8th Grade Science Guide

What could this look like in practices in grades 6– 8? • Have students plan and conduct experiments and identify the procedures and steps required to complete their experiments. • Have students identify a researcher’s question, method, and conclusion in a simple research article or summary. • Have students evaluate whether the data produced by an experiment adequately supports a given conclusion. • Have students compare and contrast two different models about a scientific phenomenon. • Have students evaluate the effectiveness of two different experimental designs or models.

ACT Readiness Standards in Science

Example(s) of Related Utah Science Standards of matter. Emphasize recording and evaluating data, and communicating the results of the investigation. Standard 8.3.1 Plan and conduct an investigation and use the evidence to construct an explanation of how photosynthetic organisms use energy to transform matter. Emphasize molecular and energy transformations during photosynthesis. Standard 7.4.4 Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the technologies that have changed the way humans affect the inheritance of desired traits in organisms. Analyze data from tests or simulations to determine the best solution to achieve success in cultivating selected desired traits in organisms. Examples could include artificial selection, genetic modification, animal husbandry, and gene therapy. Standard 8.2.3 Engage in argument to identify the strongest evidence that supports the claim that the kinetic energy of an object changes as energy is transferred to or from the object. Examples could include observing temperature changes as a result of friction, applying force to an object, or releasing potential energy from an object.

Category

procedures and experimental design – including identifying variables and controls. Questions in this category may ask students to compare, extend, and modify experiments. Approximately 20-30% of the science subtest questions are in this category. Evaluation of Models, Inferences, and Experimental Results (EMI) Questions on EMI ask students to judge the validity of scientific information and formulate conclusions and predictions based on the provided information. These questions comprise about 25-35% of the science subtest.

EMI 301. Identify implications in a model. EMI 302. Determine which models present certain basic information. EMI 401. Determine which simple hypothesis, prediction, or conclusion is, or is not, consistent with a data presentation, model, or piece of information in text.

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