Name:_____________________________ Hour: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Date:__________________
8th Grade Review Packet
Science Standards and Vocabulary
The following will be a list of the 8th grade science standards and objectives we have covered throughout
the year. For each standard please write down the information you have learned about the standard,
science labs that were done while learning the standard, and any additional information that is now
being taught about the standard.
Also please define as many scientific words as you can that are found in the standards and objectives.
Rocks and Minerals Unit Standards and Objectives (DAYS 1 & 2)
1. Are most rocks composed of minerals?
2. Minerals found in rocks have various unique characteristics. Describe some of the
characteristics and how they can differ. Some of the characteristics might be shape, color, luster,
texture, hardness.
3. How could I tell the difference between an igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic rock?
4. Diagram and explain the rock cycle.
5. Describe the role of energy in the processes that change rock materials over time.
6. How could you use a model to demonstrate how erosion changes the surface of the Earth?
7. How does gravity affect Earth’s surface.
8. Identify the role of weathering of rocks in soil formation.
9. Describe and model the processes of fossil formation.
10. Describe how the deposition of rock materials produces layering of sedimentary rocks over
time.
11. Identify the assumptions scientists make to determine relative ages of rock layers.
12. Explain why some sedimentary rock layers may not always appear with youngest rock on
top and older rocks below (folding and faulting).
13. Research how fossils show evidence of the changing surface of the Earth.
14. Propose why more recently deposited rock layers are more likely to contain fossils
resembling existing species than older rock layers.
15. Describe how energy from the Earth’s interior causes changes to Earth’s surface
(earthquakes and volcanoes).
16. Describe how earthquakes and volcanoes transfer energy from Earth’s interior to the surface
(seismic waves transfer mechanical energy, flowing magma transfers heat and mechanical
energy).
17. Describe the process of energy buildup and release in earthquakes.
18. Investigate and report possible reasons why the best engineering or ecological practices are
not always followed in making decisions about building roads, dams, and other structures.
19. How can small changes over time add up to major changes to Earth’s surface?
Rocks and Minerals Vocabulary – Define the following words
1. Volcano
2. Earthquake
3. Weathering
4. Minerals
5. Fossils
6. Sedimentary
7. Magma
8. Metamorphic
9. Rock Cycle
10. Igneous
11. Sedimentation
12. Deposition
13. Geology
14. Paleontology
Chemistry Unit Standards and Objectives (DAYS 3 & 4)
1. What is the difference between chemical and physical properties?
2. How can we classify substances based on their chemical and physical properties?
3. Investigate and report on the chemical and physical properties of two different substances of
your choosing.
4. What type of observable evidence can be seen when a physical change has occurred. Also list
examples of these types of physical changes.
5. What type of observable evidence can be seen when a chemical change takes places. Also list
examples of these types of chemical changes.
6. What are some chemical reactions that involve atmospheric oxygen? Please describe them.
7. What type of effects does a chemical change have on physical properties of a substance?
8. Identify the kinds of energy given off or taken in when a substance undergoes a chemical or
physical change. Think about some of the labs we did and describe them.
9. Relate the amount of energy added or taken away from a substance to the motion of the
molecules in the substance.
10. Describe how heat may be given off or taken in during a chemical change. (Think about
endothermic and exothermic reactions)
11. Identify the reactants and products in the chemical change of photosynthesis and respiration.
Describe the presence of the same atoms in both the reactants and products by counting up the
number and types of atoms.
12. Describe why photosynthesis, cellular respiration, combustion, and rusting would be
chemical reactions.
13. What is the conservation of mass law? If I mix two solutions together that result in a color
change or formation of a precipitate and then I weigh the solutions before and after are they the
same?
14. How have scientists and engineers applied principles of chemistry to an application
encountered in daily life such as heat resistant plastic handles of pans or rust resistant paints on
highway bridges?
