Science — Grade 8

Winter advisory: The effect of salt on the freezing point of water

In CareerStart lessons: Grade eight, page 5.9

In this lesson, students complete a lab to help them understand the effect of salt on the freezing point of water. Students discuss the benefits and drawbacks of using salt as a de-icing and anti-icing agent on roads.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts and Science)

By Tammy Johnson and Martha Tedrow.

Water quality

In Critical thinking in science, page 5

Students will experiment with water quality and several common pollutants. They will focus on their local water source and determine the effects of their actions on the quality of their water source and the organisms that rely on it. Students will design a water-monitoring plan to evaluate the health of the water source.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts and Science)

By Daniell DiFrancesca.

Submarines: Using mass, volume and density to create a working submarine

The students will design a submarine that will float, subsurface, sink, and return once again to the water's surface by external manipulation of the submarine outside of an aquarium. In order to accomplish this, the students will use not only the concepts of mass, volume, and density but will also integrate buoyancy and ballast in their submarine design.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–12 Mathematics and Science)

By Amy Koonce.

The story of pi

In Critical thinking in science, page 3

In this lesson, students design an experiment to test the importance of decimal places by rounding the value of pi. The collected data is used to answer questions and write a short editorial.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7–8 English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science)

By Daniell DiFrancesca.

Microbiology and infectious disease

In Critical thinking in science, page 8

Students will research the different causes of infectious diseases. They will look at North Carolina-specific data on a disease and use this information to create a monitoring plan and an eradication plan for the disease.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Science)

By Daniell DiFrancesca.

Material resiliency in safety harnesses

In On track learning: Safety through technology and design, page 5

In this lesson, students will test their hypotheses about the type of fabric most suitable for a safety harness.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7–10 English Language Arts and Science)

By Roxanne Moses.

Introduction to experimental design

In Critical thinking in science, page 2

Students will take the Pepsi-Coke Challenge and, at the same time, learn about the scientific method. While practicing their critical-thinking skills in an inquiry-based experiment, students will define and apply experimental design vocabulary . This lesson is written using the 5E learning model.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts and Science)

By Daniell DiFrancesca.

Fire retardation and fabrics

In On track learning: Safety through technology and design, page 6

In this lesson, students will determine the fire retardation level of several fabrics.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7–10 English Language Arts, Healthful Living, and Science)

By Roxanne Moses.

Exploring properties of matter with submersibles

This inquiry-based learning activity allows students to explore the relationships between mass, volume, density, and buoyancy as they manipulate various materials to construct a submersible “vehicle” for deep-sea research.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–12 Science)

By Miriam Sutton.

Experimenting with pH

In Critical thinking in science, page 4

This lesson introduces pH, and the effect of concentration and volume on pH. Students will use common foods for the experiment, helping them to make connections between pH, real-life things, and even the relationship between pH and taste. Students design their own experiment, which strengthens their inquiry skills.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–10 English Language Arts and Science)

By Daniell DiFrancesca.

Egg drop to test barrier design

In On track learning: Safety through technology and design, page 7

In this lesson, students will construct an egg catcher that will catch an egg from the greatest possible height without cracking or breaking the egg.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7–10 Science)

By Roxanne Moses.

Does it float? Exploring density

Density is a property of matter that requires abstract understanding from your students. This lesson plan is a hands-on lab for exploring the concepts of mass, volume, density, and their relationship. This lab achieves several 8th grade science objectives and incorporates mathematical objectives as well. The lab can easily be used as an introductory lab for the year, thus covering not only the content objectives, but also procedures for completing labs throughout the course of the year.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–12 English Language Arts and Science)

By Trish Loudermilt.

Change over time

In Critical thinking in science, page 6

Students will use satellite images, population data, and local city data to study human impact on the environment.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies)

By Daniell DiFrancesca.

Cells

In Critical thinking in science, page 7

This lesson introduces students to organelles, cells, and characteristics of the kingdoms. Students will begin their investigation at the organelle level and work up to the kingdom level. Students will use the observations and information they gather to make conclusions.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7–9 English Language Arts and Science)

By Daniell DiFrancesca.

A case study of "A Civil Action"

In Bringing current science into the classroom, page 3

This is a short, culminating activity that can be used to assess your students' understanding of the steps needed to determine if a water source is contaminated and how it got that way, and to suggest possible methods of cleanup or remediation. Students review a portion of the film “A Civil Action” and identify the problem and the people involved. Students then take the role of environmental scientist and apply their knowledge of water and hazardous waste contamination to create a plan to help lawyer, Jan Schlichtmann, try the case.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–12 Science)

By Michele Kloda and Dana Haine.

Calculating slope of a ramp

In On track learning: Safety through technology and design, page 9

In this lesson, students build a ramp and calculate its slope at different heights. They will also test cars to see how the height of the ramp affects speed.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7–10 English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science)

By Roxanne Moses.

Resources on the web

Word connections

In this Science NetLinks lesson, students will explore how ideas are formed, how associations are made, and how they contribute to learning and memory. The lesson makes reference to research conducted at the Institute for Research in Cognitive Science at... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–12 Science)

Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science

When natural hazards become human disasters

In this Xpeditions lesson, students gain a better understanding of natural events and consider the dangers that natural hazards and natural disasters pose to humans. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Science)

Provided by: National Geographic

Wheelchairs

In this Science Update, from Science NetLinks, students hear about an organization that counts on some of the world's poorest countries to develop some of the most innovative new ideas in wheelchair design and manufacturing. (Learn more)

Format: activity/lesson plan (grade 6–8 Science)

Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science

What's my hypothesis?

In this Science NetLinks lesson, students explore how descriptive epidemiological clues can be used to make educated guesses as to what might be the cause of a disease. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Science)

Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science