Science — Grade 8

Newspaper coverage of the first flight

In North Carolina in the early 20th century, page 1.8

In North Carolina History: A Sampler, page 4.6

Newspaper article about the Wright brothers' first flight in December 1903, written from an intercepted telegram sent by the brothers to their father in Ohio. Historical commentary points out the differences between the version of events that reached the public and what actually happened.

Format: newspaper/primary source

Commentary and sidebar notes by L. Maren Wood.

Vehicle safety features

In On track learning: Safety through technology and design, page 4

In this lesson, students will learn about car safety features and apply some of their new knowledge as they continue with their car designs.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7–10 Science)

By Roxanne Moses.

Paint lab

In On track learning: Safety through technology and design, page 8

In this lab, students create colors for their car designs. Students must precisely record the formula for their color creations so that others could replicate the color exactly.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7–9 Visual Arts Education and Science)

By Roxanne Moses.

On your mark

In On track learning: Safety through technology and design, page 1

In this lesson, students will get organized for the rest of the lessons in the On Track Learning unit. They will learn about the requirements for the car design, form into teams, and decide on member roles.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–10 Science)

By Roxanne Moses.

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.

Egg transport vehicle

In On track learning: Safety through technology and design, page 2

In this lesson, students will learn about car design features that help to protect passengers in a crash. They will transfer this knowledge to their car designs as they continue working as a group.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7–10 Science)

By Roxanne Moses.

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.

Designing for speed and distance

In On track learning: Safety through technology and design, page 3

In this lesson, students will learn about factors engineers must balance when designing a car. Students will find that not only must engineers consider the actual car design, but also road design and fuel limitations. Students will apply some of their new knowledge as they continue to work on their own car designs.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–10 Science)

By Roxanne Moses.

Car tests

In On track learning: Safety through technology and design, page 11

In this culminating lesson, student will test their car designs for safety and either speed or distance. They will evaluate their success at working as a team and consider what changes they'd make if they did the project all over again.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7–10 Science)

By Roxanne Moses.

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

What floats your boat?

In this lesson, students design and build a small model boat, using limited materials. They then develop a procedure to determine the load line for their boat while it is in calm waters. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Science)

Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Threats to ocean life: Can marine sanctuaries help?

is lesson, from Xpeditions, provides an opportunity for students to learn about environmental problems in the oceans and how marine sanctuaries can help protect ocean habitats. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Science)

Provided by: National Geographic

Thought-controlled robotics

In this Science Update, from Science NetLinks, students hear about research into the development of robotic limbs that can be controlled by thought alone. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Smelling diseases

In this Science Update, from Science NetLinks, students hear about how doctors are developing a kind of sniff test to screen for diseases. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Robotic arm

In this Science Update, from Science NetLinks, you'll hear about a real-life robotic arm that may help stroke victims regain control of their movement. (Learn more)

Format: activity/lesson plan (grade 6–7 and 9–12 Science)

Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Robot farmers

In this Science Update from Science NetLinks, students hear about how cheap robots may revolutionize farming. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Pottery quest

In this Science NetLinks lesson, the first in a two-part series on pottery making, students learn that the production of ceramic pottery requires detailed knowledge of the physical properties of different clays and tempering materials, as well as knowledge... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Science)

Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Pilot whales' social behavior

In this lesson, from Xpeditions, students learn about pilot whales' sociability and bonding and consider how National Geographic's Crittercam (a camera worn by wildlife to provide information about animal behavior) might help scientists learn more about ocean... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Science)

Provided by: National Geographic

Phone fibbing

In this Science Update, from Science NetLinks, students hear about a study that shows that people's likelihood of lying depends on the communication technology they're using. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science

An introduction to remote sensing

This lesson combines several resources from NASA's Observatorium to teach about remote sensing. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–12 Science)

Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science

The grooviest of fabrics

In this Science Update, from Science NetLinks, students hear about the invention, manufacture, and development of polyester. (Learn more)

Format: activity/lesson plan (grade 8 Science)

Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science