Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island flag
Skills available for Prince Edward Island grade 8 science curriculum

Objectives are in black and IXL science skills are in dark green. Hold your mouse over the name of a skill to view a sample question. Click on the name of a skill to practise that skill.

Showing alignments for:

Actions

Water Systems on Earth

  • ESS1 Analyse the global distribution of water and its impact on local environments.

    • Describe how water circulates between the land, the ocean and the atmosphere (water cycle).

    • Identify how water is used on PEI (e.g., domestic, industrial, agricultural, fisheries, recreational).

    • Identify factors that affect glaciers and polar icecaps and describe their consequent effects on the environment.

    • Interpret graphical information on the availability of drinking water.

    • Compare and contrast the characteristics of salt and fresh water (e.g., density, freezing point).

    • Research water availability in different regions around the world and explain how it impacts the local environment, economy and culture.

    • Propose a plan of action to reduce personal water consumption to help address water sustainability issues.

  • ESS2 Use the design process to demonstrate how water movement shapes our landscape.

    • Explain how waves and tides are generated and how they interact with shorelines.

    • Describe how ocean currents can impact regional climates (e.g., Gulf Stream moderating effects, Labrador Current).

    • Research the processes of erosion and deposition that result from wave action and water flow and describe their impact on PEI.

    • Collaborate to plan and conduct a simulation that demonstrates how temperature differences cause water currents.

    • Critique the design and function of technologies designed to minimize damage caused by waves and tides (e.g., piers, breakwaters, levees).

    • Design, construct, evaluate and present a prototype of a device or system to prevent erosion caused by water.

  • ESS3 Critique human impact on water systems in the environment.

    • Describe factors that affect productivity and species distribution in marine and freshwater environments (e.g., temperature, nutrients, pollutants, salinity, turbidity).

    • Provide examples of problems related to water systems that cannot be resolved using scientific and technological knowledge alone (e.g., pollution, overfishing, freshwater scarcity).

    • Provide examples of how individuals and institutions contribute to the sustainability of water systems.

    • Apply the concept of systems to show how changes in one component of a body of water cause changes in other components in that system.

Fluids

  • PS1 Design an investigation to demonstrate an understanding of fluid viscosity.

    • Use scientific equipment safely, effectively and accurately for collecting and analysing data in viscosity investigations.

    • Explain, using the particle theory of matter, which factors can affect viscosity (e.g., temperature, concentration, particle size and attractive forces).

    • Relate how the properties of viscosity apply to daily life.

    • Conduct a fair test to identify which factors can modify the viscosity of a liquid.

    • Conduct an experiment to compare the viscosity of various fluids and identify the major variables.

  • PS2 Compare the density of various substances qualitatively and quantitatively.

    • Explain the difference among mass, volume and density.

    • Calculate the density of various substances.

    • Explain, using the particle theory of matter, differences in the density of solids, liquids and gases.

    • Collaborate to design an experiment and identify major variables in order to investigate floating, sinking and density.

    • Describe practical applications that have developed over time that are based on differing densities (e.g., hot-air balloons, wooden boats, Galileo thermometer, oil/water separators).

    • Predict how temperature will affect the density of a substance.

    • Conduct an experiment using the water displacement method to determine the density of various regular and irregular shaped objects.

  • PS3 Create a prototype of an object that floats to analyse the effects of forces on objects in fluids.

    • Explain the concept of force (push or pull on an object) and provide examples of contact and non-contact forces.

    • Differentiate between mass and weight.

    • Illustrate, using force diagrams, the movement of objects in fluids in terms of positive, negative and neutral buoyancy.

    • Collaborate to design, construct, evaluate and improve upon a prototype of an object that floats and can carry the greatest amount of cargo.

  • PS4 Explain how the transfer of fluids is used to apply a force or to control a motion in technological devices and in the natural world.

    • Explain qualitatively the relationship among pressure, volume and temperature when fluids are compressed or heated.

    • Describe the science underlying hydraulic and pneumatic technologies.

    • Explain how animals in nature (e.g., fish, whales, insects) and constructed devices (e.g., submarines, airplanes, heart pumps, aerosol cans) manipulate the properties of fluids.

    • Describe real life situations where scientists and engineers use their knowledge and understanding of fluids to solve challenges.

    • Collaborate to construct a device that uses the transfer of fluids to apply a force or to control a motion (e.g., construct a model hydraulic lift, water-spraying toy, model airbag, submersible that can sink and float, hovercraft, etc.).

Optics

  • PS5 Examine the properties and behaviour of visible light.

    • Demonstrate waves, wavelength, frequency and amplitude with corresponding explanations.

    • Select appropriate methods and tools to demonstrate rectilinear propagation and the visible spectrum (e.g., pinhole camera to demonstrate how light travels in a straight line, prism to demonstrate spectrum of colour).

    • Determine how light interacts with transparent, translucent and opaque materials.

    • Identify how reflection is used in everyday life (e.g., plane mirrors, sun dogs, magician's tricks, the ability to see the moon and other non-luminous bodies).

    • Use experimentation to derive the law of reflection by estimating and measuring the angles of incidence and angles of reflection of visible light.

    • State a conclusion, based on experimental data and evidence, on how light is refracted when passing from one medium to another (e.g., water, glass, plastic, oil).

  • PS6 Analyse different types of electromagnetic radiation and its impact on their daily lives.

    • Describe and compare different types of electromagnetic radiation, including infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, microwaves and radio waves.

    • Provide examples of technologies that use different types of electromagnetic radiation (e.g., cellular phones, X-ray machines, radios, microwave ovens, UV tanning beds, GPS, wireless computing devices, thermographic cameras) and how they relate to their daily lives.

    • Defend a position on an issue or problem, identified through personal research, related to the impact of electromagnetic radiation-based technologies on self and community.

  • PS7 Explain how human vision works, including ways of correcting or extending human vision.

    • Demonstrate an understanding of how light interacts with concave and convex lenses.

    • Explain how the human eye sees objects and detects colours.

    • Research the technological development of microscopes, telescopes, and other optical devices; describe how these developments enabled scientific research.

    • Identify similarities and differences between the human eye and other optical devices.

    • Identify new questions and problems that arise from what was learned about human vision and lenses (e.g., How do contact lenses work?).

Cells, Tissues, Organs and Systems