8-2: The student will demonstrate an understanding of Earth's biological diversity over time. (Life Science, Earth Science)

8-2.1: Explain how biological adaptations of populations enhance their survival in a particular environment.

Natural Selection
Rainfall and Bird Beaks

8-2.2: Summarize how scientists study Earth's past environment and diverse life-forms by examining different types of fossils (including molds, casts, petrified fossils, preserved and carbonized remains of plants and animals, and trace fossils).

Human Evolution - Skull Analysis

8-3: The student will demonstrate an understanding of materials that determine the structure of Earth and the processes that have altered this structure. (Earth Science)

8-3.3: Infer an earthquake's epicenter from seismographic data.

Earthquakes 1 - Recording Station
Earthquakes 2 - Determination of Epicenter

8-3.4: Explain how igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks are interrelated in the rock cycle.

Rock Cycle

8-3.6: Explain how the theory of plate tectonics accounts for the motion of the lithospheric plates, the geologic activities at the plate boundaries, and the changes in landform areas over geologic time.

Plate Tectonics

8-3.7: Illustrate the creation and changing of landforms that have occurred through geologic processes (including volcanic eruptions and mountain-building forces).

Plate Tectonics
Rock Cycle

8-3.9: Identify and illustrate geologic features of South Carolina and other regions of the world through the use of imagery (including aerial photography and satellite imagery) and topographic maps.

Building Topographic Maps
Reading Topographic Maps

8-4: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics, structure, and predictable motions of celestial bodies. (Earth Science)

8-4.1: Summarize the characteristics and movements of objects in the solar system (including planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and meteors).

Comparing Earth and Venus
Gravity Pitch
Solar System Explorer

8-4.4: Explain the motions of Earth and the Moon and the effects of these motions as they orbit the Sun (including day, year, phases of the Moon, eclipses, and tides).

2D Eclipse
3D Eclipse
Comparing Earth and Venus
Moonrise, Moonset, and Phases
Seasons: Earth, Moon, and Sun
Tides

8-4.5: Explain how the tilt of Earth's axis affects the length of the day and the amount of heating on Earth's surface, thus causing the seasons of the year.

Seasons Around the World
Seasons in 3D
Seasons: Earth, Moon, and Sun
Seasons: Why do we have them?
Summer and Winter

8-4.6: Explain how gravitational forces are influenced by mass and distance.

Gravitational Force

8-4.7: Explain the effects of gravity on tides and planetary orbits.

Gravity Pitch
Tides

8-4.9: Recall the Sun's position in the universe, the shapes and composition of galaxies, and the distance measurement unit (light year) needed to identify star and galaxy locations.

H-R Diagram

8-5: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the effects of forces on the motion of an object. (Physical Science)

8-5.1: Use measurement and time-distance graphs to represent the motion of an object in terms of its position, direction, or speed.

Distance-Time Graphs
Distance-Time and Velocity-Time Graphs
Free Fall Tower
Free-Fall Laboratory
Measuring Motion

8-5.4: Predict how varying the amount of force or mass will affect the motion of an object.

Fan Cart Physics

8-5.6: Summarize and illustrate the concept of inertia.

Fan Cart Physics

8-6: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the properties and behaviors of waves. (Physical Science)

8-6.1: Recall that waves transmit energy but not matter.

Heat Absorption

8-6.3: Summarize factors that influence the basic properties of waves (including frequency, amplitude, wavelength, and speed).

Longitudinal Waves
Refraction
Ripple Tank

8-6.4: Summarize the behaviors of waves (including refraction, reflection, transmission, and absorption).

Basic Prism
Color Absorption
Heat Absorption
Herschel Experiment
Longitudinal Waves
Refraction
Ripple Tank

8-6.7: Explain how the absorption and reflection of light waves by various materials result in the human perception of color.

Color Absorption
Heat Absorption

8-6.8: Compare the wavelength and energy of waves in various parts of the electromagnetic spectrum (including visible light, infrared, and ultraviolet radiation).

Herschel Experiment