5th

grade FCAT 2.0 Science Study Guide

THE NATURE OF SCIENCE! 1.) 3 types of scientific investigations: a controlled experiment, repeated

observations, or making a model

2.) A control group is used to compare the test group (the group with

treatment ) to a control group with no treatment to see if the

treatment in fact made a change. A control group is very important to

the design of an experiment to be sure that what you are testing is actually

working as suspected. For example, if you wanted to know which laundry

detergent works best. You would have two types of detergent. You would

control the type of fabric, the stain, the amount of time the stain set in, the

temperature of the water, the amount of time the stain is scrubbed, etc..

You would also have a control group. This group would get NO detergent

so you could see if detergent actually worked better than water alone with

no detergent.

3.) It’s very important for scientists to write down EVERY step of an

investigation so they can repeat it for repeated trials so their results are

reliable, AND so other scientists can REPLICATE their experiment.

(Replicate means to repeat an experiment AND get similar or the same

results.) Scientists repeat and replicate experiments of others to test

validity and reliability. The more often an experiment can be replicated,

the more accepted the findings.

4.) When you gather information about the real world through the use of your

senses you are gathering observations!

5.) A prediction is what you think will happen based on observations,

information, or data collected.

6.) Scientists base all conclusions on empirical evidence. To be empirical,

something has to be able to be proved as true and have evidence to back it

up. Remember the video on pseudo-science – if you can’t prove it with

evidence, it’s NOT science! REPEATED OBSERVATIONS can be considered

empirical evidence. For example, any scientist studying the phenomenon

of night and day, could complete repeated observations, and write down

everything they see, they would end up figuring out the pattern of night

and day and why it happens. (Similar to the difference of FACT and

OPINION.)

7.) COMMON TOOLS SCIENTISTS USE:

EARTH & SPACE SCIENCE! STARS: (DON’T MOVE)

1. Our solar system is located in the Milky Way Galaxy, which is one of many

galaxies. The Milky Way has millions of stars. Stars are large balls of gas

and appear in different sizes because of how far away from Earth they are.

Stars can be described by brightness, size, and appearance based on

proximity (closeness) to Earth.

2. The SUN is a MEDIUM-SIZED STAR that is half way through it’s life cycle. It

appears so large and provides so much heat because it is the closest star to

Earth, in fact the ONLY star in our solar system.

3. The SUN emits heat energy and is the main source of all energy and

responsible for sustaining life on Earth.

4. Stars do NOT move! They appear to change direction in the night sky

because Earth is in motion. Different stars can be seen in different seasons,

depending on the position of Earth’s rotation and revolution.

PLANETS: (Revolve around the sun AND rotate on an axis)

My Very Educated Mother / Just Served Us Nine Pizzas

5. The first four planets are the INNER PLANETS and the last four are the

OUTER PLANETS. The Inner planets are smaller, made mostly of rock, and

have hotter surface temperatures, while the outer planets are larger and

made mostly of gas, they are called the GAS GIANTS, and have colder

surface temperatures because they are farther away from the sun.

6. EARTH IS THE THIRD PLANET FROM THE SUN!!!! Mars is the planet most

like Earth.

7. ALL PLANETS have mass, revolve around a star (the Sun), and rotate on an

axis.

The Moon: (Revolves around Earth) 8. The moon is Earth’s satellite. The moon revolves around Earth and one

cycle is a month, or about 29 days. The moon is responsible for the tides of

the oceans.

9. The moon doesn’t produce it’s own light, it reflects light from the sun. The

moon DOESN’T change shape and size, it reflects different amounts of light

depending on the revolution around Earth. The different shapes of the

moon are called the phases of the moon based on the amount of sunlight

shining on the moon in it’s orbit. You can remember that after a new

moon, the light is on the right first. And you can remember wax on,

wane off . The moon begins as a new moon and revolves counter

clockwise to a waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon,

waning crescent, last quarter, waning crescent, then back to new moon.

10. The moon is present day and night, you can only see it at night because the

sky around is dark and the sunlight is reflecting on the moon making it

light up .

EARTH’S MOVEMENT:

11. Earth is in CONSTANT motion. Earth rotates about a tilted axis, just like

you’d see on a globe. One complete ROTATION IS 24 HOURS, ONE DAY &

NIGHT ON EARTH. When the Earth is facing toward the sun, the sunlight is

shining on the Earth causing day, when Earth is facing away from the sun,

it’s dark, causing night.

12. Earth also REOLVES around the sun. It takes 365 ¼ days for Earth to make

a complete revolution around the sun. ONE REVOLUTION IS A YEAR. (The

¼ days add up every four years to an extra day in the calendar, we know

this as LEAP YEAR, and the extra day is added to February.)

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS: 13. Rocks and minerals can be described by their physical properties.

Hardness: how hard or soft a mineral is – talc is the softest at a 1 and

diamond is the hardest at a 10. ONLY diamond can scratch diamond.

