Indiana Academic Standards -- Grade 8 Science

8.1.1 Recognize that and describe how scientific knowledge is subject to modification as new information challenges prevailing theories and as a new theory leads to looking at old observations in a new way.
• The Laws of Physical Science AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc91/1.asp
  

8.1.2 Recognize and explain that some matters cannot be examined usefully in a scientific way.

8.1.3 Recognize and describe that if more than one variable changes at the same time in an experiment, the outcome of the experiment may not be attributable to any one of the variables.

The Scientific Enterprise

8.1.4 Explain why accurate record keeping, openness, and replication are essential for maintaining an investigator's credibility with other scientists and society.

8.1.5 Explain why research involving human subjects requires potential subjects be fully informed about the risks and benefits associated with the research and that they have the right to refuse to participate.

8.1.6 Identify the constraints that must be taken into account as a new design is developed, such as gravity and the properties of the materials to be used.

8.1.7 Explain why technology issues are rarely simple and one-sided because contending groups may have different values and priorities.

8.1.8 Explain that humans help shape the future by generating knowledge, developing new technologies, and communicating ideas to others.

Standard 2 -- Scientific Thinking

8.2.1 Estimate distances and travel times from maps and the actual size of objects from scale drawings.

8.2.2 Determine in what unit, such as seconds, meters, grams, etc., an answer should be expressed based on the units of the inputs to the calculation.

• Units
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc91/2b.asp
  
• Dimensional Analysis
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc91/2c.asp
  

8.2.3 Use proportional reasoning to solve problems.
• Newton's Rules of Reasoning
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc91/1b.asp
  

8.2.4 Use technological devices, such as calculators and computers, to perform calculations.

8.2.5 Use computers to store and retrieve information in topical, alphabetical, numerical, and

key-word files and create simple files of students' own devising.

8.2.6 Write clear, step-by-step instructions (procedural summaries) for conducting investigations, operating something, or following a procedure.

8.2.7 Participate in group discussions on scientific topics by restating or summarizing accurately what others have said, asking for clarification or elaboration, and expressing alternative positions.

8.2.8 Use tables, charts, and graphs in making arguments and claims in, for example, oral and written presentations about lab or fieldwork.

• Graphing
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc91/2d.asp
  

8.2.9 Explain why arguments are invalid if based on very small samples of data, biased samples, or samples for which there was no control sample.

8.2.10 Identify and criticize the reasoning in arguments in which fact and opinion are intermingled or the conclusions do not follow logically from the evidence given, an analogy is not apt, no mention is made of whether the control group is very much like the experimental group, or all members of a group are implied to have nearly identical characteristics that differ from those of other groups.

Standard 3 -- The Physical Setting

8.3.2 Explain that the slow movement of material within the Earth results from heat flowing out of the deep interior and the action of gravitational forces on regions of different density.
• The Core
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ear82/1b.asp
  
• The Mantle
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ear82/1c.asp
  

8.3.3 Explain that the solid crust of the Earth, including both the continents and the ocean basins, consists of separate plates that ride on a denser, hot, gradually deformable layer of earth. Understand that the crust sections move very slowly, pressing against one another in some places, pulling apart in other places. Further understand that ocean-floor plates may slide under continental plates, sinking deep into the Earth, and that the surface layers of these plates may fold, forming mountain ranges.
• The Crust
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ear82/1d.asp
  
• Plate Tectonics AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ear82/2.asp
  

8.3.4 Explain that earthquakes often occur along the boundaries between colliding plates, and molten rock from below creates pressure that is released by volcanic eruptions, helping to build up mountains. Understand that under the ocean basins, molten rock may well up between separating plates to create new ocean floor. Further understand that volcanic activity along the ocean floor may form undersea mountains, which can thrust above the ocean's surface to become islands.
• Plate Boundaries
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ear82/2c.asp
  
• Earthquakes AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ear82/3.asp
  
• Volcanoes: Part 1 AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ear82/4.asp
  
• Volcanoes: Part 2 AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ear82/5.asp
  

