Welcome to the Internet Resources for 8th Grade Integrated Science

Listed sites have been reviewed and correlated to the NEW core curriculum.  Take a moment to search these sites as many of them have other links that may be beneficial.  Also, please be advised that there are some interactive sites that may take a moment to download.
Happy Surfing!

Look for:
Link to 8th Grade Integrated Science Sci-ber Text.          Link to the 8th grade Core Experiments.

Science Benchmark Chemical change is a primary way that matter on earth changes from one form to another. Energy is involved in chemical and physical change. When chemical or physical changes occur, the total amount of matter and energy remains the same; this is the law of conservation of matter and energy. Matter can change state through physical change. In a physical change the identity of the atoms does not change. In a chemical change the identity of the atoms does not change, but the atoms are recombined into a new substance. Evidence for a chemical reaction may include; color change, gas given off, and heat or light given off or absorbed. Changing the amount of energy in a chemical system alters reaction rate. Changing the surface area and/or concentration of reactants changes the rate of chemical reaction.

Standard I: Students will understand the nature of changes in matter.

Objective 1: Describe the chemical and physical properties of various substances.
a. Differentiate between chemical and physical properties.
b. Classify substances based on their chemical and physical properties (e.g., reacts with water, does not react with water, flammable or nonflammable, hard or soft, flexible or nonflexible, evaporates or melts at room temperature).
c. Investigate and report on the chemical and physical properties of a particular substance.

The Univ. of Tenn.-Martin CESME has an extensive Physical and Chemical properties lab.  Requires Adobe Acrobat.
USGS Chemical and Physical Properties of Water includes a true/false quiz and links to other water information.
The CIESE Global Water Sampling Project has 4 water chemistry activities with worksheets plus reference links.
Montgomery County Public Schools teacher S. Dana has a review and interactive quiz on physical and chemical properties.
Chemical and Physical Properties of Water plus links by Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia on Infoplease.com.

Objective 2: Observe and evaluate evidence of chemical and physical change.
a. Identify observable evidence of a physical change (e.g., change in shape, size, phase).
b. Identify observable evidence of a chemical change (e.g., color change, heat or light given off, change in odor, gas given off).
c. Observe and describe chemical reactions involving atmospheric oxygen (e.g., rust, fire, respiration, and photosynthesis).
d. Investigate the effects of chemical change on physical properties of substances (e.g., cooking a raw egg, iron rusting, and polymerization of a resin).

Univ. of Virginia Chemical Change with Mixed Solutions Activity is a basic college level but can be adapted.
The Jefferson Labs site has a Properties and Changes interactive review plus links to lessons, puzzles, etc.
Carolina Biological's Cooking Eggs with Chemicals is a high school level lab that can be adapted.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/cigarette/onfire.html
http://www.pbs.org/saf/1207/teaching/teaching3.htm
Chemical Changes is an Educator's Reference Desk lesson plan (from a Utah teacher).
The basics of Chemical Changes, including the equations and examples on ChemTutor.com.
Chicago Academy of Sciences Online Science Lab activity Physical or Chemical ?
Univ. of Minnesota Chemical and Physical Changes taken from an introductory chemistry module.  Adaptable ideas.
Four simple Chemical Change experiments from the Smile Program Chemistry at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Investigate the change in physical properties of a raw and cooked egg.  Very simple Exploratorium Lesson.

Objective 3: Investigate and measure the effects of increasing or decreasing the amount of energy in a physical or chemical change and relate the kind of energy added, to the motion of the particles.
a. Identify the kinds of energy (e.g., heat, light, sound) given off or taken in when a substance undergoing a chemical or physical change.
b. Relate the amount of energy added or taken away from a substance to the motion of molecules in the substance.
c. Measure and graph the relationship between the states of water and changes in its temperature.
d. Cite evidence showing that heat may be given off or taken in during a chemical change (e.g. striking a match, vinegar and antacid, ammonium chloride and water).
e. Plan and conduct an experiment and report the effect of adding or removing energy on the chemical and physical changes.

PBS/NOVA activity On Fire allows you to navigate through a lesson on combustion.  Both Flash or non-Flash versions.
Utah Department of Natural Resources activity Investigating the States of Water is simple and adaptable.
A Visionlearning library matter module covers the States of Water with Flash simulations.  Also in Spanish.
Hot Rot is an Educators Reference Desk week long lesson plan measuring heat energy created from decomposing organic matter.
States of Matter, etc. ConcepTests on college level chemistry at the Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison. Great background resource.
Science NetLinks lesson Temperature Changes Everything relates how temperature changes the movement of molecules.
Univ. of Georgia, Athens Energy, Heat and Temperature relates the basics of temperature and phase changes in water.

