Download Book: Introduction to Matter (in

8th Grade Science
Second Semester Study Guide
Mrs. Keyes
Note to students: Your semester exam will cover everything that we have done so far this semester.
While this study guide is designed to help you study, be sure to also look over your content quizzes, unit tests, lab
activities, Gizmos, ISN and textbook.
UNIT: CHEMISTRY
Text: Unit 1-Lesson 1: Introduction to Matter
1. What is matter?
2. What is mass?
3. How do mass and weight differ? Provide atleast one example describing the difference.
4. What tools are used to measure mass and weight? What units are used?
5. The amount of space occupied by an object is defined as… ?? How does one calculate it? What is
the formula? (Be able to manipulate the formula to solve for the other 2 variables AND know what
the appropriate units of measurement are!!)
6. What is water displacement and when would one use it?
7. Does the density of a substance change? Is it intensive or extensive?
8. How do you calculate density? What are the proper units? Are they the same for both solids and
liquids?
o How can a substance have the same volume and different mass – what does that tell you
about the two substances?
o Does every substance have a density?
o What is the density of water? What does it mean if a substance floats in water or sinks in
water?
o Consider a substance, if you triple the volume of your substance, what happens to mass?
o If you double the volume of your substance, what happens to density?
Text: Unit 1-Lesson 2: Properties of Matter
9. What is the difference between a physical and a chemical property of matter?
10. Identify/define various identifiable properties of a substance. Are these physical or chemical
properties?
o Color
o Hardness
o Solubility – what is it? What does it mean to be soluble? What is a solvent and a solute?
o Melting Point
o Boiling Point
o Density
o Luster
o Malleability
o Conductivity
o Reactivity
o Flammability
o Magnetism
11. What is a characteristic property?
Text: Unit 1-Lesson 3: Physical and Chemical Changes
12. Explain the difference between a physical change and a chemical change.
13. What are some of the tell-tale signs that a chemical change is taking place? How many should you
see before you decide the change is in fact a chemical one versus a physical one?
14. What is a precipitate?
15. What does the law of conservation of mass state?
16. What is an open system? What happens in an open system? Give an example of an open system
and how you know it is an open system.
17. What happens to mass before and after a chemical reaction that occurs in an open system? Why?
18. What is a closed system? What happens in a closed system? Give an example of a completely
closed system.
Text: Unit 1-Lesson 4: Pure Substances and Mixtures
19. What is the smallest unit of an element that maintains the same properties of that element?
20. Differentiate between an element, compound, and mixture.
21. What is a mixture and how is that different from a pure substance? Be able to classify matter as
either a pure substance or mixture.
22. How can elements be classified?
23. How can compounds be classified?
24. How can mixtures be classified?
25. Explain the difference between a suspension, a solution, and a colloid. Are they homogeneous or
heterogeneous?
Periodic Table (I will provide a periodic table for your use, so KNOW it!)
Text: Unit 2-Lesson1: The Atom
Lesson 2: The Periodic Table (did not officially cover, but could be helpful!)
26. Review the periodic table:
o Groups, periods, atomic number, atomic mass
o Be able to calculate the number of protons, neutrons, electrons
o Be able to determine the number of Valence electrons and energy shells/levels
27. Know the relative sizes of protons, neutrons, and electrons
28. Know how to make an electron dot diagram (Lewis Structure) and what it represents.
29. Know/define key vocabulary, such as:
o Ion
o Cation
o Anion
o Oxidation Number
o Metal
o NonMetal
Chemical Reactions
30. Describe Ionic and Covalent bonding. (Be able to show using Lewis Structures)
31. Complete the following practice problems.
Ionic: For each of the following problems, draw Lewis Dot Structures and arrows to
show the correct transfer of electrons. Then, write the chemical equation and formula for
the new compound.
Calcium + Sulfur
Covalent: For each of the following problems, draw Lewis Dot Structures and circles to
show the correct SHARING of electrons. Then, write the chemical formula and bonding
structure (single bond? double bond?) for the new compound.
Hydrogen + Chlorine
32. What is a chemical reaction? What happens to your original substance? Can you get your original
substance back?
33. How do you know if a chemical reaction did NOT occur?
34. What are reactants? What are products? Where do you find these in a chemical reaction?
35. What does a written chemical formula indicate? What is it a representation of?
36. What does the + sign and the  mean in the chemical formula?
37. Is burning always a chemical reaction?
38. Refresh yourself with BALANCING EQUATIONS PRACTICE (ISN pg. 20).
39. In a chemical reaction, if you start with in your REACTANT (for example) 20 sulfur atoms, 15
oxygen atoms, and 7 nitrogen atoms, how many of each will you end with in your PRODUCTS?
