8th Grade Curriculum (revised 8/20/14)
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3 days spent on expectations, safety and
passing out all 4 books.
(Number of days is approximate because snow days, Inservice days, assemblies, etc. messed with the timeline.)
Introduction Unit (packet and book K) (30
days)
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Stars project
Class expectations and safety
Matter (Atoms, elem, comp, mixture, counting
atoms, atomic/mass no. compound)
Movie: Matter
Lab: Models of atoms (cardboard and beads)
Solutions (hetero and homogeneous )
Metric system (measuring, mass, weight, volume,
distance, water displacement, conversions)
Inclusion quiz
Density (demos- coke, steel ball)
Lab: Density of a Pencil
Movie: Density
States of matter and changing states
Physical and chemical properties/reactions
Lab: Chemistry in a Ziploc
Inclusion quiz
Energy and heat
Demo: Melting ice on black plates demo
Water and its properties
Scientific inquiry
Lab: Experimental design
Branches of ES and spheres
Inclusion quiz
Intro test
Practice Active reading
Geology Unit (E) Dynamic Earth
Minerals (Unit 3, lesson 1) (13 days)
 Active Reading with Mineral lesson
 Characteristics of Minerals
 Formation of Minerals
 Properties of Minerals
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Lab: Mineralogy
Fluorescent minerals
Mining
Movie: “Common Ground – Modern Mining and
You”
 Lab: Cookie Mining
 Mighty Mineral Project
 Mineral Lab Exam
 Mineral written test (inclusion)
Rocks (Unit 3, lesson 2) (12 days)
 Active Reading practice with Rock lesson
 Rocks and Minerals movie
 Igneous rocks
 Sedimentary rocks
 Mechanical weathering lab (abrasion)
 Rock quiz
 Metamorphic rocks
 Lab: Rocks (pictures in the hall)
 Rock cycle
 Movie: Rock Cycle
 Rock Cycle Play
 Soil (not in this chapter)
 Movie: Rocks and Soil
 Rocks and Soil Test
 Rocks and Soil quiz
Plate Tectonics (Unit 4, lessons 1 and 2)) (13 days for
lessons 1 and 2))
 Lab: Black box lab/What is it?
 Intro seismic waves
 Movie: Earth’s Crust
 Earth’s layer
 Plasticity lab (optional)
 Continental puzzle
 Movie: Plate Tectonics
 Plate tectonics (CD-Rom)
 Heat transfer
 Lab: Conduction
 Demo convection (lab?)
 Quiz (lesson 2) inclusion
 Test (lessons 1 and 2)
Lab exam: Performance Assessment (1 day)
Mid-term review (3 days)
Mountain Building (Unit 4, lesson 3) (10 days for lessons 3
and 4)
 Folding and faulting
 Movie: Faulting and Folding
 3 types of mountains
 Quiz (lesson 3)
 Lab: Plotting Earthquakes and Volcanoes
Volcanoes (Unit 4, lesson 4)
 Lab: Magma and landforms
 Landforms
 Lab: Viscosity
 Volcanic eruptions
 Hot spots
 Movie: Violent Hawaii
 Bill Nye Movie: Volcanoes
 Yellowstone article worksheet
 Test (lessons 3 and 4)
 Quiz (lesson 4 )
Stratigraphic columns (not in book) (1 day)
Earthquakes (Unit 4, lesson 5) (8 days for lessons 5 and 6)
 Causes and boundaries
 Earthquake simulation
 Lab: Design and Make an EQ Proof House
 Effects of earthquakes
Measuring Earthquakes (Unit 4, lesson 6)
 Seismic waves
 Lab: Measuring seismic waves (slinky)
 Movie: Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami
 Magnitude and damage (3 scales)
 Test (lessons 5 and 6)
Astronomy Unit: (G) Space Science
Earth’s days, Years and Seasons
Moon Phases and Eclipses
Earth’s Tides (Unit 3, lessons 1 - 3) (11 days)
 Seasons
 Movie: Seasons
 Season’s lab
 Inclusion seasons quiz
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Phases
YouTube video clips - phases
Phases lab (talk about gravity and the universe)
Inclusion phases quiz
Eclipses
You tube video clips - eclipses
Eclipse lab
Inclusion eclipses quiz
Tides
You tube video clips - tides
Inclusion tides quiz
