Grade 8 Science
22 units matched to the Alberta Curriculum.
Organizing ideas
- Unit A, Mix and Flow of Matter: substances mix and flow, and their properties can be explained with the particle model
- Unit B, Cells and Systems: living things are made of cells, and body systems work together
- Unit C, Light and Optical Systems: light behaves in predictable ways, and optical devices use it
- Unit D, Mechanical Systems: machines transmit force and motion, and some are more efficient than others
- Unit E, Freshwater and Saltwater Systems: water shapes Earth's surface and supports life, and people protect its quality
Units
Unit 1
Mixtures, Solutions & WHMIS
Safety symbols on hazardous products, telling pure substances, mechanical mixtures and solutions apart, what changes how fast and how much a solid dissolves, and measuring concentration in grams per 100 mL.
Learning outcome: Unit A: Mix and Flow of Matter · WHMIS symbols, pure substances, mixtures and solutions, solubility and concentration, using the particle model
Unit 2
Particles & Matter
How the movement of particles explains solids, liquids and gases and changes of state, the parts of an atom (including the quarks inside protons and neutrons, and electrons as leptons), elements and compounds, and telling physical from chemical changes.
Learning outcome: Unit A: Mix and Flow of Matter · pure substances, mixtures and the particle model of matter
Unit 3
Viscosity & Flow
What viscosity is, how temperature and other factors change how fluids flow, and how to find a flow rate by dividing volume by time.
Learning outcome: Unit A: Mix and Flow of Matter · viscosity and how fluids flow
Unit 4
Density & Buoyancy
Calculating density from mass and volume, explaining why solids, liquids and gases differ in density using the particle theory, and predicting whether objects float or sink in different fluids.
Learning outcome: Unit A: Mix and Flow of Matter · density and buoyancy
Unit 5
Pressure & Pascal's Law
Why gases compress easily and liquids do not, how heating or compressing a fluid changes its pressure and volume, and how a hydraulic press uses Pascal's law to multiply a force.
Learning outcome: Unit A: Mix and Flow of Matter · pressure in fluids
Unit 6
Hydraulics & Pneumatics
How hydraulic systems (liquids) and pneumatic systems (compressed air) work, where each is used, and how valves, pumps and tubes in machines compare with the heart, lungs and blood vessels.
Learning outcome: Unit A: Mix and Flow of Matter · hydraulic and pneumatic systems
Unit 7
Cells & Life Processes
The cell theory, what organelles do in plant and animal cells, how photosynthesis and respiration are connected, osmosis, and how cells form tissues, organs and organ systems.
Learning outcome: Unit B: Cells and Systems · cells as the basic unit of living things
Unit 8
Cells, Organisms & Technology
How microscopes and newer technologies such as stem cell research and gene editing have changed our understanding of cells, how single-celled and many-celled organisms meet their needs, and the benefits and concerns of cell biology developments.
Learning outcome: Unit B: Cells and Systems · cells, tissues and organisms
Unit 9
Cells, Tissues & Organs
Why cells are the basic unit of life, how plant and animal cells differ, how materials move into and out of cells, and how cells form tissues, organs and systems. Includes working out microscope magnification.
Learning outcome: Unit B: Cells and Systems · the role of cells, single-celled and multicelled organisms, plant and animal cells, diffusion and osmosis, and cells, tissues and organs
Unit 10
Systems in Action
Identifying inputs, outputs and purposes of systems including food processing, what makes systems safe and efficient, how automation changes work, and why people's needs and values change systems over time.
Learning outcome: Unit B: Cells and Systems · how body systems work together
Unit 11
Human Body Systems
The main jobs of the respiratory, circulatory, digestive, excretory and nervous systems, how they work together, and what affects healthy function, such as exercise and air quality.
Learning outcome: Unit B: Cells and Systems · body systems for respiration, circulation, digestion, excretion and sensory awareness, and how the body responds to changing conditions
Unit 12
How Light Behaves
Light as rays that travel in straight lines, how materials reflect, absorb or transmit it, the law of reflection and why light bends (refracts) between materials.
Learning outcome: Unit C: Light and Optical Systems · transmission, reflection, absorption and refraction of light, and the ray model of light
Unit 13
Light & Radiation
Wavelength and frequency, the electromagnetic spectrum from radio waves to gamma rays and what each is used for, reflection, refraction and colour, and staying safe from UV radiation.
Learning outcome: Unit C: Light and Optical Systems · how light behaves and travels
Unit 14
Lenses, Eyes & Optical Devices
How lenses form images, how the eye and a camera are alike, how microscopes and telescopes extended what scientists could see, and how technology helps vision and stores images.
Learning outcome: Unit C: Light and Optical Systems · convex and concave lenses, image formation, vision and the eye, microscopes, telescopes, cameras and digital imaging
Unit 15
Simple Machines & Advantage
Identifying the six simple machines, finding mechanical advantage from input and output forces, understanding that machines trade force for distance, and how innovations such as combine harvesters and robotics raised productivity.
Learning outcome: Unit D: Mechanical Systems · simple and compound machines
Unit 16
Work, Energy & Efficiency
Using the scientific terms force, displacement, work, energy and efficiency, calculating work as force times displacement, finding efficiency, and how friction and design affect the energy lost from machines.
Learning outcome: Unit D: Mechanical Systems · work, energy and efficiency
Unit 17
Gears, Pulleys & Efficiency
How gears trade speed for force, how pulleys and screws are used, how to calculate efficiency, and how designers weigh efficiency against effects on people and the environment.
Learning outcome: Unit D: Mechanical Systems · gears, belts and pulleys that transmit force and motion, speed and force ratios, efficiency, and how mechanical devices have changed over time
Unit 18
Water Systems of Earth
Where Earth's water is found and in what form, the water cycle, watersheds and the Great Lakes, how groundwater and the water table change, and how large lakes shape local weather.
Learning outcome: Unit E: Freshwater and Saltwater Systems · Earth's water systems
Unit 19
Fresh Water, Salt Water & Water Quality
How much of Earth's water is fresh, where it is stored, what makes water safe to drink, simple water quality tests, and ways to turn salt water into fresh water.
Learning outcome: Unit E: Freshwater and Saltwater Systems · the distribution of water in Alberta, Canada and the world, water quality tests, and making fresh water from salt water
Unit 20
Waves, Streams & Glaciers
How water and ice wear away and rebuild land, what causes waves and tides, how streams and deltas form, what ocean basins look like, and how ocean currents affect climate.
Learning outcome: Unit E: Freshwater and Saltwater Systems · erosion and deposition by waves, streams and glaciers, tides, ocean basins and ocean currents
Unit 21
Life in Water & Our Impact
How animals are adapted to water, what living things tell us about water quality, how nutrients and fishing can harm aquatic systems, and how people monitor and protect them.
Learning outcome: Unit E: Freshwater and Saltwater Systems · life in freshwater and saltwater environments, adaptations, water quality and living things, and human impacts on aquatic systems
Unit 22
Caring for Water
Why fresh water must be managed with care, how water quality is measured, how drinking water and wastewater are treated, the effects of melting glaciers and sea ice, and the many teachings of First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities about caring for water.
Learning outcome: Unit E: Freshwater and Saltwater Systems · protecting water quality
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