How to learn Grade 8: Science
Virginia Standards of Learning: Science, Grade 8
0 of 9 concepts ready to learn · Markdown, for your AI
1. The student will investigate and understand that there are basic principles of electricity and magnetism.
- Electromagnets: Describe the magnetic effect of an electric current (a current-carrying wire produces a magnetic field), and investigate how the strength of an electromagnet depends on current, number of coil turns, and core material
2. The student will investigate and understand that work, force, and motion are related
- Newton's First & Second Laws: State and apply Newton's First Law (an object stays at rest or constant velocity unless acted on by a resultant force) and Second Law (force = mass × acceleration), including the relationship between mass, force, and acceleration
- Relative Motion: Explain relative motion — how the apparent speed and direction of an object depends on the observer's own motion — using everyday examples such as trains and cars passing
3. The student will investigate and understand that waves are important in the movement of energy
- Waves & Different Materials: Explain how waves can be absorbed, transmitted, or reflected by different materials, and apply these interactions to explain colour perception, sight, communication technologies, and the effects of different surfaces on wave behaviour
4. The student will investigate and understand that energy is conserved
- Energy can't be created or destroyed: Explain the principle of conservation of energy (energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred between stores), and describe how energy is dissipated as thermal energy to the surroundings in all real processes
5. The student will investigate and understand that the periodic table is a model used to organize elements based on their atomic structure.
- The Periodic Table: Describe the organisation of the periodic table into periods and groups, explain the contribution of Mendeleev, and use the table to identify metals, non-metals, and predict patterns in reactivity
6. The student will investigate and understand that matter has properties and is conserved in chemical and physical processes.
- Physical vs Chemical Changes: Distinguish between physical changes (reversible, no new substances formed) and chemical changes (new substances formed, often irreversible), using conservation of mass to understand both types
- Pure Substances & Mixtures: Distinguish between pure substances and mixtures, identify formulations as useful mixtures with precise compositions, and use melting and boiling points to test for purity
7. Resources and the Environment · The student will apply history and social science skills to evaluate the significance of natural, human, and capital resources by
- Finite Resources & Recycling: Explain that many raw materials (metals, fossil fuels, minerals) are finite resources, describe the environmental costs of extraction, and evaluate the benefits of recycling and the circular economy