Objects have properties that can be observed, described, and/or measured: length, width, volume, size, shape, mass or weight, temperature, texture, flexibility, reflectiveness of light.
Matter exists in three states: solid, liquid, gas.
• solids have a definite shape and volume;
• liquids do not have a definite shape but have a definite volume;
• gases do not hold their shape or volume
Natural cycles and patterns include:
• Earth spinning around once every 24 hours (rotation), resulting in day and night;
• Earth moving in a path around the Sun (revolution), resulting in one Earth year;
• the length of daylight and darkness varying with the seasons;
• weather changing from day to day and through the seasons;
• the appearance of the Moon changing as it moves in a path around Earth to complete a single cycle
The material(s) an object is made up of determine some specific properties of the object (sink/float, conductivity, magnetism). Properties can be observed or measured with tools such as hand lenses, metric rulers, thermometers, balances, magnets, circuit testers, and graduated cylinders.
Weather can be described and measured by:
• temperature;
• wind speed and direction;
• form and amount of precipitation;
• general sky conditions (cloudy, sunny, partly cloudy)
Measurements can be made with standard metric units and nonstandard units. (Note: Exceptions to the metric system usage are found in meteorology.)
Temperature can affect the state of matter of a substance.
Heat can be released in many ways, for example, by burning, rubbing (friction), or combining one substance with another.
The Sun and other stars appear to move in a recognizable pattern both daily and seasonally
Erosion and deposition result from the interaction among air, water, and land.
• interaction between air and water breaks down earth materials;
• pieces of earth material may be moved by air, water, wind, and gravity;
• pieces of earth material will settle or deposit on land or in the water in different places;
• soil is composed of brokendown pieces of living and nonliving earth material
The force of magnetism on objects decreases as distance increases.
Humans need a variety of healthy foods, exercise, and rest in order to grow and maintain good health.
Individuals within a species may compete with each other for food, mates, space, water, and shelter in their environment.
Green plants are producers because they provide the basic food supply for themselves and animals.
Each animal has different structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction.
• wings, legs, or fins enable some animals to seek shelter and escape predators;
• the mouth, including teeth, jaws, and tongue, enables some animals to eat and drink;
• eyes, nose, ears, tongue, and skin of some animals enable the animals to sense their surroundings;
• claws, shells, spines, feathers, fur, scales, and color of body covering enable some animals to protect themselves from predators and other environmental conditions, or enable them to obtain food;
• some animals have parts that are used to produce sounds and smells to help the animal meet its needs;
• the characteristics of some animals change as seasonal conditions change (e.g., fur grows and is shed to help regulate body heat; body fat is a form of stored energy and it changes as the seasons change)
An organism’s external physical features can enable it to carry out life functions in its particular environment.
Some animal behaviors are influenced by environmental conditions. These behaviors may include: nest building, hibernating, hunting, migrating, and communicating.
Plants manufacture food by utilizing air, water, and energy from the Sun.
Animals need air, water, and food in order to live and thrive.
Living things grow, take in nutrients, breathe, reproduce, eliminate waste, and die.
Life cycles of some plants include changes from seed to mature plant.
In order to survive in their environment, plants and animals must be adapted to that environment.
• seeds disperse by a plant’s own mechanism and/or in a variety of ways that can include wind, water, and animals;
• leaf, flower, stem, and root adaptations may include variations in size, shape, thickness, color, smell, and texture;
• animal adaptations include coloration for warning or attraction, camouflage, defense mechanisms, movement, hibernation, and migration
The length of time from an animal’s birth to its death is called its life span. Life spans of different animals vary.
Nonliving things do not live and thrive.
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