Unit 6:  How can objects interact at a distance?

Standards Covered:  

MS-PS2-3. Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces.

MS-PS2-4. Construct and present arguments using evidence to support the claim that gravitational interactions are attractive and depend on the masses of interacting objects. MS-PS2-5. Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence that fields exist between objects exerting forces on each other even though the objects are not in contact.

MS-PS3-2. Develop a model to describe that when the arrangement of objects interacting at a distance changes, different amounts of potential energy are stored in the system. *MS-ESS1-1. Develop and use a model of the Earth-sun-moon system to describe the cyclic patterns of lunar phases, eclipses of the sun and moon, and seasons. *MS-ESS1-2. Develop and use a model to describe the role of gravity in the motions within galaxies and the solar system. *MS-ESS1-3. Analyze and interpret data to determine scale properties of objects in the solar system.

Unit 7:  Why do boats float and airplanes fly?

Standards Covered:  

MS-PS2-2. Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object.

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.

Additional topics covered in this unit:  density, buoyancy, Archimedes’; principle, Bernoulli’s principle, and Pascal’s principle

*Means this is a new standard for 8th grade science curriculum