click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Full
GLOSSARY GRADE 5 State exam
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Absorb | To take up and store energy without reflecting or transmitting that energy |
Adaptation | A characteristic of an organism that increases its chances of survival in its environment. |
Analyze | To examine methodically by separating into parts and studying their interrelatedness |
Asteroid | A rocky or metallic object that orbits the Sun and is much smaller than a planet. |
Attraction | A term used to describe the electric or magnetic force exerted by oppositely charged objects or to describe the gravitational force that pulls objects toward each other. |
Balanced forces | Forces that are equal in size but opposite in direction. See also force and unbalanced forces. |
Behavior | A plant or animal action, reaction, or activity that occurs in response to stimuli (e.g., gravity, light, temperature). |
Carnivore | An animal that obtains nutrients from eating other animals. |
Characteristic | A feature, quality, property, or trait of an object or organism. |
Chemical change | Process by which substances are changed into different substances with different properties. |
Classify | To arrange in a specific order or group by categories based on similarities. |
Cleavage | A property used to describe how a mineral breaks apart along smooth surfaces. |
Climate | The average pattern of weather that occurs in a certain location over many years. |
Comet | An object made of rock, ice, dust, and gas that revolves around the Sun |
Community | Populations of different species of organisms living together in the same geographic area. |
Complete metamorphosis | Type of insect development characterized by the presence of a larval stage with different feeding habits |
Conclusion | A statement that tells what an investigation showed, based on observations and data. |
Condensation | The process by which water is changed from a gas (water vapor) to a liquid; a stage of the water cycle. |
Conduct | To transmit heat, sound, or electricity through a medium. |
Consumer | An organism in a food chain that obtains nutrients from producers or other consumers; consumers may be herbivores or carnivores. |
Control group | A group in a scientific experiment that serves as a reference for comparison to the experimental group; a group that is untreated by the factor being tested. |
Data | Measurements or observations collected and recorded in an experiment or investigation. |
Ecosystem | All the living and nonliving things that interact with each other in an environment. |
Endangered species | A species whose population is so small that it is in danger of extinction |
Environment | An area that includes all living organisms and the surrounding physical features such as air, water, soil, weather, and landforms. |
Erosion | The process by which rock, soil, and other weathered earth materials are moved from one place to another. |
Evaporation | The process by which water is changed from a liquid to a gas (water vapor); a stage of the water cycle. |
Experiment | A scientific test or procedure that is carried out under controlled conditions to answer a scientific question. |
Extinct species | A species that no longer exists |
Fertilization | The process by which the female reproductive cell (egg) is united with the male reproductive cell (sperm). |
Food chain | A diagram representing the transfer of energy from the Sun through producers and a series of consumers. |
Force | A push or a pull that one object exerts on another object with or without direct contact (e.g., friction, gravity). See also balanced forces and unbalanced forces. |
Friction | A force that opposes motion through direct contact |
Germination | The process by which plants begin to grow from a seed or a spore. |
Hardness | A property of a mineral that describes how easily it can be scratched |
Hemisphere | Half of Earth (i.e., Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western). |
Herbivore | An animal that obtains nutrients only from plants. |
Humidity | A measure of the amount of water vapor in the air. |
Igneous rock | A type of rock that forms from cooled magma or lava. |
Incomplete metamorphosis | Type of insect development characterized by the similar appearance of pre-adults and adults. |
Inference | An explanation based on evidence that is not directly observed |
Inherited trait | A trait or characteristic that is passed from parent to offspring. |
Insulator | A material used to reduce or prevent the transfer of electricity, heat, or sound |
Invertebrate | An animal that lacks a backbone. |
Investigation | An organized scientific study of the natural world that may include making systematic observations, asking questions, gathering information, analyzing data, summarizing results, drawing conclusions, and/or communicating results. |
Larva | An early stage in the life cycle of an organism that will undergo complete metamorphosis. |
