Vermont State Standards for Science: Grade 8

VT.7.1. Inquiry, Experimentation, and Theory: Scientific Method: Students use scientific methods to describe, investigate, and explain phenomena and raise questions in order to: Generate alternative explanations (hypotheses) based on observations and prior knowledge; Design inquiry that allows these explanations to be tested; Deduce the expected results; Gather and analyze data to compare the actual results to the expected outcomes; and Make and communicate conclusions, generating new questions raised by observations and readings.

S7-8:1. Scientific Questioning: Students demonstrate their understanding of scientific questioning by:

1.1. Developing questions that reflect prior knowledge. 3
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 1.1.

1.2. Refining and focusing broad ill-defined questions. 3
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 1.2.

S7-8:2. Predicting and Hypothesizing: Students demonstrate their understanding of predicting and hypothesizing by:

2.1. Predicting results (evidence) that support the hypothesis. 3
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 2.1.

2.2. Proposing a hypothesis based upon a scientific concept or principle, observation, or experience that identifies the relationship between variables. 3
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 2.2.

S7-8:3. Designing Experiments: Students demonstrate their understanding of experimental design by:

3.1. Writing a plan related to the question, hypothesis, and prediction that includes: (a) A diagram labeled using scientific terminology that supports procedures and illustrates the setup; (b) A procedure that lists significant steps that identify manipulated (independent) and responding (dependent) variables; (c) A control for comparing data when appropriate; (d) Identification of tools and procedures for collecting data and reducing error. 3
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 3.1.

S7-8:4. Conducting Experiments: Students demonstrate their ability to conduct experiments by:

4.1. Accurately quantifying observations using appropriate measurement tools. 8
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 4.1.

4.2. Using technology to collect, quantify, organize, and store observations (e.g., use of probe). 3
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 4.2.

4.3. Drawing scientifically: Recording multiple perspectives to scale (e.g., magnification, cross section, top view, side view, etc.). 3
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 4.3.

S7-8:5. Representing Data and Analysis: Students demonstrate their ability to represent data by:

5.1. Representing independent variable on the 'X' axis and dependent variable on the 'Y' axis. 21
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 5.1.

5.2. Determining a scale for a diagram that is appropriate to the task. 6
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 5.2.

5.3. Using technology to enhance a representation. 9
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 5.3.

5.4. Using color, texture, symbols and other graphic strategies to clarify trends/patterns within a representation. 30
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 5.4.

S7-8:6. Representing Data and Analysis: Students demonstrate their ability to analyze data by:

6.1. Identifying, considering and addressing experimental errors (e.g., errors in experimental design, errors in data collection procedures). 30
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 6.1.

6.2. Identifying limitations and/or sources of error within the experimental design. 3
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 6.2.

S7-8:7. Representing Data and Analysis: Students demonstrate their ability to explain data by:

7.1. Using scientific concepts, models, and terminology to report results, discuss relationships, and propose new explanations. 30
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 7.1.

7.2. Generating alternative explanations. 3
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 7.2.

7.3. Documenting and explaining changes in experimental design. 3
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 7.3.

7.4. Sharing conclusion/summary with appropriate audience beyond the research group. 3
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 7.4.

7.5. Using mathematical analysis as an integral component of the conclusion. 35
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 7.5.

S7-8:8. Applying Results: Students demonstrate their ability to apply results by:

8.1. Identifying additional data that would strengthen an investigation. 35
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 8.1.

8.2. Explaining limitations for generalizing findings. 12
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 8.2.

8.3. Explaining relevance of findings (e.g., So what?) to local environment (community, school, classroom). 3
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 8.3.

8.4. Devising recommendations for further investigation and making decisions based on evidence. for experimental results. 4
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 8.4.

VT.7.9. Mathematical Understanding: Statistics and Probability Concepts: Students use statistics and probability concepts.

S7-8:34. Interdependence within Ecosystems: Students demonstrate their understanding of Energy Flow in an Ecosystem by:

34.1. Describing how light is transformed into chemical energy by producers and how this chemical energy is used by all organisms to sustain life (e.g., using a word equation). 7
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 34.1.

S7-8:36. Interdependence within Ecosystems: Students demonstrate their understanding of Equilibrium in an Ecosystem by:

36.1. Identifying an abiotic or biotic change in a local ecosystem and predicting the short and long-term effects of t his change (e.g., local river study). 4
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 36.1.