Unit 3 test
Meteorology Unit (F) Earth’s Water and
Atmosphere
The Atmosphere (Unit 3, lesson 1) (17 days for lessons 1
and 2))
 Composition
 Layers foldable notes
 Layers lab
 Inclusion Layers quiz
 Air pressure demonstrations (balloon, peep,
shaving cream and water bottle)
 Air pressure notes
 1, 2, 3 Candle lab
 Heat notes
 Heating and Cooling lab
 HP formal write up for this lab
 Rest of classes fill in the lab sheets
Energy Transfer (Unit 3, lesson 2)
 Energy and Temperature
 Heat transfer foldable/pictures
 Punk lab
 Inclusion Heat Transfer quiz
Wind in the Atmosphere (Unit 3, lesson 3) (5 days)
 Wind, Pressure, Coriolis Effect
 Global winds foldable
 Movie: Winds
 Jet stream
 Local winds notes/picture
 Wind test
 Inclusion quiz on winds
Elements of Weather (Unit 4, lesson 1) (7 days for lesson 1
and 2)
 Properties of water /watershed (not in this
chapter)
 Elements of weather
 Humidity and Relative humidity chart practice
 Precipitation and Weather instruments
 Movie: Rain and Snow
 Inclusion quiz on instruments
 Inclusion quiz on elements
 Inclusion “Severe Weather project”
Clouds and Cloud Formation (Unit 4, lesson2)
 Clouds
 Cloud foldable
 Movie: Clouds
 Inclusion quiz on clouds
 Test on Elements and Clouds
What Influences Weather? (Unit 4 Lesson 3) (9 days
lessons 3 and 4)
 Water table, water cycle, watersheds
 Air masses (not in book)
 Inclusion quiz on air masses
 Fronts
 Inclusion quiz on fronts
 Air pressure and how they interact
 Pressure systems and weather
 Inclusion quiz on pressure systems
 Global wind and effects on weather
 Inclusion global winds quiz
 Jet stream and effect on weather
 Ocean currents and effect on weather
Severe Weather and Weather Safety (Unit 4, lesson 4)
 Severe Weather Jigsaw and presentations
 Votex lab
 Movie: Storms
 Test on Lessons 3 and 4
Weather Maps and Weather Predictions (Unit 4 lesson 5)
(8 days)
 Weather collection devices
 Station model
 Surface weather maps
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Practice with USA white boards
Movie: Meteorology
Flyswatter game
Lesson 5 test
Astronomy Unit: (G) Space Science
Structure of the Universe (Unit 1 Lesson 1) (7 days for
lessons 1 - 3)
 Big Bang (not in book)
 Movie: The Universe
 Our place in space
 Role of gravity
 Relative sizes of the structures of the universe
 Inclusion quiz on structure
Spectroscopes and spectroscope lab (1 day)
Stars (Unit 1 lesson 2)
 Characteristics (size, brightness, color)
 Inclusion quiz on stars
Life cycle of Stars (Unit 1 lesson 3)
 Life cycle of 3 different massed stars
 Make and graphic organizer showing the 3 life
cycles.
 H-R diagram lab
 Inclusion quiz on life cycle and H-R diagram
 Unit 1 test
Historical Models of the Solar System Optional (Unit 2
Lesson 1) (4 days for lessons 1 and 2)
 The men worksheet
Gravity and the Solar System (Unit 2 lesson 2)
 Review gravity and orbit
 Review inertia
 Formation of the solar system (nebular theory)
graphic organizer and picture
The Sun (Unit 2 lesson 3) (5 days for lessons 3- 6, ran out
of time)
 Facts about the sun
 Structure of the sun
 Picture of the structure of the sun
 Nuclear fusion
 Energy transfer
 Rotation of the sun
 Sunspot lab
 Movie: The Sun
 Sun quiz
The Terrestrial Planets (Unit 2 Lesson 4) not much detail
needed – general info
 Inclusion class – Planetary travel Agency project
 Possible age/weight on planets lab
 Read and discuss inner planets
The Gas Giant Planets (Unit 2 Lesson 5) not much detail
needed – general info
 Read and discuss outer planets
Small Bodies in the Solar System (Unit 2 Lesson 6) Know
definitions and relative sizes
 Go over info on small bodies
 Movie: Comets and Meteors
Final Exam review (3 days)