Grade 8 Science OLS Standards

Scientific Knowledge is Open to Revision in Light of New Evidence

Science is a Human Endeavor

Science is a Way of Knowing

Scientific Inquiry, Practice and Applications

Nature of Science (K-8)

Physical Science

Life Science

Earth and Space Science

All students must use these scientific processes with appropriate laboratory safety techniques to construct their knowledge and understanding in all science content areas.

Apply knowledge of science content to real-world challenges.

Design technological/engineering solutions.

Identify questions that can be answered through scientific investigations.

Design and conduct scientific investigations using appropriate safety techniques.

Use appropriate mathematics, tools and techniques to gather data and information.

Analyze and interpret data.

Develop descriptions, models, explanations and predictions.

Think critically and logically to connect evidence and explanations.

Recognize and analyze alternative explanations and predictions.

Communicate scientific procedures and explanations.

Science assumes the universe is a vast single system in which basic laws are consistent. Natural laws operate today as they did in the past and they will continue to do so in the future. Science is both a body of knowledge that represents a current understanding of natural systems and the processes used to refine, elaborate, revise and extend this knowledge.

Science is a way of knowing about the world around us based on evidence from experimentation and observations.

Science is a continual process and the body of scientific knowledge continues to grow and change.

Science assumes that objects and events occur in consistent patterns that are understandable through measurement and observation.

Science should carefully consider and evaluate all data including outliers.

Science is based on observable phenomena and empirical evidence.

Science disciplines share common rules for obtaining and evaluating empirical evidence.

Science has been, and continues to be, advanced by individuals of various races, genders, ethnicities, languages, abilities, family backgrounds and incomes.

Individuals from different social, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds work as scientists and engineers.

Scientists and engineers are guided by habits of mind, such as intellectual honesty, tolerance of ambiguity, skepticism and openness to ideas.

Scientists and engineers rely on human qualities such as persistence, precision, reasoning, logic, imagination and creativity.

Science is not static. Science is constantly changing as we acquire more knowledge.

Science explanations are subject to revision and improvement in light of additional scientific evidence or new understanding of scientific evidence.

The composition and properties of Earth's interior are identified by the behavior of seismic waves.

Earth's lithosphere consists of major and minor tectonic plates that move relative to each other.

A combination of constructive and destructive geologic processes formed Earth's surface.

Evidence of the dynamic changes of Earth's surface through time is found in the geologic record.

Diversity of species, a result of variation of traits, occurs through the process of evolution and extinction over many generations. The fossil records provide evidence that changes have occurred in number and types of species.

Every organism alive today comes from a long line of ancestors who reproduced successfully every generation.

The characteristics of an organism are a result of inherited traits received from parent(s).

Objects can experience a force due to an external field such as magnetic, electrostatic, or gravitational fields.

Forces can act to change the motion of objects.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Machine Learning

Explain the difference between training and using a reasoning model to identify how a machine learns.

Illustrate how objects in an image can be segmented and labeled to construct a training set for object recognition.

Explain how the choice of training data shapes the behavior of the classifier to identify how bias can be introduced if the training set is not properly balanced.

Natural Interactions

Create a program, individually and collaboratively, that implements a language processing algorithm to create a functional chatbot.

Critically analyze and discuss features that make an entity “intelligent,” including discussing differences between human, animal and machine intelligence to identify how machine intelligence varies from natural intelligence.

Perception

Explain how sounds and images are represented digitally in a computer to explain how sensor data is stored in a computer.

Describe how a vision system might exhibit cultural bias if it lacked knowledge of objects not found in the culture of the people who created it to create inclusive and equitable data sets.

Illustrate how sequences of words can be recognized as phrases, even if some of the words are unclear, by looking at how the words fit together to create a text recognition program.

Representation & Reasoning

Model the process of solving a graph-search problem using breadth-first search to draw a search tree.

Societal Impacts

Identify and explain how the composition of training data affects the outcome of a supervised artificial intelligence system to identify bias in data sets.

Identify bias potential in the design of artificial intelligence systems and describe how to utilize inclusive AI design to prevent algorithmic bias.

ALGORITHMIC THINKING AND PROGRAMMING

Algorithms

Create multiple pseudocode to solve a multi-step process and justify the most efficient solution.

