Utah State Standards for Science: Grade 8

UT.I. Students will understand the nature of changes in matter.

I.1. Describe the chemical and physical properties of various substances.

I.1.a. Differentiate between chemical and physical properties. 7
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard I.1.a.

I.1.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). 10
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard I.1.b.

I.1.c. Investigate and report on the chemical and physical properties of a particular substance. 10
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard I.1.c.

I.2. Observe and evaluate evidence of chemical and physical change.

I.2.a. Identify observable evidence of a physical change (e.g., change in shape, size, phase). 8
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard I.2.a.

I.2.b. Identify observable evidence of a chemical change (e.g., color change, heat or light given off, change in odor, gas given off). 4
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard I.2.b.

I.2.c. Observe and describe chemical reactions involving atmospheric oxygen (e.g., rust, fire, respiration, photosynthesis). 7
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard I.2.c.

I.2.d. Investigate the effects of chemical change on physical properties of substances (e.g., cooking a raw egg, iron rusting, polymerization of a resin). 7
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard I.2.d.

I.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.

I.3.a. Identify the kinds of energy (e.g., heat, light, sound) given off or taken in when a substance undergoes a chemical or physical change. 16
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard I.3.a.

I.3.b. Relate the amount of energy added or taken away from a substance to the motion of molecules in the substance. 16
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard I.3.b.

I.3.c. Measure and graph the relationship between the states of water and changes in its temperature. 10
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard I.3.c.

I.3.d. Cite evidence showing that heat may be given off or taken in during a chemical change (e.g., striking a match, mixing vinegar and antacid, mixing ammonium chloride and water). 23
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard I.3.d.

I.3.e. Plan and conduct an experiment, and report the effect of adding or removing energy on the chemical and physical changes. 8
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard I.3.e.

I.4. Identify the observable features of chemical reactions.

I.4.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. 8
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard I.4.a.

I.4.b. Cite examples of common significant chemical reactions (e.g., photosynthesis, respiration, combustion, rusting) in daily life. 5
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard I.4.b.

I.4.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 and weigh the solutions before and after mixing). 4
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard I.4.c.

I.4.d. Experiment with variables affecting the relative rates of chemical changes (e.g., heating, cooling, stirring, crushing, concentration). 4
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard I.4.d.

I.4.e. Research and report on how scientists or engineers have applied principles of chemistry to an application encountered in daily life (e.g., heat-resistant plastic handles on pans, rust-resistant paints on highway bridges). 16
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard I.4.e.

UT.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.

II.1. Compare ways that plants and animals obtain and use energy.

II.1.a. Recognize the importance of photosynthesis in using light energy as part of the chemical process that builds plant materials. 5
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard II.1.a.

II.1.b. Explain how respiration in animals is a process that converts food energy into mechanical and heat energy. 5
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard II.1.b.

II.1.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). 7
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard II.1.c.

II.2. Generalize the dependent relationships between organisms.

II.2.a. Categorize the relationships between organisms (i.e., producer/consumer/decomposer, predator/prey, mutualism/parasitism) and provide examples of each. 4
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard II.2.a.

II.2.b. Use models to trace the flow of energy in food chains and food webs. 4
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard II.2.b.

II.2.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). 6
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard II.2.c.

II.2.d. Research multiple ways that different scientists have investigated the same ecosystem. 1
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard II.2.d.

II.3. Analyze human influence on the capacity of an environment to sustain living things.

II.3.a. Describe specific examples of how humans have changed the capacity of an environment to support specific life forms (e.g., people create wetlands and nesting boxes that increase the number and range of wood ducks, acid rain damages amphibian eggs and reduces population of frogs, clear cutting forests affects squirrel populations, suburban sprawl reduces mule deer winter range thus decreasing numbers of deer). 7
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard II.3.a.

II.3.b. Distinguish between inference and evidence in a newspaper or magazine article relating to the effect of humans on the environment. 47
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II.3.c. Infer the potential effects of humans on a specific food web. 6
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II.3.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 of flow energy in an ecosystem. 5
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard II.3.d.

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

III.1. Compare rocks and minerals and describe how they are related.

III.1.a. Recognize that most rocks are composed of minerals. 1
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard III.1.a.

III.1.b. Observe and describe the minerals found in rocks (e.g., shape, color, luster, texture, hardness). 1
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard III.1.b.

III.1.c. Categorize rock samples as sedimentary, metamorphic, or igneous. 3
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard III.1.c.

III.2. Describe the nature of the changes that rocks undergo over long periods of time.

