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ISPS Science K-12
Standards and Benchmarks
Grade 8
Strands
1. Earth and Space Science
2. Life Sciences
3. Materials and their Properties
4. Physical Sciences
5. Nature of Science
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ISPS Science K-12
Standards and Benchmarks
Strand 1 – Earth and Space Sciences
Standard 3 - Students will understand the composition and structure of the
universe and the Earth’s place in it.
Benchmarks - By the end of Grade 8, students will:
3 – 1 Know characteristics and movement patterns of the planets in our Solar
System (e.g., planets differ in size, composition, and surface features; planets
move around the Sun in elliptical orbits; some planets have moons, rings of
particles, and other satellites orbiting them.
3 – 2 Know how regular and predictable motions of the Earth and Moon explain
phenomena on Earth (e.g., the day, the year, phases of the moon, eclipses,
tides, shadows)
3 – 3 Know characteristics of the Sun and its position in the universe (e.g., the
Sun is a medium-sized star; it is the closest star to Earth; it is the central and
largest body in the solar system; it is located at the edge of a disk-shaped
galaxy)
3 – 4 Know that gravitational force keeps planets in orbit around the sun and
moons in orbit around the planets.
Strand 2 – Life Sciences
Standard 4 - Students will understand principles of heredity and related
concepts.
Benchmarks - By the end of Grade 8, students will:
4 – 1 Know that for sexually reproducing organisms, a species comprises all
organisms that can mate with one another to produce fertile offspring
4 – 2 Understand asexual and sexual reproduction (e.g., in asexual
reproduction, all the genes come from a single parent; in sexual
reproduction, an egg and sperm unite and half of the genes come from
each parent, so the offspring is never identical to either of its parents;
sexual reproduction allows for greater genetic diversity; asexual
reproduction limits the spread of disadvantageous characteristics through
a species)
4 – 3 Know that hereditary information is contained in genes (located in the
chromosomes of each cell), each of which carries a single unit of
information; an inherited trait of an individual can be determined by either
one or many genes, and a single gene can influence more than one trait
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ISPS Science K-12
Standards and Benchmarks
4 – 4 Know that the characteristics of an organism can be described in terms of
a combination of traits; some traits are inherited and others result from
interactions with the environment
Standard 5 – Students will understand the structure and function of cells
and organisms.
Benchmarks - By the end of Grade 8, students will:
5 – 1 Know that all organisms are composed of cells, which are the fundamental
units of life; most organisms are single cells, but other organisms
(including humans) are multicellular.
5 – 2 Know that multicellular organisms have a variety of specialized cells,
tissues, organs, and organ systems that perform specialized functions
(e.g., muscular-skeletal, digestion, respiration, reproduction, circulation,
movement, control and coordination)
5 – 3 Know how an organism's ability to regulate its internal environment
enables the organism to obtain and use resources, grow, reproduce, and
maintain stable internal conditions while living in a constantly changing
external environment
5 – 4 Know that organisms can react to internal and environmental stimuli
through behavioral response (e.g. animals have nervous systems that
process and store information from the environment), which may be
determined by heredity or from past experience
Standard 6 - Students will understand relationships about organisms and
their physical environment
Benchmarks - By the end of Grade 8, students will:
6 – 1 Know ways in which organisms interact and depend on one another
through food chains and food webs in an ecosystem (e.g.,
producer/consumer, predator/prey, parasite/host, relationships that are
mutually beneficial or competitive)
6 – 2 Know how matter is recycled within ecosystems (e.g., matter is transferred
from one organism to another repeatedly, and between organisms and
their physical environment; the total amount of matter remains constant,
even though its form and location change)
6 – 3 Know ways in which all organisms can alter the equilibrium of ecosystems,
causing potentially irreversible effects.
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ISPS Science K-12
Standards and Benchmarks
Strand 4 – Physical Processes
Standard 8 - Students will understand the structure and properties of
matter.
Benchmarks - By the end of Grade 8, students will:
8–1
8–2
8–3
8–4
Know that substances can be classified by their physical and chemical
properties (e.g., magnetism, conductivity, density, solubility, boiling and
melting points)
Know that matter is made up of tiny particles called atoms, and different
arrangements of atoms into groups compose all substances
Know that states of matter depend on molecular arrangement and motion
(e.g., molecules in solids are packed tightly together and their movement
is restricted to vibrations; molecules in liquids are loosely packed and
move easily past each other; molecules in gases are quite far apart and
move about freely)
Know methods used to separate mixtures into their component parts
(boiling; filtering; chromatography)
Standard 11 -Students will understand the sources and properties of
energy.
Benchmarks - By the end of Grade 8, students will:
11 – 1 Know that energy is a property of many substances (e.g., heat energy is in
the disorderly motion of molecules and in radiation; electrical energy is in
the attraction or repulsion between charges)
11 – 3 Know that electrical circuits provide a means of transferring electrical
energy to produce heat, light, sound, and chemical changes
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ISPS Science K-12
Standards and Benchmarks
Standard 14 -Students will understand the structure and properties of
waves.
Benchmarks - By the end of Grade 8, students will:
14 – 1 know that vibrations (e.g., sounds, earthquakes) move at different speeds
in different materials, have different wavelengths and set up wave-like
disturbances that spread away from the source
14 – 2 know that waves (e.g., sound, seismic, light, water) have energy and
interact with matter (e.g., light scattering) and can transfer energy (e.g.,
light absorption)
Strand 5: The Nature of Science
Standard 15: Ideas and Evidence in Science.
By the end of the course students will have an understanding of:
15 – 1 how the outcome of scientific research has implications for society at
large.
15 – 2 the way in which scientific work may be affected by contexts in which it
takes place (for example social, historical, moral, spiritual) and how these
contexts may affect whether or not ideas are accepted.
Standard 16: Investigative Skills
Students will be able to:
PLANNING
16 – 1 use scientific knowledge and understanding to turn ideas into a form that
can be investigated, and to decide on an appropriate approach.
16 – 2 decide whether to use evidence from first-hand experience or secondary
sources.
16 – 3 carry out preliminary work and to make predictions, where appropriate.
16 – 4 consider key factors that need to be taken into account when collecting
evidence, and how evidence may be collected in contexts [for example,
fieldwork, surveys] in which the variables cannot readily be controlled.
16 – 5 decide the extent and range of data to be collected and the techniques,
equipment and materials to use.
OBTAINING AND PRESENTING EVIDENCE
16 – 6 use a range of equipment and materials appropriately and take action to
control risks to themselves and to others.
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ISPS Science K-12
Standards and Benchmarks
16 – 7 make observations and measurements (e.g., metric tools, scales, light
gates, temperature probes, pH probes, etc.) to an appropriate degree of
precision.
16 – 8 make sufficient relevant observations and measurements to reduce error
and obtain reliable evidence.
16 – 9 use a wide range of methods, including diagrams, tables, charts, graphs
and computers to represent and communicate qualitative and quantitative
data.
CONSIDERING EVIDENCE
16 – 10 use diagrams, tables, charts and graphs, including lines of best fit, to
identify and describe patterns or relationships in data.
16 – 11 use observations, measurements and other data to draw conclusions.
16 – 12 decide to what extent these conclusions support a prediction or enable
further predictions to be made.
16 – 13 use their scientific knowledge and understanding to explain and interpret
observations, measurements or other data and conclusions.
EVALUATING
16 – 14 consider anomalies in observations or measurements and try to explain
them.
16 – 15 consider whether the evidence is sufficient to support any conclusions or
interpretations made.
16 – 16 suggest improvements to the methods used where appropriate.
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