📗 YEAR 8 SCIENCE – FULL CURRICULUM

A. Science practices and tools

1. The process of scientific enquiry

2. Identify laboratory tools

3. Laboratory safety equipment

B. Designing experiments

1. Identify control and experimental groups

2. Identify independent and dependent variables

3. Identify the experimental question

4. Identify questions that can be investigated with a set of materials

5. Understand an experimental protocol about plant growth

6. Understand an experimental protocol about diffusion

7. Understand an experimental protocol about evaporation

C. Engineering practices

1. Identify parts of the engineering-design process

2. Evaluate tests of engineering-design solutions

3. Use data from tests to compare engineering-design solutions

4. Explore the engineering-design process: going to the Moon!

D. Mixtures

1. Identify mixtures

E. Matter and mass

1. Calculate density, mass and volume

2. Understand conservation of matter using graphs

F. Atoms and molecules

1. What are atoms and chemical elements?

2. How are substances represented by chemical formulas and models?

3. Identify chemical formulas for ball-and-stick models

4. Describe the atomic composition of molecules

5. Classify elementary substances and compounds using chemical formulas

6. Classify elementary substances and compounds using models

G. Chemical reactions

1. Identify reactants and products

2. Count atoms and molecules in chemical reactions

3. Calculate amounts of reactants or products in chemical reactions

4. Describe energy changes in chemical reactions

5. Compare physical and chemical changes

6. Explore chemical structure and properties: soap-making

7. Explore chemical structure and properties: food flavours

8. Synthetic materials

H. Force and motion

1. Calculate speed from time and distance

2. Calculate distance from speed and time

3. Calculate time from speed and distance

4. Calculate speed, distance and time I

5. Calculate speed, distance and time II

6. Predict forces using Newton’s third law

7. Balanced and unbalanced forces

I. Kinetic and potential energy

1. Identify changes in gravitational potential energy

2. Use tables and graphs to identify patterns about kinetic energy

3. Explore energy transformations: roller coaster ride

4. Explore energy transformations: bike ride

J. Electricity and magnetism

1. Electric forces and fields

2. Compare magnitudes of magnetic forces

K. Thermal energy

1. Predict heat flow and temperature changes

2. Compare thermal energy transfers

L. Particle motion and energy

1. How does particle motion affect temperature?

2. Particle motion and changes of state

3. How does particle motion affect gas pressure?

4. Identify how particle motion affects temperature and pressure

M. Waves

1. Transverse waves

2. Transmission, reflection and absorption of waves

3. Electromagnetic waves

4. Applications of infrared waves

5. Effects of ultraviolet waves

N. Solutions

1. Compare concentrations of solutions

2. Diffusion across membranes

O. Classification and scientific names

1. Describe, classify and compare kingdoms

2. Identify common and scientific names

3. Origins of scientific names

4. Use scientific names to classify organisms

P. Biochemistry

1. The chemistry of cellular respiration

Q. Cells

1. Understanding cells

2. Identify functions of plant cell parts

3. Identify functions of animal cell parts

4. Plant cell diagrams: label parts

5. Animal cell diagrams: label parts

6. Compare cells and cell parts

R. Anatomy and physiology

1. Organisation in the human body

2. Body systems: circulation and respiration

3. Body systems: perception and motion

4. Science literacy: how does the nervous system produce phantom pain?

S. Genes to traits

1. Genetic variation in sexual reproduction

2. Genetics vocabulary: genotype and phenotype

3. Genetics vocabulary: dominant and recessive

4. Complete and interpret Punnett squares

5. Use Punnett squares to calculate ratios of offspring types

6. Use Punnett squares to calculate probabilities of offspring types

7. Genes, proteins and traits: understanding the genetic code

8. Describe the effects of gene mutations on organisms

9. How do genes and the environment affect plant growth?

T. Adaptations and natural selection

1. How can animal behaviours affect reproductive success? Identify evidence to support a claim

2. Introduction to natural selection

3. Calculate the percentages of traits in a population

4. Calculate the averages of traits in a population

5. Construct explanations of natural selection

U. Plant reproduction

1. Angiosperm and conifer life cycles

2. Moss and fern life cycles

V. Photosynthesis

1. How do plants use and change energy?

2. Identify the photosynthetic organism

W. Ecosystems

1. Describe populations, communities and ecosystems

2. Identify ecosystems

3. Describe ecosystems

X. Ecological interactions

1. How does matter move in food chains?

2. Interpret food webs I

3. Interpret food webs II

4. Use food chains to predict changes in populations

5. Classify symbiotic relationships

6. Investigate primary succession on a volcanic island

Y. Conservation

1. Coral reef biodiversity and human uses: explore a problem

2. Coral reef biodiversity and human uses: evaluate solutions

Z. Natural resources and human impacts

1. Evaluate claims about natural resource use: fossil fuels

AA. Rocks

1. Introduction to the rock cycle

2. Classify rocks as igneous, sedimentary or metamorphic

3. How do rock layers form?

4. Label parts of rock cycle diagrams

5. Select parts of rock cycle diagrams

BB. Earth’s features

1. Label Earth layers

2. Label Earth features at tectonic plate boundaries

3. Describe tectonic plate boundaries around the world

CC. Earth’s systems and cycles

1. Describe the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere

2. The carbon cycle

DD. The atmosphere

1. Explore air masses

2. Identify and compare air masses

3. How do air masses form?

4. The greenhouse effect

EE. Weather and climate

1. Use data to describe climates

2. Factors affecting climate: latitude

3. Factors affecting climate: altitude

4. Factors affecting climate: distance from the ocean

FF. Astronomy

1. Analyse models of the Earth-Sun-Moon system

2. Identify phases of the Moon

3. Solar eclipses

4. Lunar eclipses

5. What causes the seasons on Earth?

6. Analyse data to compare properties of planets

7. Identify constellations

8. Structure of the universe

GG. Units and measurement

1. Choose units of distance, mass and volume

2. Abbreviate time, length and speed units

3. Abbreviate mass and volume units

4. Abbreviate force, energy and electricity units