S7-8:37. Interdependence within Ecosystems: Students demonstrate their understanding of Recycling in an ecosystem by:

37.1. Explaining how products of decomposition are utilized by the ecosystem to sustain life while conserving mass (e.g., worm farm, compost). 7
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 37.1.

S7-8:41. Body Systems: Students demonstrate their understanding of Human Body Systems by:

41.1. Identifying ways that the human body responds to changes to maintain equilibrium. 17
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 41.1.

41.2. Explaining the function of the lungs in respiration. 8
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 41.2.

41.3. Developing models that illustrate the human reproductive system. 9
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 41.3.

VT.7.12. Space, Time, and Matter: Matter, Motion, Forces, and Energy: Students understand forces and motion, the properties and composition of matter, and energy sources and transformations.

S7-8:9. Properties of Matter: Students demonstrate their understanding of the Properties of Matter by:

9.1. Calculating the density of regularly and irregularly shaped objects. 10
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 9.1.

9.2. Explaining why all three states of matter can be observed in a room that has a uniform temperature. 10
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 9.2.

10.1. Illustrating through words or representations, the differences between atoms and molecules. 6
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 10.1.

10.2. Recognizing that all living and non-living things are formed from combinations of about 100 elements. 3
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 10.2.

S7-8:12. Properties of Matter: Students demonstrate their understanding of the States of Matter by:

12.1. Modeling (plays, models, diagrams) molecular motion of the three states of matter and explaining how that motion defines each state. 11
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 12.1.

S7-8:13. Properties of Matter: Students demonstrate their understanding of the Properties of a Gas by:

13.1. Using real world examples (tires, balloons, soda) predict and explain the effect that a change in one variable (pressure, temperature or volume) will have on the others. 11
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 13.1.

S7-8:14. Physical Change: Students demonstrate their understanding of Physical Change by:

14.1. Constructing their own models representing the states of matter at the molecular level and explaining the effect of increased and decreased heat energy on the motion and arrangement of molecules. 10
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 14.1.

14.2. Observing the physical processes of evaporation and condensation, and accounting for the disappearance and appearance of liquid water in terms of molecular motion and conservation of mass. 11
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 14.2.

S7-8:15. Chemical Change: Students demonstrate their understanding of Chemical Change by:

15.1. Observing evidence of chemical change, and offering qualitative explanations for the observed changes in substances in terms of interaction and rearrangement of the atoms, and the production of new substances with different characteristics but the same mass as the original substance. 6
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 15.1.

S7-8:19. Motion: Students demonstrate their understanding of Motion by:

19.1. Designing investigations that illustrate the effect of a change in mass or velocity on an object's momentum. 10
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 19.1.

19.2. Describing that the acceleration of an object is proportional to the force on the object and inversely proportional to the mass of the object. 10
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 19.2.

S7-8:21. Force: Students demonstrate their understanding of Force by:

21.1. Diagramming or describing, after observing a scenario with a moving object, the forces acting on the object before and after it is put in motion (Students include in their diagram or description, the effect of these forces on the motion of the object.). 10
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 21.1.

S7-8:22. Force: Students demonstrate their understanding of Gravitational Force by:

22.1. Describing the effects of gravitational force on objects in the Solar System, and identifying evidence that the force of gravity is relative to the mass of objects and their distance apart. 11
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 22.1.

S7-8:23. Energy and Energy Transformation: Students demonstrate their understanding of Heat Energy by:

23.1. Creating a diagram, model, or analogy for a material in a warmer and cooler state showing or describing the motion of the molecules. 6
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 23.1.

23.2. Creating a diagram, model, or analogy to explain the difference between conduction, convection, and radiation, and using their visual to explain how heat energy travels in different directions and through different materials by each method of energy transfer. 4
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 23.2.

S7-8:24. Energy and Energy Transformation: Students demonstrate their understanding of Electrical Energy by:

24.1. Building an electric circuit and explaining the transfer of electrical energy into heat, light, and sound, leaving the system but not destroyed. 20
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 24.1.

24.2. Describing the effect of a change in voltage in the circuit system. 10
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 24.2.

S7-8:28. Energy and Energy Transformation: Students demonstrate their understanding of Light Energy by:

28.1. Designing demonstrations that represent the characteristics of light energy transfer. 4
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 28.1.

28.2. Explaining that visible light is made up of the colored light waves. 4
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 28.2.

