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West Virginia · West Virginia Science · Grade 8

S.8.13: Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle…

Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed.

The West Virginia College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (Policy 2520.3C) outcome S.8.13 (Physical Sciences) for Grade 8 says: “Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed.” This Fieldbook unit teaches it hands-on, with everyday materials and a printable teacher guide and student sheet for every lesson. Official wording: West Virginia College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (Policy 2520.3C).

Hot and Cold: Particles on the Move Grade 6 · partly supports this outcome

Why tires go soft in winter, why sidewalks have gaps, and how a thermometer knows. Five lessons on what heating and cooling do to the particles in everything around us.

  • Why do bike tires go soft in winter? 45–60 min

    Students stretch a balloon over a bottle, move it between warm and ice water, and find out what happens to air particles when they cool down. Then they explain a cyclist's 'flat' tire on the first cold morning.

  • Why does food colouring spread faster in hot water? 45–60 min

    Two cups, two drops, one race. Students drop food colouring into warm and ice-cold water at the same moment, then explain what the moving colour tells us about particles they can't see.

  • How does a thermometer know? 50–60 min

    Teams build a working thermometer from a bottle of coloured water and a clear straw, then calibrate it against a real thermometer. At the end, they explain how any liquid thermometer 'knows' the temperature.

Printable practice for S.8.13

Need just this outcome? Build a custom pack from these pages, with its answer key, in about a minute. Custom packs come with All-access and school licences.

Compared with NGSS: MS-PS1-4.

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