____________’s Science Test Study Guide
You can find practice science questions here:
http://www.quia.com/rr/85291.html
Animals
*adapt (adaptation) – changes that help living things survive in
their environment
*organism – any living thing
*habitat – the area where an organism lives
*hibernate – to go to sleep for the winter and live on stored fat
*migrate – to move from one place to another, usually with
the changing of the seasons
*behavior – the way an animal responds to a change in the
environment
*population – all the members of ONE species living in a
particular area (What is the deer population in White Plains?)
*community – ALL the populations living in one area
*species – a group of organisms that are the SAME
*ecosystem – a collection of living things and the environment in
which they live
For example, a prairie ecosystem
includes coyotes, the rabbits on
which they feed, and the grasses
that feed the rabbits.
Obtaining Food
o Food Chain – a series of organisms
through which energy is passed
o
The Sun – source of energy (Most important!)
o Producers – organisms that use the
sun’s energy to MAKE THEIR OWN FOOD!
o Consumers – organisms that eats OTHER
organisms in a food chain
o Predators – animals that eat other animals for food
o Prey – animals that are eaten by hunters
o Decomposers – breakdown(eat) DEAD plants and
animals
o Carnivores – meat eaters
o Herbivores – plant eaters
o Omnivores – eat BOTH meat and plants
o Vertebrates – an animal with a backbone (Like You!)
o Invertebrates –an animal without a backbone (A snake!)
Human Growth and Development
 Balanced Diet – eating a variety of healthy foods every day.
 Harmful Substances – things such as alcohol, tobacco, and
drugs that do damage to the body that will last a lifetime
 Offspring – new living things that parents produce.
These are the young (babies) of plants and animals
 Traits – are qualities or characteristics of living things or a
species
Example:
Birds have wings.
I have hazel eyes.
 Inherited – traits that are passed down from parents to
offspring
Example:
I have hazel eyes just like my mom’s.
 Life Cycle – the stages of growth of a plant or animal form the
beginning of its life to the end of its life
Example:
Frog: egg, tadpole, adult frog
Insect: egg, larva, pupa, adult
 Metamorphosis – a complete CHANGE in form
Example:
A caterpillar becomes a butterfly.
 Life Span – the length of time from the beginning of a plant or
animal’s life until the end of its life (birth to death)
 Warm-blooded – an animal whose blood temperature remains
relatively constant (the same)
Example:
A healthy human’s temperature is about 98.6 degrees. If we go outside in the
freezing cold, our body temperature is still around 98.6 degrees.
 Mammals – warm blooded vertebrates. They give live birth to
their young (they do not lay eggs) and generally have hair.
Example:
Humans are mammals as are cats, dogs, giraffes, and lions.
 Cold-blooded – an animal whose blood temperature changes
with the outside temperature. (They also, lay eggs!)
Example: Fish and most reptiles
 Instinct – something you are born knowing
Example:
You are born knowing how to cry, swallow, and laugh.
 Learned Behavior – something you learn
Example: You learn how to read and ride a bike.
Characteristics of a Plant:
*Energy – gives the plant strength to live, grow, and carry out life
processes (THE SUN)
*Germinate (Germination) – when a seed starts to grow roots and
shoots
Life Cycle: Seed
Seedling
Plant
*Photosynthesis – the process by which a plant makes its food.
Carbon dioxide + Water + Energy (sunlight) = Glucose (plant food)
PLANTS NEED SUNLIGHT, WATER AND NUTRIENTS, AND AIR!
Life Cycle: Seed
Seedling
Plant
Parts of a Plant:
*Leaves – help plants gather sunlight and use it to make food for the
plant (it’s like the ‘kitchen’ – where the food is made)
*Roots –grow in the soil and take in water and nutrients
*Flowers – help the plant reproduce
(This is where the SEED is made)
*Stem – gives the plant support and transports the water and
nutrients from the roots to the leaf, where the food is made.
Plants change light energy, from the Sun, to food which is stored
as chemical energy.
Earth, Moon, and Sun:
*Rotation (to rotate) – the Earth rotates or spins ONCE around
every 24 hours…resulting in day and night.
*Revolution (to revolve) - the Earth moves in a path around the
sun…it takes ONE YEAR for the Earth to revolve around the sun.
Properties of Matter:
*Property – what can be observed about an object…size, shape,
color, hardness, luster (shiny or dull), and weight.
States of Matter:
Solid
Liquid
Solid – definite shape and size
Liquid – does NOT have a definite
shape
(takes the shape of its container) --has a definite size
Gas – does NOT have a definite
shape or size
*Matter – anything that has mass and takes up space.
(You, me, book, pencil)
*Mass – the amount of matter in an object
Gas
The Water Cycle:
*Water cycle – the constant movement of water from the ground, to
the sky, and back again.
*Water vapor – water in its gas form
*Evaporation – the changing of a liquid into a gas
*Condensation – the changing of a gas into a liquid
Think about the liquid on the
bathroom mirror when you
get out of the shower…
*Precipitation – water falling from the sky as snow, sleet, rain, or
hail
*Runoff – water flowing on the Earth’s surface (can be flooding)
*Groundwater – water that moves downward into the ground
*Erosion - the process by which the surface of the earth is worn
away by the action of water, glaciers, winds, waves, etc.
*Weathering – the breaking of rock into smaller rocks and soil
*Deposition – dropping or settling of earth materials
Rivers, glaciers, and oceans can carry rocks for thousands of miles and drop them off in a different area.
Energy:
*Energy – the ability to do work
*Work – is done when something moves and energy is transferred
Types of Energy:
*Heat energy – raises the temperature of matter
(A cup of hot cocoa in your hands)
*Chemical energy – energy stored in substances such as food,
gasoline, and wood (also heat energy when burned)
(Striking the tip of a match)
*Light energy – moves out from objects like the sun or a light bulb
*Sound energy – is created when objects vibrate causing
movements in the air
*Mechanical energy – is involved in moving matter -- This is the
kinetic (moving) or potential (stored) energy
(Remember the roller coasters!)
*Circuit – a path like circle
A closed circuit will allow the light to go on!
CLOSED=ON
An open circuit will turn the light off!
OPEN = OFF
A conductor will allow electricity to pass through it!
*** Metal is a great conductor! ***
An insulator does not allow electricity to pass through it.
*** Rubber, plastic, and wood are great insulators! ***
**Batteries –are containers of matter with stored energy (chemical energy)
**Solar – means powered by energy from the sun
Mechanical Forces
*Force – a push or a pull
*Friction – a force that resists the motion of one surface past
another surface
Simple Machines – make work easier
*Inclined plane – a ramp
*Wedge – cuts through a material (a knife)
*Screw
*Wheel and axle
*Pulley
Magnetism:
*Magnet – an object that pulls, or attracts, certain materials to it.
A magnet is attracted to most (not all) metals. These metals are
IRON, nickel, and cobalt.
Every magnet has two magnetic poles --- a north pole and a south
pole. A magnet’s force is STRONGEST at its poles.
Opposite poles attract (come together)
A North Pole is attracted to a South Pole and a South
Poles is attracted to a North Pole.
Like poles repel (push apart)
A North Pole repels a North Pole.
A South Pole repels a South Pole