Students should be familiar with the following terms...
UNIT 1: MATTER
Matter: anything that takes up space and has mass.
Volume: how much space an object takes up.
Mass: how much matter is in an object.
Solid: matter with a definite shape and size.
Liquid: matter with a definite volume but no definite shape.
Gas: matter with no definite size or shape.
Property: any characteristic of matter that you can observe
(color, size, shape, texture, flexibility, luster)
Physical Change: a change in how matter looks, but not in the kind of
matter it is (ex. cutting, folding, sawing)
Unit 2: SIMPLE MACHINES
Machine: an assemblage of parts that can transmit force, motion,
and energy
Compound Machine: a combination of two or more simple machines
Inclined Plane: a flat surface that is raised so one end is higher
than the other. This helps to move heavy objects up or down.
Lever: a stiff bar that moves about a fixed point (the fulcrum). It is
used to push, pull, or lift things.
Pulley: a wheel that has a rope wrapped around it. They are used to
help lift heavy objects by changing the direction or amount of
force.
Screw: an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder or cone. Used to
hold objects together.
Wedge: a piece of wood or metal that is wide at one end and pointed at
the other to help cut or split other objects.
Wheel & Axle: a rod attached to a wheel. This simple machine makes it
easier to move or turn things.
Unit 3: ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS
Behavior adaptation: behavior that allows animals to respond to life
needs (hibernation, migration, etc.)
Camouflage: an animal's skin or fur coloring that allows concealment
by appearing to be part of the natural surroundings
Hibernate: to be or become inactive or dormant (usually in the
winter)
Instinct: inborn behavior that allows an organism to survive
Learned behavior: behavior that is obtained by interacting with the
environment and can't be passed on to the next
generation except by teaching
Migrate: to travel from one region or climate to another for feeding
or breeding
Mimicry: when one animal imitates the physical characteristics of
another animal to avoid being eaten
Physical Adaptation: an alteration in an animal's structure that helps
survive in that environment
Unit 5 Investigating Environments
Discussion Questions
1. How are plants and animals dependent upon each other?
2. What are populations and communities?
3. What is the relationship between populations and communities?
4. What characteristics do we use to describe environments?
5. How does a water-related environment differ from dry land environment?
6. What kinds of plants and animals do each type of environment support?
Terms to know
Abiotic: non-living part of the environment (climate, soil)
Biotic: living part of the environment
Community: populations that live together in the same place
Desert: hot, dry place with very little rain
Dry-relationed Environment: environment such as deserts, grasslands, rain
forests, and forests
Environment: complex factors of physical, chemical, abiotic and biotic that
act upon an organism or an exological community and ultimately
determine its form and survival
Forest: dense growth of trees and underbrush covering a large area
Fresh Water: water containing no dissolved solids of any type
Grassland: ecological community in which the characteristic plants are grasses
Marsh: area of soft wetland with grasses such as cattails
Oceans: whole body of salt water that covers nearly 3/4 of the surface of the
globe
Population: group of organisms of the same kind that live in the same place
Rain Forest: tropical woodland with an annual rainfall of at least 100 inches
River: natural stream of water of usually considerable volume
Swamp: wetland often partially or intermittently covered with water
Stream: body of runny water flowing on the earth (river, brook)
Salt Water: water that contains salt
Water-related Environment: area that includes fresh or salt water
Unit 6: Investigating Changes in Natural Cycles
Terms to know...
Cycle: an interval of time during which a sequence of a recurring succession
of events or phenomena is completed
Sequence: a sequence of events that occur in order
Rotation: the motion of turning on an axis
Axis: a straight line around which a body spins or rotates
Lunar Phases: the different shapes of the moon
New Moon: the entire half of the moon facing Earth and appears dark
Crescent: when light begins to illuminate the moon, creates a small sliver
Half Moon: half of the part of the moon facing the Earth is lighted
Full Moon: entire half of the moon facing the Earth is lighted
Tides: rise and fall of the ocean waters caused by the gravitational lpull of
the moon and sun
High Tide: when the rise of the water is at its highest
Low Tide: when the fall of the water is at its lowest