8th Grade Science

For 8th grade science for the past two years, I have used the following websites

(Note: Only some of these work on Chromebooks, but they all work in the E2 Computer Lab).

States of Matter

Particulate Nature of Matter - http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/lsps07.sci.phys.matter.naturematter/particulate-nature-of-matter/ - In this interactive activity from ChemThink, learn about solids, liquids, and gases at an atomic level. Investigate how the behavior and interaction of atoms and molecules account for the states of matter. Important terms such as elements, molecules, compounds, and mixtures are also reviewed.
Molecularium (building molecules) - http://www.molecularium.com/kidsite.html - This online interactive has three activities in the NanoLab (press the upper right button): Build, Zoom, and Transform. "Transform" is a simulation of water changing phase from solid to liquid to gas. Through exploration of the site learners form a better understanding of the composition of matter.

Atomic Structure

Element Math Game - http://education.jlab.org/elementmath/ - Calculate the number of protons, neutrons or electrons in an atom based on information from the Periodic Table of Elements!
The Atom - http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/asset/lsps07_int_theatom/ - In this interactive activity from ChemThink, learn about atomic structure. Follow the tutorial to understand how individual atoms—the basis of all matter—are composed of subatomic particles such as electrons, protons, and neutrons. Investigate the three types of particles, their properties (such as mass and charge), and relative locations.

Elements & The Periodic Table

Element Flash Cards - http://education.jlab.org/elementflashcards/ - Learn the names and symbols of the elements!
Element Matching Game - http://education.jlab.org/elementmatching/ - Match an element's name to its symbol!
Element Word Scramble - http://education.jlab.org/elementwordscramble/ - Use the clues provided to unscramble the name of an element!
Element Hangman - http://education.jlab.org/elementhangman/ - Discover which element the computer has picked by guessing the letters in its name!
Element Concentration - http://education.jlab.org/elementconcentration/ - Challenge your memory and your knowledge of the elements!
Element Crossword Puzzles - http://education.jlab.org/elementcrossword/ - Use the clues provided to solve each crossword puzzle!

Balancing Equations

Element Balancing Game - http://education.jlab.org/elementbalancing/ - Practice balancing chemical equations by picking the correct coefficients!
Molecularium (building molecules) - http://www.molecularium.com/kidsite.html - This online interactive has three activities in the NanoLab (press the upper right button): Build, Zoom, and Transform. In Build, learners build increasingly complex molecules out of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen, and is useful for connecting subscripts and the number of atoms, and for introducing 3D molecular structures which are automatically built. Zoom is a "powers of 10" zoom-in ranging from 10,000 kilometers to 1 nanometer. Transform is a simulation of water changing phase from solid to liquid to gas. Through exploration of the site learners form a better understanding of the composition of matter.

Gravity

Why Doesn't the Moon Fall Down? - http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.eiu.moonorbit/why-doesnt-the-moon-fall-down/ - The Moon, Earth's natural satellite, seems to hover in the sky, unaffected by gravity. However, the reason the Moon stays in orbit is precisely because of gravity -- a universal force that attracts objects. With the right combination of speed and gravity, satellites can fall around, instead of into, the body that they orbit. In this animated video segment adapted from NASA, learn about how the Moon stays in orbit around Earth.