III.2.a. Diagram and explain the rock cycle. 2
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard III.2.a.

III.2.b. Describe the role of energy in the processes that change rock materials over time. 2
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard III.2.b.

III.2.c. Use a model to demonstrate how erosion changes the surface of Earth. 2
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard III.2.c.

III.2.d. Relate gravity to changes in Earth's surface. 6
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard III.2.d.

III.2.e. Identify the role of weathering of rocks in soil formation. 2
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard III.2.e.

III.2.f. Describe and model the processes of fossil formation.

III.3. Describe how rock and fossil evidence is used to infer Earth's history.

III.3.a. Describe how the deposition of rock materials produces layering of sedimentary rocks over time. 4
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard III.3.a.

III.3.b. Identify the assumptions scientists make to determine relative ages of rock layers. 1
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard III.3.b.

III.3.c. Explain why some sedimentary rock layers may not always appear with youngest rock on top and older rocks below (i.e., folding, faulting). 4
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard III.3.c.

III.3.d. Research how fossils show evidence of the changing surface of the Earth. 4
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard III.3.d.

III.3.e. Propose why more recently deposited rock layers are more likely to contain fossils resembling existing species than older rock layers. 4
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard III.3.e.

III.4. Compare rapid and gradual changes to Earth's surface.

III.4.a. Describe how energy from the Earth's interior causes changes to Earth's surface (i.e., earthquakes, volcanoes). 4
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard III.4.a.

III.4.b. Describe how earthquakes and volcanoes transfer energy from Earth's interior to the surface (e.g., seismic waves transfer mechanical energy, flowing magma transfers heat and mechanical energy). 4
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard III.4.b.

III.4.c. Model the process of energy buildup and release in earthquakes. 3
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard III.4.c.

III.4.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. 2
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard III.4.d.

III.4.e. Model how small changes over time add up to major changes to Earth's surface.

UT.IV. Students will understand the relationships among energy, force, and motion.

IV.1. Investigate the transfer of energy through various materials.

IV.1.a. Relate the energy of a wave to wavelength. 5
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard IV.1.a.

IV.1.b. Compare the transfer of energy (i.e., sound, light, earthquake waves, heat) through various mediums. 20
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard IV.1.b.

IV.1.c. Describe the spread of energy away from an energy-producing source. 21
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard IV.1.c.

IV.1.d. Compare the transfer of heat by conduction, convection, and radiation and provide examples of each. 6
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard IV.1.d.

IV.1.e. Demonstrate how white light can be separated into the visible color spectrum. 5
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard IV.1.e.

IV.2. Examine the force exerted on objects by gravity.

IV.2.a. Distinguish between mass and weight. 6
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard IV.2.a.

IV.2.b. Cite examples of how Earth's gravitational force on an object depends upon the mass of the object. 6
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard IV.2.b.

IV.2.c. Describe how Earth's gravitational force on an object depends upon the distance of the object from Earth. 6
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard IV.2.c.

IV.2.d. Design and build structures to support a load. 2
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard IV.2.d.

IV.2.e. Engineer (design and build) a machine that uses gravity to accomplish a task. 1
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard IV.2.e.

IV.3. Investigate the application of forces that act on objects, and the resulting motion.

IV.3.a. Calculate the mechanical advantage created by a lever. 3
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard IV.3.a.

IV.3.b. Engineer a device that uses levers or inclined planes to create a mechanical advantage. 4
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard IV.3.b.

IV.3.c. Engineer a device that uses friction to control the motion of an object. 1
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard IV.3.c.

IV.3.d. Design and build a complex machine capable of doing a specified task. 6
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard IV.3.d.

IV.3.e. Investigate the principles used to engineer changes in forces and motion. 9
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard IV.3.e.

IV.4. Analyze various forms of energy and how living organisms sense and respond to energy.

IV.4.a. Analyze the cyclic nature of potential and kinetic energy (e.g., a bouncing ball, a pendulum). 19
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard IV.4.a.

IV.4.b. Trace the conversion of energy from one form of energy to another (e.g., light to chemical to mechanical). 18
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IV.4.c. Cite examples of how organisms sense various types of energy. 6
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard IV.4.c.

IV.4.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). 3
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard IV.4.d.

IV.4.e. Investigate and describe how engineers have developed devices to help us sense various types of energy (e.g., seismographs, eyeglasses, telescopes, hearing aids). 2
Suggested Titles for Utah Science State Standard IV.4.e.