Control Structures

Use and apply decisions and loops in a program to solve a problem.

Modularity

Decompose problems and subproblems into parts to facilitate the design, implementation and review of complex programs.

Program Development

Write code that utilizes algorithms, variables and control structures to solve problems or as a creative expression.

Systematically test and refine programs using a range of test cases.

Use procedures that utilize parameters to pass values.

Variables and Data Representation

Analyze test cases and determine the range of valid solutions.

Use a data structure to represent a collection.

COMPUTING SYSTEMS

Devices

Evaluate the advantages and limitations of existing computing devices to recommend design improvements based on analysis of how users interact with the device.

Hardware and Software

Design projects that combine hardware and software components that could complete a task.

Troubleshooting

Use a systematic process to identify and evaluate the source of a routine computing problem. Select the best solution to solve the computing problem and communicate the solution to others.

DATA AND ANALYSIS

Data Collection and Storage

Interpret digital data collection tools to manage information effectively.

Identify data storage systems to define how data is stored and accessed.

Create a logical file structure to organize data in different storage systems to support individual and collaborative work.

Inference and Modeling

Create and analyze models and simulations to accurately hypothesize a real-world situation.

Visualization and Communication

Evaluate data to construct a model or representation.

Create a spreadsheet utilizing formulas, functions and graphs to represent and analyze data.

IMPACTS OF COMPUTING

Culture

Compare current technologies and how they affect the current economy.

Propose potential guidelines/standards/criteria to positively impact bias and accessibility in the design of future technologies.

Identify and explore careers related to the field of computer science.

Explain how computing impacts innovation in other fields.

Social Interactions

Evaluate the impacts of electronic communication on personal relationships to be able to evaluate differences between face-to-face and electronic communication.

Safety, Law and Ethics

Explain user privacy concerns related to the collection and generation of data that may not be evident through automated processes.

Describe the social and economic implications of privacy in the context of safety, law or ethics to be global digital citizens.

Identify ethical and legal security measures used to protect electronic information.

Provide appropriate credit when using resources or artifacts that are not our own.

NETWORKS AND THE INTERNET

Cybersecurity

Explain how physical and digital security measures are used to protect electronic information.

Compare and contrast the effects of different types of malware to determine strategies for how to protect devices.

Compare and contrast examples of various threat actors, such as nation-states, cyber terrorist groups, organized crime or hacktivists.

Explore and differentiate examples of complex encryption methods, e.g., Vigenère, Bacon’s cipher and Enigma.

Internet of Things (IoT)

Explore career pathways related to IoT to identify careers associated with the computer science field.

Model the lifecycle of information in the IoT including data gathering, transmission, reception and analysis to recreate a realworld scenario.

Networking

Model the role of hardware components to diagram the infrastructure of networks and the internet (including cloud servers).

Model protocols (i.e., rules) and explain why they are used to transmit data across networks and the internet.

Explain how a system responds when information is lost to understand the effect it has on the transferred information.

Range of Writing

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

Production and Distribution of Writing

Text Types and Purposes

Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Craft and Structure

Key Ideas and Details

Science and Technical Subjects

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Craft and Structure

Key Ideas and Details

History/Social Studies

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.

By the end of grade 8, read, comprehend, and respond to history/social studies texts in the grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Analyze content-area-specific text development.

Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source.

Provide an accurate summary that includes the central ideas of the source.

Identify key steps in a text's description of a process related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.

Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).

Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author's perspective or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).

Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.

Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.

Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts.

By the end of grade 8, read, comprehend, and respond to science/technical texts in the grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Analyze content-area-specific text development.

Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text.

Provide an accurate and objective summary that includes the central ideas or conclusions of the text.

Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks.

Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6–8 texts and topics.

Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to an understanding of the topic.

Analyze the author's purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text.

Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table).

Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.

Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video, or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic.

Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.

Establish a clear thesis statement to present and argument.

Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.

Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources.

Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

Establish and maintain a formal style.

Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/experiments, or technical processes.

Establish a thesis statement to present information.

Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories as appropriate to achieving purpose; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.

Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.

Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone.

Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.

not applicable as a separate requirement

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.

Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently.

Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.

Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others, while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis reflection, and research.