Force

Crime Scene Investigation - http://www.edheads.org/activities/crash_scene/index.shtml - Help the highway patrol recreate a deadly crash by examining the evidence and calculating the forces!
Push: Water Ski Over the Sharks - http://www.cosi.org/visitors/on-line-activities/push-activity/ - This is an online activity about acceleration. Learners will choose a speed and an angle in order to help a water-skier named Fonzie use a ramp to clear a shark.
Drag: Parachute from the Stratosphere - http://www.cosi.org/visitors/on-line-activities/drag-activity/ - This is an online game recreating the longest ever (at that point in time) freefall jump by Air Force Captain Joe Kittinger. Learners will be briefed on when they should deploy each parachute in order to be successful. If they deploy either at the wrong time, the game explains what went wrong and what the outcome is. This is a good game to explain drag, friction and the different layers of the atmosphere.
Motion Madness - http://www.cosi.org/visitors/on-line-activities/go-activity/ - This is an online game that explores speed, range and momentum. Learners will pick the winners in a 16-team tournament in 3 events: Tug-o-war, sprint, and marathon. Examples of tournament participants are a snail, the Voyager I spacecraft, and North America. The learners will have the opportunity to read a little about each participant to assist in informing their choices.
Rocket Activity - http://www.knowitall.org/hobbyShop/rocket/RocketYellow.htm - Students build virtual rockets to explore the physics concepts of forces (thrust, drag, lift, weight) and Newton's Three Laws of Motion: Inertia, Acceleration and Interaction.
So Many Parts (Newton's 3rd Law) - http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/games/game_space_station.html - In this online Flash game and spacewalk mission simulation, learners are challenged to repair parts of a space station while balancing their oxygen and fuel use carefully. Learners use the computer mouse or keyboard to move around according to Newton's Third Law of Motion. This game has three levels: easy, medium, and hard.
Stop: Stopping Distances - http://www.cosi.org/visitors/on-line-activities/stop-activity/ - This is an online game about stopping distance. Learners choose one of three vehicles and one of three speeds. They then decide whether or not to stop for a yellow light and find out how physics and mathematics can affect life and death decisions. Will they safely get through the intersection, stop in time, or get a ticket?
Roller Coaster Builder - http://www.fossweb.com/modulesK-2/BalanceandMotion/activities/rollercoaster.html - In this online activity about the physics of momentum and velocity, learners design their own roller coasters. Once the track has been built, the roller coaster is tested using a virtual ball. Through trial and error, the learner discovers how much momentum is needed to move the ball through the entire course.
Squish & Stretch - http://www.omsi.edu/exhibits/animationsite/popup.php?area=squashandstretch&width=680&height=544 - This online activity has you order multiple images of a bouncing ball to show how, in animation, an object appears to lengthen as it falls, flatten as it hits the ground, and lengthen as it bounces up. This technique is used to produce the exaggerated look of an animated cartoon, but follows the rules of physics in that the object elongates along its axis of acceleration (stretch) and contracts when it meets resistance (squash). If images are out of place, they can be moved, rather than starting all over.
Planetary Rescue Squad - http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/games/game_planetary.html - This is an online Flash game where learners can experiment with ballistics and how to compensate for the varying levels of gravity found on the planets of our Solar System. Their mission: set the proper variables to launch rescue packages to space colonists on different planets, starting with Earth and progressing to the far reaches of the Solar System. Learners adjust the launch angle and force to reach the targets.
Cycles in the Cards - http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/index.php?s=file_download&id=55 - In this "game," learners explore and relate the evolution of stars to a Navajo creation story. The story is written on a series of cards, which are laid on a table as the story is told. It starts with NASA images on Star Cards, then moves to the Navajo Cards and the multiple other sets of cards that build up the full creation story. To complete the story, the Star Cards are related to the Navajo (and related) Cards, with the circular, cyclical nature of both stories brought out. A scientific background section is included. This is part of a collaboration between NASA and the Navajo that also included videos that can be watched online.
Soup Can Derby (part of Roller Coaster Design) - http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/web_assets/pdf/dftv_gpsedguide_rollercoasterdesign.pdf - In this in-class/at-home activity, learners will use food cans of many different properties (sizes, shapes, and weights) and set two cans on their sides at the top of a ramp. Learners will make predictions about which cans will roll the fastest and then let them roll to race and test their predictions. This activity is well-suited for groups. Relates to the linked video, DragonflyTV GPS: Roller Coaster Design
Kinetic Theory Lab - http://www.classroomscience.org/kinetic-theory-lab - Purpose: To develop a theory that explains why gases behave the way they do.

Acids and Bases: Kitchen Chemistry - http://pbskids.org/zoom/games/kitchenchemistry/virtual-start.html - Acids and bases react with other chemicals in predictable ways. This interactive activity from the ZOOM Web site allows you to conduct virtual experiments on various solutions to determine if they're acidic or basic. In one experiment, you can test the acidity of different household substances by trying to launch a virtual cork rocket.
Cabbage Patch Chemistry - http://www.cosi.org/educators/activities/cabbagepatch-act/ - In this chemistry activity, learners will learn how to make their own pH indicator using cabbage leaves, and then test common household items with their homemade indicator. This is an excellent activity to show how science can often be done with everyday objects.
Invisible Ink - http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/pdf/DoggoneIt.pdf - In this simple chemistry activity (page 1 of PDF) about acids and bases, learners will mix a baking soda and water solution and use it to paint a message on a sheet of white paper. Once the paint has dried completely, learners reveal the secret message by painting over the entire sheet of paper with grape juice. Relates to the linked video, DragonflyTV: Colorblind Dogs.

