Scope and sequence · Science
Grade 8 Life Science: Heredity, Design and Origins
A year of true stories about how living things are made and passed on, from a friar counting peas in a monastery garden at Brno and the X-ray image called Photo 51 to the finches of the Galápagos, William Paley’s watch on the heath, the Cambrian rocks, soft tissue in a dinosaur bone and the bison brought back from the edge, each one examined, measured and weighed so that a student can tell what we observe from what we conclude and stand ready for high-school biology.
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What to cover
32 of 36 lessons are MUST COVER. They are tested on the unit tests and exams, or are skills the SAT/ACT relies on. OPTIONAL lessons are enrichment. Do them if time allows. The course is complete when the MUST COVER lessons are done.
Unit 1: Mendel
- MUST COVER 1.1 The Friar and His Peas (1856–1863) ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.2 Dominant and Recessive · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.3 Punnett Squares · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.4 Pedigrees · unit test
Unit 2: DNA
- MUST COVER 2.1 Watson, Crick and Rosalind Franklin’s Photo 51 (1953) ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.2 Extract Strawberry DNA · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.3 The Code as Information · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.4 Proteins · unit test
Unit 3: Variation Within Kinds
- MUST COVER 3.1 Darwin’s Finches: What Changed and What Didn’t ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.2 Dog Breeds ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.3 Antibiotic Resistance · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.4 What a “Kind” May Be (Baramin) · unit test
Unit 4: Design in Nature
- MUST COVER 4.1 Paley’s Watch (1802) ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.2 The Eye · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.3 The Bacterial Flagellum and Irreducible Complexity · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.4 Fine-Tuning · unit test
Unit 5: Fossils and Life’s History
- MUST COVER 5.1 The Cambrian Explosion ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.2 Dinosaur Soft Tissue ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.3 Transitional-Fossil Claims: Archaeopteryx and Tiktaalik · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.4 How Each Side Reads the Fossils · unit test
Unit 6: Origins Fairly Told
- MUST COVER 6.1 Creation in Genesis ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.2 Darwin’s Theory, Stated Accurately · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.3 Intelligent Design · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.4 A Respectful Written Comparison · unit test
Unit 7: Ecology and Stewardship
- MUST COVER 7.1 Dominion and Care (Genesis 1:28; 2:15) ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.2 Population Counts · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.3 Conservation Success: The Bison and the Whooping Crane · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.4 Hunting and Game Management · unit test
Unit 8: Careers in Life Science
- MUST COVER 8.1 Veterinarians, Nurses and Doctors ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.2 Wildlife Biologists and Game Wardens · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.3 Agricultural Science: Norman Borlaug and the Wheat Fields of Mexico · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.4 Capstone: A Field Study Report · unit test
Unit 9: Bonus: Nature Lab OPTIONAL unit
- OPTIONAL 9.1 Nature Journal Walk
- OPTIONAL 9.2 Backyard Survey
- OPTIONAL 9.3 Zoo, Farm or Museum Visit
- OPTIONAL 9.4 Specimen Collection
36-week pacing calendar
From the course’s own 36-week pacing guide, with catch-up and review weeks added to fill a 36-week (180-day) year.
| Week | Plan | Done | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | Session 1: Lesson 1.1 The Friar and His Peas (1856–1863): warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 2 | Session 1: Lesson 1.2 Dominant and Recessive: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 3 | Session 1: Lesson 1.3 Punnett Squares: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 4 | Session 1: Lesson 1.4 Pedigrees: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 1 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 5 | Session 1: Lesson 2.1 Watson, Crick and Rosalind Franklin’s Photo 51 (1953): warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 6 | Session 1: Lesson 2.2 Extract Strawberry DNA: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 7 | Session 1: Lesson 2.3 The Code as Information: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 8 | Session 1: Lesson 2.4 Proteins: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 2 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 9 | Session 1: Lesson 3.1 Darwin’s Finches: What Changed and What Didn’t: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 10 | Session 1: Lesson 3.2 Dog Breeds: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 11 | Session 1: Lesson 3.3 Antibiotic Resistance: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 12 | Session 1: Lesson 3.4 What a “Kind” May Be (Baramin): warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 3 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 13 | Session 1: Lesson 4.1 Paley’s Watch (1802): warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 14 | Session 1: Lesson 4.2 The Eye: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 15 | Session 1: Lesson 4.3 The Bacterial Flagellum and Irreducible Complexity: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 16 | Session 1: Lesson 4.4 Fine-Tuning: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 4 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 17 | Session 1: Lesson 5.1 The Cambrian Explosion: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 18 | Session 1: Lesson 5.2 Dinosaur Soft Tissue: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 19 | Session 1: Lesson 5.3 Transitional-Fossil Claims: Archaeopteryx and Tiktaalik: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 20 | Session 1: Lesson 5.4 How Each Side Reads the Fossils: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 5 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 21 | Session 1: Lesson 6.1 Creation in Genesis: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 22 | Session 1: Lesson 6.2 Darwin’s Theory, Stated Accurately: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 23 | Session 1: Lesson 6.3 Intelligent Design: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 24 | Session 1: Lesson 6.4 A Respectful Written Comparison: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 6 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 25 | Session 1: Lesson 7.1 Dominion and Care (Genesis 1:28; 2:15): warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 26 | Session 1: Lesson 7.2 Population Counts: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 27 | Session 1: Lesson 7.3 Conservation Success: The Bison and the Whooping Crane: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 28 | Session 1: Lesson 7.4 Hunting and Game Management: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 7 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 29 | Session 1: Lesson 8.1 Veterinarians, Nurses and Doctors: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 30 | Session 1: Lesson 8.2 Wildlife Biologists and Game Wardens: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 31 | Session 1: Lesson 8.3 Agricultural Science: Norman Borlaug and the Wheat Fields of Mexico: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 32 | Session 1: Lesson 8.4 Capstone: A Field Study Report: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 8 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 33 | Session 1: Lesson 9.1 Nature Journal Walk: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 34 | Session 1: Lesson 9.2 Backyard Survey: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 35 | Session 1: Lesson 9.3 Zoo, Farm or Museum Visit: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 36 | Session 1: Lesson 9.4 Specimen Collection: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 9 review and unit project |
Grading: Unit tests and quizzes (60-point unit tests and lesson practice) 35%, Nature notebook (dated pages, metric data tables, labeled graphs and sketches) 20%, Experiments (prediction, careful measurement, honest records and the improve-it step) 25%, Unit projects 20%. Scale: A 90–100, B 80–89, C 70–79, D 60–69. Below 60: review the unit with help and retake the test.