Chemistry Unit Vocabulary – Define the following words
1. Chemical Properties
4. Physical Change
7. Products
10. Temperature
13. Chemical Energy
2. Physical Properties
5. Reaction
8. Respiration
11. Molecules
14. Atoms
3. Chemical Change
6. Reactants
9. Photosynthesis
12. Heat Energy
15. Energy
Ecology Unit Standards and Objectives (DAYS 5 & 6)
1. Why is photosynthesis so important? List several reasons. Also what is the energy
conversion that occurs during photosynthesis? What is the equation for photosynthesis?
2. What is respiration? What type of energy conversion happens when energy is released from
foods? What do we do with the energy we get from respiration? What is the equation for
cellular respiration?
3. Trace the path of energy from the sun to animals using foods during respiration. Draw a
picture below.
4. Define the following relationships producer/consumer/decomposer, predator/prey, and
mutualism/parasitism. Also provides examples of each
5. Create a food chain or a food web where you trace the flow of energy between different levels.
6. How can air, temperature, water, and light effect seed germination, growth rates, and seasonal
adaptations?
7. Why do multiple scientists study the same ecosystem? Why is that important?
8. Describe specific examples of how humans have changed the capacity of an environment to
support specific life forms. Things you could discuss are wetland creation, nesting boxes, acid
rain damage, clear cutting of forests and urban sprawl.
9. What is the difference between an inference and evidence when you are reading a newspaper
article that describes the effects of humans on local environments.
10. Pick a specific food web and infer the potential effects that humans could have on it.
11. Evaluate and present arguments for and against allowing a specific species of plant or
animal to become extinct, and relate the argument to the flow of energy in an ecosystem.
Ecology Unit Vocabulary
1. Food Web
5. Predator
9. Prey
13. Mutualism
17. Capacity
2. Food Chain
6. Energy Flow
10. Producer
14. Parasitism
18. Organism
3. Photosynthesis
7. Solar Energy
11. Consumer
15. Competition
19. Decomposer
4. Respiration
8. Chemical Energy
12. Mechanical Energy
16. Environment
Energy and Physics Unit Standards and Objectives (DAYS 7 & 8)
1. What does energy have to do with the size of a wave’s wavelength?
2. Sound, light, earthquakes, and heat travel in waves. What types of mediums do they travel
through?
3. How does energy spread away from an energy producing source? Draw a picture and
describe it.
4. How is heat transferred by conduction, convection, and radiation? Provide at least 2
examples of each.
5. How can white light be separated into the visible color spectrum?
6. What are 4 differences between mass and weight? Definition of each, how we measure each,
scientific unit of measurement for each, and which one is constant and why.
7. Gravitational force that is exerted on an object by another object is determined by what two
factors? Please describe them in detail and tell me how you could change the gravitational force
exerted on you by your science textbook.
8. How do we calculate the mechanical advantage of a lever? Draw a lever with its 3 parts and
calculate your lever’s mechanical advantage based on the effort arm and resistance arm distance.
9. What types of simple machines are technically levers? How do they provide a mechanical
advantage to accomplish a task?
10. How is friction used to control the motion of an object?
11. Describe the complex machine that you drew. (Remember the Rube Goldberg Project)
12. What principles help us engineer changes in force and motion? Think about Newton’s Laws
of Motion.
13. Describe the cyclic nature of potential and kinetic energy that can be seen when you bounce
a ball or watch a pendulum swing.
14. Trace the conversion of energy from one form of energy to another. List at least 4 energy
conversion examples below and describe them.
15. Cite examples of how organisms sense various types of energy.
16. Investigate and report the response of various organisms to changes in energy (plant
response to light, human response to motion, sound, light, insects response to change in light
intensity).
17. Describe how engineers have developed devices to help us sense various types of energy.
Engineers have developed seismographs, eyeglasses, telescopes, and hearing aids to help us
sense energy. Please describe how each of these helps us detect energy.
Energy and Physics Unit Vocabulary
1. Energy
4. Force
7. Wave
2. Potential Energy
5. Gravity
8. Friction
3. Kinetic Energy
6. Complex Machine
9. Amplitude