Science 8 th Grade – Unit 1

Rationale:

This unit utilizes necessary skills to understand the concept of inquiry as students will explore the topics of scientific method, forces and motion, ecology, organization and patterns of life. The unit is divided into three sub units that entail its key ideas, skills, standards and assessments. Students will utilize the method of inquiry and varied research to investigate specific variables following the procedure on how to conduct a scientific investigation. This 12-week unit contains essential and guiding questions with learning activities that will support students in strengthening their critical thinking and literacy skills that strongly reflect Mathematics, ELA and Science integration. The first sub unit will lead students to demonstrate an understanding as to how inquiry is used in the field of science, specifically by developing an investigation such as secondary research, controlled experiments, and design projects. The second part will lead students to fully understand the significance of the changes occurring in the physical environment. In this part, students will discover that organisms interact and depend on each other as well as their specific habitat. The third sub unit will help students understand the different processes of life. They will learn how single-cell organisms are different and similar from multicellular organisms.

Throughout this unit, students will apply mathematical knowledge to solve real-world problems and problems that arise from the investigation of mathematical ideas, using presentations such as graphs, charts, and data tables through technology. They also will use appropriate scientific tools to solve problems about the natural world.

Performance tasks will require students to:. • Describe the different ways of developing a scientific investigation.. • Determine and investigate variables and explain the effects of an independent variable on the dependent variable.. • Collect quantitative and qualitative data through investigations, technology and reading valid and reliable informational texts.. • Write a laboratory report.

Concept: Inquiry

Textbook: Glencoe Science: New York Science Grade 8

Holt New York Biology: The Living Environment

Essential Questions: Why do we make an inquiry?How do we pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions? Why doesn’t any one type of living thing take over the world? How is a single-celled organism similar to and different from a human?

Duration: September – November

Topics: Scientific Method, Making Observations and Inferences, Manipulating Variables, Conducting an investigatory project, Graphing and Analyzing Data, and Writing a laboratory report

Forces and Motion, Earth’s Revolution and Rotation, Rockets, Tides, Phases of the moon and Seasons

Ecosystem, Photosynthesis, Food chain, Food web, Energy pyramid, Biodiversity, Evolution, Interrelationship, Photosynthesis, Water Cycle, Nitrogen Cycle and Nutrition

The Human Body System, Reproduction, Organization of life, The Cell, Cell Division, Mitosis, and Meiosis

Unit 1A : Scientific Inquiry Duration: 4 weeks Month of: September 8 through October 7

Overview:

Science relies on logic and creativity. Science is both a body of knowledge and a way of knowing—an intellectual and social process that applies human intelligence to explaining how the world works. Scientific explanations are developed using both observations (evidence) and what people already know about the world (scientific knowledge). All scientific explanations are tentative and subject to change. Good science involves questioning, observing and inferring, experimenting, finding evidence, collecting and organizing data, drawing valid conclusions, and undergoing peer review. Understanding the scientific view of the natural world is an essential part of personal, societal, and ethical decision making. Scientific literacy involves internalizing the scientific critical attitude so that it can be applied in everyday life, particularly in relation to health, commercial, and technological claims.

Key Idea 1: The central purpose of scientific inquiry is to develop explanations of natural phenomena in a continuing and creative

process.

Key Idea 2: Beyond the use of reasoning and consensus, scientific inquiry involves the testing of proposed explanations involving the use of conventional techniques and procedures and usually requiring considerable ingenuity.

Key Idea 3: The observations made while testing proposed explanations, when analyzed using conventional and invented methods, provide new insights into natural phenomena.

Guiding Questions Learning Activities Standards

1. What is science?2. How does a scientist use

inquiry?3. What are the different steps

of scientific method?4. What are variables?5. How is an independent

variable different from dependent variable?

6. Why is data important?7. How to conduct an

investigatory project?8. What is force?

