What Ontario grade 8 students learn in science and technology

Your child will be able to use a scientific research process to carry out experiments and investigations.

Your child will be able to use a scientific process to conduct investigations and experiments.

Your child will be able to use an engineering design process (a step-by-step approach to solving problems) to design, build, and test different devices, models, structures, or systems.

Your child will understand how to follow safety rules during science experiments, including wearing the right protective gear and using tools and materials carefully.

Your child will be able to share their scientific discoveries and ideas using words and methods that make sense to different people and for different reasons.

Your child will be able to write and use computer code to help them with science experiments and to understand how large systems work, like how a factory assembly line operates.

Your child will be able to explain how computer coding and new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) affect daily life, including different jobs and trades.

Your child will learn how science and technology are used in different jobs, including hands-on trades, to solve everyday problems.

Your child will look at how science and technology can team up with other school subjects to solve problems we face in the real world.

Your child will learn how different groups of people have helped advance science and technology throughout history.

Your child will be able to explain how different technologies have helped us better understand cells and what goes on inside them.

Your child will be able to understand how new discoveries in cell biology and related technologies can be both good and bad for people's health and the environment, considering different viewpoints.

Your child will be able to understand what cells are and how they work, using the cell theory (which states that all living things are made of cells, cells are the basic unit of life, and all cells come from existing cells).

Your child will be able to identify the different parts of a cell, like the nucleus, and understand what each part does.

Your child will be able to compare the different parts and jobs of plant and animal cells.

Your child will be able to explain how substances like water and nutrients move in and out of cells through processes called diffusion and osmosis.

Your child will learn about different living things, including those made of one cell (unicellular) and those made of many cells (multicellular), and understand how each type gets what it needs to survive.

Your child will learn how cells are organized to form tissues, which then make up organs, and how these organs work together in systems within the body.

Your child will be able to explain how new inventions and technologies that use liquids or gases (fluids) can affect the environment, people, and the economy.

Your child will be able to explain how spills of liquids can harm the environment and people, including Indigenous communities. This includes understanding the difficulties and expenses involved in cleaning up these spills.

Your child will understand what makes some liquids thick and others thin (this is called viscosity) and be able to compare how fast different liquids flow.

Your child will compare how liquids and gases (fluids) move and are controlled in living things and in machines.

Your child will understand how mass (how much stuff is in an object), volume (how much space an object takes up), and density (how compact an object is) are related to each other.

Your child will be able to explain how solids, liquids, and gases are different, based on how tightly packed their tiny particles (molecules or atoms) are.

Your child will be able to explain how liquids and gases are different based on whether they can be squeezed (compressibility), and how this difference is used in various technologies.

Your child will be able to figure out if an object will float or sink in different liquids, based on how dense the object is.

Your child will be able to explain how the pressure, size (volume), and temperature of a liquid or gas are connected when it's squeezed or heated.

Your child will learn that when you push on a fluid (like air or water), that force is spread out in all directions. They will also learn about Pascal's Law, which helps explain how to measure this force transfer in fluids.

Your child will be able to describe what makes liquids and gases flow differently, such as their thickness or the size of the pipes they're flowing through.

Your child will be able to explain the differences between how pneumatic systems (which use compressed air) and hydraulic systems (which use liquids) work.

Your child will be able to understand how automated systems, like robots or smart devices, can affect society, the economy, and the environment.

Your child will be able to understand how new inventions or ways of doing things affect people, communities, and the environment, considering different perspectives.

Your child will be able to recognize and name different kinds of systems, like the systems in our bodies or mechanical systems.

Your child will be able to identify how things like culture, economics, and politics can affect how a system changes over time.

Your child will be able to explain how different systems work, including those used to process food, by describing their purpose, what goes into them, and what comes out.

Your child will be able to identify the different parts and processes of a system that help it work well and safely.

Your child will be able to use scientific words like "displacement" (how far something moves), "force" (a push or pull), "work" (when a force causes movement), "energy" (the ability to do work), and "efficiency" (how well something uses energy) to talk about things they see every day.

Your child will understand how work, force, and displacement (the distance an object moves) are connected in simple systems.

Your child will learn how input forces (the force you put in) and output forces (the force a machine produces) are connected. They will also figure out how much a machine, like a lever or pulley, helps to multiply force, which is called mechanical advantage.

Your child will learn how energy can be lost from machines and how new inventions help make those machines work better and use less energy.

Your child will be able to explain how giving people information and help with products they use makes those products work better and more safely.

Your child will be able to explain how new technologies using mechanical systems (like gears or levers) have helped different industries produce more goods or services.

Your child will be able to understand how not having enough clean water affects people and the environment, and suggest ways to help make sure we have enough fresh water for the future.

Your child will understand the beliefs and values that First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples have about water. They will also learn how these groups connect with water and manage it in ways that protect it for the long term.

Your child will be able to understand how new scientific discoveries and inventions affect water systems in their community and around the world.

Your child will learn about the different forms water takes on Earth (like ice, liquid, and gas), where it's found, how much there is, and how it moves around, as well as the conditions that cause these forms to exist.

Your child will understand what a watershed is (an area of land where all the water drains into a common point like a river or lake) and why it's important for managing and planning our water resources.

Your child will be able to explain how things people do and natural events can change the level of the water underground (the water table).

Your child will learn about the reasons why glaciers and polar ice caps are melting, including climate change, and understand how this affects water systems both locally and around the world.

Your child will be able to explain how large bodies of water, like lakes or oceans, can change the weather and air around them.

Your child will learn about different ways to measure how clean water is, and how human actions can affect water quality.

Your child will be able to explain how towns and cities clean water for use and how they manage the amount of water people use.