Why…be able to explain?
o HINT… The substances before and after the reaction are different because their atoms are
arranged in different ways. However, Atoms cannot be created nor destroyed in chemical
reactions.
o What does this tell you about what atoms do during a chemical reaction?
UNIT: ASTRONOMY (CYCLES)
Text: Unit 3- Lesson 1: Earth’s Days, Years, and Seasons
1. What is the primary reason why we have seasons?
2. Explain the difference between rotation and revolution.
3. How long does it take the Earth to rotate?
o What measure of time does that produce?
4. How long does it take the Earth to revolve around the Sun?
o What measure of time does that produce?
o Why do we have leap year? How often does it occur?
5. What is the difference between direct and indirect sunlight?
6. What are solstices? How many are there in a year and when do they occur?
o Direct or indirect sunlight? What does this cause for us in Ohio?
7. What is an equinox? How many are there in a year and when do they occur?
o Direct or indirect sunlight? What does this cause for us in Ohio?
8. What latitude degree gets the most direct sunlight on these 4 different days? Why is that so
significant?
9. Review the following diagrams:
Text: Unit 3-Lesson 2: Moon Phases and Eclipses
10. Complete the following diagram to
review. Label with waxing, waning,
crescent, gibbous, full moon, new
moon, first and last quarter.
11. What percent of the moon is always
lit? Describe that side.
12. What does the phrase “the dark side of
the moon” mean? Is there really a
dark side of the moon?
13. If the left side of the moon is lit, is the
phase waxing or waning?
o What does it mean to wax?
What does it mean to wane?
14. Why do we see what we see in the sky
for the moon phases?
Eclipses
15. What are the two types of eclipses? How do you know which one is which?
16. What is the location of the sun, moon, and earth in each one?
o What moon phases does each eclipse occur in?
17. Which eclipse is the one diagramed below?
18. What would the other one look like?
o Compare the umbra of this eclipse to the umbra of the other eclipse. What’s different?
19. Which eclipse is more rare TO SEE? Why?
20. What are the two parts of the shadow?
o If you were in the umbra of a shadow, what would you see?
o If you were in the penumbra of a shadow, what would you see?
21. Why don’t we see eclipses every month?
Text: Unit 3-Lesson 3: Earth’s Tides
22. Know the difference between spring tides and neap tides.
o Describe the difference in high tides of the two and low tides of the two.
23. How often do high tides and low tides occur in a day?
24. How many spring/neap tides occur a month (approximately)? Why?
25. Look over your Cycles Review document (ISN pg. 12).
UNIT: ASTRONOMY (STARS)
Text: Unit 1- Lesson 1: Structure of the Universe
1. Describe the hierarchy of the Universe, using the following terms:
Solar System, Earth, Galaxy, Planet, Star, Universe (and any other necessary ones to fill in the
gaps)
2. Describe the difference between an A.U. and a Light-Year. When is it appropriate to use each unit
of measurement?
Text: Unit 4- Lesson 1:Images from Space
Lesson 2: Technology for Space Exploration
3. Identify/describe common space tools that scientists use and their functions.
o Telescopes
o Satellites
o Orbiters
o Rockets
o Landers/Rovers
o Space Probes
o Space Shuttles
o Space Station
Text: Unit 1-Lesson 2: Stars
4. What is a Star? What are the made of?
5. How are stars classified? (Four main ways)
6. Brightness of stars is determined in two ways. Describe each:
o Apparent Magnitude:
o Absolute Magnitude:
7. What is different about the system used to measure absolute and apparent magnitude? What type
of number indicates VERY BRIGHT?
8. If two stars had identical apparent magnitudes, but Star A had an absolute magnitude of -2.8 and
Star B had an absolute magnitude of 3.1, which star is further away and why?
9. Describe how color indicates the temperature of a star. What is the class order from hottest to
coolest?
Text: Unit 1-Lesson 3: The Life Cycle of Stars
10. Be able to identify the HR Diagram and how it is set up.
11. Be able to identify all the main types of stars on the HR Diagram.
a. Main-sequence stars, giants, supergiants, white dwarfs
b. Where is each of these in their lifetime?
12. Be able to diagram the life cycle of a star.
a. How do all stars begin? What do we call that cloud of gas and dust?
b. What pulls all stars together?
c. How do we get a LIVING star?
i. What is the name of the process and how does it work?
d. What phase do stars spend the most time in?
e. What is a star’s fuel? What happens when a star starts to run out of fuel?
f. Do small or big stars burn fuel faster? WHY?
g. How do stars die? Do they all die the same way?
h. How will the sun die?
i. What kind of stars end in a supernovae explosion?
j. What kind of stars turn into a black hole?