Objective 4: Identify the observable features of chemical reactions.
a. Identify the reactants and products in a given chemical change and describe the presence of the same atoms in both the reactants and products.
b. Cite examples of common significant chemical reactions (i.e., photosynthesis, respiration, combustion, rusting) in daily life.
c. Demonstrate that mass is conserved in a chemical reaction (e.g. mix two solutions that result in a color change or formation of a precipitate, weigh the solutions before and after mixing).
d. Experiment with variables affecting the relative rates of chemical changes (e.g., heating, cooling, stirring, crushing, and concentration).
e. Research and report on how a chemically related problem was solved by engineers.

A Can-Do.com site on Chemical Reactions includes links, experiments and riddles for students to complete.
Photosynthesis and Respiration chemical reactions explained in Univ. of Tennessee pamphlet "Why Do Tree's Die?". Adobe.
UW School of Oceanography REVEL logbook site has a great graphic of Photosynthesis and Respiration plus explanations.
Steel Wool Generating Heat is a simple experiment that explores the rusting of metal on Reeko's Mad Scientist Lab Site.
Rusting as a Chemical Reaction on Frey Scientific.com is a simple experiment that can be adapted.
Must it Rust is a student created lab from Haverford College.  Simple with great background.
Chemical reaction of fire and the Chemical Thermodynamics of fire are simply explained on Thinkquest.org.
What is fire? on Howstuffworks.com gives detailed information including the reactions of burning wood.
ScienceDaily.com article describes how Heat Resistant Materials are being used.
Conservation of Mass vs. Volume from Indiana University College of Chemistry.  Other demonstrations available.
Chemical Reactions on Visionlearning and the John Jay College site with a few equations to balance and some animation.
Types of Chemical Equations describes the basics of chemical equations plus other topics from Virginia Tech and RVGS.

Link to the 8th Grade Sci-berText .                                                          Link to the 8th grade Core Experiments.

Science language students should use:  chemical properties, physical properties, chemical change, physical change, reaction, reactants, products, respiration, photosynthesis, temperature, molecules, heat energy, chemical energy, atoms, energy

Science Benchmark The sun is the source for essentially all biological energy. Plants store captured light energy as chemical energy in sugars. Animals eat plants to obtain the energy and matter that they need. The energy from food is used for mechanical and heat energy. The matter is used to build the cells of the organism. Food chains and food webs are models used to show the transfer of energy and matter among organisms. These models can be used to show relationship among organisms. Organisms, including humans, influence the ability of other organisms to live in a specific environment.

Standard II:  Students will understand that energy from sunlight is changed to chemical energy in plants, transfers between living organisms, and that changing the environment may alter the amount of energy provided to living organisms.  

Objective 1: Compare ways plants and animals obtain and use energy.
a. Recognize the importance of photosynthesis in using light energy as part of the chemical process that builds plant materials.
b. Explain how respiration in animals is the process of converting food energy into mechanical and heat energy.
c. Trace the path of energy from the sun to mechanical energy in an organism (e.g., sunlight- light energy to plants by photosynthesis to sugars- stored chemical energy to respiration in muscle cell- usable chemical energy to muscle contraction- mechanical energy).

A cellbiomedia.com international site on photosynthesis contains a short video of oxygen production in plants.
Michigan Schools Curriculum contains 13 lessons on the Movement of Energy through Living and Nonliving Systems.
Populations and Ecosystems study of Photosynthesis contains two lesson plans.
Energy Story from Energyquest covers the basics of how energy is transformed from one form to another.
Cellular Respiration has a clickable graphic with descriptions.
Energy site contains physics notes that traces the path of energy transfer.
Energy Conversions contains 9 activity stations to help students understand how energy is transfered.
Animal Respiration explained on the Oxford University Museum of Natural History site.
 
Objective 2: Generalize the dependent relationships between organisms.
a. Categorize the relationships between organisms (i.e., producer/consumer, predator/prey, mutualism, parasitism) and provide examples of each.
b. Use models to trace the flow of energy in food chains and food webs.
c. Formulate and test a hypothesis on the effects of air, temperature, water, or light on plants (e.g., seed germination, growth rates, seasonal adaptations).
d. Research multiple ways that different scientists have investigated the same ecosystem.

