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Grade 8 · Science · Unit 12 of 13

Technology Choices

Weigh benefits, costs and surprises

What your child practises

Children think about how to find the best solution to a problem, why designers try several strategies, and how technologies can have expected and unexpected effects that societies review.

Manitoba Curriculum learning outcome: SCI.8.D.5, SCI.8.D.6, SCI.8.D.7, SCI.8.D.8 · optimal solutions, design strategies, consequences of technology and re-evaluating technologies

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Leaded gasoline was phased out because…

    • cars no longer needed fuel
    • it cost too little
    • lead was found to harm people's health
    • it was too clean

  2. Question 2

    Antibiotics help people recover from bacterial infections. A predictable benefit is…

    • more clouds
    • better health
    • more traffic
    • taller buildings

  3. Question 3

    Overusing antibiotics can lead to…

    • faster plants
    • stronger bones
    • colder weather
    • bacteria that resist the medicines

  4. Question 4

    Every technology has trade-offs. This means…

    • it never changes
    • it brings both benefits and costs
    • it is only bad
    • it is only good

  5. Question 5

    When choosing the best solution to a problem, which question should you ask?

    • Which is the loudest?
    • What materials, costs and effects on people and the environment are involved?
    • Which is the prettiest?
    • Which is the newest?

  6. Question 6

    Which describes a predictable consequence of the invention of the car?

    • stars move
    • oceans freeze
    • people can travel farther in less time
    • more trees grow

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