Below are the Mastery Learning Targets, or priorities for all students to be successful when they advance to 8th Grade Science. Mastery (M) of these skills means the student has met the grade-level standard and is independently performing on grade level. Mastery takes time to develop and may take the full school year.

• Develops a model that shows what different substances are made of at the atomic level.

• Interprets data based on properties of substances before and after a chemical reaction has occurred.

• Develops a model that describes how the total number of atoms before and after a chemical reaction is the same, therefore conserving mass.

• Constructs a device that releases or absorbs thermal energy and modifies the device based on tested results.

• Conducts an investigation to see that some organisms are made of just one cell, while others have many different types of cells that work together.

• Develops a model of a cell and includes parts of the cells with their respective functions.

• Uses evidence to explain how body systems are made up of smaller parts, including groups of cells that perform specific jobs.

• Develops a model describing the breakdown of food on the molecular level and how the release of energy supports an organism's growth and movement.

• Explains the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and energy.

• Models and explains how energy and matter are recycled through ecosystems.