A Predator-Prey Simulation from Access Excellence.
A Predator/Prey relationship activity in the PBS/NOVA  Night Creatures of the Kalahari.
Energy Flow through Food Chains is described.  Many grahics and great information.
Interesting Facts about Food Chains includes basic definitions and examples.
An interactive Austrailian food chain allows students to place animals in a food chain and food web.
Wildkids.org has a simple start to developing and understanding  food chains using woodland organisms.
Food chain and food web activity on ThinkQuest.org.
Ecosystems is a unit study that explains the ways that ecosystems are studied by different groups.

Objective 3: Analyze human influence on the capacity of an environment to sustain living things.
a. Describe specific examples of how humans have changed the capacity of an environment to support specific life forms (e.g., people create wet lands and nesting boxes — increase number and range of wood ducks, acid rain -damages amphibian eggs and reduces population of frogs, clear cutting forests — squirrel populations reduced, suburban sprawl —reduce mule deer winter range thus decreasing numbers of deer).
b. Distinguish between inference and evidence in a newspaper or magazine article relating to the effect of humans on the environment.
c. Infer the potential effects of humans on a specific food web.
d. Evaluate and present arguments for and against allowing a specific species of plant or animal to become extinct and relate the argument to the flow energy in an ecosystem.

Wild Wolves is a PBS/NOVA activity that discusses the reintroduction of wolves. 
WhyFiles.org has an interactive site where kids are engaged as detectives in studying serious ecological problems.
Human Impact on the Natural Environment describes many ways that humans have changed the environment.
The BioZone Human Impact site contains many links to information on how humans have changed the environment.
Human Impact on the Environment is a middle level project that includes the grading rubric and resources.

Link to the 8th Grade Sci-berText .                                          Link to the 8th grade Core Experiments.

  Science language students should use: food web, food chain, photosynthesis, respiration, predator, energy flow, solar energy, chemical energy, mechanical energy, producer, consumer, prey, mutualism, parasitism, competition, environment, capacity

Science Benchmark Earth is a dynamic planet. Processes that change the Earth's surface operated in the past much as they do today. Evidence of past surface and climatic changes are indicated in the rock and fossil records. Rocks are composed of minerals. Rocks and minerals cycle through processes that change their form. Several processes contribute to changing the Earth’s surface. Earth’s surface is changed by heat flowing from Earth's hot interior toward the cooler surface and by atmospheric processes. Earth’s surface can change abruptly through volcanoes and earthquakes. Earth’s surface can change gradually through rock formation, mountain building, weathering, and erosion. Small changes that repeatedly occur over very long time periods can add up to major changes in Earth’s surface.

Standard III:  Students will understand the processes of rock and fossil formation. 

Objective 1: Compare rocks and minerals and how they are related.
a. Recognize that rocks are composed of minerals.
b. Observe and describe the minerals found in rocks (e.g. shape, color, luster, texture, hardness).
c. Categorize rock samples as sedimentary, metamorphic, or igneous.

The Rocks and Minerals page from the Franklin Institute.  Many links to detailed infromation about individual groups.
Minerals from A to Z contains information and images of minerals, galleries and resources.
Rocks and Minerals from the Franklin Institiute contains many links and ideas.
Activities and Teaching Suggestions from Volcano World.  Different subjects and grade levels; adaptable.
Mineral Mosaic is a simple lesson plan from Coaleducation.org. Requires Adobe Acrobat reader.
Rocks and Minerals Slide Show from Volcano World allows students to navigate through pictures of different groups. Links!
University of North Carolina's Virtual Geology site contains information and pictures of many different rocks and minerals.
Minerals Smart Project from Univ. of Rhode Island has a thematic unit overview with many links.  Great ideas.
SDSC's Science Enrichment Program Lesson on Rocks and Minerals includes student sheets and other links to lessons.
Idaho Public Television lesson How to Recycle a Rock has a comprehensive lesson plan.  Video's suggested; adaptable.
Koday's Kids Rocks and Minerals sites contains information about the basic rock types. Adaptable from elem. level.

Objective 2: Describe the nature of the changes that rocks undergo over long periods of time.
a. Diagram and explain the rock cycle.
b. Describe the role of energy in the processes that change rock materials over time.
c. Use a model to demonstrate how erosion changes the surface of Earth.
d. Relate gravity to changes in Earth’s surface.
e. Identify the role of weathering of rocks in soil formation.