Color: color is helpful for identifying a mineral, but color alone cannot

define a rock or mineral.

Luster: ability of a rock or mineral to reflect light – shiny or dull.

Streak: the color of the powder created when the mineral is ran across a

porcelain streak plate

Cleavage/Fracture: cleavage is when a rock/mineral breaks on a straight

edge, fracture is when it breaks in a jagged way

14. Minerals lead to the formation of rocks through heat, pressure, and build

up over long periods of time.

ROCKS:

15. There are 3 types of rocks:

Igneous: Igneous rocks are formed when molten lava cools into a solid

Sedimentary: Sedimentary rocks are formed when pieces of other larger

rocks are weathered and broken down, and form rocks by build up and

pressure.

Metamorphic: Metamorphic rocks are formed from heat and pressure

deep within the Earth.

RENEWABLE & NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES:

16. Renewable resources will renew themselves in our lifetime, example –

water. Non-renewable resources take millions of years to form, such as

fossil fuels.

17. Resources naturally found in Florida are: water (R), oil (NR), phosphate

(NR), limestone (NR), silica (NR), wind (R), and solar energy (NR).

WEATHERING & EROSION: 18. Weathering and erosion are related for creating all kinds of landforms.

19. Weathering is the process of breaking down rocks and other substances.

20. Erosion is the process of taking away the sediments.

21. Wind and water can be responsible for physical weathering AND erosion.

22. There is also chemical weathering, such as acid rain.

Polar

Temperate

Tropical

Tropical

Temperate

Polar

EARTH’S OCEANS & THE WATER CYCLE:

23. 75% or ¾ of Earth’s surfaces is covered with water.

24. OCEANS are responsible for most of the water in the WATER CYCLE.

25. The water cycle is the continuous change of water from solid, to liquid, to

gas.

26. Condensation is when water vapor (gas) cools off and begins to form a

liquid again. (Example – when a cold soda can hits room temperature air,

the water vapor in the air condenses on the cool can to form liquid water

particles)

27. Precipitation is rain, snow, sleet, hail, any form of water that returns to

Earth in liquid or solid form (snow and sleet can only form when

temperatures are at or below 32 degrees F or 0 degrees C).

WEATHER:

28. There are several factors considered in weather – air temperature, wind

speed, humidity (amount of water vapor in air), wind speed and direction,

and precipitation.

29. There are three major climate zones: polar, temperate, and tropical. The

climate zones are determined based on closeness to the equator or the

North and South pole.

PHYSICAL SCIENCE! Physical Properties of Matter:

1. Matter s is ANYTHING that takes up space and has mass! EVERYTHING is

matter! The smallest part of all matter is the atom!

2. Matter can be described by it’s physical properties: mass (measure of

amount of space – similar to weight), volume (how much space something

takes up), color, texture (how something feels), temperature, and state

(solid, liquid, gas).

3. Solids have a definite shape (like an ice cube). Liquids take the shape of

their container and move a little. Gases spread out to fill the space they are

in and move rapidly.

Mixtures & Solutions:

4. Mixtures of solids can be separated based on property or magnetism. For

example, chex mix can be separated, salad can be separated, a jar of

random nails and screws can be separated.

5. Solutions cannot easily be separated. Things DISSOLVE in a liquid quicker

when heat is added, the substance is stirred, or when the area is spread

out.

6. Some things dissolve better than others. For example, sand doesn’t dissolve in water, it settles to the bottom. Oil doesn’t dissolve in water, it

floats on top because it is less dense than the water.

Physical & Chemical Changes:

7. Physical changes occur when physical properties of a substance or object

change. For example, a piece of wood is cut. It has the same chemical

make up, it’s just changed shape and size.

8. Chemical changes occur when the chemical make up of a substance

changes. For example, a piece of wood is burned. The chemical make up

changes from wood to ashes. Example 2, a nail in the piece of wood rusts –

this is a chemical change.

9. Heat can change things physically by causing a change in state from solid,

to liquid, to gas. A CHANGE IN STATE IS ALWAYS A PHYSICAL CHANGE.

Forms of Energy:

10. There are several forms of energy: light, heat (thermal), mechanical,

sound, electrical, and chemical.

11. Light waves travel in straight waves. (the sun’s rays travel straight to Earth)

Light waves can bend or refract (straw in clear water cup), reflect (mirror),

or be absorbed (wear a black shirt, it absorbs light waves, or go to the

beach, your skin absorbs UV rays).

12. Sound waves are created from vibrations. High pitch or low pitch depends

on how fast the vibrations are occurring.

13. Heat energy is produced when objects rub against one another. (Rub your

hands together. )

Force & Motion: 14. Force causes an object to get set into motion. A force is a push or pull.

15. Moving air (wind) and water have the ability to be a source of energy and

cause something to move. (Think about bad weather, wind and water

cause many objects to set in motion.)

16. Gravity is a force that is ALWAYS at play. Gravity is the pull towards the

center of the Earth.

