MS-LS1-3 | Body Systems and Homeostasis · NYS standard · Grade 8 test questions
Construct an explanation supported by evidence for how the body is composed of interacting systems consisting of cells, tissues, and organs working together to maintain homeostasis.
Clarification statement: Emphasis should be on the function and interactions of the major body systems (e.g. circulatory, respiratory, nervous, musculoskeletal).
Assessment boundary: Assessment is focused on the interactions between systems not on the functions of individual systems.
Grade 8 Science Test Questions
Released New York State Grade 8 science test questions that assess MS-LS1-3 are listed here by test and question cluster. Each link opens the question with its answer key.
| Exam | Cluster | Question |
|---|---|---|
| Spring 2025 Grade 8 Test | Organ Systems and Responses | Question 19 |
| Spring 2024 Grade 8 Test | Respiration | Question 40 |
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.
- body function
- body system
- cell
- circulatory system
- claim
- evidence
- explanation
- homeostasis
- multicellular organism
- musculoskeletal system
- nervous system
- organ
- organ system
- respiratory system
- subsystem
- tissue
- blood – Spring 2024
- body cell – Spring 2024
- bone – Spring 2025
- cell membrane – Spring 2025
- cellular respiration – Spring 2024
- coordinated response – Spring 2025
- digestive system – Spring 2025
- heart – Spring 2025
- intestine – Spring 2025
- learned behavior – Spring 2025
- lung – Spring 2025, Spring 2024
- model – Spring 2024
- molecule – Spring 2024
- muscle – Spring 2025
- muscular system – Spring 2025
- nucleus – Spring 2025
- protein – Spring 2024
- red blood cell – Spring 2024
- skeletal system – Spring 2025
- stimulus – Spring 2025
- stomach – Spring 2025
- vacuole – Spring 2025
Performance Level Descriptions
Every Grade 8 Science Test question on MS-LS1-3 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-LS1-3.
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NGSS Dimensions
Performance expectation MS-LS1-3 was developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:
- Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
- Construct a scientific explanation based on valid and reliable evidence obtained from sources (including the students’ own experiments) and the assumption that theories and laws that describe the natural world operate today as they did in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
- LS1.A: Structure and Function
- In multicellular organisms, the body is a system of multiple interacting subsystems. These subsystems are groups of cells that work together to form tissues and organs that are specialized for particular body functions.
- Systems and System Models
- Systems may interact with other systems; they may have sub-systems and be a part of larger complex systems.