A PBS lesson called The Land:  Shaping the Earth studies how geological processes shape the physical environment.
A PBS lesson called Canyonlands studies many topics including water erosion.  Video recommended.  Local adaptations.
The Rock Cycle with a clickable map.  Great basic information from the Univ. of British Columbia.
Stream Works is an SEDL erosion activity that allows student control of the variables.
Rock Cycle Fudge is a fun lesson using microwave fudge to teach the rock cycle.
The Rock Cycle from rocksandminerals.com contains basic information, great graphics and other links.
Sedimentary Rocks describes formation and includes the role of energy in sedimentary rock formation.
Geoscience: K-12 Resources contains a wealth of informational sites from erosion to the changing Earth.
Weathering notes from a Physical Geology course includes descriptions of weathering and great pictures.
Mechanical and Chemical Weathering from EIU contains descriptions and pictures.  Also includes soil formation.
Soil Forming Factors from NASA's GSFC describes the basics of weathering.
Erosion, by Wind and Ice from GeoDectives describes how gravity plays a role in erosion.
USGS CMG Infobank download movie about mass wasting and gravity.

Objective 3: Describe how rock and fossil evidence is used to infer Earth's history.
a.  Describe how the deposition of rock materials produces layering of sedimentary rocks over time.
b.  Identify the assumptions scientists make to determine relative age of rock layers.
c.  Explain why some sedimentary rock layers may not always appear with youngest rock on top and older rocks below (e.g., folding, faulting, unconformity).
d. Research how fossils show evidence of the changing surface of the Earth.
e. Propose why more recently deposited rock layers are more likely to contain fossils resembling existing species than older rock layers.

Explorations Through Time is a series of interactive modules that explore the history of life on Earth from the UCMP.
PBS/NOVA Curse of the T-Rex takes students on a tour of information about fossils.
Relative Dating - Telling Time Using Fossils lesson on PBS/American Field Guide.
Learning from the Fossil Record is another UCMP site that includes relative dating and other topics.
Evidence for Trends in Climate Change is an activity page from the Univ. of Neb., Lincoln with links to activities and info.
Who's on First? is a relative dating activitywith teacher and student pages.  Many more activities on this UCMP earth site.

Objective 4: Compare rapid and gradual changes to Earth's surface.
a.  Describe how energy from the Earth's interior causes changes to Earth's surface (ie., earthquakes and volcanoes).
b.  Describe how earthquakes and volcanoes transfer energy from Earth's interior to the surface (e.g., seismic waves- transfer mechanical energy, flowing magma- transfer heat and mechanical energy).
c. Model the process of energy build up and release in earthquakes.
d. Investigate and report possible reasons why the best engineering or ecological practices are not always followed in making decisions about building roads, dams, and other structures.
e.  Model how small changes over time add up to major changes to Earth’s surface.

Make a simple seismometer with ZOOM from PBS Kids.
PBS/NOVA lesson The Day the Earth Shook explores structural engineering problems associated with earthquakes.
Earthforce from the Frankline Institiute Online covers all the basics of forces within the core and crust Earth. Great  links.
Exploring the Earth Using Seismology from the IRIS Consortium has the basics of seismic waves and other seismic lessons.
Thermal Convection and Viscosity by L.W. Braile at Purdue is a group of activitivies.  Great graphics. Many more activities!
Earthquakes from earthscience.org, Australia, contains basic information including building problems and structural design.
Idaho Geologic Survey has 3 activities dealing with structures and seismic waves. 

Link to the 8th Grade Sci-berText.                                      Link to the 8th grade Core Experiments.

Science language students should use: volcano, earthquake, weathering, minerals, fossils, sedimentary, magma, metamorphic, rock cycle, igneous, sedimentation, deposition

Science Benchmark Movement invloves one form of energy being transformed into another form.  Energy has the potential to exert a force over a distance.  Waves transfer energy such as sound, heat, light and earthquakes, through different mediums.  Sound and light waves allow organisms to "hear" and "see" the world around them.  Energy is classified as either kinetic or potential energy.  Every object exerts a gravitational force on every other object.  The distance between objects  and the mass of the objects determine the force of gravity between them.  This forces is difficult to measure unless one of the objects has a very large mass.  Unbalanced forces cause change in the motion of objects, while balanced forces

Standard IV: Students will understand the relationships bewteen energy, forces and motion.