8.3.5 Explain that everything on or anywhere near the Earth is pulled toward the Earth's center by a gravitational force.
• Mass and Weight
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc91/4e.asp
  

8.3.6 Understand and explain that the benefits of the Earth's resources, such as fresh water, air, soil, and trees, are finite and can be reduced by using them wastefully or by deliberately or accidentally destroying them.
• Our Role in Earth's Future
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ear82/12.asp
  

8.3.7 Explain that the atmosphere and the oceans have a limited capacity to absorb wastes and recycle materials naturally.
• Ocean Resources
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ear81/4g.asp
  
• Pollution
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ear82/12c.asp
  

8.3.8 Explain that all matter is made up of atoms which are far too small to see directly through an optical microscope. Understand that the atoms of any element are similar but are different from atoms of other elements. Further understand that atoms may stick together in well defined molecules or may be packed together in large arrays. Also understand that different arrangements of atoms into groups comprise all substances.
• It's Elementary
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc92/1d.asp
  
• Atoms and Their Structure
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc92/1e.asp
  
• Molecules
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc92/1f.asp
  
• Atomic Properties
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc92/1g.asp
  

8.3.9 Demonstrate, using drawings and models, the movement of atoms in a solid , liquid , and gaseous state. Explain that atoms and molecules are perpetually in motion .
• State and Phase Changes AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc92/9.asp
  

8.3.10 Explain that increased temperature means that atoms have a greater average energy of motion and that most gases expand when heated.
• Melting Points of Solids
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc92/9a.asp
  

8.3.11 Describe how groups of elements can be classified based on similar properties, including highly reactive metals , less reactive metals, highly reactive non-metals , less reactive non-metals, and some almost completely non-reactive gases.
• Patterns in Chemistry
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc92/2.asp
  

8.3.12 Explain that no matter how substances within a closed system interact with one another, or how they combine or break apart, the total mass of the system remains the same. Understand that the atomic theory explains the conservation of matter: if the number of atoms stays the same no matter how they are rearranged, then their total mass stays the same.
• Balancing Equations
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc92/7c.asp
  

8.3.13 Explain that energy cannot be created or destroyed but only changed from one form into another.
• Balancing Equations
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc92/7c.asp
  
• Conservative and Nonconservative Forces
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc91/7c.asp
  
• Calculating Kinetic and Potential Energy
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc91/7d.asp
  
• Conservation of Energy
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc91/7e.asp
  

8.3.14 Describe how heat can be transferred through materials by the collision of atoms, or across space by radiation , or if the material is fluid, by convection currents that are set up in it that aid the transfer of heat.

8.3.15 Identify different forms of energy that exist in nature.

8.3.16 Explain that every object exerts gravitational force on every other object and that the force depends on how much mass the objects have and how far apart they are.
• Universal Gravitation
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc91/9b.asp
  
• The Inverse Square Law
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc91/9c.asp
  
• Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc91/9d.asp
  

8.3.17 Explain that the sun's gravitational pull holds the Earth and other planets in their orbits, just as the planets' gravitational pull keeps their moons in orbit around them.
• Kepler's Laws
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc91/9a.asp
  
• Universal Gravitation
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc91/9b.asp
  

8.3.18 Investigate and explain that electric currents and magnets can exert force on each other.

8.3.19 Investigate and compare series and parallel circuits.

8.3.20 Compare the differences in power consumption in different electrical devices.

Standard 4 -- The Living Environment

• Energy and Organisms AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/lif71/2.asp
  

8.4.1 Differentiate between inherited traits, such as hair color or flower color, and acquired skills, such as manners.
• Genetics AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/lif71/8.asp
  

8.4.2 Describe that in some organisms, such as yeast or bacteria, all genes come from a single parent, while in those that have sexes, typically half of the genes come from each parent.
• Growth and Reproduction
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/lif71/7.asp
  

8.4.3 Recognize and describe that new varieties of cultivated plants, such as corn and apples, and domestic animals, such as dogs and horses, have resulted from selective breeding for particular traits.
• Genetics AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/lif71/8.asp
  

