4th Grade ISAT Science Vocabulary – Flashcards
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living things
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things that take in food, water, and gases, reproduce, grow, and respond to the environment.
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mammal
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warm-blooded animal with fur that gives birth to live babies and feeds them milk.
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bird
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warm blooded animal with feathers that lays eggs.
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reptile
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cold blooded animal with dry, scaly, skin that lays eggs.
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fish
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cold-blooded animal with scales and gills that lays eggs in the water.
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amphibian
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cold-blooded animal with smooth skin that lives on both land and in the water.
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insect
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invertebrate animal with six legs. They have segmented bodies and some have wings.
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vertebrate
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an animal with a backbone.
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invertebrate
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an animal with no backbone.
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exoskeleton
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the hard outer shell of some invertebrates.
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metamorphosis
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the change in body shape that insects and amphibians go through as they develop.
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insect metamorphosis
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Egg, larva, pupa, adult.
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larva
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the caterpillar stage of a butterfly.
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pupa
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the chrysalis, or cocoon, stage of a butterfly.
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frog metamorphosis
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egg, tadpole, young adult, adult.
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plant needs
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sunlight, water, air, nutrients.
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animal needs
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food, water, air, shelter
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inherited traits
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traits that are passed down from parents to their offspring. Examples are eye color and number of limbs in animals, and flower color in plants.
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learned traits
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traits that are learned, like being able to ride a bike.
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producers
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organisms that make their own food using sunlight. Includes all plants.
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consumers
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organisms that eat other organisms for food.
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decomposers
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organisms that break down dead plants and animals. Includes worms and fungi.
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herbivores
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consumers that eat only plants.
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carnivores
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consumers that eat only animals.
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omnivores
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consumers that eat both plants and animals.
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ecosystem
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all of the living and nonliving things interacting together in an area.
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desert
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a very hot, dry ecosystem.
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rainforest
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a very warm, wet ecosystem with lots of trees.
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temperate forest
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a forest ecosystem with different weather for each season.
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ocean
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a salt water ecosystem
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lake
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a fresh water ecosystem.
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nocturnal
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active at night.
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diurnal
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active during the day.
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camouflage
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an adaptation that helps organisms hide by blending in with their environment.
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adaptation
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a special structure or skills that helps an organism survive in its environment.
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food chain
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a diagram showing how energy is passed from one organism to the next.
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food web
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a group of overlapping food chains.
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warm-blooded
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body temperature stays the same all the time.
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cold-blooded
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body temperature rises and falls with the temperature of the environment.
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hibernation
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going into a deep sleep for the winter
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migration
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traveling to a different area in search of food or nicer weather.
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pollution
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harmful things in the water, air, or on land.
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natural resources
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things from the earth that organisms use to survive. Air, water, space, sunlight, and food are a few examples.
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The 3 R's
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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - These are ways that people can protect the environment.
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solid
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matter that does not change shape when put into a new container. Particles are packed tightly and move slowly.
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liquid
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matter that changes shape but not volume when put into a new container. Particles slip and slide around.
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gas
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matter that changes shape and volume when put into a new container. Particles move very fast and are spread far apart.
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evaporation
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the change from liquid to gas.
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condensation
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the change from gas to liquid.
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freezing
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the change from liquid to solid.
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melting
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the change from solid to liquid.
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thermometer
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a tool that measures temperature.
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mass
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a measurement of the amount of matter in something.
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volume
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a measurement of the amount of space something takes up.
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graduated cylinder
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a tool used for measuring volume.
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balance
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a tool used for measuring mass.
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ruler
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a tool used for measuring length.
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expand
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increase in volume because of heat.
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contract
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decrease in volume because of cold temperatures.
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density
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a measurement of the amount of matter in a certain space.
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magnet
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attracts iron, but not paper, plastic, aluminum, or copper.
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conductor
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something that lets heat and electricity go through it.
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insulator
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something that does not let heat or electricity go through it.
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static electricity
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an electrical charge caused by rubbing certain object together, like a balloon on someone's hair.
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attract
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force pulling two objects together, such opposite charges (positive and negative), or opposite magnetis poles (north and south).
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repel
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force pushing two objects apart. This happens to objects with "like" charges (positive and positive or negative and negative) or the "like" magnetic poles (north and north or south and south).
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types of energy
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electrical, heat, light, and mechanical.
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circuit
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the path electricity travels from the battery, to the light bulb, and back to the battery.