Objective 1: Investigate the movement of energy through various materials.
a. Relate the energy of a wave to wavelength.
b. Compare the movement of energy (i.e., sound, light, earthquake waves, heat) through various mediums.
c. Describe the spread of energy away from an energy-producing source.
d. Compare the movement of heat by conduction, convection, and radiation and provide examples of each.
e. Demonstrate how white light can be separated into the visible color spectrum.

Optics for Teens website contains the basics for optics, wavelengths, etc.
Univ. of Georgia, Athens Energy, Heat and Temperature relates the basics of convection and conduction.
Tour the Spectrum on PBS.org.  Flash and non-Flash versions available.
What's Your Wavelength? is a lesson on PBS:  Einstein Revealed.
The Spectrum Experiment is a simple activity from The Sciences Explorer at ThinkQuest.org.

Objective 2: Examine the force exerted on objects by gravity.
a. Distinguish between mass and weight.
b. Cite examples of how Earth’s gravitational force on an object depends on the mass of the object.
c. Describe how Earth’s gravitational force on an object depends upon the distance of the object from Earth.
d. Design and build structures to support a load.
e. Engineer (design and build) a machine that uses gravity to accomplish a task.

PBS lessons in Building Big includes many hands on engineering activities including building bridges, domes, etc.
An Educators Reference Desk lesson plan on the Variety of Life on Earth.
All the basics about Gravity from Thinkquest.org.
Simple lessons on gravity, aeronautics and other physics principles  and many other topics from Cislunar Aerospace, Inc.
File Card Bridges and Geodesic Gumdrops are simple structure labs from the Exploratorium Science Explorer.
Gravity and Inertia on Science Monster.com has simple explanations, a game to play and a great list of links.

Objective 3: Investigate the application of forces that act on objects and resulting motion.
a. Calculate the mechanical advantage created by a lever.
b. Engineer a device that uses levers or inclined planes to create a mechanical advantage.
c. Engineer a device that uses friction to control the motion of an object.
d. Design, and build a complex machine capable of doing a specified task.
e. Investigate the principles used to engineer changes in forces and motion.

Investigate Secrets of Lost Empires by studying levers in this PBS/NOVA lesson.   Also, more gravity and forces activities.
Balancing Levers and 2nd and 3rd Class levers are simple activities  from the Chicago Academy of Sciences.
Levers and Balance is one of many activities from the Curriculum for Gears and Levers on the CPO Science website.
PBS/Scientific American Frontiers activity Battle of the Crazy Machines utilizes simple machines.  Great challenge activity.
PBS/Scientific American Frontiers Games Machines Play includes 2 activities for building a Rube Goldberg type machine.
A Science NetLinks activity Move It! With Simple Machines includes 2 parts plus assessment information.
Saskatchewan Eductation activities on Force and Motion and Machines and Work can be easily adapted.  Great ideas.
The Engineering Library at Howstuffworks.com has a wealth of information including How Bridges Work.

Objective 4: Analyze various forms of energy and how living organisms sense and respond to energy.
a. Analyze the cyclic nature of potential and kinetic energy (e.g., a bouncing ball, a pendulum).
b. Trace the conversion of energy from one form of energy to another (e.g., light to chemical to mechanical).
c. Cite examples of how organisms sense various types of energy.
d. Investigate and report the response of various organisms to changes in energy (e.g., plant response to light, human response to motion, sound, light, insects response to changes in light intensity).
e. Investigate and describe how engineers have developed devices to help us sense various types of energy (e.g. seismographs, eyeglasses, telescopes, hearing aids).

The Engineering Tool Box provides higher level physics information on energy conversion and other subjects.
General Chemistry Online answers how energy changes forms and why the different types require different amounts.
USGS Earthquake Hazards Program site discusses how seismographs are developed.
How Sunglasses Work from Howstuffworks.com provides great information on technology and understanding light.
How Telescopes Work from Howstuffworks.com provieds the basics of telescope through a clickable map.
How Telescopes Work from the Meade Instruments Corporation provides the basics on telescopes.
Biological Productivity and Energy Flow from East Carolina University answers questions about energy in biological systems.
The Energy Ed. Curriculum Project has a set of activities on Energy Conversions complete with detailed instructions.
This Field Biology Course site from CSU, Chico has simple information on the flow of energy through the biosphere.

Link to the 8th Grade Sci-berText                                      Link to the 8th grade Core Experiments.             
 

   Science language students should use:  energy, potential energy, kinetic energy, force, gravity, complex machine, wave, friction, amplitude