The Practice of Science

Define a problem from the eighth grade curriculum using appropriate reference materials to support scientific understanding, plan and carry out scientific investigations of various types, such as systematic observations or experiments, identify variables, collect and organize data, interpret data in charts, tables, and graphics, analyze information, make predictions, and defend conclusions. 

The Practice of Science

Design and conduct a study using repeated trials and replication.

The Practice of Science

Use phrases such as "results support" or "fail to support" in science, understanding that science does not offer conclusive 'proof' of a knowledge claim.

The Practice of Science

Explain how hypotheses are valuable if they lead to further investigations, even if they turn out not to be supported by the data.

The Practice of Science

Analyze the methods used to develop a scientific explanation as seen in different fields of science.

The Practice of Science

Understand that scientific investigations involve the collection of relevant empirical evidence, the use of logical reasoning, and the application of imagination in devising hypotheses, predictions, explanations and models to make sense of the collected evidence.

The Characteristics of Scientific Knowledge

Distinguish between scientific and pseudoscientific ideas

The Characteristics of Scientific Knowledge

Discuss what characterizes science and its methods.

Theories, Laws, Hypotheses, & Models

Select models useful in relating the results of their own investigations.

Theories, Laws, Hypotheses, & Models

Explain why theories may be modified but are rarely discarded.

Science and Society

Explain that science is one of the processes that can be used to inform decision making at the community, state, national, and international levels.

Science and Society

Earth Structures

Earth in Space and Time

Recognize that there are enormous distances between objects in space and apply our knowledge of light and space travel to understand this distance.

Earth in Space and Time

Recognize that the universe contains many billions of galaxies and that each galaxy contains many billions of stars.

Earth in Space and Time

Distinguish the hierarchical relationships between planets and other astronomical bodies relative to solar system, galaxy, and universe, including distance, size, and composition.

Earth in Space and Time

Explore the Law of Universal Gravitation by explaining the role that gravity plays in the formation of planets, stars, and solar systems and in determining their motions.

Earth in Space and Time

Describe and classify specific physical properties of stars: apparent magnitude (brightness), temperature (color), size, and luminosity (absolute brightness).

Earth in Space and Time

Create models of solar properties including: rotation, structure of the Sun, convection, sunspots, solar flares, and prominences.

Earth in Space and Time

Compare and contrast the properties of objects in the Solar System including the Sun, planets, and moons to those of Earth, such as gravitational force, distance from the Sun, speed, movement, temperature, and atmospheric conditions.

Earth in Space and Time

Compare various historical models of the Solar System, including geocentric and heliocentric.

Earth in Space and Time

Explain the impact of objects in space on each other including:

1. The Sun on the Earth including seasons and gravitational attraction

2. The Moon on the Earth, including phases, tides, and eclipses, and the relative position of each body.

Earth in Space and Time

Assess how technology is essential to science for such purposes as access to outer space and other remote locations, sample collection, measurement, data collection and storage, computation, and communication of information.

Earth in Space and Time

Identify and compare characteristics of the electromagnetic spectrum such as wavelength, frequency, use, and hazards and recognize its application to an understanding of planetary images and satellite photographs.

Earth in Space and Time

Summarize the effects of space exploration on the economy and culture of Florida.

Properties of Matter

Explore the scientific theory of atoms (also known as atomic theory) by using models to explain the motion of particles in solids, liquids, and gases.

Properties of Matter

Differentiate between weight and mass recognizing that weight is the amount of gravitational pull on an object and is distinct from, though proportional to, mass.

Properties of Matter

Explore and describe the densities of various materials through measurement of their masses and volumes.

Properties of Matter

Classify and compare substances on the basis of characteristic physical properties that can be demonstrated or measured; for example, density, thermal or electrical conductivity, solubility, magnetic properties, melting and boiling points, and know that these properties are independent of the amount of the sample.

Properties of Matter

Recognize that there are a finite number of elements and that their atoms combine in a multitude of ways to produce compounds that make up all of the living and nonliving things that we encounter.

Properties of Matter

Recognize that elements are grouped in the periodic table according to similarities of their properties.

Properties of Matter

Explore the scientific theory of atoms (also known as atomic theory) by recognizing that atoms are the smallest unit of an element and are composed of sub-atomic particles (electrons surrounding a nucleus containing protons and neutrons).

Properties of Matter

Identify basic examples of and compare and classify the properties of compounds, including acids, bases and salts.

Properties of Matter

Distinguish among mixtures (including solutions) and pure substances.

Changes in Matter

Explore the law of conservation of mass by demonstrating and concluding that mass is conserved when substances undergo physical and chemical changes.

Changes in Matter

Differentiate between physical changes and chemical changes.

Changes in Matter

Investigate and describe how temperature influences chemical changes.

Matter and Energy Transformations

Describe and investigate the process of photosynthesis, such as the roles of light, carbon dioxide, water and chlorophyll; production of food; release of oxygen.

Matter and Energy Transformations

Describe and investigate how cellular respiration breaks down food to provide energy and releases carbon dioxide.

Matter and Energy Transformations

Construct a scientific model of the carbon cycle to show how matter and energy are continuously transferred within and between organisms and their physical environment.

Matter and Energy Transformations

Cite evidence that living systems follow the Laws of Conservation of Mass and Energy.