17. Friction is at play often times as well. Friction is a force in which to objects

rub against one another causing one to slow down or stop motion. For

example, rolling a toy car across the grass, it doesn’t go very far because of

gravity and friction. If something is resistant to move, it’s probably due to

friction.

18. NEWTONS (N) are used to measure the amount of force on an object.

19. Magnets attract magnetic objects, such as metal. Opposite magnetic poles

attract, for example, North and South attract to each other, while the same

poles repel one another, or push away. If North and North face one

another, they actually repel in opposite directions.

20. Balanced forces are when two forces are pushing on an object in equal

amounts of exertion. When this happens, the object does NOT move. The

object only moves when the forces become unbalanced and there is a

greater force in one direction. For example, when two teams are playing

tug of war and the rope isn’t moving, the forces are BALANCED. Eventually,

one team begins to weaken and the other strengthens. The forces become

unbalanced and the rope moves in the direction it is being pulled with the

most force.

21. Mass is the amount of matter in an object. The greater the mass, the

greater the amount of force it takes to move the object. For example, a

bowling ball requires more force to move than a tennis ball.

Forms of Energy:

22. Electrical energy can be changed and transformed into light energy, heat

energy, energy of motion, as well as sound energy. Think about the

electrical energy (electricity) you have running into your home. It gets

transformed into light energy at your light fixtures, heat energy in your

stove & heater, sound energy (we hear the microwave, the air conditioner,

the light bulb flip on, the tv, etc..), and electricity can cause things to move,

think of some of your toys that are battery powered!

23. Energy from the sun can produce heat energy and when the sun isn’t present that heat is lost. For example, during day and night. Nighttime

temperatures are always cooler than mid day temperatures because of the

heat energy produced by the sun.

24. Heat ALWAYS transfers from HOT to COLD. When you wear a jacket in

winter, the heat from your body transfers to the jacket. The jacket is an

insulator, meaning it keeps the heat in.

25. Good conductors of electrical heat are: copper and other types of metal

26. Good insulators of electrical heat are: rubber and polymers

27. The flow of electricity requires a closed circuit. When you turn on a light

switch, you’ve closed the circuit allowing energy to flow. When you turn

off the light switch, it’s an open circuit and the energy can’t flow.

LIFE SCIENCE!

Plants: 1. Know these Plant parts

Roots: hold the plant in place,

and absorb water & nutrients

Stem: transport water and

minerals from the roots to the

leaves & flowers AND hold the

plant up, support it

Leaves: house chlorophyll

(green pigment that attracts

sun), photosynthesis takes

place in the leaves

Fruit: protect seeds

Flowers: reproduction

2. Plant Reproduction:

The Pistil is the female part of the plant and the Stamen is the male

part of the plant. The anther creates pollen. Wind and insects carry the

pollen to the Stigma, which has a sticky secretion on it that the pollen

sticks to. This is how some plants reproduce.

-Spores are also responsible for reproduction, like on a fern.

Incomplete Metamorphosis

3. PHOTOSYNTHESIS is the process in which plants make their own food.

Sunlight, Carbon Dioxide, and Water mix together to form sugar and

oxygen. The plant eats the sugar, and lets off the oxygen. This

process takes place in the chloroplasts which are found IN THE LEAVES.

Animals & Insects: 4. Insects go through life cycles. Complete metamorphosis is when an

insect goes through a complete change, like a butterfly. An incomplete

metamorphosis is when an insect changes minimally after birth,

5. Some animals and insects have skeletons, they are called VERTEBRATES,

some do not, they are called INVERTEBRATES. Some invertebrates, such

as crabs, have exoskeletons, hard outer coverings to protect them.

6. Animal Classification:

a. MAMMALS: have fur, give birth to live young, feed milk to their

babies (we are mammals )

b. BIRDS: of flight and flightless (lay eggs)

c. REPTILES: snakes, lizards (lay eggs)

d. AMPHIBIANS: frogs (lay eggs)

7. Animals ADAPT to be able to survive in different environments and

seasons. Adaptations include mimicry, camouflage, warning coloration,

hibernation, etc… 8. Animals, including humans, CANNOT make their own food. Plants can.

Plants are PRODUCERS, they produce their own food through the

process of photosynthesis. Animals are CONSUMERS, they eat plants or

hunt other animals. Bacteria and fungi are DECOMPOSERS that

breakdown dead plant and animal matter and return the nutrients back

to the soil.

9. Animals get ENERGY from the plants and animals they eat. Follow this

food web:

Notice: The sun is at the bottom of

the food web, providing ENERGY for

ALL things.

The arrow points from the sun to the

plant because the sun provides

energy to the plant. The arrow points

from the turtle to the alligator

because the turtle provides energy to

the alligator, etc….

The Human Body: 10. Need to know the basic function of the following organs: skin, brain,

heart, lungs, stomach, liver, intestines, pancreas, muscles & skeleton,

kidneys, bladder, and senses.

One path of energy! Shows how everything is connected in a community!