1. Inquiry Lab: Make a Prediction2. The Nature of Science - Questioning Ideas - Discovery and change - Universal laws - Science and Ethics3. Introduction to the investigation design diagram4. Performance task1: Building a Rocket5. Writing a project title, question and a hypothesis.6. Developing a Scientific Explanation7. Quick lab: Evaluate a Scientific claim.8. Quick lab: Calculating Density.

NYS Standards:

S1(Inquiry & Design) MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS: Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers and develop solutions.

Key Idea 1: Abstraction and symbolic representation are used to communicate mathematically.

M1.1 Extend mathematical notation and symbolism to include variables and algebraic expressions in order to describe and compare quantities and express mathematical relationships.

M1.1a. Identify independent and dependent variables M1.1b. Identify relationships among variables including: direct, indirect, cyclic, constant; identify non-related material

M1.1c. Apply mathematical equations to describe relationships among variables in the natural world.

Standard 1: (Analysis, Inquiry, and Design)

SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY

Key Idea 1:

The central purpose of scientific inquiry is to develop explanations of natural phenomena in a continuing, creative process.

S1.1 Formulate questions independently with the aid of references appropriate for guiding the search for explanations of everyday observations.

S1.1a. Formulate questions about natural phenomena.

S1.1b. Identify appropriate references to investigate a question

S1.1c.  Refine and clarify questions so that they are subject to scientific investigation

S1.2 Construct explanations independently for natural phenomena, especially by proposing preliminary visual models of phenomena.

S2.1 – Use conventional techniques and those of their own

design to make further observations and refine their explanations, guided by a need for more information.

S4 (PS)- Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.

Reading Standard RST.6-8.4. 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

RST.6-8.1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts.

ELA/Literacy

RST.9-10.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions.

RST.9-10.3: Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks, attending to special cases or exceptions de ned in the text.

RST.9-10.7: Translate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text into visual form (e.g., a table or chart) and translate information expressed visually or mathematically (e.g., in an equation) into words.

RST.9-10.8: Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author’s claim or a recommendation for solving a scientific or technical problem.

RST.9-10.9: Compare and contrast findings presented in a text to those from other sources (including their own experiments), noting when the findings support or contradict previous explanations or accounts.

WHST.9-10.1: Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.

WHST.9-10.2: Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical

events, scientific procedures/experiments, or technical processes.

WHST.9-10.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are de ned in standards 1–3 above.)

WHST.9-10.5: Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

WHST.9-10.6: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information

flexibly and dynamically.

WHST.9-10.7: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answera question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

WHST.9-10.9: Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

WHST.9-10.10: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Mathematics

HSN.Q.A.1: Use units as a way to understand problems and to guide the solution of multistep problems; choose and interpret units consistently in formulas; choose and interpret the scale and the origin in graphs and data displays.

HSN.Q.A.2: De ne appropriate quantities for the purpose of descriptive modeling. HSN.Q.A.3: Choose a level of accuracy appropriate to limitations on measurement when reporting quantities.

Assessments/ Performance Tasks1. Pre Test/Post Test2. Unit Test3. Quizzes

Scaffolds/Support:

Science notebookGraphic organizers

4. Developing an experiment5. Writing Laboratory Reports6. Science Notebooks7. Science Journal8. Presentations9. Performance Task 1 (A Controlled Experiment)

Science RubricFocused writing strategies Google classroomUsing a TextbookProviding FeedbackProviding reliable websites www.discoveryeducation.com, www.nasa.com, www.glencoe.com, www.nysedregents.org, and www.newyorktimes.com

Supplemental Texts/ Resources:

1. www.scilinks.org Topic: Scientific Discoveries Scientific Investigation History of Standard Units

2. Writing for Science Persuasive Writing: Write a letter to a younger brother or sister explaining the importance of studying science. Give at least three reasons to support your explanation.