Galaxies
13. What are the four most distinct groupings of galaxies? Explain the subclasses.
14. What is the name of our galaxy? What type of galaxy is it?
Text: Unit 2-Lesson 6: Small Bodies in the Solar System
15. Identify what each of these are:
o Comet:
o Asteroids:
o Meteoroids:
o Meteor:
o Meteorite:
o Dwarf Planets:
16. Be able to identify how one of these will/can turn into the others. (excluding Dwarf Planets)
17. What is a meteor shower and where do they come from? Why do they happen?
UNIT: GENETICS
Text: Unit 1- Lesson 3: Cell Structure and Function
1. What is the difference between a eukaryote and a prokaryote?
2. Identify and describe the following organelles. Classify as either being found in plant, animal, or
BOTH types of cells.
o Cell Wall
o Cell Membrane
o Nucleus
o Cytoplasm
o Vacuoles
o Mitochondria
o Chloroplasts
o Endoplasmic Reticulum
o Ribosomes
o Golgi Apparatus
Text: Unit 2- Lesson 3: Sexual and Asexual Reproduction
1. Compare and contrast sexual vs. asexual reproduction. What are the advantages/disadvantages of
each? What sort of organisms use each type and when?
2. What are the key differences between mitosis and meiosis?
Text: Unit 2-Lesson 4: Heredity
3. Explain who Gregor Mendel was and why he is important to modern day genetics.
4. Know the following terms and how to apply them:
o Genotype
o Phenotype
o Heterozygous
o Homozygous
o Purebred
o Hybrid
o Dominant
o Recessive
o Genes
o Alleles
o Complete Dominance
o Co-dominance
o Incomplete Dominance
o Punnett Square (monohybrid and dihybrid)
o Sex cells (gametes-sperm and egg cells)
5. What is the difference between an inherited trait and an acquired trait?
Text: Unit 2- Lesson 5: Punnett Squares and Pedigrees
6. Interpret a pedigree.
o Be able to determine genotypes of a pedigree.
7. Explain the difference between autosomal and sex-linked inheritance.
8. Be able to complete and interpret both classic Mendelian (monohybrid) Punnett Squares as well as
Dihybrid Punnett Squares.
Cross a homozygous wrinkled pea pod plant (pp) with homozygous wrinkled peas(ww) with another plant
that is heterozygous smooth pea pods(Pp) and homozygous for wrinkled peas(ww). Smooth pea pods and
smooth peas are dominant traits. Describe the possible offspring from this cross.
9. What is cloning?

Describe the steps (in simple terms) as to how cloning happens.
Study Hard! Good Luck! Study Hard! Good Luck! Study Hard! Good Luck! Study Hard!
“I Can” Statements from Semester Two Science…
Chemistry
I can...
1) identify and describe matter based upon it’s intensive and extensive properties.
2) identify physical and/or chemical changes based upon an objects’ properties and my
properties.
3) explain the Law of Conservation of Mass/Matter and give examples of open and
closed system set-ups.
4) distinguish between pure substances (elements/compounds) and mixtures and give
examples of each.
5) identify the parts of an atom and calculate their quantities using a Periodic Table.
6) determine the # of shells and valence electrons based upon an elements’
location on the Periodic Table.
7) distinguish between ionic and covalent bonds and correctly diagram each.
8) balance simple chemical equations.
Astronomy (Cycles)
I can...
1) differentiate between rotation and revolution and explain how each effects Earth’s
calendar.
2) explain the reasons for seasons.
3) describe how the moon moves in relationship to the Earth and Sun.
6) explain the cause of moon phases & identify each phase visually.
7) explain the difference between a Solar Eclipse and a Lunar Eclipse.
8) identify the reasons for tides and distinguish between Spring and Neap Tides.
Astronomy (Stars)
I can...
1) differentiate between A.U.s and L.Y.s and use each when appropriate.
2) describe/diagram the hierarchy of the Universe.
3) name and describe various tools used for studying the universe.
4) describe and identify/differentiate between the multiple classifications of galaxies.
5) describe the key characteristics that contribute to a star’s classification.
6) analyze star data to determine proper placement on the H-R Diagram.
7) identify and differentiate between the small celestial bodies found in the Universe.
Genetics
I can...
1) identify and describe the organelles found in both plant and animal cells.
2) explain the advantages and disadvantages of both sexual and asexual
reproduction.
3) understand and explain key genetics vocabulary and concepts.
4) correctly use and read a Punnett Square to determine genetic outcomes.
5) identify and differentiate between complete, incomplete, and codominant inheritance.
6) read, interpret, and create pedigree charts to examine hereditary patterns..
7) describe genetic disorders in terms of causes, symptoms, and treatments.
8) explain the purpose of a karyotype.