NAC389.411. Eighth grade: Science.

By the end of the eighth grade, pupils must understand, know and be able to do everything required in the previous grades for courses in science offered in public schools. Instruction in the sixth grade through the eighth grade in science must be designed so that pupils meet the following standards by the completion of the eighth grade:

     1. For the area of science inquiry:

     (a) Understand that scientific knowledge requires critical consideration of verifiable evidence which is obtained from scientific inquiry and appropriate investigation;

     (b) Know how to identify and critically evaluate information in data, tables and graphs;

     (c) Know how to critically evaluate information to distinguish between scientific fact and opinion;

     (d) Know that various explanations can be made for the same evidence;

     (e) Know how to design and conduct a controlled experiment;

     (f) Know how to use appropriate technology and laboratory procedures safely to observe, measure, record and analyze data; and

     (g) Know that scientific inquiry includes, without limitation, evaluation of the results of scientific investigations, experiments, observations, theoretical and mathematical models and explanations proposed by other scientists.

     2. For the areas of science, technology and society:

     (a) Understand the interactions and relationships between science and society in a world which is constantly changing;

     (b) Understand that technology can cause various consequences to the environment, including, without limitation:

          (1) The depletion of environmental resources and degradation to the environment; and

          (2) An increase in the availability of environmental resources, the mitigation of degradation to the environment and the use of new resources in a more economical manner; and

     (c) Know that scientific knowledge is revised through a process of incorporating new evidence which is obtained through ongoing scientific research, investigation and collaborative discussion.

     3. For the area of matter:

     (a) Understand the properties of matter and the changes that can occur to the properties of matter;

     (b) Know that matter is made up of tiny particles called atoms;

     (c) Know that a substance which contains only one kind of atom is an element that cannot be broken into smaller pieces by normal laboratory processes;

     (d) Know that atoms combine to form molecules;

     (e) Know that a compound is formed when two or more different kinds of atoms are chemically bonded together;

     (f) Know that the particles of the same matter are arranged differently based upon whether the matter is a solid, liquid or gas;

     (g) Know that elements can be arranged in the periodic table in a manner which shows repeating patterns that group certain elements with similar properties;

     (h) Know the characteristics of electrons, protons and neutrons;

     (i) Know methods for separating mixtures based on the properties of the components; and

     (j) Know that mass is conserved in physical and chemical changes.

     4. For the areas of force and motion:

     (a) Understand that the position and motion of an object depend on the forces acting on the object;

     (b) Know the effect that balanced and unbalanced forces have on the motion of an object;

     (c) Know that electric currents can produce magnetic forces and that magnets can cause electric currents; and

     (d) Know that every object exerts a gravitational force on every other object and that the magnitude of the gravitational force depends on the mass of the objects and the distance between the objects.

     5. For the area of energy:

     (a) Understand how energy is transferred;

     (b) Know that light which is visible is a narrow band within the electromagnetic spectrum;

     (c) Know that vibrations, including, without limitation, sound and earthquakes:

          (1) Move at various speeds in different materials;

          (2) Have different wavelengths; and

          (3) Create disturbances in a wavy pattern that spread away from the source of the vibration in a uniform manner;

     (d) Know that physical, chemical and nuclear changes involve a transfer of energy;

     (e) Know that energy can only be changed from one form to another and cannot be created or destroyed through a chemical or physical reaction;

     (f) Know that energy which is produced from heat flows from warmer materials or regions to cooler materials or regions through the process of conduction, convection or radiation; and

     (g) Know that heat, light, sound and other chemical changes can be produced by transferring electrical energy through electrical circuits.

     6. For the area of heredity:

     (a) Understand the role of genetic information in the continuation of a species;

     (b) Know that heredity is the passage of genetic instructions from one generation to the next generation;

     (c) Know that changes in the genes of an egg or sperm can cause changes in the characteristics which are inherited;

     (d) Know that specific organisms can be bred to produce specific characteristics; and

     (e) Know that certain characteristics of an organism are caused by interaction with the environment and genetic information.

