NB Grade 8 Scientific Literacy case studies
NB Grade 8 Scientific Literacy · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The New Brunswick Grade 8 Scientific Literacy Assessment is a provincial science test taken by Grade 8 students in New Brunswick, Canada. It checks whether students can use science ideas and evidence, not just recall definitions. Questions draw on scientific inquiry and process skills; cells, body systems, and reproduction; matter, mixtures, and fluids; forces, motion, and energy; Earth's structure, rocks, and space; and the links between science, technology, society, and the environment. Items mix multiple choice, short answer, and constructed response, so students should practise explaining reasoning in full sentences and supporting claims with data. Topics on this exam: Scientific Inquiry and Process Skills, Life Science: Cells, Body Systems, and Reproduction, Physical Science: Matter, Mixtures, and Fluids, Physical Science: Forces, Motion, and Energy, Earth and Space Science: Earth's Structure, Rocks, and Space, and Science, Technology, Society, and the Environment. The NB Grade 8 Scientific Literacy case studies are 5 cases and about 2,452 words.
1The Leaking Water Bottle
A student fills a 1.0 L plastic water bottle with 0.9 L of water and screws the cap on tightly. The bottle is left in a car on a hot day.
509 words, about 3 min2The Falling Balloon
A student drops a water balloon from a second-floor window, 5.0 m above the ground. The balloon has a mass of 0.50 kg and a volume of 0.50 L.
484 words, about 2 min3The Mysterious Rock Layer
A student is examining a cliff face with three sedimentary rock layers. The bottom layer is a coarse sandstone with rounded pebbles.
430 words, about 2 min4The Plant Experiment
A student wants to investigate how light affects the growth of bean plants. They plant 10 bean seeds in identical pots with the same type and amount of soil.
530 words, about 3 min5The School Parking Lot Problem
A school wants to build a new parking lot on a grassy field. The field is home to a population of ground-nesting bees and a small wetland area that drains into a nearby stream.
499 words, about 2 min