3. www.urbanadvantagenyc.org Types of Investigatory Project Using the Investigation Design Diagram (IDD) Using the Diagram for Scientific Explanation (DSET)

VocabularyInquiry, Observation, Scientific Method, VariableDependent Variables, Independent VariablesHypothesis, Measurements, Graph, ConclusionInference, Equation, ExperimentationConclusion, Claim, Reasoning, ExplanationForce, Motion, Rotation, Revolution, Tides, Seasons, Phenomena, Predictions, Controlled VariablesConstant Variable, Theory, Data, Analysis

Notes (Teacher Modifications/ Addition/ Questions):

Unit 1B: Ecology Duration: 5 Weeks Month of: October 10 through November 11

Overview:

The fundamental concept of ecology is that living organisms interact with and are dependent on their environment and each other. These interactions result in a flow of energy and a cycling of materials that are essential for life. Competition can occur between members of different species for an ecological niche. Competition can also occur within species. Competition may be for abiotic resources, such as space, water, air, and shelter, and for biotic resources, such as food and mates. Students should be familiar with the concept of food chains and webs.

Key Ideas:

Key Idea 1: Living things are both similar to and different from each other and from nonliving things.

Key Idea 2: Plants and animals depend on each other and their physical environment.

Guiding Questions Learning Activities Standards

1. What are the different parts of an ecosystem?

2. How does an ecosystem respond to change?

3. How does energy flow though an ecosystem?

4. Why is it important to study populations?

5. How have science and technology affected human

1. What is an Ecosystem? Quick Lab: Biodiversity Evaluation www.scilinks.org - Biomes 2. Energy Flow in Ecosystem www.scilinks.org - Food Web Math Skills – Energy Pyramid Using Science Graphics

3. Cycling of Matter - Water Cycle - Carbon and Oxygen Cycle - Nitrogen Cycle - Quick Lab: The Carbon Cycle

4. Performance Task 2 Completing the IDD (Investigation

NYS Standards:

S1 (Inquiry & Design) – Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers and develop solutions. S1.2 – Construct explanations independently for natural phenomena, especially by proposing preliminary visual models of phenomena. S2.1 – Use conventional techniques and those of their own design to make further observations and refine their explanations, guided by a need for more information.

S4 (PS) - Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and recognize the historical development of ideas in science. S4.4.1 - Describe the sources and identify the transformations of

population growth?6. What are some

sources of pollution?7. What are the effects

of pollution?8. How does ecosystem

disruption affect humans?

9. How are humans and the environment connected?

Design Diagram) after conducting A controlled experiment

energy observed in everyday life

Performance Indicator 5.1. Compare the way a variety of living specimens carry out basic life functions and maintain dynamic equilibrium.

Major Understandings:

5.1a Animals and plants have a great variety of body plans and internal structures that contribute to their ability to maintain a balanced condition.

5.1b An organism’s overall body plan and its environment determine the way that the organism carries out the life processes.

5.1c All organisms require energy to survive. The amount of energy needed and the method for obtaining this energy vary among cells. Some cells use oxygen to release the energy stored in food.

5.1d The methods for obtaining nutrients vary among organisms. Producers, such as green plants, use light energy to make their food. Consumers, such as animals, take in energy-rich foods.

5.1e Herbivores obtain energy from plants. Carnivores obtain energy from animals. Omnivores obtain energy from both plants and animals. Decomposers, such as bacteria and fungi, obtain energy by consuming wastes and/or dead organisms.

5.1f Regulation of an organism’s internal environment involves sensing the internal environment and changing physiological activities to keep conditions within the range required for survival. Regulation includes a variety of nervous and hormonal feedback systems.

5.1g The survival of an organism depends on its ability to sense and respond to its external environment.

ELA/Literacy

RST.9-10.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions.

RST.9-10.2: Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; trace the text’s explanation or depiction of a complex process, phenomenon, or concept; provide an accurate summary of the text.

RST.9-10.7: Translate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text into visual form (e.g., a table or chart) and translate information expressed visually or mathematically (e.g., in an equation) into words.

WHST.9-10.2: Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/experiments, or technical processes.

WHST.9-10.5: Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

WHST.9-10.6: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.