VT.7.13. The Living World: Organisms, Evolution, and Interdependence: Students understand the characteristics of organisms, see patterns of similarity and differences among living organisms, understand the role of evolution, and recognize the interdependence of all systems that support life.

S7-8:30. Survival of Organisms: Students demonstrate their understanding of Structure and Function-Survival Requirements by:

30.1. Conducting experiments that investigate how different concentrations of materials (inside vs. outside a cell) will cause water to flow into or out of cells. 20
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 30.1.

30.2. Examining cells under a microscope and identifying cell wall, and chloroplasts and by comparing the function of a common cell structure such as membrane in all cells with the function of a unique structure such as chloroplasts in plant cells. 20
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 30.2.

30.3. Examining cells under a microscope, identifying the nucleus and explaining the relationship between genes (located in the nucleus) and traits. 20
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 30.3.

S7-8:31. Life Cycles and Reproduction: Students demonstrate their understanding of Reproduction by:

31.1. Explaining that cells come only from other living cells and that genes duplicate in the process of cell division producing an identical copy of the original cell. 20
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 31.1.

31.2. Describing the relationship between human growth and cell division. 27
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 31.2.

S7-8:33. Chemical Reactions within Cells: Students demonstrate their understanding of how Energy Flow Within Cells Supports an Organism's Survival by:

33.1. Recognizing that energy from the sun is transferred and utilized in plant and animal cells through chemical changes and then transferred into other forms such as heat (e.g., using word equation). 8
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 33.1.

S7-8:38. Classification of Living Things: Students demonstrate their understanding of Classification of Organisms by:

38.1. Comparing and sorting organisms with similar characteristics into groups based on internal and external structures recognized by scientists. 12
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 38.1.

38.2. Recognizing that individuals that can reproduce with one another and produce fertile offspring are classified as a species. 12
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 38.2.

S7-8:39. Natural Selection/Evolution: Students demonstrate their understanding of Evolution/Natural Selection by:

39.1. Explaining that advantageous traits of organisms are passed on through reproduction. 12
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 39.1.

39.2. Identifying that traits occur randomly. 17
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 39.2.

VT.7.14. The Living World: The Human Body: Students demonstrate understanding of the human body heredity, body systems, and individual development and understand the impact of the environment on the human body.

S7-8:40. Heredity: Students demonstrate their understanding of Human Heredity by:

40.1. Identifying that traits are produced from the instructions of one or more genes that are inherited from the parents. 17
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 40.1.

S7-8:42. Human Disease: Students demonstrate their understanding of the Patterns of Human Health/Disease by:

42.1. Identifying a variety of microbes (e.g., virus, bacteria, fungi) and toxic materials that can interfere with body systems and cause harm. 7
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 42.1.

VT.7.15. The Universe, Earth, and The Environment: Theories, Systems, and Forces: Students demonstrate understanding of the earth and its environment, the solar system, and the universe in terms of the systems that characterize them, the forces that affect and shape them over time, and the theories that currently explain their evolution.

S7-8:45. Scale, Distances, Star Formation, Theories, Instrumentation: Students demonstrate their understanding of Processes and Change over Time within Systems of the Universe by:

45.1. Identifying and labeling the location of the sun in our solar system and its relationship to the galaxy. 10
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 45.1.

S7-8:48. Atmosphere, Water Cycle, Weather, Seasons: Students demonstrate their understanding of Processes and Change over Time within Earth Systems by:

48.1. Diagramming, labeling and explaining the process of the water cycle (precipitation, evaporation, condensation, runoff, ground water, transpiration). 6
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 48.1.

48.2. Identifying the major gases of earth's atmosphere. 6
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 48.2.

48.3. Explaining how differential heating can affect the earth's weather patterns. 2
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 48.3.

48.4. Creating a model showing the tilt of the earth on its axis and explaining how the sun's energy hitting the earth surface creates the seasons.

S7-8:49. Natural Resources: Students demonstrate their understanding of Processes and Change within Natural Resources by:

49.1. Investigating natural resources in the community and monitoring/managing them for responsible use. 36
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 49.1.

49.2. Identifying a human activity - in a local environment - and determining the impact of that activity on a specific (local) natural resource. 5
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 49.2.

49.3. Researching the impact of different human activities on the earth's land, waterways and atmosphere and describing possible effects on the living organisms in those environments. 4
Suggested Titles for Vermont Science State Standard 49.3.