8.4.4 Describe how matter is transferred from one organism to another repeatedly and between organisms and their physical environment.
• Energy and Organisms AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/lif71/2.asp
  

8.4.5 Explain that energy can be transferred from one form to another in living things.
• Energy and Organisms
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/lif71/2.asp
  

8.4.6 Describe how animals get their energy from oxidizing their food and releasing some of this energy as heat.
• Energy and Organisms AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/lif71/2.asp
  
• Respiration
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/lif71/6c.asp
  
• Comparing Photosynthesis and Respiration
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/lif71/6d.asp
  

8.4.7 Recognize and explain that small genetic differences between parents and offspring can accumulate in successive generations so that descendants are very different from their ancestors.
• Human Genetics
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/lif71/8d.asp
  
• Mutations: Changing the Code
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/lif71/9c.asp
  
• Genetic Disorders: A Molecular Approach
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/lif71/9d.asp
  
• Evolution: Populations in Motion AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/lif72/1.asp
  

8.4.8 Describe how environmental conditions affect the survival of individual organisms and how entire species may prosper in spite of the poor survivability or bad fortune of individuals.
• Response to Environment
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/lif71/1e.asp
  
• Abiotic Factors AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/lif71/5.asp
  
• Biomes
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/lif72/9a.asp
  

8.4.9 Recognize and describe that fossil evidence is consistent with the idea that human beings evolved from earlier species.
• Geologic Timetable
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/lif72/1e.asp
  
• Human Evolution
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/lif72/8h.asp
  

Standard 5 -- The Mathematical World

8.5.6 Explain that a single example can never prove that something is always true, but it could prove that something is not always true.

8.5.7 Recognize and describe the danger of making over-generalizations when inventing a general rule based on a few observations.

8.5.8 Explain how estimates can be based on data from similar conditions in the past or on the assumption that all the possibilities are known.

8.5.9 Compare the mean , median , and mode of a data set.

8.5.10 Explain how the comparison of data from two groups involves comparing both their middles and the spreads.

Standard 6 -- Historical Perspectives

8.6.1 Understand and explain that Antoine Lavoisier's work was based on the idea that when materials react with each other, many changes can take place, but that in every case the total amount of matter afterward is the same as before. Note that Lavoisier successfully tested the concept of conservation of matter by conducting a series of experiments in which he carefully measured the masses of all the substances involved in various chemical reactions, including the gases used and those given off.
• Fool's Gold: From Alchemy to Chemistry AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc92/1.asp
  
• It's Elementary
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc92/1d.asp
  
• Reaction Types
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc92/8.asp
  

8.6.2 Understand and describe that the accidental discovery that minerals containing uranium darken photographic film, as light does, led to the discovery of radioactivity.

8.6.3 Understand that and describe how in their laboratory in France, Marie Curie and her husband, Pierre Curie, isolated two new elements that were the source of most of the radioactivity of the uranium ore. Note that they named one radium because it gave off powerful, invisible rays, and the other polonium in honor of Madame Curie's country of birth, Poland. Also note that Marie Curie was the first scientist ever to win the Nobel Prize in two different fields, in physics, shared with her husband, and later in chemistry.

8.6.4 Describe how the discovery of radioactivity as a source of the Earth's heat energy made it possible to understand how the Earth can be several billion years old and still have a hot interior.

• Formation of the Earth
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ear82/1a.asp
  

Standard 7 -- Common Themes

8.7.5 Observe and describe that a system may stay the same because nothing is happening or because things are happening that counteract one another.

8.7.6 Recognize that and describe how symmetry may determine properties of many objects, such as molecules, crystals, organisms, and designed structures.

• Solid Crystal Shapes
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/psc92/9b.asp
  
• Identifying Minerals by Physical Properties
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ear82/6b.asp
  

8.7.7 Illustrate how things such as seasons or body temperature occur in cycles.
• Earth's Cycles: Rotation and Revolution
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ear81/2.asp
  
• The Water Cycle
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ear81/3.asp
  
• The Rock Cycle
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ear82/7.asp
  
• The Living Earth
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ear82/11.asp