WHST.9-10.7: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answera question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize

multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

WHST.9-10.9: Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Mathematics

HSN.Q.A.1: Use units as a way to understand problems and to guide the solution of multistep problems; choose and interpret units consistently in formulas; choose and interpret the scale and the origin in graphs and data displays.

HSN.Q.A.2: De ne appropriate quantities for the purpose of descriptive modeling. HSN.Q.A.3: Choose a level of accuracy appropriate to limitations on measurement when reporting quantities.

Assessments/ Performance Tasks

1. Performance task 22. Quizzes (Teacher Designed)3. Lab Report4. Science Notebook5. Interim Assessments (Teacher Designed)

Scaffolds/ Support

Science notebookGraphic organizersScience RubricVocabulary buildingFocused writing strategies Google classroomUsing a TextbookProviding FeedbackProviding reliable websites www.discoveryeducation.com, www.nasa.com, www.glencoe.com, www.nysedregents.org, and www.newyorktimes.com

Supplemental Texts/ Resources:

1. Holt New York Biology: The Living Environment 1.1. Reading Toolbox page 91 Explain how the carbon cycle and the oxygen cycle are similar. Explain how they are different. 1.2. Regents Exam practice, page 97 – 99 1.3. Using Graphic Organizers, page 102 Create a Venn Diagram that compares the characteristics of communities, ecosystems, and populations. 1.4. Gathering and Interpreting Data Data: Quick Lab (The effects of Herbivores on a Plant Specie) page 110 2. Glencoe Science: New York Science

2. Videos/ Animation/ppt -

Vocabulary

Community, Ecosystem, Habitat, Biodiversity, Herbivore, Carnivore, Omnivore, Detrivore, Producer, Consumer, Succession, Climate, Biome, Energy Pyramid, Trophic Level, Producer, Consumer, Decomposer, Atom, ATP, Biochemical Process, Biological catalysis, Biosphere, Biotic, Bonds, Breakdown, Building blocks, Subatomic particle, Proton, Neutron, Electron, Nucleus, Electron cloud, Chemical properties, Element, Chemical compound, Chemical bonding, Ionic bonding, Ion, Covalent bonding, Molecule, Water molecule, Formula, Polar bond, Covalent bond, Non polar covalent, Hydrogen bond, Cohesive property, Macromolecules, CHONSP, Organic, Organic compound, Monosaccharide, Disaccharide, Polysaccharide, Lipid, Saturated fat, Unsaturated fat, Protein, Amino acid, Enzyme, Substrate, Nucleic Acid, DNA, and RNA

Notes (Teacher Modifications/ Addition/ Questions):

Unit 1C: Organization and Patterns in Life Duration: 5 Weeks Month of: November 14 through December 16

Overview:

Living things are similar in that they rely on many of the same processes to stay alive, yet are different in the ways that these processes are carried out. Nonliving things lack certain features of living organisms, such as the ability to maintain a cellular organization, carry out metabolic processes while maintaining internal stability (homeostasis), and pass on hereditary information through reproduction. Different organisms have different regulatory mechanisms that function to maintain the level of organization necessary for life. Life is dependent upon availability of an energy source and raw materials that are used in the basic enzyme-controlled biochemical processes of living organisms. These biochemical processes occur within a narrow range of conditions.

Key Idea 1: Living things are both similar to and different from each other and from nonliving things.

Key Idea 2: The continuity of life is sustained through reproduction and development.

Key Idea 3: Organisms maintain a dynamic equilibrium that sustains life.

Guiding Questions Learning Activities Standards

1. What enables eukaryotes to perform more specialized functions than prokaryotes do?

2. How are cells organized in a complex multicellular organism?

3. How do cells respond to stimuli?

4. How is energy released in a cell?

1. Performance Task 3: Completing the Investigation Design Diagram and the Scientific Explanation

2. C-E-R (Claim-Evidence-Reasoning): Write scientific explanation using the C-E-R model about the validity of Task 3

3. The Microscope (Using the Microscope)4. Quick Lab: Cell Parts Model5. Laboratory Experiment: Plant Cell

NYS Standards

S7 (Interdisciplinary Problem Solving) – Students will apply the knowledge and thinking skills of Mathematics, science, and technology to address real life problems and make informed decisions.

