TEKS Snapshot

Grade 8 Snapshot

Texas has adopted curriculum standards that are to be used in all the state's public schools. The current standards, which outline what students are to learn in each course or grade, are called Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).  The standards are adopted by the State Board of Education, after extensive input from educators and other stakeholders.

Science 8 Year at a Glance

Science is a course of study coordinating thematic instruction across the four science disciplines: biology, chemistry, physics, and earth/space science. The curriculum has a balance of content and activities that guide students toward the discovery of the basic principles, with a focus on earth and space science and the processes involved. The curriculum includes properties of matter, force and motion, Earth/Moon/Sun relationships, characteristics of the universe, plate tectonics, earth and weather systems, interdependence of living systems, and environmental changes. The study of science includes field and laboratory investigations using scientific methods for analyzing data to make informed decisions

Units of Study:

• Unit 1: Elements and Compounds

• Unit 2: Changes in Matter

• Unit 3: Solutions

• Unit 4: Speed and Velocity

• Unit 5: Analyzing an Object's Motion

• Unit 6: Newton's First Law of Motion

• Unit 7: Temperature and Kinetic Energy

• Unit 8: Thermal Energy Transfer

• Unit 9: Thermal Energy and Equilibrium

• Unit 10: Objects in the Solar System

• Unit 11: Gravity and Motion in the Solar System

• Unit 12: Life and Earth

• Unit 13: Evidence of Earth's Change Over Time

• Unit 14: Plate Tectonics and Earth's Surface

• Unit 15: Surface Water and Groundwater

• Unit 16: The Importance of the Ocean

• Unit 17: Organization in Plants and Animals

• Unit 18: Human Body Systems

• Unit 19: Inheritance and Changes in Populations

• Unit 20: Classification

• Unit 21: Energy Flow in Ecosystems

• Unit 22: Cycles of Matter