waves
(4.5 weeks)
 What is a wave?
o Mechanical waves
o Electromagnetic waves

Shapes of Waves
o Transverse Waves
 crest and trough
 wavelength
 frequency
 amplitude
o Compressional (Longitudinal) Waves
 compression and rarefaction
 wavelength
 frequency
 amplitude
o Relationship between wavelength and frequency
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
Characteristics of a Pendulum
o Relationship between Length and Frequency

Sound Waves
o Characteristics of Sound
o Doppler effect
o Resonance

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

The Visible Spectrum
The Nature of Light
(4 weeks)
 Reflection
o Law of Reflection
o Regular and Diffuse Reflection
o Mirrors

Refraction
o Laws of Refraction
o Lenses

Uses of Light
o Optical fibers
o The Eye
o Lasers
o Telescopes
o Vision correction, myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism
Elements, Compounds, and Mixtures
(4 weeks)
 Properties of Matter
o Physical Properties
o properties of solids, liquids, gases, plasma
o changes in state
o Chemical Properties
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Elements
o
Atoms and Symbols
o
o
Major Characteristics
Molecules, Formulas, and Naming Compounds
o
o
o
Contrasting Mixtures and Compounds
Heterogeneous and Homogeneous Mixtures
Solubility
Compounds
Mixtures
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Atomic Structure
(3 weeks)
 Model of the Atom
o What is a Model?
History of Atomic Theory

Structure of the Atom
o Number and Location of Protons, Neutrons, Electrons

Chemical Bonding
o Ionic and Covalent Bonds

The Periodic Table
o Arrangement of The Periodic Table

Chemical and Physical Changes
o Characteristics of Chemical and Physical Changes
Acids, Bases, and Salts & Reactions
(4 weeks)
 Types of Chemical Reactions
 Properties of Acids, Bases, and Salts
 Neutralization
 Use of Indicators
Laboratory and Experimental Situations
(throughout year)
 Experimental design
 Instrument selection and use
 Data analysis and interpretation
 Graphical analysis
 Error identification and analysis
 Result presentation
 Future question generation
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