S7.1.4 – Describe and explain phenomena by designing and conducting investigations involving systematic observations, accurate measurements, and the identification and control of variables; by inquiring into relevant

5. What is cellular respiration?

6. Why do cells divide?7. What is mitosis?8. What is reproduction?9. How does sexual

reproduction different from asexual reproduction?

10.What occurs during the stages of meiosis?

11.What is alteration of generations?

Observation6. Laboratory Experiment: Cell Size and Diffusion

mathematical ideas; and by using mathematical tools and procedures to assist in the investigation.

Performance Indicator 1.1. Compare and contrast the parts of plants, animals, and one-celled organisms.

Major Understandings:1.1a Living things are composed of cells. Cells provide structure and carry on major functions to sustain life. Cells are usually microscopic in size.

1.1b The way in which cells function is similar in all living things. Cells grow and divide, producing more cells. Cells take in nutrients, which they use to provide energy for the work that cells do and to make the materials that a cell or an organism needs.

1.1c Most cells have cell membranes, genetic material, and cytoplasm. Some cells have a cell wall and/or chloroplasts. Many cells have a nucleus.

1.1d Some organisms are single cells; others, including humans, are multicellular.

1.1e Cells are organized for more effective functioning in multicellular organisms. Levels of organization for structure and function of a multicellular organism include cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems.

1.1f Many plants have roots, stems, leaves, and reproductive structures. These organized groups of tissues are responsible

for a plant’s life activities.

1.1g Multicellular animals often have similar organs and specialized systems for carrying out major life activities.

1.1h Living things are classified by shared characteristics on the cellular and organism level. In classifying organisms, biologists consider details of internal and external structures. Biological classification systems are arranged from general (kingdom) to specific (species).

ELA/Literacy

RST.9-10.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions.

RST.9-10.4: 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 9–10 texts and topics.

WHST.9-10.2: Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/experiments, or technical processes.

WHST.9-10.5: Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

WHST.9-10.9: Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Mathematics

HSN.Q.A.2: Determine appropriate quantities for the purpose of descriptive modeling.

HSN.Q.A.3: Choose a level of accuracy appropriate to limitations on measurement when reporting quantities.

Assessments/ Performance Tasks

1. Post Test: 2. Performance Tas k 3/ Summative Task : Creating a presentation using technology.

3. Quiz (Teacher Designed)4. Lab Reports5. Interim Assessment (Teacher Designed)

Scaffolds/ Support

Science notebookGraphic organizersScience RubricFocused writing strategies Google classroomUsing a TextbookProviding FeedbackProviding reliable websites: www.discoveryeducation.com, www.nasa.com, www.glencoe.com, www.nysedregents.org, and www.newyorktimes.com

Supplemental Texts/ Resources:- http://sciencespot.net/Media/rockcycwkst.pdf - http://sciencespot.net/Media/mghtymin.pdf - teachengineering - Holt Biology Text book: Regents Exam Practice, page 169 – 171, page 191

– 193, page 217 – 219, page 261 – 263- www.scilinks.org

Topics: ATP, Cellular Respiration, and Cell Division

Vocabulary

Homeostasis, Cells, Organism, Unicellular, Multicellular, Microscope, Magnification, Resolution, Prokaryotes, Eukaryotes, Cytoplasm, Organelles, Nucleus, Mitochondria, Ribosomes, Endoplasmic Reticulum, Golgi Apparatus, Centrioles, Mitosis, Vacuoles, Chloroplast, Photosynthesis, Chlorophyll, Cell Wall, Cell Membrane, Semi-Permeable, Lipid Bilayer, Phospholipid, Hydrophilic, Hydrophobic, Fluid Mosaic Model, Diffusion, Osmosis, Equilibrium, Active Transport, Concentration Gradient, Hypotonic, Hypertonic, Isotonic

Notes (Teacher Modifications/ Addition/ Questions):