Here are the 8th Grade Science Topics that are covered in public schools. Some topics are new while some are taping into prior knowledge.

Science practices and tools

Identify steps of the scientific method Identify laboratory tools

Designing experiments

Identify control and experimental groups
Identify independent and dependent variables
Identify the experimental question
Identify questions that can be investigated with a set of materials

Understand an experimental protocol about plant growth

Understand an experimental protocol about diffusion

Understand an experimental protocol about evaporation

Engineering practices

Identify parts of the engineering-design process
Evaluate tests of engineering-design solutions
Use data from tests to compare engineering-design solutions

Explore the engineering-design process: going to the Moon!

Density

Calculate density, mass, and volume

Atoms and molecules

What are atoms and chemical elements?
How are substances represented by chemical formulas and models?

Identify chemical formulas for ball-and-stick models
Describe the atomic composition of molecules
Classify elementary substances and compounds using chemical formulas

Classify elementary substances and compounds using models

Chemical reactions

Identify reactants and products
Count atoms and molecules in chemical reactions

Calculate amounts of reactants or products in chemical reactions

Describe energy changes in chemical reactions
Compare physical and chemical changes
Explore chemical structure and properties: soap making

Explore chemical structure and properties: food flavors

Velocity, acceleration, and forces

Calculate velocity from time and distance Calculate distance from velocity and time Calculate time from velocity and distance Calculate velocity, distance, and time
Identify whether objects are accelerating
How does mass affect force and acceleration? Predict forces using Newton’s third law Balanced and unbalanced forces

Kinetic and potential energy

Identify changes in gravitational potential energy
Use tables and graphs to identify patterns about kinetic energy Explore energy transformations: roller coaster ride
Explore energy transformations: bike ride

Thermal energy

Predict heat flow and temperature changes Compare thermal energy transfers

Particle motion and energy

How does particle motion affect temperature?
Particle motion and changes of state
How does particle motion affect gas pressure?
Identify how particle motion affects temperature and pressure

Waves

Compare amplitudes, wavelengths, and frequencies of waves

Compare energy of waves

Solutions

Compare concentrations of solutions

Diffusion across membranes

Classification and scientific names

Identify common and scientific names

Origins of scientific names
Use scientific names to classify organisms

Biochemistry

Structure and function: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids

Understanding the chemistry of cellular respiration

Cells

Understanding cells
Identify functions of plant cell parts

Identify functions of animal cell parts

Plant cell diagrams: label parts

Animal cell diagrams: label parts Compare cells and cell parts

Anatomy and physiology

Organization in the human body: the heart and the circulatory system Science literacy: how does the nervous system produce phantom pain?

Genes to traits

Inherited and acquired traits: use evidence to support a statement Genetics vocabulary: genotype and phenotype
Genetics vocabulary: dominant and recessive
Genetic variation in sexual reproduction

Complete and interpret Punnett squares
Use Punnett squares to calculate ratios of offspring types
Use Punnett squares to calculate probabilities of offspring types Genes, proteins, and traits: understanding the genetic code Describe the effects of gene mutations on organisms
How do genes and the environment affect plant growth?

Adaptations and natural selection

How can animal behaviors affect reproductive success?

Identify evidence to support a claim Introduction to natural selection
Calculate the percentages of traits in a population
Calculate the averages of traits in a population

Construct explanations of natural selection

Fossils

Compare ages of fossils in a rock sequence

Plant reproduction

Angiosperm and conifer life cycles Moss and fern life cycles

Photosynthesis

How do plants use and change energy?

Identify the photosynthetic organism

Ecosystems

Describe populations, communities, and ecosystems

Identify ecosystems
Describe ecosystems

Ecological interactions

How does matter move in food chains?
Interpret food webs
Use food chains to predict changes in populations

Classify symbiotic relationships
Investigate primary succession on a volcanic island

Conservation

Coral reef biodiversity and human uses: explore a problem

Coral reef biodiversity and human uses: evaluate solutions

Natural resources and human impacts

Evaluate claims about natural resource use: groundwater

Evaluate claims about natural resource use: fossil fuels

Rocks and minerals

Identify rocks and minerals
Label parts of rock cycle diagrams

Select parts of rock cycle diagrams

Plate tectonics

Label Earth layers
Label Earth features at tectonic plate boundaries

Describe tectonic plate boundaries around the world

Topographic maps

Select parts of a topographic map

Water cycle

Label parts of water cycle diagrams Select parts of water cycle diagrams

Weather and climate

Use data to describe climates

Explore air masses
Identify and compare air masses

How do air masses form?

Climate change

The greenhouse effect

Natural hazards

Analyze natural hazard maps

Astronomy

Analyze models of the Earth-Sun-Moon system Identify phases of the Moon

What causes the seasons on Earth?
Analyze data to compare properties of planets

Units and measurement

Choose customary units of distance, mass, and volume Choose metric units of distance, mass, and volume Estimate temperatures
Abbreviate length, speed, and acceleration units Abbreviate temperature, mass, and volume units Abbreviate force, energy, and electricity units