8th Grade (MS)

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Matter and Its Interactions (P)

Curricula: Smithsonian STC-MS 

Everything students see and touch is made of matter—albeit composed of particles too small to see directly. In order to fully understand phenomena occurring on the macroscale, students must become familiar with matter at the particulate and atomic level. In this unit's 11 lessons, students make observations about matter, investigate its physical and chemical changes, and develop and use models to describe its composition and behavior.

Vocabulary Quizlets
 

8.1 Contact Forces (P)

Curricula: OSE MS 

In this unit students answer the question, “Why do things sometimes get damaged when they hit each other?” They consider situations in which their phones broke, explore what happens to objects during collisions, then design solutions to protect an object in a collision.
   
 

8.2 Sound Waves (P)

Curricula: OSE MS 

In this unit students answer the question, “How can a sound make something move?” They investigate how sounds are produced, how they travel through matter, and how they affect other objects.
   
 

8.3 Forces at a Distance (P)

Curricula: OSE MS 

In this unit students answer the question, “How can a magnet move another object without touching it?” They use modeling and hands-on investigations to explore magnetic forces and magnetic systems.
   
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Space Systems Exploration (E)

Curricula: Carolina Building Blocks of Science (BBS) 

In 10 lessons, this unit clarifies what students already know about space. Then, starting with the Sun-Earth-Moon system, the unit challenges them to perform a series of investigations through which they extend and enrich this knowledge.

Vocabulary Quizlets
   
 

8.4 Earth in Space (E)

Curricula: OSE MS

Students answer the question, “How are we connected to the patterns we see in the sky and space?” They use models, simulations, and collected data to understand Sun-Earth-Moon systems and explain some of the patterns in the sky.
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Genes & Molecular Machines (L)

Curricula: Smithsonian STC-MS 

In 11 lessons, this unit helps students explore the different ways that organisms reproduce and what that means for their genetics. Students learn how traits are passed from one generation to the next as they study zebra fish, plants, protists, and humans. By the end of the unit, students create their own "creatures" with unique characteristics and follow those traits to their offspring to learn about inheritance.

Vocabulary Quizlets
 

8.5 Genetics (L)

Curricula: OSE MS 

In this unit students answer the question, “Why are living things different from one another?” They explore the topic of trait variations in living things, especially the genetic and environmental factors involved in those variations.
   
 

8.6 Natural Selection and Common Ancestry (L)

Curricula: OSE MS 

Students answer the question, “How could things living today be connected to the things that lived long ago?” They develop a model for natural selection and use it to account for patterns between ancient and current organisms.
   
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