Course Syllabus

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The following information will help keep you up to date on everything 8th grade science related:

 

  • We will be covering a wide variety of scientific content this year.  This link provides a brief description along with a link to more detailed information about each topic we will be covering.

 

  • The following is a running schedule of what we will be covering each day in class along with assignments and when they may be due:

 

Weeks 1 - 4 (August 27th - September 21st)

Day 1 (MT)

Introductions

Paperwork (Homeroom only)

Get to know you activity

   

 Day 2 (WT)

Science Safety discussion

Contract (sent home for review and parent signature) Due: next class period

"What Not To Do" activity (notebook)

   

 Day 3 (FT) - No school on Monday for Labor Day

Introduction to Energy discussion

Safety Smart Science - Renewable Energy 

Introduce Project

     

Day 4 (WT)

Work on Energy Project

    

Day 5 (FM)

Getting to know Fossil Fuels

Continue Energy Project

     

Day 6 (TW)

Continue Energy Project

    

Day 7 (TT) - (No school Friday - Wednesday for Hurricane/Workday)

Fracking, review biomass/geothermal energy

Finish work on Energy Project (Due Monday the 24th)

    

Week 5 (September 24th - 28th)

Day 1 (FM) 

Energy Benchmark

Introduction to Matter Concept Mapping

States of Matter Notes

 

Day 2 (TW)

Atomic structure PBS activity (notebook grade)

Atomic structure foldable (notebook grade)

 

Day 3 (TF)

Atomic structure/Bohr model notes

introduce ptable.com

Atom/Element builder gizmo

 

Weeks 6 and 7 (October 1st -12th) 

Day 1 (MT)

Announce atomic structure and element symbols quiz

Calendar activity

Begin periodic table basics

 

Day 2 (WT)

Atomic Structure Quiz

Complete periodic table basics

 

Day 3 (FT) - No school Monday

Element Symbol Quiz

Periodic table history and organization questions 
Differentiation color coding activity (see me for sheet)

 

Day 4 (WF) - No school thursday

Finish color coding

Periodic Table summative activity

Week 8 (October 15th - 19th)

Day 1 (MT)

Periodic Table summative activity

Review for test

 

Day 2 (WT)

Atomic Structure and Periodic Table Test

Finish summative activity

 

Day 3 (F)

Career Day

Week 9 (October 22nd - 26th)

Day 1 (MW) - Tuesday is a half day math check in

Elements, Compounds and Mixtures notes and activities

Day 2 (TF)

Compounds and mixtures matching activity

Elements compounds and mixtures lab

 

Weeks 10 -13 (October 29th - November 20th)

Day 1 (MT)

Physical/chemical properties/reactions fold-able
Compounds/mixtures/reactions what have I learned questions

Day 2 (WT)

Physical and Chemical changes lab

Day 3 (FM)

Physical and chemical changes review sheet

Physical and chemical changes story and activity 

Day 4 (TT) - Wednesday NC check in

Quiz on physical and chemical changes
Chemical formulas/chemical equations notes - writing chemical formulas, counting atoms, parts of an equation 
Gizmo - Balanced chemical equations

Day 5 (FT)

Finish Gizmo

Law of conservation of Matter notes and balancing chemical equations

Day 6 (WT) 

Lab law of conservation of matter

Day 7 (F) - split day

review for test

Day 8 (MT) 

Test

Weeks 14 -15 (November 26th - December 7th)

Day 1 (MT)

introduction to microbes

the microbe zoo

microbes.org assignment

Day 2 (WT)

virus and bacteria foldable

begin interactive microbe house

Day 3 (FM)

Parasite and fungi foldable

Work on interactive microbe house

Day 4 (TW)

Virus structure video and questions

Work on interactive microbe house

Day 5 (TF)

Microbe QR code activity

Weeks 16 -17 (December 10th -  21st)

Day 1 (MT)

The spread of disease

Disease spread gizmo

Bacterial Growth

Day 2 (WT)

Epidemics and Pandemics video and notes

E and P foldable

Day 3 (F) - split day

E and P reading passage and questions

Day 4 (MT)

Microbiology test review

Day 5 (WT)

Microbiology test

Day 6 - Stay in homeroom

Epidemics, Pandemics and Ebola web-quest

Contagion

 

Weeks 18 -19 (January 7th -  18th)

 

Day 1 (MT)

Cells review

Photosynthesis and cellular respiration notes/discussion

Cell cycle foldable

Day 2 (WT)

"staying alive" reading passage

6 categories of nutrients notes

Processed Potato activity

Begin healthy living stations

Day 3 (FM)

Finish healthy living stations

Biotechnology Introduction (concept map)

Heal, Feed, Sustain - Biotechnology in NC

Day 4 (TW)

Biotechnology Text Tuesday or Lesson 1.1

Biotechnology Exploration Guide

Day 5 (TF)

GMO discussion and Notes

GMO Assignment (presentation)

 

Weeks 20 - 23 (January 23rd -  February 15th)

 

Day 1 (WT) - No school M/T for MLK day and teacher workday.

Brainpop - Cloning

Genetic Engineering Discussion

Virtual labs

Day 2 (FM)

Biotechnology in NC - Spidersilk, Bioengineered food (difference between gene editing and GMOs)

Day 3 (TW)

Test review

Day 4 (T) - NC check in day

Finish review

Day 5 (FM)

Final microbiology test

Complete water foldable when finished

Day 6 (TW)

Go over water properties foldable

Water Olympics lab

Thursday - early release and NC check in day

Day 7 (FM)

Water facts walk

Structure of the hydrosphere notes

water movement sketch

Day 8 (TW)

River basins booklet and scavenger hunt

River basin project

Day 9 (TF)

Estuaries notes and presentations

Week 24 (February 18th - 22nd)

Day 1 (MT)

Ocean booklet 

Day 2 (WT) - Friday is a teacher workday

Finish ocean booklet

Upwellings/Hydrothermal vents notes and activities

 

Week 25 - 27 (February 25th - March 15th)

Day 1 (MT)

Ocean quiz

Water Quality mini lab

Water quality notes

Day 2 (WT) 

Water pollution and stewardship activity

 

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due