Grade 8 Science - In Revision to align with NGSS Science Standards

This course model arranges the Performance Expectations (PEs) outlined in the third year of the middle school conceptual progressions model from Appendix K of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) into three different bundles of PEs using a phenomenon-based arrangement. The bundles in this model follow a conceptual flow throughout the year.

The first bundle focuses on effects of Earth processes on organisms and populations. The second bundle focuses on the ability of humans to influence the environment and other organisms. The third bundle focuses on the ability of humans to not only influence the Earth, but also to engineer solutions to help ensure that any negative influences on the Earth are mitigated.

STANDARDS AND OBJECTIVES

From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

• MS-LS1-4 Use argument based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support an explanation for how characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of animals and plants respectively.

Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

• MS-LS4-1 Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumption that natural laws operate today as in the past.
• MS-LS4-2 Apply scientific ideas to construct an explanation for the anatomical similarities and differences among modern organisms and between modern and fossil organisms to infer evolutionary relationships.
• MS-LS4-3 Analyze displays of pictorial data to compare patterns of similarities in the embryological development across multiple species to identify relationships not evident in the fully formed anatomy.
• MS-LS4-4 Construct an explanation based on evidence that describes how genetic variations of traits in a population increase some individuals’ probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment.
• MS-LS4-6 Use mathematical representations to support explanations of how natural selection may lead to increases and decreases of specific traits in populations over time.

Earth's Place in the Universe

• MS-ESS1-4 Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata for how the geologic time scale is used to organize Earth's 4.6-billion year-old history.

Earth's Systems

• MS-ESS2-5 Collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of air masses results in changes in weather conditions.
• MS-ESS2-6 Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates.

STANDARDS AND OBJECTIVES

From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

• MS-LS1-8 Gather and synthesize information that sensory receptors respond to stimuli by sending messages to the brain for immediate behavior or storage as memories.

Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

• MS-LS2-4 Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.

Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

• MS-LS4-5 Gather and synthesize information about the technologies that have changed the way humans influence the inheritance of desired traits in organisms.

Earth and Human Activity

• MS-ESS3-2 Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.
• MS-ESS3-5. Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.

Engineering Design

• MS-ETS1-3 Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success.
• MS-ETS1-4 Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.

STANDARDS AND OBJECTIVES

Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

• MS-LS2-5 Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Earth and Human Activity

• MS-ESS3-3 Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems

Engineering Design

• MS-ETS1-1 Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
• MS-ETS1-2 Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.