Astronomy

Your Weight on Other Worlds - http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/weight/index.html - Gravity exerts a powerful force on all of us -- relentlessly pulling us toward Earth's surface. Everything we do, from standing up and running to getting dressed and eating breakfast, requires us to expend energy, and much of that energy goes toward our struggle against gravity. However, despite the powerful force that gravity exerts, we take it for granted precisely because of its constancy. This interactive resource from the Exploratorium gives you the opportunity to imagine how the differing gravities on other celestial bodies would affect your weight.
Tour the Solar System - http://d3tt741pwxqwm0.cloudfront.net/WGBH/npls12/npls12_int_toursolsys/index.html - Learn about the objects of the solar system in this interactive activity adapted from NASA. Videos and animations introduce basic facts about the Sun and the eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Descriptions provide information about each object, such as its size, temperature, composition, surface features, distance, rotation, and orbit. The tour also describes the asteroid belt (including its two largest objects, Ceres and Vesta), the Kuiper belt (including dwarf planets Pluto, Eris, Haumea, and Makemake), comet Halley, the Oort cloud, and the interplanetary medium. This resource is part of the NASA Planetary Sciences Collection.
Sizing Up the Universe - http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/families/point_click/idealabs/universe.html - In this online interactive challenge, learners choose items to represent the Earth or solar system, then determine other items to represent the Moon, or Milky Way based on their relative size. The question mark button in the bottom right corner provides learners with useful background information and definitions like "What is a planet?" Learners can also see relative distances by using an online map and typing in their own addresses. Use this activity to introduce learners to elements of the universe (planets, moons) as well as size and scale. The activity also features several informative videos.
Constellation Detective - http://astrosociety.org/education/family/materials/constellationdetective.pdf - In this quick activity learners practice locating a constellation in a map of very dark skies. The activity is designed to introduce the Orion, Big Dipper, and Sagittarius constellation patterns, provide a chance to look for those patterns among other stars, and reinforce the idea that more stars are visible away from city lights and clouds. A printed version in Spanish can be purchased, but is not available online.
Zoom: Travel to a Star and Back to Earth - http://www.cosi.org/visitors/on-line-activities/zoom-activity/ - This is an online activity about what would happen if we could travel at or near the speed of light. Learners will pick a fictional destination light years away, travel there and back to Earth, and see the difference in the relative times that have passed for them and the people that stayed back on earth.
Moonlight Serenade - http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/ocean/ll_moonphase.htm - In this in-class/at-home activity, learners act as the earth and observe how different angles between the sun, earth, and moon affect the phases of the moon we see each month. Learners work in pairs and make observations of a hand-held moon model in a darkened room from two vantage points. Use this activity to introduce learners to moon phases, eclipses, spring tides, and neap tides. This resource also has information about rip currents and beach safety.

Distance & Time

Virtual Car: Velocity and Acceleration - http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/asset/phy03_int_accel/ - This interactive activity developed for Teachers' Domain demonstrates how vectors are used to represent velocity (speed and direction) and acceleration. In the activity, vectors change in real time as you "drive" a car on a flat plain; as you change speed and direction, vectors originating from the car respond to your actions. A graph depicting speed vs. time also responds to your actions, displaying both the speed and acceleration of the car.

Buoyancy

Salt n' Lighter (density) - http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/ocean/ll_eggs.htm - In this in-class/at-home activity, learners discover that as the salinity of water increases, the density increases as well. Learners prove this by attempting to float fresh eggs in saltwater and freshwater. This resource explains the relationship between water density and salinity as well as how this phenomenon relates to water displacement. It also explains how large ships float on water and includes a chart of some famous historical ship sizes. This resource also includes the flood safety tip "Turn Around, Don't Drown."