Life cycle | The stages of an organism’s growth and development. |
Luster | A property of a mineral that describes how it appears when it reflects light |
Mass | The amount of matter a substance or object has |
Matter | Anything that takes up space and has mass |
Mechanical energy | A type of energy an object has due to its motion or position |
Metamorphic rock | A type of rock that is formed over time from existing rock due to extreme pressure and/or heat. |
Mineral | A naturally occurring inorganic solid with a distinct chemical composition and crystalline structure. |
Moon | A natural object that orbits a planet. |
Nutrient | A substance that an organism needs to survive and grow |
Nymph | A pre-adult insect undergoing incomplete metamorphosis |
Observation | Information about the natural world gathered through the senses and/or scientific instruments. |
Omnivore | An organism that obtains nutrients from both plants and animals |
Organism | A living thing |
Ovary | The female reproductive organ that produces and contains egg cells |
Physical change | A change of a substance from one form to another without a change in its chemical properties. |
Pistil | The female reproductive structure of a flowering plant |
Pitch | The relative frequency (high or low) of a sound as perceived by a listener |
Planet | A large body in space that orbits a star and does not produce its own light. |
Polar zone | A climate zone characterized by very little precipitation and extremely cold temperatures. |
Pollen | The fine dustlike powder that contains the male reproductive cells of seed-bearing plants. |
Pollinate | To transfer the pollen from the male reproductive structure to the female reproductive structure to fertilize flowering plants. |
Population | All members of the same species living together at the same time in the same area |
Precipitation | A form of water (e.g., hail, rain, sleet, snow) that condenses in the atmosphere and falls to Earth’s surface. |
Predator | An organism that kills and eats other organisms (prey). |
Predict | To state what one thinks will happen under certain conditions based on data or observation. |
Prey | An organism that is killed and/or eaten by another organism (predator). |
Producer | An organism that produces its own food |
Pupa | A stage in the life cycle of an insect that occurs between larva and adult |
Reflect | To bounce light, sound, or heat off of a surface. |
Repel | To force away or apart |
Reproduction | The process of making more organisms of the same kind. |
Revolution | The motion of one object around another object. |
Rotation | The turning of an object on its axis. |
Sedimentary rock | A type of rock formed from layers of sediment. |
Soil | The loose top layer of Earth’s surface made of weathered rock and organic matter |
Solar system | A system of planets and other bodies that orbits a star |
Species | A group of the same kind of organisms that can mate and produce offspring that can reproduce. |
Speed | The distance traveled by an object in a given amount of time |
Spore | A seedlike structure that produces a new plant (e.g., ferns or mosses). |
Stamen | The male reproductive structure of a flowering plant. |
Star | A large object in space that is made of gas and produces its own light. |
State of matter | The form matter can take (e.g., solid, liquid, gas). |
Streak | The color of the powder of a mineral when it is rubbed on a streak plate. |
Technology | The use of scientific knowledge and processes to solve practical problems. |
Temperate zone | A climate zone located between the tropics and the polar circles generally characterized by moderate temperatures rather than extremely hot or cold temperatures. |
Testable (scientifically testable) | A term used to describe a question that can be answered through an experiment or observation. |
Texture | A physical property of a solid used to describe its surface. |
Trials | Multiple sets of measurements or observations in a scientific investigation |
Tropical zone | A climate zone near the equator characterized by warm temperatures. |
Unbalanced forces | Forces that are unequal in size and may or may not be opposite in direction. See also balanced forces and force |
Valid | A term used to describe the certainty of data or results of an investigation or experiment. |
Variable | An event, condition, or factor that can be changed or controlled in order to study or test a hypothesis in a scientific experiment. |
Vertebrate | An animal that has a backbone. |
Volume | The amount of space an object or substance occupies |
Water cycle | The continuous movement of water through the environment by evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff. |
Water vapor | The gas state of water |
Weather | The condition of the atmosphere at a given time and place. |
Weathering | The process by which rocks and other surfaces are broken down. |
Weight | A measure of the force of gravity on an object. |