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closed circuit
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a circuit with no breaks in the path of the electricity - the bulb will light.
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open circuit
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a circuit with one or more breaks in the path of the electricity - the bulb will not light.
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white
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the color seen when an object reflects all colors of light back to the eye.
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black
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the color seen when an object absorbs all colors of light and reflects no light back to the eye.
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red
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the color seen when an object absorbs all colors of light except the color red.
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reflection
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when light bounces off of an object.
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refraction
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when light is bent by a lens.
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prism
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breaks white light into all the colors of the rainbow.
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force
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a push or a pull.
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balanced forces
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when the forces are equal on all sides of an object so its motion does not change. Equilibrium.
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unbalanced forces
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when forces on an object are unequal, causing the object to start or stop moving.
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friction
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the force created when the two surfaces rub against each other.
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gravity
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the force that pulls objects toward each other. It is what causes objects to be pulled toward the Earth.
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lever
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a simple machine that lifts objects by using a plank that is resting on a fulcrum.
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inclined plane
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a ramp that is a type of simple machine. Used to raise objects up or down.
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pulley
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a simple machine that consists of a rope that fits into a groove in a wheel. Used to raise objects up or down.
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screw
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a simple machine that is an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder - used to fasten objects together.
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wheel and axle
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a simple machine that has a center rod attached to a wheel.
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renewable
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resources that can be replaced.
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nonrenewable
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resources that cannot be replaced.
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fossil fuels
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coal, oil and natural gas.
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erosion
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The slow process of moving sediment from one place to another, usually by moving water.
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weathering
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The slow process of breaking down rocks into smaller pieces.
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earthquake
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the shaking that results from the movement of the plates that make up the Earth's surface.
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volcano
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mountain created as lava erupts from inside the earth.
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landslide
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the sudden movement of rock and soil down a slope.
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fossil
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the remains of an organism that lived long ago, most commonly preserved in sedimentary rock.
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igneous
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rock formed from cooled magma or lava.
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sedimentary
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rock formed when layers of sediments were pressed and cemented together.
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metamorphic
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rock formed by heat and pressure deep inside the Earth.
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minerals
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what makes up rocks. they have different colors, hardness, streak colors, and luster (shininess).
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river delta
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the place where a river deposits the sediments it picks up, forming a triangle shape.
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flooding
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when water cannot be absorbed into the land and overflows rivers. Causes damage but also deposits new soil on plains making fertile farmland.
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cirrus
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wispy, feathery clouds high in the sky.
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cumulus
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clouds that look like fluffy, rounded piles of cotton.
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stratus
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Clouds that form in low, flat layers, blanketing all or most of sky.
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precipitation
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water falling from the sky as rain, snow, sleet, or hail.
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anemometer
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tool used to measure wind speed.
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rain gauge
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tool used to measure rainfall.
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barometer
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tool used to measure air pressure.
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hygrometer
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tool used to measure humidity.
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low pressure system
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air pressure that comes with high wind, warm temperatures and storms.
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high pressure system
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air pressure that comes with clear skies and calm weather.
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continent
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large land mass
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mountain
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land mass with high peaks.
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valley
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the low land between hills or mountains.
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island
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land surrounded on all sides by water.
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moon
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the natural satellite of the Earth, which does not produce its own light.
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planets
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the large round bodies that revolve around the Sun.
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solar eclipse
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when the moon moves between the Earth and the Sun, blocking the sun's light.
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lunar eclipse
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when the Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon, casting a shadow on the Moon.
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full moon
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when the entire moon is visible.
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new moon
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when no part of the moon is lit by the sun, making it dark.
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moon phases
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the different shapes we see of the moon each night, caused by the moon's changing position.
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Planet Order
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Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
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Revolve
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Earth's motion around the Sun. Takes 365 1/4 days.
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Rotate
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Earth's spinning motion on its axis. Takes 24 hours.
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Leap Day
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Every four years we add this to our calendar to account for the 365 1/4 days it takes Earth to revolve around the Sun.
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axis
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the imaginary line around which the Earth spins. It is tilted.
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seasons
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different weather patterns at different times of year, caused by the tilt of the Earth's axis.
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constellation
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a group of stars that forms a pattern in the sky. Used for navigation, like a map.
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galaxy
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a group of billions of stars clustered together.
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Milky Way
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our galaxy, which gets its name from the white streak of stars we see in the sky.
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weight
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a measure of the force of gravity on an object. On Earth, mass and weight are the same. But in places with different gravity, weight will change.
