MS-PS3-4 | Temperature and Energy Change · NYS standard · Grade 8 test questions
Plan and conduct an investigation to determine the relationships among the energy transferred, the type of matter, the mass, and the change in the temperature of the sample of matter.
Clarification statement: Examples of experiments could include comparing final water temperatures after different masses of ice melted in the same volume of water with the same initial temperature, the temperature change of samples of different materials with the same mass as they cool or heat in the environment, or the same material with different masses when a specific amount of energy is added.
Assessment boundary: Assessment does not include calculating the total amount of thermal energy transferred.
Grade 8 Science Test Questions
Released New York State Grade 8 science test questions that assess MS-PS3-4 are listed here by test and question cluster. Each link opens the question with its answer key.
| Exam | Cluster | Question |
|---|---|---|
| Spring 2026 Grade 8 Test | Hard-Boiled Eggs | Question 41 |
| Hard-Boiled Eggs | Question 43 |
Vocabulary
Terms from the Middle School Science Glossary that come from this standard or from the released Grade 8 Science Test questions that assess it.
- average kinetic energy
- change in temperature
- conservation of energy
- data
- design variable
- energy transfer
- environment
- final temperature
- heat
- initial temperature
- investigation
- mass
- melting
- particle
- phase (state of matter)
- plan and conduct an investigation
- sample of matter
- system
- temperature
- thermal energy
- total energy
- type of matter
- variable
- specific heat – implied by "the amount of energy transfer needed to change the temperature of a matter sample by a given amount depends on the nature of the matter, the mass of the sample"; the boundary excludes "calculating the total amount of thermal energy transferred"
Performance Level Descriptions
Every Grade 8 Science Test question on MS-PS3-4 is written to match one of the performance level descriptions (PLDs) below.
Resources
Examples and discussion of resources for the learning, teaching, and assessment of MS-PS3-4.
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NGSS Dimensions
Performance expectation MS-PS3-4 was developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:
- Planning and Carrying Out Investigations
- Plan an investigation to determine the relationships among the energy transferred, the type of matter, the mass, and the change in the average kinetic energy of the particles.
- PS3.A: Definitions of Energy
- (NYSED) Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of particles of matter. The relationship between the temperature and the total energy of a system depends on the types, phases (states), and amounts of matter present.
- PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer
- (NYSED) The amount of energy transfer needed to change the temperature of a matter sample by a given amount depends on the nature of the matter, the mass of the sample, and the environment.
- Scale, Proportion, and Quantity
- Proportional relationships (e.g., speed as the ratio of distance traveled to time taken) among different types of quantities provide information about the magnitude of properties and processes.