• Friction-A force that resists movement between two objects that are touching.

• Gravity-A force of attraction between any two masses. The strength of this force is dependent on the mass of each object and their distance from one another.

• Force-A push or a pull. A force is also needed to make a moving object slow down, change direction or stop moving.

• Work - Is only done when a force makes something move.

• Energy-Ability to do work.

• Distance- How far something moves.

• Speed- A measure of how fast something is moving. How far an object can go in a certain amount of time. Distance divided by time.

• Motion- Change in the position of an object.

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• Vehicles

• Air resistance -The force of friction on a vehicle as it moves through the air.

• Drag-the force that opposes the forward motion of a vehicle.

• Inertia -The tendency of a moving object to stay in motion or a resting object to stay still is inertia.

• Momentum - the rate of acceleration. Mass x Velocity = Momentum.

• Action and Reaction - Forces are found in pairs: for every action (force) there is an opposite and equal reaction (force).

• Potential Energy -Stored energy that can be released to become other forms of energy.

• Kinetic Energy - A type of energy associated with motion.

• Unbalanced Forces- Initiate (causes) movement and influences movement.

• Balanced Forces-When an object is at rest it is balanced.

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• Motion Graphs

• Velocity-The rate of change of position. Speed + Direction. 

• Distance- How far something moves.

• Speed- A measure of how fast something is moving. How far an object can go in a certain amount of time. Distance divided by time.

• Motion- Change in the position of an object.

• Acceleration -Acceleration is the rate at which an object changes its velocity. An object is accelerating if it is changing its velocity.

• Heat Transfer

• Thermal Energy - energy in the form of heat.

• Conduction-The transfer of heat or electrical energy by physical touching of two objects.

• Convection-The transfer of heat by the movement of a liquid or gas.

• Radiation-The process in which energy is emitted by particles or waves.

• Wind Energy - the process by which wind is used to generate electricity (ie. windmills)

• Solar Energy - energy harnessed from the sun’s radiation.

• Insulator - resists or doesn’t allow heat energy to flow through the item. Wood, cloth, glass, and quartz are examples of insulators.

• Conductor - Heat energy can flow freely through, such as metals and copper.

• Electromagnetic - magnetic field produced by an electric current.

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• States of Matter

• Conservation of Mass - The principle that mass cannot be created or destroyed. (ie. 10 grams of water plus 5 grams of salt equal 15 grams of salt water solution).    

• Physical Change - A usually reversible change in the physical properties of a substance such as size or shape: (ex. Water freezing into ice)

• Chemical Change - An irreversible change in the properties or composition of a substance resulting in a new substance.  (ex. Wood burning or iron rusting).

• Matter - The material or substance that things are made of (electrons, neutrons, and protons)

• Mass - The amount of matter in an object.

• Weight - The amount of gravitational force on the matter of an object.

Nice-to-Know

• Technological Design - The process of identifying a problem, creating a solution, evaluating the solution by testing, and then refining the design to improve performance is the essence of technological design. Plan, build, test, evaluate.

• Tension-a force exerted by a stretched object, such as a spring.

• Revolutions - the spinning of an object. One complete spin is equal to one revolution.

Intro Week

Biotic factors: living things in an ecosystem such as plants and animals

Abiotic factors: nonliving things in an ecosystem such as light, air, and soil

Ecology: the study of ecosystems

Ecosystem: an interconnected community that includes all the living and nonliving things in an area

Habitat: a place where a population lives

Environment: everything that surrounds an organism and influences it

Aquatic: having to do with water

Terrestrial: having to do with land or the Earth

Aquarium: a glass or plastic container in which aquatic organisms can live and be observed

Terrarium: a closed glass or plastic container in which terrestrial organisms can live and be observed

Land & Aquatic Biomes Week

Sediment: tiny bits of soil that are often transported by water or wind

Germination: process by which seeds swell up, begin to sprout and develop roots

Biodiversity: a wide variety of organisms

Biome: a very large ecological area on the Earth’s surface; there are 6 of these

Taiga: a cool forest biome of conifers in the upper northern hemisphere

Temperate/Deciduous Forest: a forest biome with many kinds of trees that lose their leaves each Autumn (Fall); the biome we live in

Savannah/Grassland: a biome where grasses, not trees, are the main plant life; large herbivores live here

Tropical Rainforest: a hot, humid biome near the equator with much rainfall and large variety of life

Tundra: a cold treeless biome of the far north marked by spongy topsoil

Desert: a sandy or rocky biome with little precipitation and little plant life

Individual: A single member of a species

Population: All the members of one species in an area.

Community: All the populations living in one area.

Freshwater Ecosystem: An aquatic ecosystems that is composed of drinkable water. Comes from lakes, ponds, and streams.

Saltwater: An aquatic ecosystem that is composed of salt water. Comes from oceans and estuaries.

Watershed: An area of land whose waters all drain into the same place.

Estuary: The mouth of a large river where the river meets the ocean. Creates brackish water.

Brackish: A mix of salt and freshwater.

Niches Week

Niche: the specific role an organism plays within its ecosystem

Prey: the victim of the predator---hunted and killed by a predator

Predator: an animal that hunts and consumes another animal for food

Carnivore: a consumer which gets its energy by eating only meat/animal flesh

Herbivore: a consumer which gets its energy by eating only plants and vegetation

Omnivore: a consumer which gets its energy by eating both plants and meat/animal flesh

Dependent relationships: relying on another; for example: plants rely on sun for its light

Interdependent relationships: relying on one another; for example: animals eat plants as a food source but plants depend on animals for carbon dioxide

Adaptation: a change in order to fit in a new situation or use

Photosynthesis: the process in which plants use carbon dioxide and sunlight to create sugar for themselves for food

Trade off: the act of giving up one things in order to get another

Transpiration: the process through which plants release water into the environment (aka plant sweat)

Chains/Webs/Pyramids Week

Food Chain: Shows the flow of the Sun’s energy from one organisms to another

Food Web: Overlapping food chains in an ecosystem

First Level/Primary Consumer: The first consumer in a food chain or food web

Second Level/Secondary Consumer:  The second consumer in a food chain or food web

Third Level/Tertiary Consumer: The third consumer in a food chain or food web

Energy Pyramid: A model that shows the flow of energy from the producer to top consumer

Coexist: To live together in the same environment

Consumer: an organism that gets it energy by eating other organisms

Decomposer: an organism that gets its energy from breaking down decaying organic material into nutrients for an ecosystem; nature’s recycler

Producer: any organism that makes it own food through photosynthesis

Bacteria: a decomposer that helps in the recycling process

Fungi: a decomposer that helps in the natural recycling process; i.e. mushrooms

Experimentation Week

Model: Representation of objects or processes that function like, describe, or explain the real thing.

Fair Test: Altering or changing only one variable in an experiment

Variable:  The part of an experiment that is changed or tested

Control: the part of an experiment that stays the same

Fertile: Rich in nutrients; often used to describe soil

Pollutant: A harmful or unpleasant substance which can have negative effects on an ecosystem when spread through the air, water, soil.

Increased Nutrients: Added to the environment can create algae blooms which can limit existing organisms in an aquatic community

Acid Rain: Moisture that falls to the earth after being mixed with waste from burned fossil fuel.

pH Level: Measured on a scale of 0-14. 7 is neutral, 0-6 is acid (i.e. orange juice), 8-14 is basic (i.e.milk)

Conservation: Sensible use of the earth’s resources to avoid harming the environment.

Algae Blooms: When too many algae crowd the water and block sunlight from reaching underwater grasses. This is caused by too many nutrients in the water from sewer drainage and fertilizer runoff.