Eighth Grade Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 17)

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

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Explore how technology can save lives in this fun engineering lesson plan! Earthquakes can cause devastation and loss of life when they strike, but earthquake-resistant buildings can stay standing and keep people safe. In this project, your students will build model earthquake-resistant buildings and measure their movement during a simulated earthquake using a mobile phone and a sensor app. A French translation of this activity is available. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-ESS3-2. Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.
MS-ETS1-2. Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

Dome Sweet Dome

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever seen a geodesic dome? Geodesic domes are approximately sphere-like (or partially sphere-like) structures made up of interconnected triangles. A famous geodesic dome is Spaceship Earth at EPCOT in Walt Disney World, Florida, but geodesic domes are also commonly found as climbing domes at playgrounds. In this science project, you will get to build a geodesic dome using rolled-up newspapers and tape. How much mass do you think your dome will be able to support? Build one and find out! Read more

From Genes to Genetic Diseases: What Kinds of Mutations Matter?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Our genes are made up of hundreds to millions of building blocks, called DNA nucleotides, and if just a single nucleotide of DNA becomes mutated it might cause a devastating genetic disease. But sometimes a mutation actually does no damage. What kinds of mutations have to occur to cause a genetic disease? In this science project, you will explore online genetic databases to identify how a mutation in a gene can result in a dysfunctional protein, and how other mutations may have no effect at all. Read more

Generate Customized Study Flashcards with Artificial Intelligence

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Have you ever needed to make a lot of flashcards for a class, but didn’t have the time–or weren’t sure how to make ones that actually help you learn? Maybe you like studying on the go, or you’re trying to squeeze in a quick 10-minute review session between other things. In this project, you will learn how to use ChatGPT (or another AI tool of your choice like Gemini, Copilot, etc.) to generate effective study flashcards quickly and customize them to fit your class and… Read more

Heart Health: How Does Heart Rate Change with Exercise?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Your heart starts beating before you are born and keeps right on going through your whole life. Over an average lifetime, the human heart beats more than 2.5 billion times. Keeping your heart healthy means eating right, not smoking, and getting regular exercise. Which of your favorite physical activities give your heart the best workout and help keep it fit? In this science project, you will use a smartphone equipped with a sensor app to visualize your heart rate and find out which… Read more

Hit the Slopes: Build Your Own Ski Lift

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Do you like winter sports like sledding or skiing? Check out this winter-themed engineering project to build your own miniature "ski lift." Use it to transport small objects from one place to another, just like a real ski lift transports skiers from the bottom of a mountain to the top. Read more

How Does the Intensity of Light Change with Distance?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

How does the intensity of a light source change as you move away from it? This project describes a method to verify the inverse square law: how light, sound, electrical signals, and gravity each decrease with distance from their source. It does not matter if you are talking about a lightbulb or the sun; this law still applies! Read more

Make a Homemade Compass

STEM Activity

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Have you ever used a compass to help you figure out what direction to go? What about while on a camping trip — have you ever needed a compass to help you navigate your way through a forest? Magnetic compasses work based on Earth's magnetic field. In this science activity, you will get to make your own magnetic compass out of a sewing needle, piece of cork, and cup of water. How well do you think it will work? Get ready to find out! Read more

Marble Machine

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Put your engineering skills to the test to see if you can build a machine—powered by nothing but gravity—that will automatically sort out two different sizes of plastic spheres. That might seem like a strange task, but have you ever used a coin sorter to separate pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters? How about using a sifter in the kitchen to separate fine grains of flour or sugar from bigger lumps? Machines that can automatically sort objects or particles of different sizes are… Read more

Measure the Frequency Response of a Paper Speaker

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Can you build a working speaker out of paper? How does a speaker's ability to play low or high-pitched notes depend on its size? Explore the science of sound in this project as you build and test your own speakers in order to answer these questions! Read more

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

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