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Science 8

Investigate force and motion, energy transformations, waves, atomic structure, chemical reactions, Earth and space systems, genetics, ecology, and engineering design. TEKS §112.20 aligned.

14 Units

30-45 minutes per unit

What You Will Learn

Physics Foundations

Newton's laws, energy forms, wave properties, and the electromagnetic spectrum.

Chemistry & Life Science

Atomic structure, chemical reactions, genetics, heredity, and ecosystem dynamics.

TEKS §112.20 Aligned

Covers Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Grade 8 Science.

All Units

Scientific Practices and Investigation

Master the tools, methods, and mindset scientists use to ask questions and find reliable answers.

•Design a controlled experiment with clearly identified variables and a testable hypothesis.
•Select and correctly use appropriate laboratory tools and safety equipment.
•Collect, record, and analyze data using graphs and tables.
+1 more objectives

Force and Motion

Explore how forces cause objects to move, stop, and change direction — and why balance matters.

•Distinguish between balanced and unbalanced forces and predict their effects on motion.
•Calculate net force when multiple forces act on an object.
•Describe motion using speed, velocity, and acceleration.
+1 more objectives

Newton's Laws in Action

Apply Newton's three laws of motion to real-world situations, from car crashes to rocket launches.

•State and explain each of Newton's three laws of motion with examples.
•Use F = ma to calculate force, mass, or acceleration given the other two values.
•Explain action-reaction pairs and why they do not cancel each other out.
+1 more objectives

Energy Forms and Transformations

Discover how energy constantly changes form while the total amount always stays the same.

•Identify and describe kinetic energy, potential energy, thermal energy, and mechanical energy.
•Calculate kinetic and gravitational potential energy using formulas.
•Trace energy transformations through a series of events.
+1 more objectives

Waves, Sound, and Light

Investigate how waves carry energy through matter and through empty space — from earthquake rumbles to rainbows.

•Describe the properties of waves: wavelength, frequency, amplitude, and speed.
•Distinguish between transverse and longitudinal waves with examples.
•Explain how sound travels through different media and what affects its speed.
+1 more objectives

Atoms, Elements, and the Periodic Table

Explore the structure of atoms and discover why the periodic table is one of science's most powerful organizing tools.

•Describe the structure of an atom including the nucleus, protons, neutrons, and electrons.
•Use atomic number and mass number to determine the composition of an atom.
•Explain how elements are organized in the periodic table by atomic number and properties.
+1 more objectives

Chemical Reactions and Conservation

Discover how atoms rearrange during chemical reactions — and why mass never disappears in the process.

•Distinguish between physical and chemical changes using evidence of chemical reactions.
•Read and interpret basic chemical equations with reactants and products.
•Explain the law of conservation of mass and apply it to balanced equations.
+1 more objectives

Earth, Sun, and Moon System

Unpack the orbital mechanics behind seasons, tides, moon phases, and eclipses.

•Explain why Earth experiences seasons based on axial tilt, not distance from the Sun.
•Describe the phases of the Moon and explain why the Moon appears to change shape.
•Explain the conditions that produce solar and lunar eclipses.
+1 more objectives

Weather, Climate, and Atmosphere

Explore how the atmosphere drives weather systems and how climate patterns shape life on Earth.

•Distinguish between weather and climate and explain factors that affect each.
•Describe how uneven heating of Earth's surface creates wind, pressure systems, and precipitation.
•Identify major cloud types and explain how each forms.
+1 more objectives

Plate Tectonics and Earth's Interior

Discover how moving slabs of rock have shaped every mountain, ocean basin, and continent on Earth.

•Describe the structure of Earth's interior layers and their properties.
•Explain the theory of plate tectonics and the evidence that supports it.
•Identify and describe the three types of plate boundaries and their geological features.
+1 more objectives

Natural Resources and Human Impact

Examine how humans use Earth's renewable and nonrenewable resources and what is at stake when we consume them faster than they can be replaced.

•Distinguish between renewable and nonrenewable resources with specific examples of each.
•Explain how fossil fuels form and why their supply is finite.
•Describe at least three ways human activity alters land, water, and air.
+1 more objectives

Genetics and Heredity

Uncover how traits pass from parent to offspring through chromosomes and DNA, and why heredity is both predictable and full of surprises.

•Explain the role of DNA, genes, and chromosomes in storing and transmitting hereditary information.
•Apply Mendel's laws of inheritance to predict offspring ratios using Punnett squares.
•Distinguish between dominant and recessive alleles and between genotype and phenotype.
+1 more objectives

Organisms and Their Environments

Investigate how organisms interact with each other and their environment — and how ecosystems maintain balance or collapse when that balance is disrupted.

•Describe the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers in energy flow through ecosystems.
•Explain how matter cycles through ecosystems via carbon, nitrogen, and water cycles.
•Identify and differentiate among types of organism interactions: competition, predation, mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.
+1 more objectives

Science and Engineering Design Challenge

Apply the scientific method and engineering design process to solve a real problem — synthesizing concepts from across the year into a hands-on challenge.

•Distinguish between scientific inquiry (explaining phenomena) and engineering design (solving problems).
•Apply the engineering design process: define, research, design, prototype, test, evaluate, and improve.
•Identify failure as productive information and use test results to guide design revision.
+1 more objectives

Grade 8 Science. Designed for Texas homeschool families. TEKS §112.20 aligned.