     7. For the area of the structure of life:

     (a) Understand that all living things are composed of cells, which are the fundamental units of life;

     (b) Understand that multicellular organisms have specialized cells which perform a variety of life functions;

     (c) Know that a cell can grow, divide and take in nutrients which are used to provide energy for the cell to function;

     (d) Know that certain organisms are composed of only one cell and that multicellular organisms can consist of millions of cells which work together to allow the organism to function;

     (e) Know that tissues, organs and organ systems work together to perform the functions of life and that:

          (1) Tissue can be formed when cells combine; and

          (2) Organs and systems of organs can be formed when tissues combine; and

     (f) Know that disease can result from defects in certain systems of the body or from damage caused by certain infections.

     8. For the area of organisms and their environment:

     (a) Understand various interactions between living and nonliving components of various ecosystems;

     (b) Know how matter and energy are transferred through food webs in an ecosystem;

     (c) Know how to characterize an organism in an ecosystem based on the functions of the organism;

     (d) Know how to evaluate whether changes in the environment of an organism can be beneficial or harmful; and

     (e) Know that interrelated factors affect the number and type of organisms an ecosystem can support.

     9. For the area of the diversity of life:

     (a) Understand that living things change over time and contribute to the variety of organisms existing on the earth;

     (b) Know that a species can be identified and classified based upon its characteristics;

     (c) Know that fossils provide evidence of how life and environmental conditions have changed throughout geological time; and

     (d) Know that the behavior of an organism is based on experience and the evolutionary history of the species of the organism.

     10. For the areas of the atmospheric processes and the cycle of water:

     (a) Understand the relationship between the atmosphere, topography, weather and climate of the earth;

     (b) Know that seasons are caused by variations in the amounts of the energy transferred from the sun to the surface of the earth based on the axial tilt of the earth;

     (c) Know how the processes involved in the cycle of water affect patterns in the climate;

     (d) Know the properties that make water an essential component of various systems of the earth;

     (e) Understand the composition of the atmosphere of the earth, with an emphasis on the role of the atmosphere in the weather and climate of the earth;

     (f) Know the difference between local weather and regional climates; and

     (g) Know the topography of the earth and the patterns of global and local atmospheric movement which influence local weather and which occur primarily in the lower atmosphere.

     11. For the area of the solar system and the universe:

     (a) Understand the characteristics of the solar system which is part of the Milky Way Galaxy, including, without limitation, the characteristics of the planets in the solar system;

     (b) Know that the universe contains many billions of galaxies and each galaxy contains many billions of stars;

     (c) Know that the solar system includes, without limitation, a great variety of planetary moons, asteroids and comets;

     (d) Know that the earth is part of the solar system located within the Milky Way Galaxy;

     (e) Know that the sun is many thousands of times closer to the earth than any other star and billions of times closer to the earth than the farthest end of the Milky Way Galaxy;

     (f) Know that the sun is a star in the Milky Way Galaxy which is medium in size in relation to other stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, part of which can be seen as a glowing band of light which spans across the sky; and

     (g) Know that regular and predictable patterns of movement by the earth around the sun and by the moon around the earth explain certain phenomena, including, without limitation, the day, the year, phases of the moon and eclipses.

     12. For the area of the composition and structure of the earth:

     (a) Understand that landforms result from a combination of constructive and destructive processes;

     (b) Know that sedimentary rocks and fossils provide evidence of changing environments and the constancy of geological processes;

     (c) Know that rocks at the surface of the earth can weather and form sediments that are buried, compacted, heated and recrystallized into new rock;

     (d) Know that the earth is composed of:

          (1) A continental and oceanic crust;

          (2) A mantle which contains hot convection currents; and

          (3) A dense metallic core;

     (e) Know that the very slow movement of large crustal plates results in geological events;

     (f) Know that geological processes produce state and regional topography;

     (g) Know that minerals have different properties and different distributions according to how they form;

     (h) Know the characteristics, amounts and locations of renewable and nonrenewable resources found in Nevada; and

     (i) Know that soil:

          (1) Has various properties, including, without limitation, color, texture and the amount of water the soil can retain; and

          (2) Provides nutrients for life in accordance with the manner in which the living thing is formed.

     (Added to NAC by Bd. of Education by R075-99, eff. 11-4-99; A by R041-05, 10-31-2005)