Eighth Grade Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 108)

Count the Seconds

Lesson Plan Grade: 4th-8th

Students design a device that can track a specific amount of time and indicate when that time has passed with a sound or visual signal. They iterate their designs and prototypes to improve repeatability. Learning Objectives Students will: Design and build a device that indicates when a specific amount of time has passed. Use simple machines in their device. Identify the ways in which energy is stored and transferred in their device. Iterate and improve their designs based… Read more

Discovering Rainforest Locations

Lesson Plan Grade: 4th-8th

"Global Biomes" © 2012 NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center In this activity, students will compare maps showing worldwide temperature, precipitation, biodiversity, and soil nutrition levels to predict where on our planet rainforests are located. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

4-ESS2-2. Analyze and interpret data from maps to describe patterns of Earth's features.
5-ESS2-1. Develop a model using an example to describe ways in which the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact.
MS-ESS2-6. Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates.

Drones in High-Tech Farming (Grades 6-8)

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

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(Image credit: by ackab1, via Flickr. Creative Commons). Students will discover the science behind how a drone works, explore how drones are used in agriculture, and program and operate a drone for the purpose of monitoring grazing sheep. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.

Evolutionary Puzzles

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

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This lesson uses problem-solving and logical thinking to introduce students to phylogenetic trees. Students will create, organize, and structure data to explore patterns of heredity. Learning Objectives Students will: Explore how phylogenetic trees organize species based on shared characteristics. Discover both the power and the limitations of phylogenetic trees as a tool for making inferences about the evolutionary history of different species. Engage in authentic science practices… Read more

Exploring the Impacts of Feeding the World

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-10th

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© 2015 California Academy of Sciences In this two-day lesson, students will be introduced to several issues related to the social, economic, and environmental impacts of our current food system, including food waste, food deserts, agricultural land use, and the environmental impacts of diet choices. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-ESS3-4. Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems.

Fabulous Fabrics: The Chemistry of "Green" Textiles

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

Look around and you will see fabrics everywhere, from clothes to upholstery, in a wide range of colors. In this chemistry lab students will dye strips of fabrics to explore how variables like pH and fiber type influence fabric colors. Students will also look at the life cycles of natural and synthetic fibers and apply green chemistry principles to understand how science can help make advances towards a "greener" textile industry. Learning Objectives Students will: Understand that synthetic… Read more

Greywater Gadgetry

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-12th

Create a two-part system for filtering greywater. Teams will focus on communication and systems engineering as they build separate components to filter solid and liquid waste and then combine them into one device. Learning Objectives Students will: Consider the potential effects of drought and how greywater could be part of the solution. Design a system for filtering out solid waste or liquid waste. Consider effective communication strategies with their team. Collaborate on their design… Read more

How Big is Big? Understanding Scale in Nature

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-12th

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"He's too tiny to measure up."© 2006 Patty O'Hearn Kickham Some organisms, like whales and redwood trees, are so large that it's hard for us to picture just how big they are! In this lesson, students practice mathematics and computational thinking to create scale models of themselves, and then apply these skills to create models of other large organisms. This activity works best when stretched out… Read more

How R Naught (R₀) Shapes an Epidemic

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-12th

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What is R naught (R₀), what factors influence it, and how does it shape the infection curves of an epidemic? Students will explore these questions and more in this lesson plan. They will then use SimPandemic, a free online tool, to model what a COVID-19 outbreak looks like in communities with different R₀ values. Remote learning adaptation: This lesson plan can be conducted remotely. Students can work independently on the Explore section of the lesson plan using the Student… Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-LS2-4. Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
HS-LS2-8. Evaluate evidence for the role of group behavior on individual and species' chances to survive and reproduce.

Kinesthetic Astronomy: Birthday Stars

Lesson Plan Grade: 3rd-8th

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"Star" © 2014 Tom Hall Constellations have been used for centuries for navigation and time keeping. In this interactive lesson, students will learn the difference between their sun sign and their birthday stars. Read more

Eighth Grade Projects, Lessons, Activities (1,100 results)

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